Frequently Asked Questions

If you can’t find a solution in the FAQ’s, please see our contact page and send us an email.

Is the workshop just for beginners?

Yes and no. We start from the very beginning, no prior knowledge necessary.

If you’re signing up with prior knowledge and skill, let us know in the comments below your assignment uploads. We're happy to give you a challenge with more off-script assignments.

What about lefties?

Pointed pen calligraphy is great for both lefties and righties. If you're purchasing your own supplies, make sure to order both straight and oblique holders. Look for the Speedball Oblique Holder. Melissa personally prefers to use a straight holder for lefty pointed-pen calligraphy. Markers for the brush class are not hand-specific

When can I start the course?

You can start today. We're serious. Make your purchase and start the reading immediately. You may even be able to start doing some pencil practice while you wait for your supplies to arrive.

The classes are entirely self-directed and on your own schedule. We provide the written material, videos, downloads and assignments. We give you assignment feedback whenever you ask for it.

Try to work your way through the material within about 30 days, but you can take as long as you like.

When does my subscription start?

We've removed the time restrictions! Your subscription starts the moment you make a purchase, and it lasts forever!!!

We simply ask that you do not abuse our instructors. They want to help. They're generous with their time. It's hard to do, but if you spam them with feedback requests, they may stop responding as quickly.

The unrestricted feedback is retroactive to old subscriptions as well, so you're welcome to re-submit some assignments even if you took the course years ago.

How long do your courses take?

Spend 2-4 hours per week going through coursework and practicing. It requires roughly 15-20 minutes per night.

Make sure that you complete the assignment prompts and upload your work. You don't need any fancy scans or photography... a simple snapshot with your phone or tablet will do fine.

Upload images of whatever challenges you're facing in addition to your normal assignment work. You have an expert in your corner, so please! take advantage of it.

Be sure to check out the introduction in each class with a recommended timeline for coursework.

Can I purchase my supplies before my subscription? What do I buy?

Check out our Calligraphy Supplies Guide for a full description of Melissa's supplies recommendations.

Is the course on an individual basis?

Yes, it is! That's the beauty of it. You can access the course at any time and work at your own pace. Feedback is on an individual basis as well.

Through assignment feedback we can re-work concepts that you’re struggling with or go off-script to more advanced items. Work completely at your own pace.

Who can see my assignments?

Assignment uploads are all private between you and your instructors. Students and alumni often post their work to the Calligraphy.org Facebook page.

When do you leave feedback?

We check in on Tuesdays and Fridays weekly starting at 9am MST. Every once in a while life can get the best of us (vacations, illness, holidays, etc) and we can’t get to feedback that day. You can always contact us if you're having trouble getting feedback.

What if I need feedback ASAP?

If you need urgent feedback before you start the next assignment, upload your work to the gallery and shoot us a short email. Make sure to include the email address that you used to sign up so that we can find your account.

Giving great feedback when you need it is our #1 priority.

Can I submit my assignments via e-mail?

No. Technically you can, but our system is structured so that no assignment upload gets forgotten. We give feedback on Tuesdays and Fridays, so if you email us your assignment when we're not working on feedback, it will likely get lost in our inbox. For best results, upload your work and email us if feedback is needed urgently. We’ll try to be as prompt as possible.

Is this website iOS and Android compatible?

It had better be. We’ve put in a lot of hours testing the course iOS and Android. You can even upload assignment images directly your from your device’s camera roll. A tablet like the iPad is the easiest way to take the course for many users.

I don't have a scanner. Is that a problem?

No scanner, no problem. In fact, sometimes a regular phone/tablet photo will give us more insight than a flat scan. Try to take photos in as much light as possible. Turn on as many lights as possible for nighttime shots.

Is Calligraphy.org amazing?

Of course! Melissa has been teaching and developing this curriculum for years, and she knows what students need to get started. The web course has a nifty advantage over her face-to-face classes, because you get coursework, video instruction, practice materials, and Melissa's personal attention. Work your way through each lesson, complete the assignments, and upload your work for Melissa and the other instructors to critique.

How do I reset my password?

Try to log in by email and choose the "reset password" option after submitting your email.

We unify accounts based on email address, so you can log in with Facebook, Google or email. Just make sure that the email addresses match!

Some element on the site looks wonky.

We've done our web development using the latest Chrome and Firefox browsers. Sorry IE folks. We've tried to make everything compatible, but we just don't have the time/resources to test in IE. Upgrade your browser to IE11 or preferrably Edge. If that doesn't fix it, switch to Chrome, Firefox or Safari. If you're really frustrated, email Chris some feedback.

Do you have a return policy?

Yes we do! You can find all of our policies at https://www.calligraphy.org/public/policies. If you feel like Calligraphy.org has disappointed you, drop us a line at chris@calligraphy.org and we'll make sure you get satisfaction.

Do your videos have subtitles or closed captioning?

Yep! We've generated subtitles for all our videos. If you notice a video without subtitles, email Chris at chris@calligraphy.org and he'll get the subtitles generated.

It's currently all in English. We serve videos via Vimeo, and we're open to considering translations on request.

Unlimited feedback

We used to limit subscriptions to just 30 days of feedback, but we've decided to move to unlimited assignment feedback. Please don't abuse it! You're welcome to submit assignments multiple times. That's just fine! But if you're submitting new work every day for months... that may be excessive.

2018 Redesign Migration

This is the third iteration of Calligraphy.org. The first iteration lasted from 2012 to late 2015. The second iteration lasted from 2015 to 2018.

The 2015 version of Calligraphy.org is still available on legacy.calligraphy.org. It's not as awesome as the current website... but we'll keep it around for a while.

We were unable to migrate subscriptions from the 2012-2015 site to the 2018 site. If you ever accessed your subscription on the 2015 site, then it will be migrated to the 2018 site.

If you're missing a subscription, email Chris and he'll migrate your subscription manually.

We've successfully migrated the entire 2015 site, including all user accounts, subscriptions, gift codes, discount codes and instructor feedback. Again, email Chris if anything is missing :)