Mastering Modern
Calligraphy
Beyond the Basics: 2,700+ Pointed Pen Exemplars and Exercises for Developing Your Style
I wrote Mastering Modern Calligraphy to bring the depth, intricacy, and refinement of traditional penmanship exemplars into the world of modern calligraphy practice. The older manuals are beautiful in their precision, but they tend to prioritize uniformity above all else. This book’s focus is experimentation, variation, and play.
I think of it as part reference, part practice companion, and part invitation. The goal is not to teach you how to write like me, but to help you understand how calligraphic letters work well enough to develop a style all your own—to explore what modern calligraphy can become in your hands.
Inside, you’ll find thousands of letterforms and ligatures to copy freehand or trace, along with stroke drills, flourishing exercises, layout studies, and calligraphy guide sheets.
The lessons progress gradually, beginning with pencil warm-ups and foundational strokes, then moving into script letter structure, connections, and stylistic exploration.
Spiral-bound
with 240
full-color pages
Targeted exercises will help you break bad habits and create new styles
The chapter of stroke drills and warm-up exercises will make the time you spend practicing more effective
Its lay-flat spiral binding means you can practice letters free-hand or trace them with ease
The fourteen letter guides for various styles can be traced over or photocopied for personal use
The extensive flourishing practice and exemplars are for beginner through advanced levels
You’ll learn how to critique your own work productively, to hone your skillset like a pro
Take your calligraphy to the next level with my techniques for layout design and envelope addressing
240 full-color pages to return to again and again as your skills grow
Curious about what’s inside? In this video I show you everything:
A comprehensive guide for taking your calligraphy to the next level
For pointed pen and digital calligraphers
120+ pages of letter exemplars
What readers are saying
“Thorpe gives readers the tools they need to begin breaking habits and implementing changes that will result in a unique calligraphic style that’s entirely their own.”
― Paper & Ink Arts
“Perfect for intermediate calligraphers!”
— Oh So Beautiful Paper
“A wonderfully thoughtful, in-depth guide on honing your own calligraphic style and giving it a modern twist. It’s filled to the brim with so much helpful information that everyone would benefit from adding this to their personal library.”
― Joanna Muñoz, author, The Art of Hand Lettering for Beginners
“A comprehensive, full-color guide for experienced beginners and intermediate students interested in mastering contemporary styles. With her signature pointed pen and digital hand lettering-styles, whimsical approaches, and bold color palettes, Molly brings a freshness and excitement to this classically beautiful writing style.”
— John Neal Bookseller
“A solid source of information for calligraphy enthusiasts, echoing the kind and encouraging tone of Molly’s previous two books.”
— Lindsay Bugbee, The Postman's Knock
“Mastering Modern Calligraphy is the only book I keep at my desk full time. Molly’s user-friendly, spiral-bound book includes information that has taken me years of reading blogs, Instagram posts, and books – and taking classes – to glean.”
— Jennifer L. Wayne, JW Calligraphy
“This is a masterclass and complete visual (and tactile) feast. Ms. Thorpe has provided the reader of this book with the keys to the kingdom, offering tremendous insight into her professional strategies for layout, envelope addressing, monograms, and a dozen other things I’d never dared dream of trying before.”
— Shoshana R.
“Molly has not left any details uncovered, including a complete and well-illustrated description of the materials to be used in this art.”
— Ana Figueroa Ramos
Get a copy
Please shop local when you can! If you are a bookseller who carries any of my books and would like me to add your shop to my list, please contact me.
North America
Find a local seller in the U.S.
Abe Books – U.S.
Amazon.com – U.S.
Amazon.ca – Canada
Amazon.com.mx – Mexico
Archambault – Canada
Barnes & Noble – U.S.
Book Soup – U.S.
Books A Million – U.S.
Hennessey + Ingalls – U.S.
Hudson Booksellers – U.S.
IndieBound – U.S.
Indigo Books – Canada
John Neal Bookseller – U.S.
McNally Robinson – Canada
Paper & Ink Arts – U.S.
Powell’s – U.S.
Skylight Books – U.S.
Studio Carta (signed copies) – U.S.
Target – U.S.
Trident Bookseller – U.S.
Renaud Bray – Canada
Europe
Amazon.co.uk – U.K.
Amazon.es – Spain
Amazon.fr – France
Amazon.de – Germany
Amazon.it – Italy
Amazon.nl – The Netherlands
Apollo – Estonia
Book Depository – U.K.
Saxo – Denmark
Wordery – U.K.
Oceania
Amazon.com.au – Australia
Angus Robertson – Australia
Dymocks – Australia
South America
Amazon.com.br – Brazil
Asia
Amazon.co.jp – Japan
Amazon.in – India
Amazon.ae – U.A.E.
Books.com.tw – Taiwan
Fully Booked – The Philippines
Kinokuniya – Singapore
Magrudy’s – U.A.E.
Rakuten – Japan
UBuy – Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, U.A.E.
Africa
A Cover Story
I wrote an article for my blog about the process of designing the cover of Mastering Modern Calligraphy.
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