The Art of Hand Lettering

Calligraphy is an ancient art that even today finds a wide range of applications in a variety of fields and it has become increasingly popular as a hobby. This manual, prepared by an expert in the field, Laura Toffaletti, introduces beginners to the practice of calligraphy, revealing its secrets and explaining the main techniques in a simple and intuitive manner, also thanks to the clear and attractive illustrations.

Templates, calligraphic tables and delightful examples of use accompany those who are learning this skill for the first time. The expert teaching method leaves room to develop a personal style and to express individual creativity. The first section of the manual introduces the world of calligraphy today, and is followed by a presentation of the basic tools for beginners who want to start practicing.

The main templates of the alphabets (upper and lower case) with the relative practical exercises form the main part of the manual and teach how to form the letters correctly. In the second part, the practical examples presented give precious advice on using calligraphy, for greetings cards, place cards, invitations and many other interesting ideas there: at the end of the book there are 48 pages of exercises to practice.

About the Author

Laura Toffaletti has worked as an illustrator for many publishers, creating books for children, handwritten, illustrated recipe books, calendars and much more. She has always been interested in traces, signs, characters, and in 1994 she encountered the Associazione Calligrafica Italiana. Since then she has cultivated her interest in calligraphy, together with the activity of illustrator, and she has perfected her skills thanks to the teachings of Italian and foreign master calligraphers (Brody Neuenschwander, Thomas Ingmire, Giovanni De Faccio, Francesca Biasetton).

She uses calligraphy with illustration to create her works on paper and canvas, presented in personal and collective exhibitions, in which ink and watercolour mingle, illuminated by touches of gold leaf.