The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration [Hardcover]

Annie Cicale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2004

A beautiful introduction to a popular art.

Thanks to the guidance of an experienced calligraphy teacher, anyone can add a touch of elegance to invitations, handwritten poems, and a variety of surfaces. Annie Cicale provides a complete, easy-to-follow course in the art of beautiful writing and an attractive resource filled with breathtaking images. She’ll guide your pen as you master broad pen alphabets, including classic uncial, Roman and italic caps, as well as playful invented styles with added variations. Copy a historical letter technique, and understand the basics of layout, design, texture, and color. Seventeen projects include a traditional certificate with decorative contrasts and flourishes; journals and scrapbooks; and even a colorful silk-screened pillow.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Practice, practice, practice. As with any skill, that's the key to becoming proficient at calligraphy, an ancient art that is rapidly disappearing as computers create fancy script with the click of a keystroke. Cicale, who holds degrees in graphic design and printmaking, guides beginners in developing lettering skills, and then explains how to apply what they have learned to projects that enrich and beautify everyday life-- from decorating maps and lettering invitations and mailboxes to creating gorgeous wall hangings. Most of the book is devoted to instructional details, and Cicale is meticulous as she describes the calligrapher's basic tools and discusses techniques, first considering Roman capitals, and later explaining formation of elegant manuscript letters and contemporary adaptations. The rich explanatory text is printed in inconveniently small type, but the lettering examples are large and plentiful, and Cicale's measured approach will encourage calligraphy novices (especially those with some art background), as will the exquisite design of the book itself. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Lark Books (May 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579904033
• ISBN-13: 978-1579904036
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Annie Cicale teaches calligraphy, drawing and painting throughout the United States and Canada. Fascinated by writing as a child, her first Osmiroid fountain pen led her to the world of calligraphy. She has experimented with the word as image in her paintings, bringing a visual expression to the words to expand their meaning. She incorporates both abstract and illustrative imagery in her paintings. She has been on the faculty of most of the international calligraphy conferences. Recently she has been focusing on artist's books, some of which are held in the permanent collections of Yale, Indiana University and the University of Denver. The revised edition of The Art and Craft of Hand Lettering is a 2011 publication of Bloomin Books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very inspirational!, March 29, 2007

By 

Regina Philange (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration (Hardcover)

This book is awesome! I've been doing calligraphy for over 20 years and own nearly 50 books about calligraphy and i must say, this one is the best EVER. It is so inspirational. Before i bought it, i started taking notes and scanning so many pages that i realized i HAD to buy it because there is so much information and inspiration on each and every single page.

I think this is probably the only callig. book i've ever actually read throroughly, from cover to cover -- literally! I read each page (not just skimmed over, as i have with others), but actually read and took notes on.

I was so inspired by this book that i couldn't wait to get started on my own projects.

thank you, Annie Cicale, for creating this wonderful masterpiece!!!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's just OK, there are better Calligraphy books out there, August 4, 2009

By 

J.P. (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration (Paperback)

On first inspection (if you borrow this from your local library) you'll notice it has MANY color photos on just about every page. This book is filled with marvelous examples of tools and finished calligraphy examples. I think I'd tend to disagree with other reviewers that rave about it's relevance in your home library. This book is very broad in scope and is missing many common fonts that are covered in other similar calligraphy reference and how-to books. The lessons are short and not very comprehensive, so I'd say if you've fallen in love with the idea of learning calligraphy or even any particular style or hand, this isn't the only book you'd end up buying.

Chapters 1 & 2 cover materials, writing history, studio / space lay-out area for practice and getting started with various tools, nibs, inks and papers.

Chapter 3 covers mono line letters; Roman caps (with a handy proportional guide). Chapter 4 is about using a broad-edged pen covering foundational type and a variety of Roman fonts and Italics. Chapter 5 does briefly cover Copperplate and pointed pen styles from the early 1900's however it quickly moves on to using a brush and into drawn letter-forms. In other words, I would say this is really where the book jumps off into developing your own hand.

The rest of the book focuses on design elements and projects. Some of the projects covered include: addressing envelopes, greeting cards, scrapbooks, stamps, guest book, maps, screen printing on cloth (t-shirts, pillows), large format work such as a frieze, lettering on a mailbox and deck. It's nice I suppose for people who are interested in using calligraphy in a crafty application but over-all this isn't the best book I've found on the how-to's of learning or developing your own style. I have also seen other books specifically on brush lettering and making pretty greeting cards, you may want to explore those which again I suspect will be more comprehensive. All in all, I'd say borrow this book from you library before you decide to buy it.

Other calligraphy books that I'd recommend? 100 Keys to Great Calligraphy, The Calligrapher's Bible, Calligraphy made easy by Margaret Shepherd.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, February 27, 2008

By 

Priscilla H. "Priscilla H." (Black Mountain, NC USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Art & Craft of Hand Lettering: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration (Paperback)

This is not just a "how to" book on calligraphy but a how to employ lettering into artwork. Especially helpful was the drafting diagram on page layout. My work looks much more balanced now. Anything that has worked for centuries has to have something to it!!