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Fine Arts · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Urdu Calligraphy & Printmaking

This course merges the spiritual discipline of traditional calligraphy with the reproducibility of printmaking. Students will study the rules of the Nastaliq script, mastering the bamboo Qalam and ink measurements (Nuqta). They will then translate these hand-drawn forms into print matrices—using woodblock, screen print, or lithography—to explore how classical text can be reimagined in contemporary art.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Master the anatomy of the Nastaliq script and the Nuqta measurement system
  2. Handle traditional tools: Bamboo Qalam, Aahar paper, and soot ink
  3. Translate fluid calligraphic strokes into carved blocks (Relief) or stencils (Screen)
  4. Explore the composition of the Sher (couplet) within a visual frame
  5. Create contemporary artworks that deconstruct or honor linguistic heritage
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01History of Islamic & South Asian Calligraphy
  2. 02Tools of the Trade: Cutting the Qalam
  3. 03The Nuqta System: Proportions & Grid
  4. 04Basic Letterforms: Alif to Jeem
  5. 05Basic Letterforms: Daal to Seen
  6. 06Basic Letterforms: Saad to Ain
  7. 07Basic Letterforms: Fay to Yay
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Connecting Letters: Words & Ligatures
  10. 10Composition: The Kursi (Baseline)
  11. 11Transfer Techniques: Paper to Block
  12. 12Relief Printing Calligraphy (Wood/Lino)
  13. 13Screen Printing Calligraphy: Large Scale
  14. 14Calligraffiti: Modern Abstraction
  15. 15Gold Leaf & Illuminations in Print
  16. 16Final Project: The Calligraphic Print Series

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Calligraphic Print Series

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Islamic Calligraphy by Sheila S. Blair
  2. The Splendour of Islamic Calligraphy by Abdelkebir Khatibi
  3. Nastaliq: The Calligraphers' Manual (Local/Regional resource)
  4. Broken Rules: Contemporary Calligraphy
  5. Reading Nasta’liq by Brian Spooner
From the PGA Journal
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