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The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering: A comprehensive guide to more than 100 traditional calligraphy and hand-lettering techniques

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The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering  provides expert instruction on the intricacies of traditional lettering techniques, as well as an introduction to contemporary hand-lettering formats.

From selecting the appropriate tools, such as pens, nibs, brushes, inks, and papers, to learning optimal hand positioning and understanding the intricacies of lettering angles , heights , spacing , and strokes , The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering will help lettering enthusiasts swiftly master their craft. 

Step-by-step lessons , practice templates , and a range of stunning alphabets demonstrate the breadth of artistic achievement that comes with practice and dedication. Four professional artists guide you through traditional calligraphy techniques, as well as an introduction to contemporary hand-lettering art forms, such as brush lettering and mixed media , for a well-rounded approach to the craft.

Additionally, a short section on Chinese brush lettering and several mixed media lettering projects inspire creativity and demonstrate how calligraphy and lettering can be used in wider artistic contexts and projects. Including practice templates for several featured alphabets in addition to mixed media "bonus" projects designed to inspire artistic creativity, The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering will inspire lettering enthusiasts of all skill levels to strengthen their existing skills and delve into new, lesser-known variations of the trend.

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 25, 2018

2 people are currently reading
87 people want to read

About the author

Cari Ferraro

12 books

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5 stars
29 (42%)
4 stars
30 (43%)
3 stars
7 (10%)
2 stars
2 (2%)
1 star
1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Dana-Adriana B..
771 reviews304 followers
December 20, 2018
This is an amazing book about calligraphy and lettering. I found out about types of nibs,, what can I do with each one. The most I love Chapter 6.
thank you Netgalley for this beautiful relaxing book.
7,046 reviews83 followers
November 26, 2018
I love the beauty of calligraphy, but those book too often present various fonts and that's it. Here we have a bit more. Yeah we have the basic and tools you need, fonts, but also way to illustrate, ornate and add something more around, between and in to the letters of your calligraphy exercise/style. I had a look had some book of that type, and so far, this is the best I've seen!
Profile Image for Anna.
1,090 reviews7 followers
November 28, 2018
Awesome book! Thanks to publisher for my late copy!
There are a lot of ways to embelish your calligraphy, i didnt know about half of them. This book was meant for my kids, but even my old myself tried to make some great lettering. And especially now, we are so close to Christmas, and what a beautiful postcard you can write this year!
I recomend it to everyone, its soo cool!
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,299 reviews32 followers
May 27, 2020
'The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering: A comprehensive guide to more than 100 traditional calligraphy and hand-lettering techniques' by Cari Ferraro, Eugene Metcalf, Arthur Newhall and John Stevens is a big resource for anyone into hand-lettering.

This book covers a lot of ground in over 200 pages. Starting with an introduction to calligraphy, there are sections on pens, papers, techniques and practice sheets. The book builds on techniques learned along the way and goes from traditional alphabets to contemporary calligraphy. This book even covers chalk lettering and how to even build your own chalkboard.

This is a pretty good resource for someone who may want to get in to lettering and doesn't have a clear idea what they'd like to do with the skills. It's also good for more experienced letterers looking for inspiration from new letterforms or projects.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing - Walter Foster, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Profile Image for Cathy Geha.
4,356 reviews119 followers
December 11, 2018
Hundreds of ideas, practice pages, techniques and tools that if used will allow the reader to create beautiful script on paper, in booklets, on chalkboards or just about anywhere. I would love to add this book to my library!

*I learned a trick to put two pencils together to assist in drawing letters to later illuminate with color.
*I learned that to “charge” a calligraphy pen one with an eyedropper or brush rather than dripping then dropping on the paper
*I decided that I want to try some of the techniques and perhaps make then decorate a chalkboard

I believe this book would be of interest for anyone wanting to make an interesting menu on chalkboards and for anyone who wants to dabble in various types of lettering that is or is not calligraphy. Some of the ideas for embellishing were superb and ideas I had not thought of. Creating patterns and how to transfer them carefully to the page and all the terminology used along with tools and...well...this book has a plethora of ideas, tips and tricks that I am eager to implement!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing – Walter Foster for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars
Profile Image for Kris (My Novelesque Life).
4,693 reviews208 followers
January 14, 2019
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF CALLIGRAPHY AND LETTERING: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO MORE THAN 100 TRADITIONAL CALLIGRAPHY AND HAND-LETTERING TECHNIQUES
Written by Cari Ferraro
2018; Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster (240 pages)
Genre: arts, craft, nonfiction

(Review Not on Blog)

RATING: 4 STARS

What a great reference book for anyone interested in lettering and art. I have always loved doodling letters and words. It has been a great way to relieve stress but also great for my crafting projects like greeting cards, bullet journaling, etc. This book is an art work of it's own, and is gorgeous to look through. I will be using this to practice some new ways to do some lettering .

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
Profile Image for Hristina.
536 reviews79 followers
December 3, 2018
I've been dabbling with lettering as of late, and books like this one are such a treasure to read and learn from. It's a very helpful guide, it's well written, things are well explained, and I loved the techniques it had to offer. It's comprehensive, and it provides answers to many of the questions one might have when starting out. I really enjoyed this book.

*Copy received through NetGalley
*Actual rating: 4.5
Profile Image for Poongothai.
539 reviews48 followers
January 31, 2019
Useful manual book on calligraphy. It has three parts : Traditional Calligraphy, Modern Hand Lettering and Creative Lettering Projects
Profile Image for Ben.
2,739 reviews234 followers
May 17, 2020
Such a great resource for my lettering and calligraphy (fountain pens)

3.8/5
Profile Image for Elaine.
267 reviews3 followers
March 15, 2022
Probably a good book for someone already comfortable with lettering or planning and completing art projects. It includes a number of different styles and project ideas.

I'm new to calligraphy and lettering, and this book doesn't help me make choices. Instead it offers, "You have many choices when selecting writing tools for hand lettering...Experiment with different brands to discover your personal preferences." This guidance leaves me overwhelmed.

The relationship between letter heights and pen widths is explained on pp. 20-1, but curiously, no letter height guidance is offered for the basic calligraphy styles (Chapter 2, consisting of Sans Serif, Roman, Chancery Cursive, Batarde, and numerals) that immediately follow. The sample alphabets don't even sit on guidelines!

The traditional alphabets comprising Chapter 3, thankfully, have pen widths and (minimal) guidelines. I copied (not traced) the minuscules of the skeleton hand (p. 42) onto my grid paper -- they came out well -- and that was the extent of my engagement with this book.

Profile Image for Mechthild.
389 reviews7 followers
April 2, 2019
A valuable guide about calligraphy and hand lettering
Cari Ferraro, Eugene Metcalf, Arthur Newhall, and John Stevens are the authors of "The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering. A comprehensive guide to more than 100 traditional calligraphy and hand-lettering techniques" which is published by Quarto Publishing Group - Walter Foster. The book offers a brief history of calligraphy and very detailed instructions about the various materials which can be used for calligraphy and hand-lettering, for setting up the workplace, for handling the implements, ... It covers a wide range of topics 1) Traditional Calligraphy (Introduction to Calligraphy, Basic Calligraphy Styles, Traditional Alphabets, Illuminated Calligraphy, Contemporary Calligraphy), 2) Modern Handwriting (Flourishes & Embellishments, Illustrated by Hand, Chalk Lettering), and 39 Creative Lettering Projects (Lettering Arts & Crafts). It is important to underline that it treats the less known topics of Illuminated Calligraphy and Chalk Lettering which usually do not show up in other books.
The material is presented with a clear layout and in a pleasing design. It is important to note that this is a comprehensive guide not a workbook. For this reason there are few practice sheets. Nevertheless, it would be helpful if the book was not presented with a hard cover but in a flexible way (spiral-bound, comb-bound) that the user who would like to copy or can the practice sheets could do so more easily or if the worksheets would be offered as a downloadable PDF.
I would recommend this guide to everyone who is interested in calligraphy and hand lettering and is looking for an extensive guide and reference book about these topics. I do not recommend it to the reader who is just looking for a workbook since there are few practice sheets.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheCompleteBookOfCalligraphyLettering #NetGalley
Profile Image for Liz (Quirky Cat).
4,986 reviews87 followers
December 31, 2018
I received a copy of The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Hand Lettering through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve been reading a lot of calligraphy books lately – there’s something oddly soothing about them, while I also enjoying learning more about the subject itself. Plus there’s the constant attempt to better myself at calligraphy as well. My point is – when I say that a calligraphy book is extremely comprehensive, I really do mean it. The Complete Book of Calligraphy is exactly what is it boasting to be – a complete book of the medium.
This book covers everything I could have hoped for. From the history of calligraphy, to the basic supplies and techniques, and onward to inspirations and even other techniques you could bring into the fold.
The book itself is split into three sections. The history section isn’t included in any of these though, so keep that in mind. The first section focuses on traditional calligraphy. This is where the basics are covered, everything from tools to the terms used for font types and parts. It also includes chapters in illuminated and contemporary calligraphy, which may a bit of a surprise.
The second section covers modern hand lettering. You know the type – the lettering used in those inspirational signs we see all over the place. So it’s here we learn about embellishments and illustrating by hand. There’s even a chapter on using chalk as a tool – which is a brilliant thing to include here. I would never have considered it.
Finally the third section is mostly project assignments and ideas. Here they really want to teach you how to push everything you’ve learned and do something with it. To make the art form your own, so to speak. I love it when art books take the extra step to try and help the readers form their own styles. It’s a wonderful touch.

