The Write Stuff: 6 Modern Calligraphy Masters
The term calligraphy comes from the marrying of two Greek words, “kallos” (meaning beauty) and “graphein” (meaning to write). But calligraphy is more than beautiful handwriting—it’s an ancient art form practiced in cultures all over the world, like China and India, each developing its own aesthetic. Hand lettering had to compete with the invention of printing, but calligraphers today continue the tradition with mediums like wedding invitations, diplomas, custom artwork, and even tattoos. Meet six local artists who have made a business of it.
Phawnda Moore, Rocklin
journalismdesign.net
IG: @phawnda.moore
FB: calligraphyanddesignbyphawnda
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
I love that words and art bring meaning to our lives. Words inspire, comfort, connect, and clarify—they express who we are, how we feel, and what we’re thinking. When an artist merges design elements with letters, their creations give a new dimension to the alphabet.
How did you develop your skills?
My ongoing pilgrimage has led me to study with more than 65 international calligraphers and painters; I’ve found joy along the way to share lettering with students, clients, and the community.
What’s your most notable achievement?
Winning the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for my first lettering book (self-published) and going to Washington, DC, for the awards ceremony. The next year, my book was enlarged and published by Mango Publishing as Lettering from A to Z: 12 Styles and Awesome Projects for a Creative Life.
Lara Kiniris, Sacramento
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
I’ve always loved to write. When I turned 21, I received a calligraphy pen for my birthday and was instantly obsessed. I found it relaxing and could spend hours practicing. Calligraphy is such a stress reliever.
How did you develop your skills?
I learned calligraphy by looking at calligraphy books and copying the different styles. Over the years, I picked up more styles, using different type of pens. My favorite right now is brush calligraphy.
What’s your favorite service that you provide?
Teaching calligraphy classes. I was doing different types of classes until the pandemic hit and then transitioned to doing them on Zoom. Now that the weather is getting better and things are opening, I’m looking forward to getting back to in-person classes, even if they’re outdoors and distanced. I love watching people learn and fall in love with the art of lettering. My kids’ summer calligraphy classes are the most fun, because children catch on so fast, and I know they’ll spend less time on devices once they discover such a creative outlet.
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
I’ve been playing around with calligraphy and hand lettering since I was young. I volunteered to make place cards for special occasions at every opportunity. Practice makes perfect, as with anything we want to get better at. There are so many resources that can help someone learn to do calligraphy and hand lettering today: various pens with different tips, smooth writing tablets and graph paper, books, online courses, Instagram how-tos. I’ve used all of them at different times and am also guilty of wandering the “pen” aisle (and buying way too many!). Expensive pens, cheap pens…I’m obsessed. I recently bought my daughter a kids’ hand lettering book, so we’ll see if that sticks and this all gets passed on.
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on so far?
Watching snail mail explode during Covid-19 has been a huge bright spot in the last year. Knowing that I’ve been a part of encouraging people to connect with others and forge connection during such an isolating time feels like a real accomplishment. It only takes one person telling you, “That card struck a chord with my sister when she got it,” and my whole week is made.
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
I’ve always loved everything made by hand. Signs, ephemera, movie posters—all these were things I collected and fell in love with when I was little. I was always into being a pen pal, so I spent my formative years obsessing over stationery, postage, and fancy scripts to delight friends and family. When I was older, I incorporated lettering into my art, and my high school art teacher would laugh at me and was tickled. In college, I worked as a sign artist at Trader Joe’s, which is what really ramped up my appreciation for hand lettering and introduced me to calligraphy.
Probably Mary Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy’s wedding stationery. What made it so interesting (besides that I grew up a literal card-carrying member of the Olsen twins’ fan club) was that I didn’t know about the event until the week of. It was Thanksgiving week, and I didn’t know it was for a wedding the whole time! I was told it was for a fancy Black Friday dinner for their fashion business. Then, the day after their wedding, my friend texted me about them having bowls of cigarettes at their secret wedding, and I told her to my surprise I did their wedding stationery without knowing there was even going to be one!
What’s your most notable achievement?
Working on the wedding of a Vogue art director was a real “pinch me” moment. Other than that, I’m lucky enough to connect with people, make art every day, and be paid enough to travel and have a balanced life. Keeping it a small boutique business where I still do everything by hand, with care and quality—in a world where everything is about automation and cheap mass production—is an achievement I’m proud of.
