Frequently Asked Questions

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What languages and scripts can you provide:

ENGLISH

• Native speaker
• All types of calligraphic scripts, historical and contemporary.

LATIN SCRIPTS

• All languages using Latin scripts, from Spanish to Turkish to Vietnamese.
• Contemporary and Historic styles of which there are too many to list here.
• Depending on the language I can obtain translation services (Spanish, French, Turkish, German and others).
• If you are not requesting translation services please provide letter-perfect original to work from.

PERSIAN (FARSI)

• I grew up in Iran and passed all government exams and have near-native fluency.
• I can provide translation services.
• All script forms, historical and contemporary.

ARABIC SCRIPT

• All languages using Arabic scripts, including Arabic, Persian, Dari, Urdu and others.
• I work closely with scholars and translators to provide accurate translations into Arabic.
• All script forms, historical and contemporary.

DEVANAGARI and SANSKRIT SCRIPT

• All languages using the Devanagari alphabet and its close cousins, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Sanskrit, etc.
• I work closely with scholars and translators in India to provide accurate translations into Sanskrit, Tibetan and many modern South Asian languages

ADDITIONAL SCRIPTS FROM SOUTH ASIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

• Please inquire about your specific interest as there are hundreds of historical and contemporary variations of scripts from North and South India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
• Contemporary Scripts: Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tibetan, Sinhala and Thai.
• Historical scripts: Brahmi, historical forms of Tibetan script (Uchen, Ume, Phags-Pa, Ranjana) , Central Asian scripts

CHINESE

• I studied Chinese language at the University of Pennsylvania and Chinese calligraphy with Yao You-xin, Chen Lok Lee and Ou Wenwei
• I teach Chinese calligraphy at the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture
• Most Chinese script forms, historical and contemporary

OTHER SCRIPTS:

• AMHARIC
• ARAMAIC (SYRIAC)
• AVESTAN PAHLAVI
• GE’EZ
• GREEK
• HEBREW

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN A SCRIPT OR LANGUAGE NOT LISTED HERE PLEASE ASK!!!

How long will it take to receive my designs?

Please email me or fill out an inquiry form.  You will hear back from me with 48 hours with a price and time estimate.

I can usually return tattoo and logo designs within 1 to 2 weeks; the timeline for completion depends upon how many edits you require. Please schedule at least 6 to 8 weeks for me to complete and ship a marriage certificate.

I receive commission requests from all over the world and my work load can be quite high. I encourage you not to contact me at the last minute!

What forms of payment do you accept?

I invoice using the secure online PayPal system. I accept credit cards and direct account payments via PayPal.  In addition I accept money orders, international money orders, and personal or business checks drawn off of any US-based bank.

How long have you been a professional calligrapher?

I first learned Persian calligraphy in elementary school; calligraphy in English in high school. In 1978 I began work as a professional calligrapher, creating 3 to 4 completed calligraphed posters per week. At that time I learned Greek and Hebrew and added that to my repertoire. In the ensuing years I studied Chinese calligraphy with several teachers. I learned Amharic and Ge’ez in 1985. By the mid-1980s, I had created calligraphic work for magazine covers, book publications, and thousands of certificates, posters, invitations, honorary degrees, and so on. I learned Kannada and Devanagari scripts in 1991 and have added additional scripts over time. I pick up my pen every single day and can honestly say that I have never grown tired of the lines, shapes, forms and textures of the calligraphic art form.

S. J. Thomas
Artist & Calligrapher