Contributors
Molly Suber Thorpe
Calligrafile Founder & core CONTRIBUTOr
Athens, Greece
Molly creates custom lettering for brands and individuals around the world, digital assets for artists, and bestselling books for calligraphers. Since 2013, Molly has helped calligraphers hone their skills, opening doors to new creative opportunities and careers.
Carla Hagan
Core cONTRIBUTOR
Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Carla is a professional calligrapher, engraver, and teacher with over twelve years of experience. Her calligraphy has been featured in Brides Magazine, Palm Beach Illustrated, Weddings Illustrated, and numerous other publications. Carla’s calligraphy education began with a gift of a calligraphy set from her grandmother which led to a lifelong love for the art of calligraphy and hand lettering. Carla is the mother of four and enjoys life with them close to the beach.
Tristan & Michelle of Besotted Blog
lettering Archivists
USA
Tristan B. & Michelle P. are is the creators of the popular "Lettering Rx | Paper to pixel," the fastest way to clean and digitize hand lettering and line art in Photoshop. They’re also the duo responsible for the product photography editing tool, “Foto Rx | Shopkeeper’s Helper.” Their celebrated blog, Besotted, is a creative resource repository to inspire you to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with your life.
Over the years, these two have interviewed some of the world’s preeminent lettering artists and shared valuable resources for budding calligraphers. They’ve teamed up with Calligrafile on the Besotted Archive, cataloging this vast collection of articles and tutorials.
Joy Fairclough
founding CONTRIBUTOr
Paris, France
Joy is an American calligrapher residing in Paris, France. Her calligraphic work for luxury and couture brands has received international renown, and was recently featured in Vogue Paris. She organizes her life around two disciplines: Ashtanga yoga and calligraphy. In the practice of each, she finds absorption and balance. The inspiration for her studio's name comes from her love of the blues of the South of France and the blue and white hand-painted tiles which the French call bleu faïence.
Kelly Chilton
CONTRIBUTOR
Costa Mesa, California, USA
Kelly earned a B.A. in Graphic Design and spent years as an Art Director and graphic designer before transitioning into calligraphy. She specializes in pointed pen calligraphy and loves to experiment with line, flourishing, and more recently, graphite. Her lifetime loves are music and the ocean which are often integrated into her work. She is the calligrapher and artist behind Lovers and Dreamers, doing commission and wedding work. Kelly is a sailor, scuba diver, and competitive rower. She lives with her two children in Southern California.
Isabel Urbina Peña
CONTRIBUTOR
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Isabel Urbina Peña is an Art Director originally from Venezuela. She runs her own studio in Brooklyn, New York, focusing on books, lettering, typeface design, and experimental handwriting. In 2015, she was named a New Visual Artist: 15 under 30 by PRINT Magazine. She's a Type@Cooper and ProDiseño alumna. In her spare time she teaches, speaks at conferences, draws zines, and runs Yes, Equal (yesequal.us).
Rachel Yallop
CONTRIBUTOR
United Kingdom
Rachel Yallop is a British calligrapher and lettering designer. Her love of letters stems from a lifelong passion for drawing, with her original calligraphic works exploring form, space, tension, and freedom of line. She studied at Ravensbourne and then the Central School of Art & Design in London, gaining an M.A. in 1985.
Rachel has pursued a freelance career specializing in creative and expressive calligraphy for 30 years. For much of this time she has also taught a wide variety of calligraphic and design disciplines in art schools, and at conferences and workshops both in the U.K. and internationally.
Joy Deneen
core CONTRIBUTOr
Montréal, Canada
Joy is a calligrapher, teacher and writer who specializes in pointed pen calligraphy and event stationery. She currently serves as President of La Société des calligraphes de Montréal and is also core contributor for UPPERCASE magazine.
Suzie McKig
CORE CONTRIBUTOR
Berkeley, California, USA
Suzie McKig is a graphic designer, entrepreneur, and founder of Ink.Academy, the world's first international calligraphy school. Based in Berkeley, California, Ink.Academy is accessible internationally through a sophisticated, rigorous online program. Among its offerings is a Master Certification Program in Penmanship with Master Penman Michael Sull at the lead. The school has a wider vision not only to educate but to fully support calligraphers — with business and marketing skills, technical skills, and a jobs resource board.
Ashley Bush
FOUNDING cONTRIBUTOR
Radford, Virginia, USA
Ashley is a letterer and invitation designer, specializing in calligraphy, brush-lettering, and watercolor design. She also owns and operates the Ash Bush calligraphy pen and accessories shop. She has a BFA in Graphic Design and spent the first five years of her professional career working at magazines and design firms. She now works mainly in the wedding industry with stationery goods, and develops pens and calligraphy accessories to help other lettering artists on their creative journey.
