Entering the world of calligraphy seems, to me, a very 'Zen' activity: concentrating on the angles of our lines, defining their height and width, calculating the spacing and the distances between letters.

Mary Noble and Janet Mehigan have devised a manual that, after introducing the ideal tools as well as solutions to the most frequent errors, offers us numerous chromatically classified pages on which to practice, letter-by-letter, 7 different fonts. Their guides indicate, with arrows, the trajectories and angles that we must execute step-by-step.

After the practice sheets, the book features double pages with inspiring decorative frames that invite us to unleash our creativity by writing our own texts.

Invitation cards, scrapbooks, recipe books, diaries, photo albums, there are examples of them all in the 244 pages of this manual that has fallen into our hands.

- Mondobelo Magazine

Creative Calligraphy is a new Search Press book which is your go-to handbook for calligraphy!

At an RRP of £12.99, this book is an absolute bargain as it has a whopping 224 pages! It is HUGE!

You can see how vast this book is which gives an indication of just how much it includes! I also really love how the different sections are colour coded so at a quick glance you’re able to flick to the section you want!

The book starts with a comprehensive guide to the book’s layout, tools and materials, marks, pressure, pen angles and problem solving. This helps to give you a solid foundation before moving on to the projects!

The book has seven “alphabets” and each alphabet starts with information about its origins, structures, pen angles, spacing, uppercase and lowercase guides.

Once those areas have been covered, there are then practise pages for you, as the reader, to use so that you can explore, experiment and practise what’s been taught.

These pages have multiple lines on to guide the shape height (uppercase and lowercase) which is really helpful. There is space for you to practise each letter of the alphabet individually and the authors have included accompanying individual examples of each letter on the page which is a really big help (so that you don’t have to flick back and forth between the main instructions and your practise page).

Following the practise pages, there are colour pages with designs already made for you to continue to practise your calligraphy on (minus the line guides so it is another step up). These pages are absolutely phenomenal! The designs are so beautiful, so vibrant and so stylish – they’re just waiting for the calligraphy to make them personal to you!

If you’re interested in calligraphy, this is a really fabulous, colourful and hugely detailed book which is a real bargain for £12.99! All in all, this really is a beautiful and inspiring book.

-- Naomi Clarke - naomialice.com

Fancy brushing up on your calligraphy game? With the wonderful Creative Calligraphy, you can do just that on a variety of watercolour backgrounds and borders. Covering the basic tenets of lettering such as pen angling, letter spacing and more, there’s a bounty of step-by-step sequences engineered to leave you feeling comfortable with the utensil in your hand. Eventually, comfortable turns confident and you’ll be raring to demonstrate your skills. A great introduction to a craze that just isn’t going anywhere.

- PaperCrafter

Mary Noble and Janet Mehigan reveal how to master beautiful alphabets on exuberant watercolour borders and backgrounds in Creative Calligraphy. Once you've studied the step-by-step sequences, you'll be ready to practise on the pre-ruled pages provided!

- Crafts Beautiful

Creative Calligraphy is a big book. It is a learning manual and textbook rolled into one. All you need is a pen or pencil and you have everything to get started. There is a list of other tools you can use included.

The pages are made of quality paper. Thick, pre-ruled and each one beautifully designed.

Journals, notebooks and diaries can benefit from the writing tutorials. Alphabets and several lettering styles make this an inspiring and educational book to help you master neater and a more varied writing skill. I adore the patterned pages. Decorated with flowers, and borders in an array of stunning colours and designs, you will definitely not be stuck for ideas.

Creative Calligraphy is a beauty of a book, it would make a stunning gift, and provide hours of learning and inspiration.

-- Tracy Shephard - Amazon

Calligraphers, Mary Noble and Janet Mehigan have come together to show how to create perfect lettering and how to use it on watercolour borders and backgrounds. Pen angles, letter width, height and spacing are clearly explained, and step-by-step sequences and numbered arrows show you exactly how each letter is formed.

Practice pages are included with the book, pre-ruled so you can begin straight away. There's plenty of inspiration here on how to use borders to decorate everything, from journals to invitations.

- Leisure Painter

Mary Noble is a freelance calligrapher and an enthusiastic adult education teacher. She trained originally in graphic design and later completed the Advanced Training Scheme of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators and was awarded the Advanced Level National Diploma in Calligraphy by The Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society.

Janet Mehigan has always been interested in calligraphy and lettering; they were her main subjects when she attended art college. She holds a BA(Hons) in Education, is a Fellow of the Society of Scribes and Illuminators and a Fellow of the Calligraphy & Lettering Arts Society. She teaches calligraphy and art in Adult Education, holds regular weekend workshops for students and calligraphic societies and is the co-author of The Calligrapher's Companion and Beginner's Guide to Calligraphy. She has also contributed to The Art of Colour Calligraphy. Janet's work is full of colour and interest and she enjoys both traditional and contemporary calligraphy. She also enjoys painting, drawing and working with all art media.