In the modern world, calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing. What is calligraphy, not everyone knows. In some schools and higher educational institutions, calligraphy has been studied and continues to be studied as a separate subject. But most people, especially the younger generation, have no idea of a beautiful and elegant writing.
The origin of calligraphy in the world
The history of calligraphy is interesting and diverse. The term was first used in the 16th century in Europe. During this period, a beautiful and flawless image of words began to be called calligraphic writing. However, all the previous 16 centuries, the art of calligraphy has been constantly evolving. Even ancient people who lived in caves depicted various drawings on stones. Over time, the drawings began to be replaced by symbols, and this style of writing was called cuneiform writing.
Then in the 4th millennium BC hieroglyphic writing arose in ancient Egypt, and already in the 3rd century BC Greek capital writing began to supplant it. Every century in different corners of the planet there were more and more types of writing. Already at the end of the XI century in Italy, the subtle and beautiful writing of texts could be safely called calligraphic. In these times, almost all of Europe used the Gothic style of writing, which has a huge number of similarities with calligraphy.
In different countries, calligraphy has developed in different ways and at different intervals. For the most part, the development of this art depended on when writing appeared in the people.
Writing among the Slavic people
What is calligraphy - the Slavic people learned in the XV century. In 846, the Slavs only appeared the first alphabet. This was facilitated by the Byzantine state, which wanted at all costs to preach Christianity in writing.
The Slavs have little information about the origin of writing, but two brothers are considered to be the founders of writing: Konstantin and Methodius. Moravian Prince Rostislav asked Konstantin to create an ABC for Christians, and brother Methodius, who at that time was the head of the Orthodox monastery, agreed to help him.
In the XV century, the first beautiful type of font began to appear - a manuscript. Behind him is a teratological style, ligature and initial letter. The teratological style was perhaps the most beautiful and unusual. The letters were depicted together with various animals and birds. It could be both existing animals, and invented. The ornament was a foliage or a flame around a letter.
With a question what calligraphy is, everything seems to be clear now, but who is the calligrapher and what does he do.
Who is a calligrapher?
This is a profession that implies the ability to calligraphically. At first glance it seems: can this profession really be in demand now? In the age of computer technology, people are less and less using writing on paper. Indeed, in almost any text editor there are many different fonts, and more and more new ones constantly appear. However, these calligraphy artists create these fonts.
A calligrapher is a man of art, this is both an artist and a writer all rolled into one. Nowadays it is very popular to be able to write calligraphically. Such a skill gives any person a sign of good upbringing and elegance. In elite families, even the smallest ones know what calligraphy is.
It is believed that calligraphic writing has the properties of meditation, like any other work. A person has a unique opportunity to "go inside" for a while and plunge into the world of art. The technique of calligraphy is not complicated, and almost anyone can learn it.
In order to learn calligraphic writing, you do not need special skills and beautiful handwriting, but this is painstaking work. Restless people with poorly developed fine motor skills are unlikely to succeed. It is desirable, of course, that anyone who wants to learn calligraphy can draw well and have a good imagination. In any case, everyone should try to learn how to portray letters beautifully.
Learning calligraphy
Calligraphy involves the use of pen and ink. However, before purchasing all the necessary equipment, you should try your hand with a regular pen. Choose a font that you like (best if it is one of the simplest fonts), and save yourself the alphabet of this writing style. Every day you need to write at least one letter. This type of calligraphy is called artificial.
Artificial calligraphy is more complicated than usual, as you have to do the thickening yourself. Due to the fact that the pen has a point (in contrast to the ball in the pen), it is easier for them to recreate calligraphic letters.
When each letter of the font is completed, it is time to learn how to combine and decorate them. Look at how the connections in the selected font look and try to repeat them. When artificial calligraphy has been worked out at least a little, you can proceed to calligraphy with a pen.
Calligraphy tools
As a rule, they use a pen and a pen holder for writing: this is customary in European calligraphy. But eastern calligraphy prefers the use of brushes. Feathers come in a variety of styles: spiky, broad-pointed, poster. For beginners, peaked ones are best suited for this. Having mastered them, it will be possible to move on to other types of feathers.
It will not be superfluous to acquire a special notebook for the study of calligraphy. It has special markup with which it will be much easier to observe the proportions of the letters.
In the modern world, on shelves of shops you can find fountain pens for calligraphy, markers and even such know-how as brashpen (fountain pen with a pen tip). However, one should not forget that it is still difficult to replace the pen and ink with something.
Place to practice
A place for calligraphy is also important. While studying beautiful writing, it should be quiet and comfortable. Be sure to sit comfortably by straightening your back and legs. The non-working hand should bear the main load, while the writing hand should soar above the workbook. You can learn calligraphic writing only in complete calm and harmony with yourself - this is the most important rule that you should not forget about.
Calligraphy for the little ones.
What is calligraphy for children and do they need it? Sure, the answer is yes! Calligraphic writing disciplines a person, teaches his perseverance and calmness, and this is exactly what many children lack. In addition, the study of calligraphy in children evens out the handwriting. The letters in the school notebooks acquire the same size, and the child develops fine motor skills.
A lot can be said in the student’s handwriting: character, mental state, mental development. Beautiful calligraphy will open for the child many ways in the future.