Leanda Xavian
FOUNDING CONTRIBUTOr
Surrey, England
Leanda began her journey in calligraphy following a long career as a graphic designer, both in London and Athens. In 2015, Leanda established The Fine Letter Co. As well as working on commissions, Leanda is passionate about teaching the art of modern calligraphy. Born and raised in England, she has a special affinity with her husband’s native land of Greece and spends every summer there.
Younghae Chung
CONTRIBUTOR
Irvine, California, USA
Younghae is a left-handed calligrapher, teacher, and designer. In addition to designing prints and lettering for weddings and events, Younghae loves inspiring others to learn calligraphy. She hosts workshops in Southern California and will be teaching an online course for Modern Calligraphy Summit 2.0 in February 2017. Born and raised in New York, she now enjoys living in California with her husband and little boys.
Mary Ellen Seidman
CONTRIBUTOR
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Mary Ellen is a professional calligrapher specializing in weddings, logos, and custom-designed maps. In 2010, Calligraphy by Mary Ellen became a full-time business offering traditional and modern calligraphy, hand lettering and digital design. She is an active member of the Philadelphia Calligrapher’s Society and IAMPETH, and continues to look for ways to grow in her art.
Jake & Hannah Weidmann
Core cONTRIBUTORs
Denver, Colorado, USA
Jake and Hannah Weidmann are husband and wife whose life together started with a letter written in Spencerian script and sealed with wax. Jake is a professional artist and certified Master Penman. The youngest in history among twelve existing Masters today, Jake received his Master Penman certificate through the International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers and Teachers of Handwriting (IAMPETH) in July of 2011.
With a life surrounded by art and a love for the written word, Hannah finds herself running the ins and outs of their fine art business as co-owner and executive director. From fulfilling orders to communicating with international museums, Hannah is also a writer by profession and passion.
Bailey Amon Rivera
CORE CONTRIBUTOR
Denver, Colorado, USA
Since starting her calligraphy practice in 2009, Bailey Amon Rivera has extensively studied many different calligraphy styles, both pointed pen and broad edge. She has trained with some of the most renowned calligraphers, including, Master Penman Harvest Crittenden, Master Penman Jake Weidmann, Master Penman Rosemary Buczek, Michael Ward, Dennis Brown, Sharon Zeugin, Yves Leterme, as well as many others.
Bailey is also co-founder of Antiquaria, a high end stationery company and design studio, opened in 2010.
Lauren Essl
FOUNDING CONTRIBUTOR
Forth Worth, Texas, USA
Lauren is a calligrapher and designer with a passion for weddings and stationery. She has taught pointed pen calligraphy for many years, developing fun, colorful workshops, and has traveled from east to west coast (and everywhere in between) teaching her passion. Her work has been widely featured, and her stationery has been sold throughout the U.S. at Anthropologie stores. Lauren lives in Texas with her husband and three rescue dogs. Her company is named for her dog Olive’s blue and brown eyes.
Pieter Boels
CONTRIBUTOR
Antwerp, Belgium
Pieter Boels is a graphic designer and letterer living and working in Antwerp, Belgium. His work is marked by strong typography, with a focus on hand lettering and calligraphy. His portfolio includes corporate identities, books, catalogues, murals, shop windows, brochures, posters, websites, packaging and the occasional tattoo. Pieter received his Master's degree at St-Lucas School of Arts in 2008 and set up his own studio in 2012. Since then he has worked with a bunch of awesome people in the commercial and cultural sector.
Gina Jonas
CONTRIBUTOR
Florida, USA
Gina Jonas has worked as a professional calligrapher for over four decades, creating pieces for a variety of clients, teaching, and writing. She now dedicates her time to introducing a new approach to calligraphy through her book, Calligraphy as Art and Meditation: A New Approach. Her philosophy is that through the marriage of flow and form, you learn to create vital letterforms, alphabets, and word and text images.
Gina is also the author of Finding the Flow, a book that explores the energy, touch, and rhythmical movement essential to the living letterform: its flow, as well as Hebrew Calligraphy Styles.
Joanna Muñoz
CONTRIBUTOR
Los Angeles, California, USA
Joanna is a letterer and designer based in Los Angeles. She has a BFA in Graphic Design and works as a full-time art director at a digital production studio by day. Her creative studio, Wink & Wonder, was established in 2013 and was born from a desire to take a break from the digital space and create artwork by hand. In her spare time, Joanna takes on freelance commissions from a wide range of local and international clients with projects involving custom hand-lettering, logo design, wedding signage and more.
Banner photo of Contributor Master Penman Jake Weidmann by Contributor Hannah Weidmann
Partners
