Learn World Calligraphy has something for everyone. Whether you want scholarly insight, artistic inspiration, classroom projects, or a theme for your next party, this comprehensive, unparalleled full-color book will guide you on a virtual trip around the globe. Covering nearly all of the world’s writing systems—from African to Arabic, Chinese to Greek, Hebrew to Russian, and beyond—Learn World Calligraphy offers a unique glimpse of scripts worldwide and the calligraphers who write them.
Lushly illustrated with gorgeous examples of both historical and modern calligraphic designs, this book is filled with practical instruction for how key aspects of each exotic script can be applied to the English alphabet, generating calligraphic hybrids with a distinctly foreign flair. Like a new cuisine that you can’t wait to cook at home, the scripts you meet in this book are sure to infuse your own calligraphy with the flavor of abroad. Bon voyage!
Mahayana Buddhists in Tibet believe that eery spoken or written repetition of the prayer "Om mani padme hum" brings enlightenment one step closer. Copies of the mantra are rolled up inside handheld wheels like the one at left, which people whirl while praying. Rows of large wheels outside monasteries, like those shown on page 141, are given a spin by anyone passing by.
Tibetan top strokes are written first, not last, and they do not extend beyond the leyyers. Pen angles vary from 60 to 120 degrees. A flexible brush, held upright, may be used instead of a rigid pen. Review basic Chinese brush technique on pages 66-69. Squared off on top, many letters descend to a sharp point. Consonant-vowel combinations do not merge side to side but stack up vertically.
Excerpted from Learn World Calligraphy by Margaret Shepherd. Copyright © 2011 by Margaret Shepherd. Excerpted by permission of Watson-Guptill, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
About Margaret Shepherd
Margaret Shepherd is a noted calligrapher and author, with an impressive roster of high-profile clients. She has published thirteen instruction books for calligraphers of all levels. All her books, including the bestselling Learning Calligraphy, are done in hand-lettered text. She has researched, taught, written, and freelanced extensively, and has exhibited her work in many museum and gallery exhibitions. She lives in Boston.