Hello everyone,
I’m Matthew and I live near Manchester in the UK.
I first came across calligraphy as a child. At school, we’d been asked to complete a project on the Tudors, and I think it was my mum who suggested that I try learning calligraphy to decorate my work. My parents bought me a Parker calligraphy fountain pen set and I tried to teach myself using the instruction booklet included with the set. So began a lifelong love of blackletter! I can’t recall following the stroke-order diagrams, and I’m not sure that I even learnt all of the letters, but it was something that I loved doing.
Over the years, I’d occasionally find my calligraphy pen, spend a happy half hour trying it out again, and then, inexplicably, forget all about it.
In 2019, I was going through a difficult period and wasn’t able to take part in my usual hobbies. Although I wouldn’t want to repeat that time, I can’t help but be grateful for it in some ways: it forced me to look at what else I could do. I realised that I had the perfect opportunity to learn calligraphy again – and properly this time. Since then, I’ve been taking correspondence courses with a wonderful teacher. It’s made me happier than I could have imagined. (And, though I perhaps shouldn’t admit this, it’s allowed me to indulge my love of stationery a little, too. My favourite part of any school year was choosing new pens and pencils each September.)
I’ve now learnt the basics of uncial and am currently working on italic. I’ve enjoyed exploring modern calligraphy, too. And I hope I might one day make it back to blackletter – and that I’ll learn to follow the stroke-order diagrams this time!
Thank you for having me on the forum. I’m excited to be a member and look forward to getting to know everyone.