---
title: Calligraphy & Hand Lettering
description: Calligraphy and hand lettering cover writing and drawing letterforms by hand, from broad-edge and pointed-pen scripts to modern brush lettering. You will understand foundational strokes, classic hands like italic and copperplate, tool handling, and how to develop consistent, expressive lettering.
category: arts-design
subcategory: creative-arts
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/calligraphy-and-hand-lettering
---

# Calligraphy & Hand Lettering

Calligraphy and hand lettering cover writing and drawing letterforms by hand, from broad-edge and pointed-pen scripts to modern brush lettering. You will understand foundational strokes, classic hands like italic and copperplate, tool handling, and how to develop consistent, expressive lettering.

## Available Resources

3 Books • 1 Courses • 2 Websites

## Books

### 1. Writing & Illuminating & Lettering

**Author:** Edward Johnston

The 1906 text that launched the modern calligraphy revival: quill and pen preparation, formal hands derived from historical manuscripts, manuscript book construction, spacing and proportion, and the principles of sound lettering. Full scan free on Internet Archive.

**Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486285340?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** calligraphy, broad-edge, formal-hand, manuscript-design, lettering

### 2. Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy: A Step-by-Step Manual

**Author:** Eleanor Winters

Step-by-step copperplate manual demonstrating every letter, numeral, and punctuation mark stroke by stroke, with chapters on pointed-pen handling, paper and ink choice, retouching, and applying the script to envelopes, quotations, and commissioned work.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486409511?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** calligraphy, copperplate, pointed-pen, script-lettering

### 3. Foundations of Calligraphy

**Author:** Sheila Waters

Systematic broad-edge instruction from a master scribe: foundational hand, italic, and related scripts taught through precise letterform analysis, spacing, and rhythm, with correction of common faults and gallery fold-outs of finished manuscript work.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0966530519?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** calligraphy, broad-edge, italic, foundational-hand, letterform-analysis

## Courses

### 1. Show Me Your Drills

**Author:** Becca Courtice

Free four-week modern brush-lettering course built entirely around foundational strokes: daily 20–30 minute drill videos with printable worksheets, supply setup guidance, and stroke-by-stroke progression before any full letterforms are attempted.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://thehappyevercrafter.com/smyd

**Tags:** brush-lettering, hand-lettering, basic-strokes, practice-drills

## Youtubes

### 1. Lloyd Reynolds' Italic Calligraphy & Handwriting (TV Series)

**Author:** Lloyd Reynolds

Twenty half-hour television lessons on italic letterforms and handwriting, filmed for Oregon Public Broadcasting by the Reed College professor whose calligraphy program influenced Steve Jobs. Covers pen hold, ductus, rhythm, and developing a consistent italic hand.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW0JDyINZu5ekFNPk57HCLEVD5LAdA95S

**Tags:** calligraphy, italic, handwriting, broad-edge

## Websites

### 1. IAMPETH Lessons & Rare Books Library

The pointed-pen guild's free digital library: full scans of historical penmanship manuals (Zaner, Bloser, Palmer, Madarasz), plus lessons, guide sheets, and left-handed resources covering Spencerian, ornamental penmanship, and engrosser's script.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.iampeth.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=765903&module_id=662602

**Tags:** penmanship, spencerian, engrossers-script, pointed-pen, historical-manuals

### 2. r/Calligraphy Wiki

Community-maintained wiki covering how to start broad-edge and pointed-pen calligraphy: recommended tools and inks by script, ductus resources for italic, copperplate, and blackletter, practice guidance, and curated links to exemplars and guide sheets.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.reddit.com/r/Calligraphy/wiki/index

**Tags:** calligraphy, broad-edge, pointed-pen, calligraphy-supplies, ductus

---

*This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge*

*Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).*

View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/calligraphy-and-hand-lettering