The Graphic Quill

The Graphic Quill Calligraphy commissions
Event calligraphy. Calligraphy & Handwriting Teacher. Inspirational Quotations & Words of Love

Custom made Handwritten Gifts for Anniversaries, Awards, Wedding Vows, Poems, Dedications, Song Lyrics. Lauchean Duncan established THE GRAPHIC QUILL in 1991 following a decade of formal art & lettering studies & professional Design Studio experience. Always innovating – developing new skills and evolving with the contemporary world of lettering, she continues to work with passion as Designer, let

tering artist & calligrapher. Specialising in custom calligraphic artworks, hand lettering design and teaching. History, tradition and contemporary practices have taught her much. As the lettering arts evolve into today's new phase, through her years of studio experience and continuous learning, Lauchean's calligraphy has developed into it's own contemporary form for use in today's modern context. Lauchean is again sharing her contagious enthusiasm, passion for lettering, together with her working studio experience in her new “Workshop Studio” located in McKinnon, Melbourne, Victoria. After her years as Tutor of the two year Calligraphy Course at RMIT University in Melbourne, Lauchean is again sharing her skills at her aptly named “Contemporary School of the Arts and Calligraphy”. Other highly skilled artisans will also be sharing their knowledge and skills teaching their own trades, arts and crafts to equally enthusiastic students.

Sometimes life interrupts our plans.Creativity is one of the things that helps us find our way back.Over recent months I...
16/06/2026

Sometimes life interrupts our plans.
Creativity is one of the things that helps us find our way back.

Over recent months I’ve been navigating a few unexpected challenges behind the scenes. Technical disruptions affected my website and email, and some personal challenges required my attention and care.

While things may have seemed quiet here, the studio itself wasn’t still. Lessons continued, students progressed, pens moved across paper, and creativity kept finding its way into daily life.

Now, as things begin to settle, I’m looking forward to sharing again.

New classes.
New artworks.
New student journeys.
New ideas.

Thank you for your patience and for remaining part of this community.

I’m looking forward to reconnecting and sharing the next chapter with you. ✍🏻. Lauchean

20/04/2026

I’m often asked when I create a variation to an historical calligraphy style - “Can you just do that? Are you allowed to change the letters?? I could answer - “There are no rules saying you can’t!”

BUT in reality, of course there are rules - definitely there are recommended guides to getting creative with the development of style variants!!
FIRSTLY - you should have a good understanding of the “Foundations” of any style.

I’m teaching an experienced group of lettering artists that I categorise as my “Blossoming” students.

During the current 6 week course these BLOSSOMING learners are focusing their work on ROMAN hands. Foundation Hand, Running bookhand, Uncial & they’re learning about the serif system, which will take them progressively into Celtic Uncial & its modernisation. QUITE A JOURNEY✍🏻 so there’s a lot of ground to cover. They are CHALLENGED in every class!!
This group has been with me for two years. We have covered Beginners Uncial, Gentle Gothic, Italic - 6 months, including a lot of various changes to the style. Italicised pointed Gothic, Foundation Hand etc & now narrow italicised uncial. Plus design, layout & compositions, cut & paste, colour theory etc.
We are only now delving further into Layout and Design in some more depth.

19/04/2026

How many strings must a calligrapher/artist have in her bow?

When I’m asked “what do you do?” The question h a n g s - it sits there in that floating puffy text cloud as my brain flashes through the images of the days, months & decades I’ve INVESTED into this world I inhabit.

As an artist, calligrapher, designer, lettering gal, teacher, illustrator mentor, book binder & business woman - the words “I’m a Calligrapher” seem meaningless & quite inadequate.
John Stevens used the term “Investment” in a chat after a zoom meeting hosted by Julian Waters & The Washington Calligraphers Guild - just that one word got me thinking about the time, years of study, practice, commitment & passion every professional calligrapher & indeed myself has put into this career. Its ‘bloody’ vast, deep & broad.
I STILL GET A THRILL from my ‘QUILL’ everyday.

Is calligraphy an ancient craft… or a living, evolving contemporary art?In truth, it is both.Rooted in tradition, yet co...
12/04/2026

Is calligraphy an ancient craft… or a living, evolving contemporary art?

In truth, it is both.

Rooted in tradition, yet constantly reshaped by the hands that practice it — kept alive through today’s lettering artists.

In my own work, styles are always chosen and adapted to suit the piece.

This is a moment from my Blossoming class — students moving beyond the basics into the deeper language of letterforms.

We began with running bookhand…
moved into Foundation Hand, where serif choices and stroke variations open new possibilities…
and now, that pathway is guiding us toward Uncial — reshaped, narrowed, and touched with an italic influence.

More expressive. More contemporary.

And this is where something shifts.

Students begin to see that calligraphy isn’t about copying a style — its about understanding the form, its features, how the forms connect… how one hand can evolve into another…
how to focus, to see shapes how to make subtle changes to their work. This comes from first knowing the foundations.

In the studio, creativity flows.

It’s not rushed.
It’s a process of discovery —
a quiet unfolding of skill, confidence, and creative voice.

It’s about learning to see differently…

Where does creativity begin?It begins the moment you give yourself permission.No matter your age…No matter your path…Whe...
10/04/2026

Where does creativity begin?

It begins the moment you give yourself permission.

No matter your age…
No matter your path…
Whether art has been part of your life, or something you’ve quietly longed for…
It is never too late to begin.

Creativity isn’t reserved for the “talented.”
It lives in all of us—waiting to be uncovered, not judged.

In calligraphy, we start simply.
With pen, ink & paper.
A mark. A line & rhythm.
From there… something begins to move.
Focus, awareness, attention - enjoyment, passion.

Not perfectly. Not all at once.
But gently, steadily—through practice, curiosity, and play.

Because creativity grows through doing.
And the more you use it… the more it gives back. ✍🏻🫟🎨Just Begin.

Have you ever deconstructed your Calligraphy? - Here’s how we did it. My Easter workshop was an experiment on many level...
06/04/2026

Have you ever deconstructed your Calligraphy? - Here’s how we did it. My Easter workshop was an experiment on many levels. We cut our written works into panels only to then rebuild them. On some pieces the words were freed from meaning, others the words were obscured completely creating abstract artworks.

The Easter theme being PEACE love & kindness - just what our world needs now.

An experimental lesson for us all was bound to be a challenge & full of surprises. My desire was to give a gift of creativity & great sense of achievement as well as a moment of escape from a world in crisis.

Through a step by step process, writing words that resonated, using contrasts of colour, weights & style.

My hope was to throw away conventions & work on breaking rules - this is not an easy task.

Being pushed into this practice, students worked very hard. We’ll take this further in lessons to come.

Each student was given individual attention, all working at their own level. Building confidence to trust their own abilities was a major factor in the skills learned here.

Instead of focusing on “getting it right”, we explored what happens when you let the writing go.

Freed from meaning,
the calligraphy revealed itself as something else entirely. The experience was entirely different for my students & the response, emotions & sense of achievement was way beyond everyone’s expectations.

Address

Elsternwick
Melbourne, VIC
3185

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 4pm

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+61417326406

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