S. J. THOMAS, calligrapher
I have been in love with pen and ink for over thirty-five years.
My first calligraphic teaching was in the Arabic script, writing out
lines of Persian poetry.
Our teacher would walk around the class and cut a nib on each
student's reed pen and write out a line of poetry at the top of a
notebook page. We would lean over our pages, copying the line
of poetry over and over again. My, what a mess of indelible ink
blots we made with those reed pens dipped in bottles of ink!
I still use dip pens, both reeds and metal pens with reservoirs. I
also love using Chinese brushes, thin strips of flexible wood
veneer, or even my fingers!
Calligraphy Specialties
I specialize in calligraphy in the latin script used in English and
European languages; Arabic script used in Arabic, Persian (Farsi),
Urdu, and Balti; the Devanagri alphabet used for Sanskrit and
many other Indian languages; and Chinese brush styles. I can
also calligraph work in Hebrew, Greek, Amharic (from Ethiopia),
Kannada and Telegu (from South India), and several other
scripts. If you have a calligraphic requirement, please ask.
Calligraphy Examples
Among my most common commissions are marriage certificates,
tattoo designs, poems and logos. Please use the links above to
look through examples of work in different categories and
information on how to order.
Marriage Certificates
Marriage, wedding, and handfasting certificates are a feature of
many traditions: Quaker, Muslim, Jewish (Ketubot, Kettubah),
and are becoming increasingly popular in other traditions. There
is a special section of the website devoted entirely to marriage
certificates. Click here to learn how to commission a one-of-a-
kind hand-illustrated, illuminated and calligraphed certificate.
Calligraphy Classes
I teach ongoing classes in pen, nib and reed calligraphic methods
as well as Chinese brush calligraphy, Chinese brush painting and
watercolour. Click here for more information.
Commissions
Please CONTACT ME regarding calligraphy commissions for any
project you may be considering.
Books
My work is featured in a number of books devoted to the art of
calligraphy. In addition I have provided calligraphy, illustration
and design for hundreds of publications, including books,
magazine, posters, brochures and websites.
Books on calligraphy include:
Arabic Tattoos
by Jon Udelson and Clayton Patterson
featuring over 20 pages of photos, design and essay
by S. J. Thomas
PURCHASE THIS BOOK ON AMAZON.COM
Todo Sobre La Caligrafia
Published by Parramon, Barcelona, Spain
This excellent guide to calligraphy, its heritage, artform,
materials, and history is in Spanish
and features a number of Arabic and Sanskrit samples by
S. J. Thomas
PURCHASE THIS BOOK ON CASADELLIBRO.COM
Learn World Calligraphy
by Margaret Shepherd
featuring Sanskrit Alphabet and samples by S. J. Thomas
PURCHASE THIS BOOK ON AMAZON.COM
Sanskrit headers and illuminated page designs provided for Ray
Long's excellent books on yoga:
The Key Muscles of Yoga: Scientific Keys, Volume I
Yoga Mat Companion 1: Anatomy for Vinyasa Flow and
The Key Poses of Yoga: Scientific Keys, Volume II
Yoga Mat Companion 2: Anatomy for Hip Openers and
Yoga Mat Companion 3: Anatomy for Backbends and