Happy hands and Calligraphy

For as long as I know, I have loved calligraphy. The thick downward strokes and the thin upward strokes that sometimes snuggle and sometimes distance from each other appealed to me immensely. Often, I’d look at my certificates and wonder the hand behind the writing. I wanted to be that hand, someday. Somewhere in 8th grade, I pestered Ma gave me a set of pens and nibs for calligraphy. While I tried my best to get the Bril ink flow as beautifully, I could not. All I had was jagged paper and a sad face and frequent reminders of “fox and the sour grapes”. But the dream remained.

Until a few weeks back. After repeated attempts to sign up for a calligraphy class offered by the amazing Pauline, I found myself in heaven when my registration was confirmed. I was so desperate to attend this class that I bugged K for some wi-fi when we were in Vietnam on a road trip just so I could register in the wee hours of the morning. Looks like the Calligraphy Gods heard my prayer because this class was in simple words – Epic! (I am tired of saying “awesome” for everything. So, going back to the previous century to scout for cool expressions).

I wanted to start this post with something along the lines of “It was a bright day that held so much promise…..”. But, I don’t need to. The class defined my day. With a limited class size of 8 from various walks of life, we were sure to have fun. When Pauline asked us what made us learn calligraphy, the answers ranged from the love for prettiness to wedding organisers to just giving it a try to being inspired! I love how it all happens. How people with such different ideas and perspectives are held together by one thread. I love how that thread pulls them all towards each other at some point in time. And when it does happen, I thrive on the conversations I make with different people who share pretty much one thing. Okay two. Most of them seemed to like chocolate as well. Since I do not have words to describe the epic-ness of the venue and the fun we had, I am going to let the pictures say those thousand or million words to you.

We got some amazing supplies for calligraphy all with handwritten notes. I love it when people take that extra time to personalise things. We are so surrounded by prints that a handwritten name on a Kraft tag can make your day!

These are samples of Pauline’s calligraphy. I love her style and just couldn’t get enough of it. This is just one of the hundreds I clicked.

And then mere mortals like yours truly had a go at having her own wall of fame with some practice sheets pinned to the wall using super cute Washi tapes. I love Washi tapes. I love saying “Washi“. Washi. There I go again.

Pauline shared the best tips with us- “To love your handwriting” and “Practice makes pretty”. The process of writing reminded me of how much I missed doing it regularly. I miss my fountain pens. I miss that daily ritual with Pa and Chintu of cleaning your nibs and filling them with Bril and Chelpark inks. I miss writing in fresh notebooks that smell divine. I miss writing letters. With every stroke, there is an immense satisfaction. With every blob of ink that you cleverly get rid of without a trace, there is a sense of victory. Just one such joy, I realise, makes me dizzy with happiness.

What made it even better was the venue, Heaven in a Wildflower. The place at Joo Chiat is owned by Eunice is (in their own words)  a boutique event styling and vintage rental company in Singapore, specialising in creating beautiful occasions through handmade details, inspirational design, gorgeous florals and unique vintage items.” 

And my, what prettiness! She has such a beautiful collection that scream vintage, from different parts of the world. I do bring back some memories and little somethings from our trips. I could totally relate to the beautiful spread and the satisfaction that comes with little collectibles. Little things that slowly make your home your own over time with each little thing telling its own story.

We did not need to look too far for inspiration. Just looking up in the class itself was enough. See!

Oh and the food! How can my posts be complete without the mention of food. The lovely Carpenter & Cook whipped up a fantastic lunch of spinach quiche, apple and lemon cakes (and others that I was too busy to notice as I had stuffed my face) that were all devoured instantly.

I have been doing some lettering and practising after work. These are the latest samples of my practice.

 

I have a long long way to go and I am loving the journey.

Have you tried your hand at calligraphy?