S. J. THOMAS, calligrapher
I have been in love with pen and ink for over twenty-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,
poems, tattoo designs, 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 of any
type.