Introduction to Foundational Calligraphy
A course by Leo Calderón, Graphic Designer and Calligrapher
Learn the basics of this style and explore the beauty behind it by creating your own calligraphy piece
Are you familiar with Foundational hand? At the beginning of the 20th century, the father of modern calligraphy, Edward Johnston, developed this new, attractive style that seamlessly combined aesthetics and functionality.
In this online course, take your first steps in Foundational letter design with graphic designer and calligrapher Leo Calderón before playing with colors, shapes, scale variations, and white spaces to prepare a professional graphic composition.
What will you learn in this online course?
22 lessons & 20 downloads
What's included in this course?
Get started by learning about Leo's career as a calligrapher, his main influences, and his creative process. Take a closer look at how he plans out, sketches, and develops his pieces, blending classical styles like Gothic and Foundational with more gestural styles that incorporate brush pens and ruling pens.
Next, delve deeper into Foundational calligraphy, including its origins, Johnston's legacy, and this style's particularities and basic techniques.
Then, take a detailed look at the tools needed to work on this and other projects: nib pens and calligraphic markers, papers, calligraphic sheets, and fountain ink. In addition, Leo shows you how to make your own calligraphic tool and offers advice on how to go about completing different exercises.
After that, it's time to get to work with the basic letters, N and O, before practicing with advanced strokes to help you create your Foundational alphabet, capital letters, numbers, signs, and symbols.
To wrap up, explore specific elements for diagramming and using colors in your project to enhance your composition.
- 100% positive reviews (104)
- 2,123 students
- 22 lessons (4h 25m)
- 20 additional resources (13 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: Spanish, German, English, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Create a calligraphy piece using all the Foundational techniques learned throughout the course. Experiment with different spaces, sizes, and colors to achieve a truly unique composition.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Designers, typographers, calligraphers, and anyone who is interested in exploring calligraphic techniques.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is necessary for this course.
In terms of materials, you need fountain pens of varying sizes, fountain ink, and calligraphic paper.
Reviews
Leo Calderón
A course by Leo Calderón
A native of Chile, Leo Calderón is a graphic designer with a specialization in typography from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and also a professor of design and typography at the Instituto Profesional AIEP in Santiago, Chile. He considers his forte to be in calligraphy and lettering, both arts perfected under the teachings of great experts and many years of practice.
With more than 8 years of experience in this trade, he has worked for internationally renowned brands such as Heineken, Visa, Ralph Lauren, Johnnie Walker, Vans, and Guess. Additionally, he has participated in multiple Bienales de Tipografía Latinoamericana in recent years, being recognized in the Emerging category for his typographic project, Picarona.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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What will we do in this course?
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U2
Welcome to the world of the foundation
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Foundational Calligraphy History
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Characteristics of Foundational Calligraphy
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Let's prepare and take care of our tools
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No grids, no party!
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Initial strokes: sticks and curvitas
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U3
Eddie, motivate us! - Foundational Alphabet from A to Z
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A letter as a puzzle
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Curved sister letters
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Diagonal sister letters
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Demon Sister Letters
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Capital letters and not die trying 1
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Capital letters and not die trying 2
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Numbers, signs and symbols 1
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Numbers, signs and symbols 2
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Continuous writing
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U4
We don't let you down, Eddie - Ready for the project
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Choosing, diagramming, sketching our phrase
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Gesture
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You live in colors 1
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You live in colors 2
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Details and care
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FP
Final project
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Introduction to foundational calligraphy
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
You’ll learn how to create letters and calligraphic compositions from initial sketches all the way to the finished piece, applying lettering techniques, tool use, letter structure, composition, color, and error correction.
This is an intermediate-level course. Basic knowledge of calligraphy or letter drawing is recommended but advanced experience isn’t required.
You’ll need suitable calligraphy paper, nibs or a Parallel Pen, ink (walnut or acrylic), pencil, rulers, brushes, and optionally a handcrafted Colapen.
This course focuses on foundational calligraphy and its use in hand lettering projects, covering everything from classic techniques to contemporary experimentation and letter customization.
Yes, the course covers classic calligraphy styles like foundational, Carolingian, Gothic, and Humanist, teaching their structures and modern applications.
Yes, practical exercises and projects are included, ranging from building grids and modules to creating complete calligraphic compositions.
You’ll be able to create personalized calligraphy pieces, fix mistakes in your strokes, handle stylistic variations, and apply color, composition, and professional presentation techniques.
Excelente curso, Leo explica muy bien.
tenho a certeza de que vai ser otimo
Já tenho uma boa base de caligrafia, inclusive do alfabeto fundamental, mas sempre que possível gosto de ver outras perspectivas e acompanhar novos profissionais. Que achado esse curso com o Leo, que tem uma baita didática e domínio do assunto, tanto teórico quanto prático, fazendo bom uso e exposição das ferramentas e dos recursos complementares. Sensacional quando o ensino é acessível em vários sentidos. Mais do que recomendo, tanto para iniciantes quanto para avançado.
The lessons are clear and comprehensible. Additionall documents are adequate and enlightening.
El mejor curso de caligrafía. De 1 al 10, lo valoro 10 que es la máxima puntuación.