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
As a second-generation lettering artist, I grew up watching my late father, a sign painter by trade, paint perfect strokes. Drippy 1 Shot paint cans, the trail of wet paint that followed his brushes so skillfully, and the seemingly endless artistic possibilities of the alphabet captivated me from a young age. There’s a sense of nostalgia when I see calligraphy and lettering art. It wasn’t until I was married with four kids that calligraphy became a real passion pursuit of my own. I found my father’s lettering books while digging through my art supplies one day, and the rest is history! Calligraphy allows me to express myself and decompress from the stresses of mom life. I discovered a community of artists online as well who share the same crazy passion for letters. I love that calligraphy is meditative, peaceful, and cathartic. It connects me to my father, to history, and forces me to slow down and breathe deeply.
I’m most proud of teaching myself how to plan and teach workshops, including my first one at West Elm in Roseville. It was all worth it when one of my students told me she had been having a very rough year and was trying to find ways to manage her anxiety. When she left my workshop, it felt like she had just walked out of a massage. She was so relaxed and happy and couldn’t wait to work on her calligraphy! That feels like the ultimate achievement to me.
What’s your favorite service that you provide and why?
I would say the most meaningful and humbling project so far are script tattoos. The fact that someone wants to put my handwriting permanently on their body blows my mind. It’s such an honor and fills me with so much gratitude! I also really enjoy window murals—they’re such a fun way to elevate a brand and attract customers’ attention.
Phawnda Moore
Phawnda Moore, Rocklin
journalismdesign.netIG: @phawnda.moore
FB: calligraphyanddesignbyphawnda
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
I love that words and art bring meaning to our lives. Words inspire, comfort, connect, and clarify—they express who we are, how we feel, and what we’re thinking. When an artist merges design elements with letters, their creations give a new dimension to the alphabet.
Phawnda Moore Calligraphy
How did you develop your skills?
My ongoing pilgrimage has led me to study with more than 65 international calligraphers and painters; I’ve found joy along the way to share lettering with students, clients, and the community.
What’s your most notable achievement?
Winning the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Award for my first lettering book (self-published) and going to Washington, DC, for the awards ceremony. The next year, my book was enlarged and published by Mango Publishing as Lettering from A to Z: 12 Styles and Awesome Projects for a Creative Life.
Lonna Yen
Lonna Yen, Granite Bay
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
The intrinsic beauty and rich history of the written word have always appealed to me. Calligraphy allows me to slow down and step away from digital ephemerals with a mindful intention to create lasting experiences of intimacy and authenticity.
I’m self-taught with a penchant for modern and Engrosser scripts. I remember spending countless hours online watching master penmen execute letter after letter. I was fascinated by the deliberate rhythm and flow of every movement. The precision was, and still is, beautiful.
What’s your most notable achievement?
I’m deeply humbled by the success of my LetterInk Guide, which is a calligrapher’s companion tool for envelope addressing and is stocked by stores in the U.S. and abroad. Every design element and manufacturing specification were meticulously pored over to create a tool that allows calligraphers to draw guidelines in seconds.
The intrinsic beauty and rich history of the written word have always appealed to me. Calligraphy allows me to slow down and step away from digital ephemerals with a mindful intention to create lasting experiences of intimacy and authenticity.
Lonna Yen Calligraphy
How did you develop your skills?
I’m self-taught with a penchant for modern and Engrosser scripts. I remember spending countless hours online watching master penmen execute letter after letter. I was fascinated by the deliberate rhythm and flow of every movement. The precision was, and still is, beautiful.
What’s your most notable achievement?
I’m deeply humbled by the success of my LetterInk Guide, which is a calligrapher’s companion tool for envelope addressing and is stocked by stores in the U.S. and abroad. Every design element and manufacturing specification were meticulously pored over to create a tool that allows calligraphers to draw guidelines in seconds.
Lara Kiniris; Photo by Dante Fontana © and wholly owned by Style Media Group
Lara Kiniris, Sacramento
I’ve always loved to write. When I turned 21, I received a calligraphy pen for my birthday and was instantly obsessed. I found it relaxing and could spend hours practicing. Calligraphy is such a stress reliever.
Lara Kiniris Calligraphy
How did you develop your skills?
I learned calligraphy by looking at calligraphy books and copying the different styles. Over the years, I picked up more styles, using different type of pens. My favorite right now is brush calligraphy.
What’s your favorite service that you provide?
Teaching calligraphy classes. I was doing different types of classes until the pandemic hit and then transitioned to doing them on Zoom. Now that the weather is getting better and things are opening, I’m looking forward to getting back to in-person classes, even if they’re outdoors and distanced. I love watching people learn and fall in love with the art of lettering. My kids’ summer calligraphy classes are the most fun, because children catch on so fast, and I know they’ll spend less time on devices once they discover such a creative outlet.
