Hello there! My name is Claud. I am from Manila, Philippines. I am not an artist by trade, but I am a lover of art. And now, I try to create art.
As the page and site suggests, I am a left-handed person. My introduction to calligraphy was way back in high school. We were asked to learn gothic letters for class. I found it interesting, but quite challenging. Since most of the people teaching were right-handed, I was not taught the proper way to hold a pen or to write. There weren’t a lot of resources then. Hardly any books were available and the internet wasn’t available to the public just yet. No googling for resource materials online. No YouTube tutorial videos. (Wondering how old I am, eh?) Ink smear after ink smear (I started to loathe india ink!), I tried and eventually decided to put calligraphy aside. I thought that perhaps, this was just not for me.
Lettering, on the other hand, was another story. Lettering for me has always been doodling when I’m bored. I’ve been drawing letters even when I was young. It wasn’t an art form that I explored until recently.
Fast forward this to about 2014, I came across several accounts on Instagram that made me fall in love with letters again. These inspired me to pick up the pen and start writing once more.
I seriously decided to learn and practice last May 2015. This time, it’s easier, just because the internet has such a ginormous amount of information I could reference and take inspiration from. I started taking workshops and reading calligraphy books. The process of learning is always a struggle, but every bit of progress I make brings me so much happiness. It also helps that the online calligraphy community has always been welcoming and encouraging. It has made this journey much more fun.
Here I am, years later. I have been slowly accepting commissions for calligraphy work. I have also been lucky to get a chance to work with brands like Acca Kappa, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Ladurée, Officine Universelle Buly, to name a few, for their on-site events. My work ranges from envelope addressing to engraving to designing custom stationery/invitations and wedding-related items. I am hoping to grow this list in the future. Please check out my portfolio for some samples of my previous work . If you are interested in exploring a project with me in the future, you may get in touch with me here.
leftylligraphy 