Hello and welcome!
Thanks for visiting! Here goes my very first post on Pieces Calligraphy. This post is just a quick, “hello,” to all you fine folks out there.
Yes, I’m looking at you.
Since this is my first post ever, I figured I’d start with a little introduction. Then I want to hear from YOU!
Who am I?
I’m Sharisse and I live in Northern California with my husband and twin toddler boys. During the day, I crunch numbers in a budget shop. By night, I am writing and crafting, often with a glass of wine by my side.
I talk a lot, have tons to say, and therefore, this blog is my creative outlet. Here’s to hoping my posts keep your attention and are worth your precious time.
Calligraphy, the new love of my life
Contrary to what you may think, calligraphy is relatively new in my life. I’ve always loved anything handwritten, but only at the end of 2014 did I gain a serious interest in formally learning the art. A background in art, design, or lettering is something I do NOT have. In fact, I majored in Psychology and estimate health care dollars at my day job.
To pursue my interest in calligraphy, I took one local class and then an online class. Since then, I have continued to write and learn as much as I can, sharing my work on my Instagram account.
Why a blog?
Gradually, people would ask me all kinds of questions, such as tips for beginners, my favorite supplies to use, and troubleshooting advice. While I love and welcome all questions, it is quite overwhelming and hard to keep up with responding to each person in depth. On top of that, I always felt that a tiny little caption and sharing just one photo on social media was never enough to capture special detail behind a piece. I wanted to write more, showcase more pictures, and tell the whole story.
Thus, this blog was born! I’ve been planning and designing it for over a month now and finally decided to hit publish and share it with the world. It’s the bare bones, but that’s what makes it exciting.
For more about this blog and what you can expect, visit my about page here.
It’s your turn!
Introduce yourself and share in the comments below…
- Where are you from? I love “meeting” people from all around the world!
- What fills your days? Do you stay at home? Do you work from home? Do you work outside of the home?
- What’s your favorite color? Favorite TV show? Favorite type of music? Or you can just tell me three fun things about yourself. 🙂
- Are you a calligrapher, letterer, designer, or some other person of the arts? Or do you simply share in my passion for calligraphy and all things beautiful and lovely?
- What interests you about calligraphy? Do you care most about technique, design, product styling?
- And lastly… how can I help? What are you looking for or hoping to take away from me?
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Thanks for reading my first blog post ever. I am excited to hear from you.
P.S. Be sure you are subscribed to my blog below so you don’t miss a post!
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Supplies used in this post:
You can find all of my supplies on my supplies page.
Pieces Calligraphy 
Hello! Jecka here from NorCal too. 🙂 Congrats on your new website!
Anyway, I love to cook/bake, eat, hike and has been totally obsessed with anything calligraphy lately. Watercoloring or brush lettering is just something I do to relax and exercise my brain 😀 I taught myself through practice (a lot of practice) and watching videos and tutorials did help as well. I wish I could afford to take classes -I know it’s worth every penny but maybe when I win the lottery. hahahhaha
I look forward to anything you wanna share. I don’t have anything in particular, I am just glad that you’re willing to take time and share your talent 🙂 See you on IG 😀
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Hi, Jecka!!! That is awesome to hear – I like the cooking/baking/eating part the best 😉 It can be pricey, but you are so right that it’s worth every penny. Maybe you can save a little here and there and have a “calligraphy fund!” Let me know what you think of the tutorials and videos I will soon post. I’m learning as I go, so bear with me!
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Hi! My name’s Christine. I’ve been your follower on Instagram since not too long ago 😀 I only love what I find on your posts. I was just working on my wordpress blog when I paused to check on my instagram. I saw your post right away and I was so happy that you’ve finally decided to share your calligraphy knowledge and skills (which you do so well in my opinion because it is true!). Oh and about me, I’ve just recently got into calligraphy too but mostly banking of faux because I have no idea how to do it other than writing up and down in curves, lol. No background no nothing, just plainly observing what I see on my Instagram feed and when I get inspired I write. I love photography, scribbles, doodles, sketching, calligraphy, music, food and most of all JESUS! 🙂 Can’t wait to be on here often to learn and be part of the community. GOD bless you in all you do, Sharisse! xoxo
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Hi, Christine!!! Thanks for stopping by! You are the best. I plan to share some beginner tips because there seems to be such a growing interest in calligraphy. Let me know what you think of them, OK? Going to check out your blog now! 🙂
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Hey there! I am so sorry for the very late response. I have been away from my laptop for a week. Everything’s crazy offline. I have stopped practicing calligraphy too. But I am still very interested to read your tips on this blog. I should have the time to look around your page soon! Stay awesome! 🙂
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No worries! I totally understand. Looking forward to hearing how things go for you once you get a chance to practice! 🙂
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Love what you’re doing! I’ve been thinking of setting up a blog myself. You are such an inspiration!
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Thanks so much for your kind words and I’m so happy you stopped by! Definitely start a blog! It’s a great way to learn about yourself as well as connect with others and share what you love. Let me know if you start one!