For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Profile Image for Anne Bollmann (Annelise Lestrange).
723 reviews78 followers
December 22, 2018
*~.Book Analysis.~*
Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader :)

Rating: 5 stars
Reading period: Dec. 08th to 12th, 2018
Format: ebook
Source: NetGalley – I have received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: Sept. 25th, 2018


PROS
I loved the amount of tips that this book contains besides the regular learning methods. Calligraphy and lettering are arts, so the authors were deeply concerned to make the readers most comfortable while learning and practicing the craft. From tools to rest periods to training sheets within the book, there is always something to help make us to succeed easier.
It is also nice to see how much drawing is involved in writing!

CONS
Can’t think of a single thing!

COVER ANALYSIS
This cover is so clever and simply design! It displays the purpose of the book directly into its title delivery! =O The mix of writing fonts with key colors is amazing.

QUOTES
“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali


RECOMMENDED FOR
History, craft and calligraphy lovers! Also, if you’d like to start practicing the true art of hand writing, this book is the perfect tool.
Profile Image for Becky B.
9,377 reviews186 followers
January 13, 2019
A guide for materials, how to write in various styles, and how to create calligraphy and lettering projects with numerous tricks of the trade and tidbits of artistic advice along the way.

I taught myself calligraphy and lettering with a very simple book that came in a calligraphy pen set decades ago. I’ve played around with it ever since. But this book included loads of information about calligraphy pens, inks, and tricks of the trade I never learned from that simple book. If you want one book that will give you a good overview of just about every aspect of calligraphy and lettering, this is a fantastic pick. I haven’t done a calligraphy project in quite a while but this makes me want to do one. The creators break things down in very easy to understand language, but obviously know their stuff. Highly recommended for anyone interested in beginning or improving their skills and knowledge.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lisa B..
1,369 reviews6 followers
January 6, 2019
I have always loved the art of calligraphy. My Dad practiced this technique. Even the simple task of signing his name was filled with flourish. I remember his collection of nibs and pen holders. His ink well. Smudges of ink on his fingers. I remember finding practice sheets filled with swirls and curlicues. For this reason alone I have always wanted to learn this craft, along with the possibilities of making something beautiful and unique.


Needless to say, I was pretty gosh darn excited was I was given permission to access this book. No craft is as easy as just flipping through a book. The onus is on me to practice, practice, practice. I don't think I could have gotten a better book to guide me through the process. This book is filled with easy to read instructions, helpful suggestions and beautiful samples to provide inspiration.

