((PKG)) CALLIGRAPHY
((TRT: 06:53))
((Topic Banner: Bringing Back the Art of Handwriting))
((Reporter: Faiza Elmasry))
((Camera/Editor: June Soh))
((Map: Arlington, Virginia; Gaithersburg, Maryland))
((Main characters: 1 female; 0 male))
((Sub characters: 4 female; 0 male))
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
So, this is a calligraphy nib and this is a pen holder. So, usually before I start, I always pick a nib and put it into my pen holder to get ready to start writing. These are the envelopes that will hold the calligraphy nibs for my students. So on each one, I'll just write, Nibs.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
My name is Shannon Ho. I am a small business owner of a business called, Peach & Paperie. I teach calligraphy workshops and design stationery for the Washington D.C. area.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
This process really takes a long time. And I always tell my guests at my workshop that calligraphy is always going to be a slow process. It's kind of nice to force yourself to slow down in such a fast-paced world and focus on something that’s therapeutic, like calligraphy.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
I just feel like it's important to be able to not necessarily write cursive, but be able to like sign your name. And I know a lot of kids nowadays like they can't read cursive or sign their names because they just don't understand the idea of connecting your letters, and, you know, they're so used to working on a laptop at school that it's kind of become foreign to write.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
I host classes all over the area. Most of the places I would go to are to bars or wineries or restaurants.
((NATS: Shannon setting up for her event))
Right now, I'm setting up for a class. I am putting out some of the supplies that our guests are going to be working with. And that is it for the ink.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
I typically reach out to small businesses in the area. Me being a small business owner, and Sip and Script being a small business, we felt that it was really important to work with other small businesses in our local areas to support them and help bring traffic to them if they need it on like a slow night. So usually, I would reach out to them and see if they would be interested in a calligraphy workshop where people would come to learn calligraphy and they could also order drinks and food to enjoy on the side. So, it's kind of like a win-win for both parties.
((NATS: Shannon Ho and Workshop participants))
What’s your name? You guys are all together, right?
Yes.
Yeah. Feel free to grab your name cards.
Okay, great.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
This is a beginner's crash course to modern calligraphy. We're going to talk about the basic strokes of calligraphy letters, and then how to connect those letters to form words. I'm Shannon. I will be your instructor for the evening. And just a little bit about myself and how I got started with calligraphy.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
Growing up, my parents really encouraged me to have good penmanship. Back in elementary school, they used to grade you, but I don't think they do that anymore. So, growing up, I really loved just making my letters look nice and adding hearts at the end and just making it look cute. And then in 2014, my husband actually bought me a calligraphy workshop as a Christmas gift. And I really just wanted to learn for fun. I thought it would just be something I could do on the side. And I already enjoyed painting and drawing, so it just felt like something else I would love. And then as I, you know, practiced more and more, it really became something that I liked doing for my friends. So like I worked on weddings, snail mail, and just creating things for the home. And it really flourished into something, you know, my job. And I never thought I could make calligraphy my career.
((NATS))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
I use calligraphy most for my wedding work. A lot of brides will hire me to write calligraphy on their envelopes, so guest addressing or for the invitations. And it just adds a really special touch that no one else will have. I also design greeting cards. I would say, I use calligraphy but with the iPad, which is a little bit different. It's more like digital calligraphy. So, I do use that and they're kind of different though, digital versus like pen and ink.
((NATS: Shannon Ho with workshop participants))
You always want to remove that layer of oil. Otherwise, when you dip…
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
Most of the people in my workshops are local, in the Washington D.C., Northern Virginia, and Maryland area. They really are a wide range of ages. I've seen younger kids from, you know, eight years old to older people, you know, up to 70 years old come and learn. And I really think calligraphy is not limited by your age. I think if you're willing to put the practice in and listen to the instruction, you really can learn calligraphy at whatever age you want.
((NATS: Shannon Ho with workshop participants))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
You want the point of your nib to be pointing to the top of your clipboard or to the top, right? And then you want that 45-degree angle and you're basically moving your hand up and down the page like this. It's really going to be lots of up and down movements. I kind of think of it like ice-skating across your page. You want to try to keep your hand behind the nib, if possible.
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
I would say the biggest learning curve is learning how to hold the pen and using the nib, because it really requires your hand to hold the pen properly.
((NATS: Shannon Ho with workshop participants))
Cursive and calligraphy are not the same. They require different strokes, and with cursive, you're not really lifting up your pen until the end of a word, when you're dotting your I's and crossing your T’s. But with calligraphy, you're going to be lifting up your pen way more to create those up strokes and down strokes.
((NATS: Shannon and Kashi))
Now, that’s perfect.
Okay.
Good angle. Yeah, good speed and everything.
((Kashi Nikore
Workshop Participant))
So, I actually just graduated from university last year. So, I'm used to kind of being in a class environment, but this doesn't really feel too formal like a class. It's very casual. The last time I came, I was with a group of mothers and daughters, and there was some friends around, but then also a lot of people came by themselves. So, it doesn't feel too much like a course. It just feels like you're learning something new. And I think that's what we should all do regardless of whether we're in school or not.
((NATS))
((Kashi Nikore
Workshop Participant))
Learning calligraphy? Well, I think it's useful because you can use it for cards or labeling. But above that, it's just something artistic and creative you get to do.
((Karelic Rodriguez
Workshop Participant))
I took classes when I was in high school, but I forgot, kind of. So, that's why I want to refresh, because I miss doing it, and yeah, so that's why I was interested.
((Ally Diaz
Workshop Participant))
I’ve always wanted to do calligraphy. I usually see, I've seen like YouTube tutorials, but I really want to just go in person and finally do it for once. And I'm lucky enough that I managed to get like the last spot in the class.
((NATS: Shannon Ho with workshop participants))
((Shannon Ho
Small Business Owner & Calligraphy Instructor))
The key is really to take your time and go slowly. If you end up going too fast, you're going to get shaky lines. So really take your time with each stroke. So, over time when you get more comfortable, you can kind of infuse your personality and style into it, and that’s what really makes modern calligraphy so fun and unique.
((Andrea Evans
Workshop Participant))
I don’t think I have great handwriting. So, I was very nervous about coming, but I’m glad that I did. Yeah, I’ll definitely go home and practice again.
((NATS))