The brand story, in many strokes.
On Calligraphy
Calligraphy is more than just writing words beautifully. Like language, one of the mediums through which we express emotions by carefully choosing and arranging words in accordance with established rules, calligraphy embodies the same intelligent fusion of sense and sensibility. Each precise, deliberate stroke conveys emotions, feelings, or messages in subtle yet powerful ways. In this sense, calligraphy trains not only the hand, but also the eyes and the mind. Countless invaluable qualities are cultivated through its practice. While grace in writing is the ultimate goal, perseverance, patience, passion, humility, and calmness are often the unexpected treasures discovered along the journey. If you ask me what I love most about calligraphy, it is its profound connection with character. It is precisely this connection that ensures calligraphy grows, evolves, and improves alongside the calligrapher.
How it Started
It all started with a TV programme showing the preparation for the Shaw Prize presentation ceremony when I was first exposed to the art of western calligraphy while watching a lady’s hand elegantly slid across a prize certificate, leaving a name on it written in beautiful copperplate and me struck with awe in front of the TV. Too desperate to try writing, I decided to self learn it with the help of the almighty Google, the lovely sharing platform Instagram on which I could check out how others did it, and also the online calligraphy shops from which I have got so many useful materials and reference books. I reckoned that although it was going to be a long journey, it’d be a remarkable one after certain years when I check how far I have made so in November 2014, I set up the Facebook page for The Lady’s Writing and turned my Instagram account into one that’s 99% about my calligraphy journey.
What about the name? Scroll down, and you will find it came from an incredibly relatable poem I came across, which instantly resonated with me—hence the name of my brand, The Lady’s Writing.
Learn, practise, progress, repeat.
Copperplate was my first love and the first script I truly befriended. I soon moved on to Engrosser’s Script, drawn to its more approachable pace and rhythm.
Since 2016, I have been fortunate to attend workshops conducted by accomplished overseas calligraphers, gaining insights into various scripts.
Today, I write Engrosser’s Script, Spencerian, and Madarasz Script, with hopes of exploring more scripts in the future.
And this is the story behind The Lady’s Writing.
Meet the Artist
Hi, this is Angie, a driven slasher based in Hong Kong: lawyer, law school tutor, calligrapher, (occasionally) stationery and product designer, language enthusiast, and mama to a sweet boy.
I began my calligraphy journey in 2014 as a self-taught practitioner, guided by deep appreciation for the beauty of the art and profound awe of the technical mastery the human hand can achieve. Engrosser’s Script was my first love and remains my forte. Over time, my practice has expanded to include other scripts, such as Spencerian and Madarasz Script, as well as lettering in diverse media, including hot foiling on leather, brush lettering, and writing on alternative surfaces such as glass and wood.
Beyond calligraphy, my creative world extends across a wide range of forms and media—from Chinese painting to botanical illustration, commercial design, and gilding art. I approach each discipline with the same care, precision, and pursuit of aesthetic excellence.
"HER even lines her steady temper show ;
Neat as her dress, and polish'd as her brow ;
Strong as her judgment, easy as her air;
Correct though free, and regular though fair :
And the same graces o'er her pen preside
That form her manners and her footsteps guide."
- Anna Laetitia Barbauld, On A Lady’s Writing