Quills and Calligraphy Masterclass

Learn the art of calligraphy with Patricia Lovett MBE.

Writing with a quill on vellum (calfskin) is a heritage craft that has been practiced by scribes for centuries. Join world-renowned professional calligrapher and illuminator, Patricia Lovett MBE, for a day of learning how to write Gothic Black Letter from mediaeval books. This is the writing style used in the many of the British Library's manuscript collections.

You’ll cut a quill from a feather of a swan’s wing, and use it to write a name in this style with the quill on a piece of vellum you have prepared yourself.

Patricia Lovett MBE creates artworks on vellum, using gold, colour and quills. She has written extensively on calligraphy and illumination, including The Art and History of Calligraphy (2017, British Library Publishing) and The Art of the Scribe (2025, British Library Publishing) which are inspired by the Calligraphy and Illuminations of Medieval Manuscripts. Patricia co-curated the Calligraphy Today (2012–13) exhibition at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and teaches at a range of institutions including Harvard University and the University of London.