The 7 Best Online Calligraphy Classes of 2023

The 7 Best Online Calligraphy Classes of 2022 — Spruce Crafts / Design by Amelia Manley

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: CreativeLive
Best Budget: Skillshare
Best for Variety: Udemy
Best for Beginners: The Postman's Knock
Best for Gifting: Laura Hooper Calligraphy
Best for Digital Hand-Lettering: Amanda Arneill
Best for Hobbyists: Creativebug

CreativeLive has plenty of desirable features that make it a great place to learn online calligraphy.

The site has 14 lettering courses to browse. Each course preview shows student reviews and how many people have enrolled in the class. What makes CreativeLive so appealing is that you can see how many people recommended the course, and there is also a section that displays student work.

After you take the course, you'll have the option to upload your projects and become part of this online community. The platform is ideal for all skill levels and budgets because there are subscription, a la carte, and free course options.

Check out the "brush lettering basics" lesson (for about $29) to get started.

If you are looking to take several calligraphy courses but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on each, consider Skillshare as a budget-friendly option.

The online calligraphy courses from Skillshare are popular and well-executed. For instance, this hand lettering course for beginners has had more than 39,000 students enroll. On Skillshare, you can see how many students took a class, read unbiased reviews, and watch a video introduction that explains the coursework.

Skillshare is budget-friendly because it offers free, premium, and team memberships at a low monthly cost. Each course may not have the same depth as some of the a la carte versions, but there is enough material to get you started with your hand lettering practice.

Be sure to read reviews before selecting a lesson, and we also recommend reading some of the comments in the Discussion section. Here, you can see where people had trouble with the course and find out particular questions students had while they were learning.

Udemy is an online platform that hosts thousands of classes on a variety of subjects. This website is ideal if you want to compare several online calligraphy courses before choosing. There are hundreds of classes that range in price from roughly $29 to $200.

When scanning the site, you will see a carousel of the most popular calligraphy classes at the top. More importantly, each class has honest and unfiltered user reviews. You can also see how many students have enrolled in a class, which can give you an idea of the lesson's success. You can preview the class with a trailer, as well as different modules within it.

The courses on Udemy cover the broadest range of techniques and skill levels, which is why we chose it for Best Variety. You can select from offerings like Arabic Calligraphy, Modern Calligraphy, and Hand Lettering for Beginners.

There is a subscription plan for business accounts, but otherwise, each course is sold on an a la carte basis. If you enjoy one class, you can check out the instructor's bio and see their other offerings.

You may have already stumbled across Lindsey Bugbee's work on Instagram or Pinterest if you're familiar with the world of online lettering. Her site, The Postman's Knock, has produced one of the best online calligraphy courses for beginners.

Instead of indirectly supporting instructors through larger platforms, you can support Bugbee directly by purchasing her course for $35 on her website. She has included several student reviews on the site and a thorough breakdown of what you can expect.

The six well-developed lessons featured are perfect for beginners who don't know where to start and can't take an in-person workshop. Each lesson comes with homework and a short quiz, all in the service of helping the knowledge and skills stick.

Bugbee also includes a printable workbook that will help you expand your skills throughout the course. If you want a real in-class experience, The Postman's Knock is a standout.

Are you hoping to support another small business and artist? So many people love the online calligraphy courses offered by Laura Hooper Calligraphy. She does a great job of combining necessary coursework with all the supplies you need, which helps take the guesswork out of it.

Not sure which pen and ink to use? Purchase her beginner calligraphy kit for $169 that comes with essential supplies and an online course. She even has a calligraphy kit that is specifically designed for kids. Choose from courses like How to Write in a Straight Line or How to Create Wood Signage for $89 each.

Laura Hooper Calligraphy classes make wonderful gifts. It's easy enough to print out a gift certificate to redeem an online course. However, it's much more helpful to give your loved one a complete calligraphy kit with everything they need to get started.

While there aren't online reviews on this site, you can head to Hooper's Instagram to explore the credibility of her business.

Modern calligraphy comes in two forms: hand-lettering and digital hand-lettering. Hand-lettering is what it sounds like, forming fonts by hand. Once you have the basics of calligraphy down, you can start experimenting with digital hand-lettering using an iPad or other tablet.

If you're looking for a course to teach you how to better navigate digital hand-lettering, check out the offerings from Amanda Arneill. She teaches students how to use Procreate and how to use an iPad for lettering. The classes on her site are broken down by skill level, and each class is split up into several modules.

These calligraphy courses are on the pricier side, but the content is especially helpful for people having a difficult time transitioning their designs to digital form.

For example, Arneill's Digitize Your Designs course costs around $197. The price, however, can help entrepreneurs grow their digital lettering business to the next level.

The lettering content on Creativebug is ideal for hobbyists, scrapbookers, and journalers who want to add more beauty to their work. The material on this site is very sociable and craft-friendly.

For instance, some of the courses are set up like 30-day challenges that will help you take your hobby to the next level, without feeling like you’re boxed into an academic course outline. Each student can create an online profile that will include an avatar, classes they've taken, and a completed gallery of work. The most highly recommended course on the platform is Beginning Calligraphy with Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls.

Imasa-Stukuls is a modern calligraphy master who teaches students a modern calligraphy approach in an engaging and effective way. The four-part course is available with a basic subscription to Creativebug.

Before you sign up, see if there are any free trials available on the platform. Creativebug offers three plan options: Unlimited (roughly $8 per month), Unlimited Plus (around $10 per month), and Annual Unlimited Plus (about $6 per month).

Calligraphy is the art of decorative handwritten lettering. You can create calligraphy using a pen, brush, or other tools.

Online calligraphy classes will teach everything you need to know about calligraphy, including grip, types of strokes, refining letters, and how to use a variety of calligraphy tools. Additionally, you can also learn digital hand lettering on an iPad or other tablet, such as in the class we highlighted from Amanda Arneill.

Yes, you will need special materials for your online calligraphy class. Lindsey Bugbee of The Postman’s Knock, our top class pick for beginners, details the basic materials you’ll need for calligraphy, including: a pen or pencil, paper, Sumi or India ink, calligraphy pens, and special pen nibs. Those items are sure to get you started.

In the online calligraphy classes we’ve selected, you will be able to craft your own personal, beautiful hand lettering. This can be applied to a variety of uses, such as addressing envelopes, creating invitations, or making word art for your home or as a gift for friends, family, and colleagues.