Patricia Lovett is a professional calligrapher and illuminator and works from her studio at Kent, UK. She has written a number of books on calligraphy and illumination as well as a DVD on illumination, and teaches and lectures all over the world.
Calligraphy is a great skill to have and to be enjoyed. Great authors and poets provide the words but calligraphers can bring them to life by using colour, emphasising words and phrases in different sizes, colour and writing styles. Good calligraphy is not only pleasing and delights the eye but it also can feed the soul.
And learning calligraphy can be great for the soul too, being not only a very satisfying pastime and even career but also calms the mind, although along the way it can cause some frustration at the challenges it produces! When concentrating on a calligraphy piece, planning the layout, choosing the colours, introducing illustration or perhaps illumination (the use of gold) worries often simply disappear. because the concentration needed is so complete. There are Calligraphy Clips on this website which explain what is needed to start calligraphy, examples of calligraphy scripts, and guidelines for spacing and using colour etc for anyone who wants to learn.
Look at the Gallery, too, to see ideas on what can be done; each example has a brief explanation.
And for more information about calligraphy, manuscripts, books, historical buildings and ‘interesting stuff’ look at the blog.
Look at the pieces of calligraphy in Patricia’s gallery to see what can be done.