Seriously though - why is calligraphy so expensive? “It’s just a paper and a marker, right?” “How do you even charge that much?” “Anybody can do that.”
I’m glad you asked! Let’s unpack that, shall we?
First, calligraphy is a luxury service. Hand-lettering is a luxury service. It’s beautiful and elegant. It’s classic and timeless. It is an artform. It’s expensive to hire a calligrapher or commission custom calligraphy or lettering pieces because it is an investment. It takes time to learn the skill. Most artists don’t just pick up a pen holder and a nib, dip it in the ink well and get to writing. There is investment in education. Whether that investment was in time, or money - or both, there was still a cost! I do believe that anybody can do calligraphy, but like most skillsets, not everybody does. A calligrapher with even the most basic skills still has more knowledge about the subject and probably more talent with their artform than the general public, right? This is always true in any specialized field. And, as the saying goes, “Know your stregths, outsource your weaknesses.”
Supplies used are not inexpensive when it comes to commissioned pieces. That’s not to say that you can’t learn with inexpensive supplies, of course, or even practice with them! A pencil or a marker from the school supply section at the big-box store will work just fine to get started. But the vast majority of people who hire a calligrapher want the artwork they invest in to last. This means higher quality paper, ink, pens, and materials as a whole. As is true with most things in life, higher quality usually equals higher dollar amounts. What would you guess the items in that photo up above are worth? A few bucks? Maybe less than $50? Friend, I sure wish that were true! Those tiny little paints are close to $10 each. The inks are over $10 as well. That silly looking ruler to the right isn’t even 12” long, and it cost more than $15. The rolling ruler on the left was at least that much as well. The “markers” were at least $3.50-$4.00 each and so were the pens. Those weird looking pen holders? $60-$100 each. Those little metal nibs are a couple of dollars a piece as well. Paper gets pricey. Every project is custom, and every project requires something special. It all ads up! If you’re hiring a calligrapher who does this for a living, they’ve likely dedicated a portion of their house to studio space or work space. Say it with me - it all adds up!
OK, OK, you get it. It can be expensive. It’s an investment - blah, blah, blah! But let’s say you reach out to your friend who can write a few words nicely on a piece of paper. She still has to take the time to chat with you about your vision for the project, source the materials, work on a rough draft, lay everything out to make sure spacing and kerning work, ink or paint the final project and hope that nothing happens to that final draft (like an ink smear or a dog slobber or a kid bumping you and spilling something while they leaned in a little too close to see what you were working on!), otherwise you have to start all over again. Or you want her to letter your wedding invitation envelopes or Christmas card envelopes. Do you know it can take 10+ minutes per card? She doesn’t get to sit with her family in front of the TV watching Yellowstone, sipping wine (ok fine, tea) while she writes. She makes the decision to dedicate her time to your project in trade for a fair compensation.
Of course you could probably figure out how to do the layout and sketch some letters on a piece of paper, but then it starts to become like work, right? You’d rather pay someone else to do it. (This is how I feel about cleaning my house, but alas.. I still have to do the work. Housekeeping is a luxury service, too!) Most people would rather not take the time and effort, or invest in the supplies to create the artwork themselves once they realize what is involved.
Enter, calligraphy & lettering artists! We’ve invested the time, the effort and the money to be successful at our craft. Hopefully we’ve done a good enough job learning to be good at it that you’re interested in hiring us to letter for you, and hopefully we land a wonderful client who understands what the back-story is behind every estimate we send out!