Calligraphy Written By Hand ~
Handwritten calligraphy is supposed to be a dying art. Computer fonts try to replicate what calligraphy looks like; but it’s definitely not the same! Although a professional calligrapher has consistent letterforms, there is still some variation that gives the lettering its beauty. And anyone can sell calligraphy services and call themselves a “professional calligrapher”. Believe me, I’ve seen some really horrible lettering that someone called calligraphy!
In a comparison, hand calligraphy will always be chosen by people who have an artistic eye. How can you tell if the calligraphy is from a computer or if it’s handwritten calligraphy? When you are looking at a calligraphy services from a really top calligrapher, their letters are very consistent! You have to compare letters. You would look to see if each “e” looks the same. That’s a tricky letter! See where the loop of the e reconnects- is it at the same place, same width? Do the same for other letters.
Real handwritten calligraphy has a flow and the letters look like ribbons. The spacing in the calligraphy letters is very intentional. You can do this “kerning” with your computer, but it’s just not the same.
If you want real art, ask the person is they do “handwritten calligraphy” or if they are using a computer font. Hopefully they’ll be honest with you. And it you’re not sure, get a copy of it and send it to me. I’ll look at it and tell you! No charge!
One thing to remember, hand calligraphy can be scanned and combined with artwork to make a beautiful original gift. It IS handwritten calligraphy, but then it is printed. With the wonderful giclee printers, your print will look just like an original. This gives calligraphers a lot more options to be able to superimpose hand calligraphy on photography, which would be almost impossible without a printer. And you can get additional prints at low cost, and even print your text in a variety of ways: on canvas that’s wrapped, on acrylic, tiles, steel, etc…