Jill Nieporte
Jill Nieporte, El Dorado Hills
What attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
In our world of fonts and computer-focused communication, hand lettering is such a warm, personal change. It humanizes our snail mail, our media, the invitations we receive, and the branding we see. No one can write exactly, precisely like anyone else. These days, it’s truly an art form instead of a stuffy etiquette expectation. I also love that it’s accessible to all—anyone can practice with different pens and create their own style.
Jill Nieporte Calligraphy
How did you develop your skills?
I’ve been playing around with calligraphy and hand lettering since I was young. I volunteered to make place cards for special occasions at every opportunity. Practice makes perfect, as with anything we want to get better at. There are so many resources that can help someone learn to do calligraphy and hand lettering today: various pens with different tips, smooth writing tablets and graph paper, books, online courses, Instagram how-tos. I’ve used all of them at different times and am also guilty of wandering the “pen” aisle (and buying way too many!). Expensive pens, cheap pens…I’m obsessed. I recently bought my daughter a kids’ hand lettering book, so we’ll see if that sticks and this all gets passed on.
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on so far?
Watching snail mail explode during Covid-19 has been a huge bright spot in the last year. Knowing that I’ve been a part of encouraging people to connect with others and forge connection during such an isolating time feels like a real accomplishment. It only takes one person telling you, “That card struck a chord with my sister when she got it,” and my whole week is made.
Rosaura Unangst
Rosaura Unangst, Sacramento
pigmentandparchment.comWhat attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
I’ve always loved everything made by hand. Signs, ephemera, movie posters—all these were things I collected and fell in love with when I was little. I was always into being a pen pal, so I spent my formative years obsessing over stationery, postage, and fancy scripts to delight friends and family. When I was older, I incorporated lettering into my art, and my high school art teacher would laugh at me and was tickled. In college, I worked as a sign artist at Trader Joe’s, which is what really ramped up my appreciation for hand lettering and introduced me to calligraphy.
Rosaura Unangst Calligraphy
What’s the most interesting project you’ve worked on so far?
Probably Mary Kate Olsen and Olivier Sarkozy’s wedding stationery. What made it so interesting (besides that I grew up a literal card-carrying member of the Olsen twins’ fan club) was that I didn’t know about the event until the week of. It was Thanksgiving week, and I didn’t know it was for a wedding the whole time! I was told it was for a fancy Black Friday dinner for their fashion business. Then, the day after their wedding, my friend texted me about them having bowls of cigarettes at their secret wedding, and I told her to my surprise I did their wedding stationery without knowing there was even going to be one!
What’s your most notable achievement?
Working on the wedding of a Vogue art director was a real “pinch me” moment. Other than that, I’m lucky enough to connect with people, make art every day, and be paid enough to travel and have a balanced life. Keeping it a small boutique business where I still do everything by hand, with care and quality—in a world where everything is about automation and cheap mass production—is an achievement I’m proud of.
Nikki Reif
Nikki Reif, Sacramento
lamplightlettering.comWhat attracts you to lettering/calligraphy?
As a second-generation lettering artist, I grew up watching my late father, a sign painter by trade, paint perfect strokes. Drippy 1 Shot paint cans, the trail of wet paint that followed his brushes so skillfully, and the seemingly endless artistic possibilities of the alphabet captivated me from a young age. There’s a sense of nostalgia when I see calligraphy and lettering art. It wasn’t until I was married with four kids that calligraphy became a real passion pursuit of my own. I found my father’s lettering books while digging through my art supplies one day, and the rest is history! Calligraphy allows me to express myself and decompress from the stresses of mom life. I discovered a community of artists online as well who share the same crazy passion for letters. I love that calligraphy is meditative, peaceful, and cathartic. It connects me to my father, to history, and forces me to slow down and breathe deeply.
Nikki Reif Calligraphy
What’s your most notable achievement?
I’m most proud of teaching myself how to plan and teach workshops, including my first one at West Elm in Roseville. It was all worth it when one of my students told me she had been having a very rough year and was trying to find ways to manage her anxiety. When she left my workshop, it felt like she had just walked out of a massage. She was so relaxed and happy and couldn’t wait to work on her calligraphy! That feels like the ultimate achievement to me.
What’s your favorite service that you provide and why?
I would say the most meaningful and humbling project so far are script tattoos. The fact that someone wants to put my handwriting permanently on their body blows my mind. It’s such an honor and fills me with so much gratitude! I also really enjoy window murals—they’re such a fun way to elevate a brand and attract customers’ attention.
by Nelly Kislyanka
Photo of Lara Kinaris by Dante Fontana. Other photos courtesy of their respective companies or organizations.
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6 Modern Calligraphy Masters [30 Images]
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