To Crafters

I’m a calligrapher based in Dubuque, Iowa. I specialize in Copperplate script, so this means I use a pointed pen to create a lovely piece of handmade work.

I specialize in Copperplate (or English Roundhand) script for:

✓ Envelope Addressing

✓ Place Card Naming

✓ Quotes

Among my particular credentials are:

✓ Completing Younghae Chung’s Learn Copperplate Calligraphy course
✓ Completing Younghae Chung’s Fearless Flourishing course

✓ Completing other courses taught by Eleanor Winters, Schin Loong, Connie Chen, Kestrel Montes, Paul Antonio, Britt Rohr, Suzanne Cunningham, and Laura Hooper
✓ Creating thank you cards, addressing envelopes, and designing other ornamental pieces

I mainly refer to The Universal Penman, George Bickham’s Penmanship Made Easy, Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy, Copperplate Script: A Yin & Yang Approach, Honor & Respect, The Wedding Blue Book, and The Blue Book of Stationery.

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I remember being one of those children who loved buying new stationery for school. I found joy in the smell, the texture, and the sharpness of the items. My class notes grew better and better from the beginning of my education up through college. I made my handwriting look consistent, my highlighting logical, and my notes filled up the pages of my notebook evenly. Feeling my pen glide on the pages of a notebook brought me a pleasure that I had started to forget about once I began working a day job where the world of the computer screen ruled.

But one day, I remembered the feeling of a pen digging into paper. After researching some of the most popular calligraphic styles I repeatedly came back to the beauty of Copperplate script. To me, it matched the elegance, grace, and beauty of classical ballet which I had been doing since I was a child.

I have studied the script in depth for about three years. I am excited to share with people a little piece of the beauty I see in this wonderful script.

My services currently include envelope addressing and place card naming, which is most commonly found in the wedding industry. Copperplate calligraphy is done with a pointed pen and ink. So, I sit down at my desk that is solely prepared for me to write at, with my ink to the left of me and my pen holder to my right. A light pad and a leather blotter are front and center for me to use to see my guidelines through the piece. However, if it’s opaque then I use a laser level to help me have a guiding line on top of the paper as I write. The setup is important for allowing me to sink into the writing itself and focus on the individual strokes, letters, and words that make up the entire piece.

If you want someone local, who uses their hands to produce elegant lines, then you have found that person. My business was made out of a love for the written word and the meaning of the words that lay on the page. As a wordsmith, I care about every word that is slowly and painstakingly written down. The slow process of calligraphy forces me to focus on the breath and channel the living movement of the body into making a cohesive piece of work. I hope to have clients see and feel the movement and the grace of the letters that were written by a human hand.

Run your hand over an envelope or a place card or a quote and you will be able to feel the indents and dried ink from my pen. Take a moment out of your day to look at the gold ink in the sun and at different angles to see it shine. Notice the thick and thin strokes and align them with your breathing. Appreciate the rare specimen you hold in your hands of another person who took the time to spell out your name one letter at a time—grateful to be spending that time alone with you.

Please email (kaitlyn@americanwordsmith.com) or follow me on Instagram (americanwordsmith) if you’re interested in my work and desire to have your vision come alive on paper.

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Views Expressed Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the postings, strategies, or opinions of American Wordsmith, LLC. Please also know that while I consider myself an Objectivist and my work is inspired by Objectivism, it is not nor should it be considered Objectivist since I am not the creator of the philosophy. For more information about Ayn Rand’s philosophy visit: aynrand.org.