A Festive Calligraphy Guide, with Quill London

Lucy Edmonds is the talented founder of Quill London and heads up its modern calligraphy and stationery studio. In 2014, Quill hosted London’s first modern calligraphy workshops and has been at the forefront of the trend ever since, having seen thousands of students through its classes. Lucy’s contemporary lettering style has also been sought after by fashionistas and lifestyle brands everywhere. We asked Lucy a few questions, just to get us in the mood for a present wrapping marathon.

Q: Why would you recommend calligraphy?

“Modern Calligraphy is a wonderful life skill and actually a relaxing hobby. You don’t need much in terms of materials to get started and with practice and perseverance you see amazing results. It’s also a lovely excuse to step away from our screens once in a while and enjoy getting creative.”

Q: What are the key tools for getting into calligraphy?

“You actually don’t need many materials to get started. All you need are four easy items: a nib, a pen holder, ink and paper to practice on. You can also find all these items in our Essentials Modern Calligraphy Kit, which also provides you with an alphabet guide and the handy getting started instructions.”

Q: What are your three top 3 tips for calligraphy beginners?

“It’s important to make sure you’re holding the pen correctly. Make sure it’s pointing straight up to the top of the paper, otherwise you’ll find your writing scratchy.

Slow down… you’ll have more control.

Practice! Learning modern calligraphy is like any skill: you need to put the time in and practice in order to see results. But it’s great fun and quite relaxing to practice!’

Q: Fun fact about calligraphy?

“Did you know that we can calligraphy on almost any surface? Over the years, a variety of objects and materials have come into our studio for us to write on for weddings and events. These have included cricket bats, pebbles, denim, candles, agate and marble to name a few. Especially in the lead up to Christmas as we have had clients coming to us asking us to calligraphy on objects to jazz up their Christmas dining table.”

How to use the art of calligraphy to make festive place cards:

You’ll need:

• Dr Martin’s Copperplate Gold ink
• Nikko G nib
• Pen holder of your choice
• Paint brush
• Coloured card
• A foraged pinecone

1. Form your pen by inserting the nib into the pen holder. Make sure the gold pigment is fully shaken up before use, and dip your pen into the shimmery ink to coat your nib. Apply pressure to the downward strokes as you write and keep your upward strokes feather light. Aim to achieve a lovely ribbon effect of thin and thick lines in your writing.

2. Using a small paintbrush, edge the tips of the pinecone with the same gold ink.

3. Style your table by placing the pinecone on the edge of the name card. The pinecone adds height, texture and a natural edge to an otherwise slick and minimalist table settings.

4. You could mix it up by using different coloured inks and and card too. 

For more festive ‘how to’ guides, check out our DIY Christmas Garlands and Christmas Activity Kit articles and get into the creative spirit!