現代西洋書法源自於 17 世紀，傳統的手寫風格銅板體 (Copperplate) 。隨着工藝運動的興起，人們對手工藝和書法的興趣重新燃起。藝術家們開始探索書法作為一種藝術表達的方式，並將其應用於各種藝術作品中。書法慢慢演變為一種表現出自我、個人特質、展現自己所喜愛的元素的藝術形式。
傳統的書法字體如銅板體 (Copperplate)、羅馬體 (Roman)、哥德體 (Gothic) 等，對每個筆觸的準確度都極之嚴謹，務求寫出每個筆劃每個字母都是一式一樣的字體，呈現出整齊易讀的效果。
相較下，現代書法會更自由，雖然有一定規則存在，但這些規則都是由自己選擇及創造，更像是在用基礎的字體改裝及重組，形成一幅幅像繪畫的作品。
傳統書法 | 現代書法 |
結構嚴謹，筆觸精確 | 不拘泥於嚴格規則 |
整齊易讀 | 強調個人風格 |
沾水筆書寫 | 筆具無限制 |
初學者如何選擇入門字體？
現代書法源自於銅板體，所以基礎字形會有所相似。如果想學習傳統書法，銅板體、斯賓塞體（Spencerian) 都是不錯的選擇，也容易涵接去學習現代體。
*需注意羅馬體、哥德體、義大利體 (Italic) 等屬於另一字形體系，並不能涵接上進階現代書法課程。
倘若你想直接學習現代書法體，由於其獨特性，每位書法家的字體也有所不同，只需選擇你欣賞的書法家學習便可。
入門班會學習到書法的基本技巧，用具的使用方法及基礎字形；進階班則會學習如何透過改變字體的不同部分，再加上裝飾線，去創造個人風格。
除了選擇自己喜歡的字體外，更可以考慮字體的自由度。現代體除了用沾水筆書寫外，基本上無任何筆具限制，更可應用於不同平面上，如不同材質的包裝紙、心意咭、布袋、行李牌之上，令寫字也變得有趣！
Modern calligraphy originated from a traditional handwriting style of Copperplate in the 17th century. With the rise of the craft movement, people’s interest in handicrafts and calligraphy has been rekindled. Artists began to explore calligraphy as a way of artistic expression and apply it to various works of art. Calligraphy has slowly evolved into an art form that shows oneself, personal characteristics and favourite elements.
Traditional scripts, such as Copperplate, Roman, Gothic are rigorous in each stroke. Be sure to write the same font for each stroke and each letter, showing a neat and easy-to-read appearance.
In comparison, modern script shows flexibility. Although there are certain basic rules to be followed, these rules are selected and created by oneself. It is more like modifying and reorganizing with basic fonts to form a painting.
Traditional | Modern |
Rigorous structure and precise strokes | No strict rules |
Neat and high readability | Emphasize personal style |
Dip pen as writing tool | No limit on the tools |
How do beginners choose the script?
Modern calligraphy originated from the Copperplate, therefore the basic glyphs will be similar. If you want to learn traditional scripts, Copperplate and Spencerian are good choices, and it is also easy to learn modern style afterwards.
* Please be noted that Roman, Gothic, Italic, etc belong to another glyph system and cannot proceed to the advanced modern calligraphy course.
If you want to learn modern calligraphy directly, due to its uniqueness, the script of each calligrapher is also different. You can just choose the calligrapher you admire to learn.
The introductory course will introduce the basic skills of calligraphy, the use of tools and the basic glyphs; the advanced course will include how to create a personal style by changing different parts of the letters and learning decorative lines.
In addition to choosing your favorite script, you can also consider the flexibility of the script. In addition to writing with a dip pen, the modern basically has no restrictions on tools. It can be applied to different surfaces, such as wrapping paper of different materials, greeting cards, tote bags, and luggage tags, which makes writing interesting!