Where the Word “Calligraphy” Came From

According to the New World Encyclopedia, the word “calligraphy” comes from the Greek words “kallos” (meaning “beauty”) and “graphẽ” (meaning “to write”). Calligraphy literally means “beautiful writing.”

How Calligraphy Has Changed over Time

Calligraphy originally played a big role in many different cultures. It still does, but it has evolved a lot since those times.

For example, calligraphy has — and still does — play a big role in cultures in eastern Asia. It is considered an important art, and ink brushes are typically used to write Chinese characters.

A New Twist on an Old Tradition

Towards the beginning of the 19th century, the typewriter made its grand entrance into the writing world. With this amazing invention, it was so much easier for writers to write what they wanted.

How to Get Started with Calligraphy

Like most other skills, learning calligraphy takes a lot of practice and effort. If you’d like to learn some of the calligraphy basics, and quickly, I recommend this article by Melissa Dinwiddie:

It will teach you everything you’ll need to know to get started with calligraphy. Just remember that — just like anything else — you’ll need to spend plenty of time practicing the art if you want to improve at it.