Looking back on it, the inspiration to get into calligraphy/ lettering was sparked by my grandmother, Mama Akers. When I was young, I would spend periods of time at her house in the summer when my parents were traveling. I had a calligraphy set and taught myself the basics when I must have been around 8 or 9 years old. My grandmother must have noticed that I had nice handwriting back then and decided to use it to her advantage and we began crafting homemade cards. What started out as something to keep me busy turned out to be a little “business”. Mama Akers would cut out card stock the size of an envelope and glue different pictures she’d find and add stickers as well as a border, and I’d write the message for the card, varying from “Wishing You a Happy Birthday”, “Get Well Soon”, “Just a Little Note to Say Hello”, etc… If you received a card from her between 1985- 1990, chances are you received a homemade “special”.
While my day to day handwriting is nothing too noticeable, it’s always been clear and concise. I’ve also developed the ability to mimic many fonts I find. In college, I majored in Design, so I’ve always had an eye for detail and have used that over the years to help friends and others print invitations and do other small design projects. I decided to take a Calligraphy course at NC State to learn how to do it properly and learn some classic fonts. After completing the six week course, I’ve decided to take a stab at starting my own lettering business and see where it takes me. In this booming age of technology, I feel there is still something special about something being crafted by hand rather than a machine. Wish me luck and please let anyone you know who is looking for calligraphy/ lettering service to check out Lasting Letter Designs!
At this time, I favor the classic italic and uncial fonts as well as a basic script. Here are examples as well as some invitations I've printed for various events:
