This new beginner's book is unique in the way that it has been produced. The rear cover is a desk easel-like structure that allows the book to stand upright. The pages are made of card stock and ring-bound allowing the user to have good visibility of the pages whilst working.
The book focuses on "learning by doing", from layouts to finished projects. Although the projects are not difficult, they progress from simple to complex covering a wide range of art and craft techniques, including paper folding, writing with resist, drawing with a pen, flourishes, watercolour washes, writing with multi-colours, cutting a rubber stamp, layered writing and collage. There are valuable pointers on how to fill the pens, making your own reservoirs and improving your calligraphy in the materials and basic techniques section. The book's 96 pages are packed full of useful hints and tips.
This book is for the beginner or intermediate person who has an introduction to calligraphy and would like to learn to use calligraphy in making a variety of projects.
Nancy Ouchida-Howells was awarded the University of California Art Professors' Scholarship and MA Degree with Honours. Her freelance graphic clients include: Mazda Motors, and the Office of Ray and Charles Eames: IBM Exhibition. In England, she is a Fellow of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society (CLAS), and an approved tutor for both the Society of Scribes and Illuminators and CLAS. She has taught calligraphy since 1969, including five International Calligraphy Conferences in the USA, and in Belgium, Germany, Japan, and the UK. Her work has been commissioned by the UK Craft Council and exhibited in the Klingspor Museum, Germany as well as in France, Japan, the USA, and the UK. For the Japan 2001 festival in the UK, she was invited to hold two one-person exhibitions. Her marriage to David Howells brought her to Sussex, England.