I am grateful to Quarto Publishing Group - Walter Foster and Netgalley for granting me permission to view this lovely book.
Profile Image for Nicki Markus.
Author 55 books298 followers
November 28, 2018
The Complete Book of Calligraphy and Lettering is certainly comprehensive. As well as discussing things such as materials, design, layout and colour choices, it provides lessons and templates in a large and varied selection of different hands. There really is something here that would work for any handlettering project. For each hand there is also space within the book for you to practise. Overall, the design work on this edition is good too. The layout is crisp, clean and easy to read, with plenty of illustrations along the way. I have been wanting to get myself a book such as this, but with so many available, it's been hard to decide which to choose. Having now seen this one, though, it is definitely a strong contender for purchase in the new year. 4.5 stars

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.
Profile Image for Jane.
1,276 reviews16 followers
December 31, 2018
This is the perfect "how to" book for someone new to Calligraphy and Lettering.
There are over 100 techniques mentioned in this book on how to master the art of beautiful writing. It gives you all you need to know about creating beautiful hand letterings, and it also includes blank pages where you can practice. This book will teach you how to design and decorate congratulation and gift cards, wall posters, chalkboard signs, journal covers and so much more. Very inspiring and I recommend to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Bryan Whitehead.
590 reviews7 followers
July 2, 2025
This is a good but somewhat uneven treatment of the title topic. It’s good because it provides well-written text (somewhat rare in art technique guides) to accompany the copious, useful illustrations. The uneven part mostly comes from the organization. For example, the “getting started” stuff doesn’t show up until more than 100 pages in. Some topics get much more thorough treatment than others. The chalk drawing section in particular struck me as too extensive compared to some of the considerations of other media. And every once in awhile the author will show something that she doesn’t explain. But if you’re interested in learning calligraphy, this is an effective place to start.
71 reviews1 follower
December 23, 2018
Thank you NetGalley for my copy.

I recently started to learn how to do calligraphy and lettering and have been searching for the perfect how-to-guide for beginners.
This book with its wealth of information and step-by-step guide about traditional calligraphy to modern lettering techniques has everything I need!
Profile Image for Kelly.
48 reviews
December 29, 2018
I received the Ereader version of this book from Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster in exchange for an honest review. I am fascinated with calligraphy so that's an automatic 3 stars for me based on subject matter alone. I enjoyed reading about the different types of nibs and learning what individual parts of letters are called. I also liked the various fonts used as samples.
Profile Image for Celz  Lin.
205 reviews7 followers
April 30, 2022
Very nice. There are sample designs that inspire creative ideas.
120 reviews
September 11, 2022
I really enjoying looking at progression of traditional calligraphy to modern. The step by step photos are super helpful! I loved the various flourishing and styling techniques offered.
Profile Image for Ravenclaw Library Books.
492 reviews11 followers
March 7, 2025
The Complete Book of Calligraphy and Lettering is a comprehensive book that covers traditional calligraphy, modern calligraphy, hand lettering, and chalk lettering. I found this book ideal for beginners.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group – Walter Foster and Cari Ferraro; Eugene Metcalf; Arthur Newhall and John Stevens for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
1,927 reviews6 followers
December 3, 2018
A big thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Wow this took A lot of work! Great introductory book. It spells everything out. Gives you a space to practice. I am a true beginner and this did not overwhelm me. I quickly showed my daughter who has been doing calligraphy and she said great book! Lots of info. I rate this a solid 4.
Profile Image for Ileana.
77 reviews2 followers
December 4, 2018
I really enjoying looking at progression of traditional calligraphy to modern. The step by step photos are super helpful! I loved the various flourishing and styling techniques offered.
Profile Image for Deanna.
204 reviews
December 30, 2018
The Complete Book of Calligraphy & Lettering is a comprehensive guide to this art. With the trend of journaling and planning, this artform is plus. As an educator, I would love to increase my skill level for my bulletin board and room decor. This is a great recommendation for the school art teacher. I am adding it to my 2019 wish list. Thanks Quarto Publishing Group-Walter Foster and NetGalley for the ARC of this book for review.
Profile Image for Joycrazy.
52 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2018
Excellent Beginner & Intermediate Book. This is the book I'll reference when I'm ready to increase my skill. It has work pages, samples, and guides. I found the tutorial on how to use the dip pen especially informative. I also enjoyed the history tidbits.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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