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What is “Janet Style Calligraphy”?
You’ve probably noticed photos of Janet Style calligraphy every now and again on the TPK website. In today’s post, I’d like to tell you about what Janet Style calligraphy is and why it’s (usually) my favorite style to use! We’ll also discuss why, unfortunately, it may not be the best beginner calligraphy style.
There are five main Learn Calligraphy worksheets available on this website. Each of the five worksheets teaches you how to make a different calligraphy style that is original to TPK! Today, I’d like to tell you about my personal favorite: the Janet. In today’s article, you’ll learn how Janet Style calligraphy came to be, why I love using it, and the letter that gives learners the most grief!
The Development of This Calligraphy Style
In 2015, a Boston bride named Janet found me on Etsy and asked me to use a traditional-looking calligraphy style for her envelopes. After some research and tweaking, I came up with “Janet Style” calligraphy, named after that bride! There are two main sources of inspiration behind this style of writing: Eleanor Winters’ Mastering Copperplate Calligraphy and Phyllis Macaluso’s work on Instagram.
The Janet isn’t a traditional style like Copperplate because the letterforms are always changing. There are some days that I create this style with a ton of flourish, and other days that I keep it simple. For the most part, the calligraphy has a 55 degree slant, but that particular degree of slant isn’t an absolute must. It is a modern calligraphy style, after all!
I love the fluidity of modern calligraphy! This Janet envelope has a lot of beautiful embellishment. Pros of Using Janet Style Calligraphy
The main advantage of writing with this style? It’s gorgeous — a jaw-droppingly pretty style! Super eye-catching and elegant, with the potential for some fun.
You can read about how to write on wavy guidelines in this blog post! I also love how this calligraphy style lends itself to flourishing. Nestled into a mess of flourishes, Janet Style calligraphy makes for stunning envelope art!
Cons of Using This Calligraphy Style
Full disclosure: this summer, I used Amy Style calligraphy and Janet Style calligraphy for my in-person workshop worksheets. Learners happily wrote Amy Style, which is the darling of the TPK website! When we reached the Janet section, though, students always expressed frustration with particular letters. The main offender? The letter “B”.
Ill admit: the letter “B” can be difficult to figure out how to write! There are a lot of strokes involved. It can be tough, too, to write in consistent and pretty Janet Style calligraphy if you don’t have slant lines. Drawing in those slant lines can add quite a bit of time to an already time-consuming project!
I rarely write in this calligraphy style without 55 degree slant lines! Mainly, I’ll concede that this calligraphy style can be tough for beginners. Is it impossible to create? Absolutely not! If you want to learn this style and you practice it, you can do it. But it does require an eye for spacing (practice that here) and some patience with yourself.
Try pairing the Janet with hand lettering such as George Style, as shown here! Janet Style Calligraphy Out in the Wild
I see a lot of the Janet on Instagram, and it’s awesome to see what people do for variations! Here are some of my favorite photos:
These gold place cards were created by @nwilsoncalligraphy! I’m guessing she used Finetec gold. 
@devinstanleycalligraphy used Janet style calligraphy to make these lovely envelopes! 
@thistle_and_palm‘s tiny calligraphy looks vintage and elegant written in walnut ink! How to Learn the Janet
As I mentioned, this calligraphy style may not be the easiest style to learn for the complete calligraphy beginner. Can it be done? Sure! With practice and determination, you could go from beginner to Janet! However, the flourishing in the letters may be difficult to deal with on top of learning how to use with a writing instrument.
If you are a complete beginner who wants to learn this style, I’d start with The Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course. Once you finish that course, you can move on to filling out the Janet Style Calligraphy Worksheet Set. Visual learners will appreciate the worksheet’s accompanying video course!
Creating This Calligraphy Style with a Brush Pen
If you like the idea of writing the Janet but you don’t want to use a dip pen to create it, use a brush pen instead! The Janet Style Brush Pen Calligraphy Worksheet will teach you how.
You can find this brush pen calligraphy worksheet here! The Minimalistic Approach
If you only need an exemplar in order to create Janet Style calligraphy, you can find one for free by clicking here. The exemplar doesn’t show you how to create the letters, but that may suit your learning style just fine!
This is the free Basic Janet Style Calligraphy Exemplar.
My goal today is to clear up any questions you might have about this elegant and impressive calligraphy style! If you happen to have learned Janet Style calligraphy, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. What was your experience learning it? What sorts of projects have you used it on, and what’s your favorite letter? Questions are also welcome, whether you’ve attempted this calligraphy style or not!
Thanks very much for reading, and have a fantastic weekend!
Warmly,
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