By Tom Cowie

Ink slingers, ready your nibs. Using the stroke of the pen, the archaic craft of calligraphy has returned.

Once accustomed to make copies from the Bible, the skill of ornate handwriting has turned into a surprisingly huge hit on social networking.

On Instagram, there are many posts dedicated to the hoops, swirls and flourishes from the pen, replacing adult colouring books because the newest factor in mindfulness.

A few days ago Melbourne is hosting Callicon, the very first festival dedicated to calligraphy, with workshops and sessions helping people develop their penmanship. You’ll also have demonstrations on wax seals and signwriting.

Moya Carroll demonstrates her calligraphy skills on social networking. Credit: Instagram

Organiser Moya Carroll is very the social networking sensation, using more than 130,000 supporters on Instagram. She quit her job like a paralegal this past year to become pen pusher of the different and do calligraphy full-time.

She presently has clients who pay her to create from wedding invites to menus for major occasions.

While neat handwriting may appear just like a prerequisite for calligraphers, Ms Carroll stated it wasn’t about simply constructing ornate words and letters.

“I had been denied my pen licence since i was too from the ball in primary school. I am still bitter,” she chuckled.

Calligrapher Moya Carroll has 130,000 Instagram supporters. Credit: Eddie Jim

Rather, it is best to consider the practice as drawing after which linking different shapes.

“I had been certainly one of individuals women who came big circles and hearts over my i’s on the rear of school notebooks. I spent additional time considering the way i was writing than I had been writing,” she stated.

There’s a couple of fundamental script families utilized by calligraphers, for example Medieval, Copperplate or Italic. On the top of individuals, countless variations can be created.

Manoeuvring the special nibs on the fountain pen can be challenging for newcomers, particular when they have only used a ballpoint pen. Pressure is essential, because it produces the preferred thickness for every line.

“A variety of it is all about muscle memory, it’s like playing the piano,” she stated. “You have to be considered a really nerdy type of person.”

Calligraphy may appear just like a peculiar hobby to consider within the computer age, but there are several signs the pen is mightier compared to keyboard.

The pen company sponsoring the big event, Pilot Pen, reported sales of stationary employed for calligraphy had greater than bending this past year.

Social networking means people are now able to begin to see the process in allowing the calligraphy, as opposed to just the end result.

“It is so visual, people really adore watching it. They think it is very relaxing and soothing,” Ms Carroll stated.

Callicon reaches Inspire9 Richmond, 41 Stewart Street, from 9.30am-5pm on October 14 & 15.

Tom Cowie is really a journalist in the Age covering general news.

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Source: www.theage.com.au

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