How To Choose Calligraphy Fonts

Hi. I am Veiko from the calligraphy studio in London. How do you choose calligraphy fonts? Calligraphy pre-dates the invention of printing so different calligraphy styles are referred to as ‘scripts’ or ‘hands’. Have a look through some different calligraphy books and see which scripts appeal the most to you.
If you are a beginner don’t choose a very complicated or flourished script. Calligraphy takes time and dedication to learn and in the initial stages you will be focusing on the basics of letter structure and spacing. Foundational Hand and italic are usually learned first as they have a number of variations and are adaptable to contemporary use.
Most books should explain the alphabet in skeleton form, how a stroke is made, how to write serifs and build up the letterform. When you have gained some experience try to see some examples of historical scripts. As we are so accustomed to reading the printed word they may seem hard to decipher at first but they give a useful insight into how the scripts have evolved.
When you know how to do the basic shapes of the letterforms and have some experience of using the broad edge pen you can move on to more decorative letterforms or learn how to gild letters using real gold.
The most important thing is to learn how to play with the pen and enjoy your calligraphy practice.