Posts by Angela Reed

I have recently discovered the magic of Walker’s Copperplate Ink – and the man behind it. The late Brian Walker was an experienced penman of many years standing and his daughters are keeping his memory alive with a new website dedicated to his work. He originally made Walker’s Copperplate Ink, based on a nineteenth century…

Autumn has officially arrived, with Halloween and Bonfire Night already behind us. The clocks have gone back – and with England in a second national lockdown, there’s never been a better time to snuggle up and indulge your creativity. Creating Autumn Art I’m delighted to be one of the artists involved in the creation of…

Almost six months after lockdown started, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Navigating a business through the coronavirus crisis has been tricky to say the least – and at times I’ve been tempted to throw in the towel. Commissions with gorgeous stories behind them (I can never resist them) and funding boosts…

World Calligraphy Day 2020 has been launched by Manuscript Pen Company – with a special request in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic. The company is continuing the #SaySomethingSpecial campaign from last year, but shifting its focus from children and young people to older folk who may be feeling particularly isolated at the moment.…

Regular readers of my blog and those who follow me on social media will know how proud I am to be one of the artists associated with The Cultural Spring. In fact, pretty much anyone who knows me will be aware of how instrumental the project has been in shaping the workshop side of my…

Many people have learned new skills during lockdown. Some have even taken up calligraphy! Me? I’ve managed to upcycle a vintage writing bureau, with a bit of help from my friends at From Loft to Loved in Sedgefield, County Durham. Years of running calligraphy workshops there, surrounded by tins of paint and upcycled items of…

I was not expecting to be celebrating my sixth business birthday in lockdown. I would usually write a blog post around this time reflecting on the last year, but it seems hard to remember anything that happened before March 23 at the moment. So, I thought I’d write a little bit about the reality of…

This commission was a special collaboration between two South Shields creatives that will hopefully become a family heirloom.   When the request first landed in my inbox, I knew just the person to contact for the illustration aspect of the piece – Emma Gosling. I have been following Emma on Instagram for quite some time…

Calligraphy commissions come in all shapes and sizes. Being an ex-journalist, I love hearing the story behind each one and becoming a part of that story. But every now and again, something really special comes along. I had the honour of helping to restore a Victorian family bible to its former glory recently. It was…

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’ve been taking part in the European Pointed Pen Collective (EPPC) Copperplate Envelope Exchange. The EPPC was established in January 2019 by calligraphers Kate Watson and Cecilia Boschi, along with co-founder Christina Janoszka, to share their love of pointed pen calligraphy by creating unique, specific workshops for…