Engraving calligraphy is the new hot topic among calligraphers who want to create personalized gifts or add another revenue stream to their businesses. Who wouldn’t love to receive a personalized wine bottle engraved with a sparkling flourish?

Art of Engraved Calligraphy shares what you need to know to learn the craft of engraving glass, metal, and other surfaces.

COVER ARTIST INTERVIEW - Kestrel Montes

With a career background in education, calligrapher and engraver Kestrel Montes follows her primary passion: teaching others what she knows and cheering for them along the way.

LEARNING TO ENGRAVE

Kestrel Montes shares how to learn engraving, resources for taking classes, and the pros and cons of on-site engraving events.

TWELVE SURFACES YOU CAN ENGRAVE

Learn which surfaces are best for engraving, which surfaces to avoid, and the most popular gift items for engraving.

KESTREL'S THREE ENGRAVING ALPHABETS

Three Faux Lettering Alphabets that are Perfect for Engraving.

THE REAL LIFE OF PRO ENGRAVERS

We asked engravers from around the world about the equipment they use, what items they engrave most, and any interesting adventures they’ve had doing live engraving events.

HOW TO QUOTE FOR ENGRAVING 2020 PRICING SURVEY

We surveyed professional engravers, providing 16 example scenarios for engraving jobs. Our respondents provided estimates for how they would price these jobs.

THE OTHER HAND ENGRAVING - Nina Sandelin Umont

Nina feels that we as calligraphers are in the business of sentimentality. By replacing her pen for a micromotor drill, Nina was able to create pieces with more substance and longevity. Hand engraving metal objects and jewelry seemed like the next logical step.

ENGRAVING EQUIPMENT COMPARISON CHART

We compare price, speed, and options among four engraving kits.

BEHIND THE SCENES - Designing Watercolor Letters - Laura Myers

Watercolor inks provide such vibrant colors and they’re so fun to work with, as they blend beautifully for really cool tie-dye effects.

BEHIND THE SCENES - Tips for Your Engraving Studio

We offer a few tips for safety and peace of mind in your engraving studio.

BEHIND THE SCENES - Best Practices for Stress-Free Engraving Events

These practices stem from my own experience of engraving for major department and specialty stores for the last 20 years. First I’ll share a few ideas for creating a great customer experience. Then I’ll share a few of my pet peeves about events and list ways to resolve them.

PRODUCT REVIEW - Historical Letters Inspiration - Sybille Van Zuylen

Penna Volans – “the flying pen” – is a website dedicated to beautiful letters and their stories, lovingly curated by Belgian calligrapher Sybille van Zuylen.

TUTORIAL - Design a Family of Vintage Initials - Maureen Vickery

In this tutorial, Maureen shows you how she uses a Dover book for inspiration in designing embellished capitals. You can use this concept to create your own unique set of initials for decorating cards and envelopes, and for engraving.

TUTORIAL - Wax Seals: Get Creative with Blank Wax Stampers - Kestrel Montes

Who knew that you can create unique personalized designs using a blank wax stamper and your favorite sealing wax?

TUTORIAL - Wine Bottle with Long Quote - Kestrel Montes

Engraving extensive text on a wine bottle is hard work, but the results are stunning.

TUTORIAL - Wine Glasses with Personality - Maureen Vickery

How to engrave whimsical wine glasses.

RESOURCES - Sparkling Sentiments: Sayings for Engraved Gifts

If you or your engraving clients need ideas for messages to engrave, we have a few to get you started.

REFINING YOUR DESIGN - Refining a Design: Wedding Vows

Maria Helena Hoksch critiques a wedding vows design and offers tips to add polish to the final composition.

TIPS & TRICKS - Pointed Pen Pointers - Suzanne Cunningham

Answers to frequent questions Suzanne receives from calligraphy students.

TIPS & TRICKS - 10 Studio Tips

Tips on paper, nibs, and colored pencils.

BIZ INTERVIEW - Lindsey Skrobarcek

English literature, classical Latin, and the art of film – who knew these classes would set the stage for Lindsey Skrobarcek’s successful career as a full-time calligrapher?

GALLERY - Gallery of Engraving

Features the work of Traci Thompson, IAMPETH Master Penman John DeCollibus, and Jody Meese.