Calligrapher | Designer | Teacher | Author

Teaching

About

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Calligrafile ➺

Calligrapher | Designer | Teacher | Author

Teaching

About

Workshop Tickets ➺

Calligrafile ➺

The More One Works...

Folded Pen Lettering

One of my favorite quotes about art, by sculptor Alberto Giacometti.
Folded pen and Sumi ink on paper; digitized in Photoshop

The-More-One-Works-Blue-Plurabelle-Calligraphy-Lettering.jpg

The-More-One-Works-Blue-Plurabelle-Calligraphy-Lettering-3.jpg

The-More-One-Works-Blue-Plurabelle-Calligraphy-Lettering-2.jpg

All Net Neutrality Summer Workshop Ads Alfred Coffee + Kitchen The More One Works... Bellissimo Calligrapher's Business Handbook Decorated Majuscules Alfred Takeover Martha Stewart Weddings The Craftsmanship Initiative Skillshare Class: Mastering iPad Lettering UPPERCASE Magazine Calligrafile Art Is A Political Attitude Letters Are Things Victorio & Lucchino Wedding Invitations Woolf's Diaries Michael Kors Πολυτελές Vera in August Remember Why Decorative Type Vogue Footwear Folded Pen Envelopes Calligraphed Logos Delicious Desserts Wedding Accents Greek Calligraphy But First Coffee Umai Grill Spirit of Sanada Drinking Ouzo Google Arts & Culture Σπλαγχνίζομαι Έλιος Jun Sasaki J. Jill

Net Neutrality Summer Workshop Ads Alfred Coffee + Kitchen The More One Works... Bellissimo Calligrapher's Business Handbook Decorated Majuscules Alfred Takeover Martha Stewart Weddings The Craftsmanship Initiative Skillshare Class: Mastering iPad Lettering UPPERCASE Magazine Calligrafile Art Is A Political Attitude Letters Are Things Victorio & Lucchino Wedding Invitations Woolf's Diaries Michael Kors Πολυτελές Vera in August Remember Why Decorative Type Vogue Footwear Folded Pen Envelopes Calligraphed Logos Delicious Desserts Wedding Accents Greek Calligraphy But First Coffee Umai Grill Spirit of Sanada Drinking Ouzo Google Arts & Culture Σπλαγχνίζομαι Έλιος Jun Sasaki J. Jill

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Backward alphabet 27/27: A⠀
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We've made it to the end of my backward alphabet series! A is a great letter to finish with because a good A always feels regal, self-contained, and complete. It's a great stand-alone letter because of its strong structure and, of course, because it's a word unto itself. ♥️ ⠀
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Now I want to see *your* uppercase alphabets! Please tag me to show me your letters, or PM me if you prefer sharing that way. 💕⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
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#masteringmoderncalligraphy #flourishedcalligraphy #calligraphypractice #calligraphybook #mollysuberthorpe #lettera #uppercasecalligraphy

Backward alphabet 26/27: B⠀
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If you're struggling with B, go back to your R and work on curving the leg around to form a bowl. If you're aiming for a cohesive lettering style where all the letters "match," then practicing B, R, and P together will prove very beneficial, because these three letters are sisters. (But if you want to make them completely different from one another, go for it! I'm a huge fan of experimentation and unorthodox styles.)⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
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#masteringmoderncalligraphy #calligraphyworkshop #mollysuberthorpe #letterb #copperplate #pointedpencalligraphy #typegang

Backward alphabet 25/27: C⠀
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C is for Creative Challenge, because I want to encourage you to be as creative with this character as possible. C is a letter that is easy to learn once and then stick with that same style in all your writing. But there is a lot you can do with C! For starters, play with the width and the top flourish, and push yourself out of your comfort zone a bit.⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #learncalligraphy #mollysuberthorpe #letterc #typelove #calligraphyc #calligraphycapitals

