more fun than I ever expected… Last night I took a 2.5 hour calligraphy class and had a blast (actually script to be more accurate). I’ve been meaning to do this for years and finally have a reason too — more on that later. Susie-Melissa Cherry is a ridiculously talented woman. I’ve known her for years and worked with her on invitations for almost everyone one of our clients at some point. Her calligraphic skills are out of this world lovely and her handwriting will blow your socks off. I always feel so fortunate when I get to incorporate her services either into a design or to address an envelope. It quickly takes an everyday envelope from average to astonishing.
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So, back to this class. She teaches at SMU and I think if you have time for that it would be fantastic but, like you, I’m a busy gal so this short timeframe was PERFECT. It was an extremely reasonable $95 and that included all of our supplies and we learned lowercase script. The above left is my freehand at the very end of the night but below is the more elegant script we learned. I left feeling confident that with a little practice I could make things so much prettier than I ever thought and with a goody bag full of supplies to get me started.
Susie-Melissa has a collection of over 200,000 nibs!!! I was given three antique nibs from her collection as part of the class and felt so honored.
Crazy inks here that you can purchase if you like, all of these on the top left are metallic. Super groovy. AND SM mixed a special gray ink just for me!
Last thing - I thought I should mention this because again, busy people sometimes need to get a little help from their friends…Susie-Melissa also has a gift wrapping shop that includes an EXTENSIVE line of great wrapping papers and really lovely greeting cards that rival just about any store in town. She has letterpress cards, handmade cards, funny card… all kinds, all occasions - you will be as surprised as I was.
Oh yeah, don’t you just love her? What an amazing gal.
I told you it was fun! Now, you are going to want to calligraphy everything. You might even start writing checks at the supermarket again! :)
Great post! Susie-Melissa is a Bell’Invito favorite for our stationery and event suites!
Wow… did you have any experience before taking this class? This is something I want to learn as well. I’m going to look for classes now in my area:)
This is a beautiful post, I’m so proud :)
This was my creative goal for 2009 — to learn calligraphy. I went so far as buying a book and borrowing supplies from a friend. But I haven’t actually sat down with it yet. A class is really what I need. I’m jealous, but motivated to pick the idea up again!
Your freehand is beautiful. I’d love to have a pretty freehand and a fabulous script.
I have taken calligraphy classes from Susie-Melissa on and off for about 4 years. She is a truly gifted, generous, and amazing lady. If anyone in the DFW area has ever thought about learning calligraphy, Susie-Melissa is the only one I would consider as a teacher. Her positive attitude, helpful nature, and incredible studio are inviting and welcoming. Oh, by the way, you don’t have to have wonderful handwriting to learn calligraphy. I am a definite testament to that. And I use my calligraphy in ways I would have never thought–all thanks to this fabulous lady!
This is an incredible post. Your description of the experience and photos tell it all :)
Cool! I took her class a few years ago at SMU, and it was awesome. Thanks for the post—it’s definitely something I’d recommend to anyone looking to take a creative class and try something new!
So glad you enjoyed your script class. Susie-Melissa is a wealth of talent and ideas. Her SMU class in continuing education is a great start for learning different hands.