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Hello, Sharisse,
Congrats on the new blog! I’ve been one of your followers on Instagram (@joosleebee) for a few months and hopped over here to join the fun. Hearing that you are managing all this wonderful art and a day job AND your family – well, I have no excuses! My kids are adults!
Looking forward to future posts and more lettering inspiration.
Kudos –
Joyce
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Hi, Joyce! Yay, thanks for stopping by and thanks for all your support! I truly appreciate your encouragement over the past months. I am constantly juggling for sure – but squeezing out the calligraphy and blogging here and there is my much-needed creative outlet!!! 🙂 🙂
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Hi!
My name is Virginia and I am from Southern California. I am currently in the field of education as a teacher and that always fills up my days because of my students. My favorite color are fall colors. My favorite show is I Love Lucy because I adore Lucille Ball. NY favorite music is anything by Yurima or from Christian artists. I am currently not a calligrapher but am interested. Ever since I found your instagram, I am trying to practice. Taking classes can be a bit pricy so I am trying to practice on my own. I am very thankful for your videos! I currently own a Cricut Mini and make a few canvas art and love working with paper. 🙂
I hope you have a nice day!
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Hi, Virginia! Thanks so much for stopping by! It was so nice to learn about you! I absolutely love Yurima and Christian worship will always have a special place in my heart as I was a part of my church choir before. Glad to hear you are practicing. The cost can seem up there, but I hope some day you will be able to take it (or any other class) because there is truly nothing like learning from an expert and receiving that feedback. Hope you have an awesome day as well and I look forward to catching up with you! 🙂 🙂
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I absolutely love your work!! I’m from Texas, a graphic designer in my free time and an IT technician for a living. I’ve always loved doodling and I was recently inspired to start learning calligraphy. Not sure how I found your Instagram, but glad I did. I will continue to follow your page and hope that you can help us novices to get these techniques down!!
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Hi, Marisol! Thanks for stopping by and thanks for sharing about yourself! As you can imagine, I am ecstatic to hear about your interest in calligraphy. You are exactly the type of person I want to help! I’ll surely want your input as I put out more blog posts and videos. Please let me know what you think of them! 🙂 🙂
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awesome intro! Hope to follow you on this journey 👍
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Thanks, Lan! I would LOVE for you to join me. Check back each Sunday for a new post! Let me know what you think and what other things you’d like to see! 🙂 🙂
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Carol from Utah. I am a work at home florist and love to play with my many art supplies! I took a short calligraphy class with my friend years ago and certainly did not pay enough attention, but I am more ready now! I hope to learn how to do calligraphy with my tombows and seeing if you can do calligraphy with water color paints and a dip pen. I look forward to tomorrow (Sunday post)!
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Hi, Carol! Hope you got a chance to see the post on Tombow pens! That is awesome you are ready to get back into calligraphy. What a sweet and elegant touch for your floral business! Looking forward to hearing what you think of future tutorials and post. I am totally winging it as I go, so your feedback is important to me!
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Hello! I’m Ish, and I’m from Northern California. I really have a big interest in arts and crafts, tried things here and there, but I never focus in one aspect.
I work in skilled nursing facility as a social worker. Since our facility is not computerized yet in terms of documentation, we write a lot.
People always comment about my handwriting and telling me that if just in case they get married, they want me to do their invitations. So, I might as well start early and learn now. Probably I can use it for my wedding too… who knows right? Anyway, I did some random lettering here and there. I want to try calligraphy coz it is so beautiful and can look playful, classy and fun at the same time. Plus, I think the materials needed (specially during safe keeping) and end product of any project doesn’t consume so much space which is a big plus for me.
Having to talk to someone is really a big help, and I hope you will continue to share your journey to keep us motivated to continue learning.
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Hi, Ish! Thanks so much for stopping by. Sounds like you have a knack for all things artsy. You must have a natural eye and talent for creativity and beauty. Give it a try! The possibilities literally are endless. I tend to stick to one style of writing, but it’s so much fun experimenting with different styles, and even trying new mediums and tools, working with different products and types of paper and surfaces. You will start to notice anything and everything with a hint of calligraphy and lettering. I totally agree with the materials. I absolutely love that I can carry my brush pens and a small pad of paper anywhere!
It was so nice to hear from you. Please let me know what specific questions you have a long the way, or if there is something you’d like me to discuss or try to share in more depth. Happy writing and happy creating!
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Hi Sharisse! My name is Jossie and I live in Northern California (about 40 min from SF) my passion is to just be creative in any form. I also blog about the crafts & classes I have taken. I have taken 2 calligraphy classes and both times I feel like I failed because I don’t have patience to write slow. Once I get that nib in my hand I just want to go! Anyhow about 6 months ago I purchased a pack of Tombow pens. I just have to say that I enjoy your posts so much and your writing in both calligraphy & tombow pens is so pretty! Glad I found you on IG! Looking forward to any tips you can share on holding the tombow pens.