Backward alphabet 24/27: D⠀
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D is for Deceptively Difficult. This is by far one of the hardest letters to write in proportion. It's all too easy to make D look like it's either melting into the baseline (bottom heavy) or about to topple over (top heavy). Tag me in a D you're proud of!⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #moderncalligraphy #letterd #copperplated #learnmoderncalligraphy #mollysuberthorpe

Backward alphabet 23/27: E⠀
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Very few letters elicit the anxious groans among my students that uppercase E does. It's not just a backward B without the stem, it's not just C with a loop in the middle. E is its own beast. The proportions of the top and bottom bowls are tricky, because while they allow room for experimentation, it's easy for the letter to look top- or bottom-heavy. (But just wait until we get to D, coming up next....)⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #calligraphyalphabet #flourishedcapitals #copperplatecalligraphy #calligraphylove #lettere #mollysuberthorpe

Backward alphabet 22/27: F⠀
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When I posted T last week, I discussed "To turn or not to turn?" Well the choice of whether to have a shaded or hairline top stroke applies to F as well!⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #calligraphyworkshop #mollysuberthorpe #letterf #calligraphycapitals #typegang #uppercasecalligraphy

Backward alphabet 20/27: H⠀
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There are SO many fun variants of H. Do you make the stems two parallel downstrokes or curve them toward each other? Do you make both of them downstrokes of equal weight, or do you make one into a hairline? Do you lift after the first stem (as I have in #1 and #2), or write the whole letter without lifting (as in #3)? Do you flourish the top, the bottom, the crossbar, or all three?⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #mollysuberthorpe #letterh #copperplatecalligraphy #pointedpencalligraphy #calligraphyworkshop

Backward alphabet 19/27: I⠀
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In print, this letter is nothing more than a straight line. But adding curves and a slant complicates matters significantly! To all my students and followers who are thinking, "How do I make sure my I doesn't look like a J??," you can't go wrong with this first style here, which is a take on the classic schoolhouse cursive I. It is characterized by a long downstroke on the left side of the letter, as opposed to J's long downstroke which is on the right. This style can be made wide or narrow, giving the letter a whimsical or formal character, respectively.⠀
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If it's the fancier, classic calligraphy I you prefer, just make sure that the upper flourish doesn't venture too far from the stem, so that it can't be mistaken for the crossbar of a J. Beyond that, you can have lots of fun with the flourishing at the bottom!⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #calligraphyalphabet #flourishedcapitals #learncalligraphy #mollysuberthorpe #lettering

Backward alphabet 18/27: J⠀
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One of my absolute, hands-down, all-time favorite uppercase letters is J. I don't have to think about J a lot – it's one of those letters that comes pretty naturally out of my pen. (But isn't it funny how easy it is to make I look like J but not the other way around? I is coming up next, of course, so stay tuned for a few of my favorite ways of writing it.)⠀
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #letterj #calligraphyworkshop #handwriting #learncalligraphy #mollysuberthorpe

Backward alphabet 17/27: K⠀
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K is an incredibly fun letter because there are so many opportunities for flourishing, including extending the arm over the word, or the leg under it. But in truth, I usually prefer a simpler K. What is your preference?
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These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #uppercasealphabet #calligraphypractice #mollysuberthorpe #letterk #copperplate #pointedpen

Backward alphabet 16/27: L⠀
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L is for Los Angeles, leopards, letters, limes, and my sister Lilian (@liliandaythorpe) – so many things I love. The letter itself, though, wasn't always the most fun for me to calligraph. What is your favorite L word?
.⠀
These 3 variants are from my forthcoming book, Mastering Modern Calligraphy. (Learn more about it in my story highlight, New Book.) They are actually only a small sampling, as the book includes more than 2,700 pointed pen letter exemplars and exercises!⠀
.⠀
#masteringmoderncalligraphy #flourishedcapitals #learncalligraphy #mollysuberthorpe #letterl #pointedpen #calligraphypractice

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