Hawaii Calligraphy

I recently took a beginner’s calligraphy class from Hawaii Calligraphy, and absolutely loved EVERYTHING about it! I love supporting local businesses, especially ones owned by women. Kelsey Nishi Darling, awesome woman entrepreneur and owner of Hawaii Calligraphy, is a master modern calligrapher. I first became interested in Hawaii Calligraphy when I happened to see a beautiful Calligraphy starter kit while shopping at Owens & Co. a while back. I have always been intrigued with calligraphy since I was a little girl (what little girl isn’t intrigued with beautiful, fancy handwriting?!) and have owned a few felt market calligraphy pens in the past, but had never tried my hand (no pun intended) at a nib and some ink. I contemplated buying that kit from Owens & Co. but I definitely learn better from example and demonstration than I do from reading a book. I decided to follow Hawaii Calligraphy on IG, for inspiration and maybe one day I’d give in and buy the kit. Well, you can imagine my delight when Kelsey announced on IG that she would be offering beginning calligraphy classes! The very same day that classes became available on her etsy site, I signed up!
The class was held in the ROC building on Nu’uanu where Hawaii Calligraphy’s new office currently reside. This is the perfect space for a calligraphy class as it had a very was a very modern, urban and creative feel to it. Kelsey sure sets a beautiful ambiance with ferns and moss aligning the communal table. A light lunch was served, along with mimosas and iced tea in mason jars. Apparently, it is very important to have a nice meal before you do calligraphy because without food in your tum tum, your hand may be shaky. I can definitely live with having to eat something yummy before doing some calligraphy! All the supplies we needed were provided including an angle pen with nib, a pad of special paper, the same instructional book that I was eyeing out in Owens & Co., grids and exemplars, and the most beautiful walnut ink. She even included some pretty awesome coupons for local downtown businesses which I fully took advantage of after the class.
In the 3 hour class, Kelsey gave us a little bit of history on calligraphy and took us step by step on basic calligraphy techniques for beginners. There was a nice big screen displayed up front in which we could watch her demonstrate each exemplar. She walked around the class and spent time with each student and adjusted our grip as needed and provided good tips to improve our practice. We went through each letter of the alphabet in both upper and lower case and spent LOTS of time actually writing and practicing.
Calligraphy is much harder than I thought it would be, but it also brought much more joy and satisfaction than I imagined! Seeing my beautiful letters in that gorgeous wet ink was somehow very gratifying and exciting! Calligraphy is truly an «art» and it’s beautiful not only to look at, but in so many other ways. There is much love and attention to detail to goes into writing each letter, which in a whimsical and Romantic sense, make the «words» mean so much more.
I have a long way to go in terms of making my letters flow, putting them all together and developing my own style, but this was the perfect way to start! Kelsey did a great job of instructing and encouraging her students. She is so humble and so sweet and truly has a passion for what she does. I have so much respect and admiration for those who truly love what they do, and share it with others. I highly recommend this class if you have the slightest interest in learning calligraphy or if you simply have an appreciation for learning new a fun new skill. You can find out more about her classes on her website,
where there are links that take you to her etsy shop where you can register. You will not regret it!

Back in the day you had to send away (off island) for quality calligraphy for invitations, signs and such. Today you don’t have to look any further than Hawaii Calligraphy. I wish I had known about Kelsy (owner/​calligrapher) Darling and her magnificent talent and skills when we were planning for our big day.
Contacting Kelsey is quite easy — either email or voicemail. She has an etsy shop in which you can purchase already made products and you can also commission her to do custom work. I had requested a quote for a specific product and she was able to give me the amount and time it will be ready quite quickly. As a note, she does weddings, parties, signs and just about anything you can think of to write on (wood, leaves, paper, planks).
Unfortunately, I never did follow through with the purchase because it was about the same time that Hawaii Calligraphy started offering calligraphy classes in her Chinatown workshop. I was inspired to create my own «masterpiece» instead of commissioning her to do the work. Kelsey’s calligraphy workshop was thorough, precise and immaculately executed! I walked away with a workbook, tons of vendor coupons/​discounts, practice sheets and everything you need to start your calligraphy practice. Her overhead projection was perfect! Everyone in class could see what she was writing and no one was straining their necks or eyes to see her examples.
I cannot boast enough about her calligraphy class (beginner)! She provided food and drinks (spirited and not) as well as our own personalized work apron. From inception to execution this gal knows her stuff and she is super friendly.
Reality check: who am I kidding? I barely write in cursive yet alone calligraphy with all the fancy schmancy flourishes and swag! I need to practice a lot (a waaayyyy lot more) before I’m satisfied with the actual work. It takes years of practice to create swoon-​worthy, beautiful letters and words, but until that «happens» I know that I have Kelsey/​Hawaii Calligraphy to call on in case I need something written all fancy and such.

I called Hawaii Calligraphy to inquire about calligraphy work as graduation gifts for a few friends. I chose a few frames, passed them on to Kelsey with the quotes I wanted and was amazed by how great they turned out! Kelsey had awesome customer service — a quick turn around time and beautiful work! I will definitely call her again!