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Hi, Jossie! Great to connect with you! We must be relatively close – I’m up in Sacramento/Elk Grove! Going to check out your blog right after this comment. Yay for new blogger friends! I hear ya on going slow. I am an impatient person in general and I especially write very quickly and with a forceful hand. Yet calligraphy is quite the opposite – requires you to go slow and practice graceful, smooth strokes. It’s been quite the experience so far! Maybe brush pens will be more of your forte. The thing I love about them is that the ink is already “loaded,” so you literally CAN just go! And the more you practice, the faster you are able to go and still maintain a consistent, good form. Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know what you think of future posts and let me know if there’s something specifically I can help you with.
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Hi! I’m Stefania and I write from Italy! Me also I’m new to calligraphy, I began this january studying the classical Italic in Venice… But I’m always looking for other sources so I’ll be glad to follow your post (I already follow you on Instagram).
Me also I’m thinking of keeping a blog, even if right now I have no time… For the moment I’ll just keep exercising!
Doing calligraphy is not my job YET! 😉 😉 😉
It’ very nice to have the possibility to keep in touch from so distant parts of the world! I DO LOVE THE INTERNET!!!
Hugs!
Stefania
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Hi, Stefania! Wow, Italy!!! I’m so thrilled to have you here! Thanks for visiting!
A blog is a wonderful way to stay accountable to yourself for practicing, it’s an awesome creative outlet, and it’s a lot of fun engaging with the blogging community! Let me know if you start a blog!
Happy writing! Stay in touch!
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Hello! I’m Ashley! I’m from Maryland and currently live in Alexandria, VA. During my days I am a Commercial Interior Designer in Washington, D.C. And whenever I have time I’m a painter, crafter, reader, photographer, writer and anything else that strikes my fancy. I’m relatively new to calligraphy in the formal sense, I’ve always been told I have nice hand writing and have been asked to do wedding invitations, birth announcements, etc. I just decided I would actually learn true calligraphy instead of making it up as I go and am super excited and very nervous! I’m having a very hard time finding the right nibs to use and a local calligraphy class I can take. I’ve found them online but would love to meet in person with someone to learn from them.
I also have a blog! It’s so sad and neglected, I switched companies 2 1/2 years ago and it’s been sitting collecting dust since then. But I’m hoping once I get better at my calligraphy I’ll have something to post 🙂 in the meantime I’m posting to Instagram (@calligraphydame) and have to say thank you for being such a wonderful inspiration!
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Hi, Ashleyrae! First off, apologies for this super late reply! Second, thank you for introducing yourself! I love hearing about your interests. You must be quite the artist! The more you engage with other calligraphers on Instagram, you should be able to find some folks that you could possible meet up with to learn in person. I agree that learning in person is the best. In the meantime, my recommendation is Melissa Esplin’s online class, “I Still Love Calligraphy.” This was my first pointed pen class and it was online! I learned so much, particularly because Melissa provides individualized feedback as you submit photos of your work to her. She also has a great curriculum that involves not just reading, but also video. That helped me a lot to see her demonstrate the skills and techniques. I hope this helps and I hope you find a class in person soon!
P.S. My husband used to live in Manassas, VA! 🙂
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Hello Sharisse, my name is Paula, i live in Panama.
I found accidentally on instagram some artist who makes very beautiful letters with colour papers, and that was the beginning of my path looking for what to do with letters. That was just the door of a new amazing and very big world: handlettering, calligraphy and all those beautiful things you do. I love calligraphy and i would like to become a real calligrapher, always my friends an family told me they like my handwritting and i didn’t know how much you can do with it.
Now i know how much practice you need to improve your skills, but i really don’t know where to begin.
Thanks for sharing your experience, it is really wonderful and you are so inspiring.
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Howdy Sharisse! I’m Annie and I live in Oklahoma. I have been fiddling with hand lettering for the past year with less than happy results. Coincidentally, my sister also was doing the same. She introduced me to your blog and your tips and instructions. I’m so thrilled with my results that I am no longer frustrated with my lettering practice.
I would say I’m a creative dabbler. I knit, sew, spin yarn, make jewelry, make stuff from paper. I took painting and sculpture classes in college and have taken various art classes in different mediums–such as enameling, metals and glass. It turns out I like fiber, fabric and paper best. I have done some Zentangling and have quite the collection of markers and pens. But as much as I love to “tangle”, I get bored with it sometimes. As a kid I was obsessed with calligraphy and received a kit for Christmas when I was 10. I never got the hang of it but I devoted hours to trying.
I’m a mostly stay at home parent of two girls (who are obsessed with bubble writing–we practice together!). I occasionally do freelance work as a grant writer for some local non profits. I’m also an obsessive tennis player and play competitively in adult leagues.
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Hi Annie! Thanks so much for sharing! You have quite the artistic background. I am happy you found me and hope you can get a feel for brush calligraphy! It is certainly different than pointed pen or broad pen calligraphy, but I assure you it is a lot of fun! If you give it a try, let me know what you think!
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