Ink your way to excellence: How I earned my IAMPETH certificates & how you can too!
- Pooja Bhagwat
- May 14
- 12 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
If someone had told me a few years ago that one day I will hold the prestigious IAMPETH calligraphy certificates, I would’ve smiled & kept dreaming about it. But here I am today, holding not one, not two but four IAMPETH certificates in my hand. Absolutely surreal & gives me goosebumps every time I think about it but yaah I am immensely grateful, proud & ready to share the journey that led me here.
It’s not just about the recognition but more than that it was about pushing my boundaries, learning new skills, trying different scripts & proving myself that growth is always possible with passion & persistence.
So if you’re an aspiring calligrapher wondering where to begin this journey or doubting if you are ready enough, this blog is for you. I’m sharing my experience, tips, and everything I wish I had known when I started this beautiful journey. So let’s dive in!
First of all why I chose to get certified?
Around 2019 I discovered IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers & Teachers of Handwriting) & I immediately signed up as a member. It’s a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting & preserving the art of calligraphy, engrossing & fine penmanship. From the very beginning, I’ve admired IAMPETH & as I explored more, I realised that most of the calligraphers I admire & draw inspiration from are closely associated with it. Then in 2020 I learned about the certification program & I noticed that the entire process is blind judged, meaning no names are written on submissions and judges evaluate purely based on the work. It felt challenging and exciting at the same time & it truly sparked my curiosity & desire to apply.
After a lot of contemplation, I finally applied for the certification in 2022. By then, my calligraphy business was doing fairly well, commercially & I was genuinely happy with how my work looked on paper, but somewhere deep inside, I felt the urge to take it a step further. Because the calligraphy we do for client work & the calligraphy we prepare for certification is very different. Calligraphy for clients is more about creativity, customisation & style suited to a specific occasion whereas the calligraphy for certification is more about precision, letter structures, proportions exactly as they are meant to be. Both serve very different purposes.
Besides I wanted to refine my script on a more fundamental level. I wanted to be sure that I truly understood the script I was working with, in depth and in detail. Not to prove anything to anyone, but to myself. And most importantly, I wanted to be able to share that knowledge with confidence with my students. Being self-taught in Copperplate script, I knew that having my work reviewed by calligraphy masters would give me the kind of assurance I needed, beyond client feedback or social media praise.
To my surprise and absolute joy, I received the first certificate on my very first attempt & I became the first woman from India to be awarded the IAMPETH certificate. That moment was incredible. It felt so good that I couldn’t stop myself from applying again. Since then I’ve been participating in the program consistently for the past three years now and have earned four certificates so far:
Proficiency in Engrosser’s Script
Proficiency in Spencerian Script
Proficiency in Illumination & Borders
Excellence in Spencerian Script
And while I’m incredibly proud of this progress, I know this is just the beginning. There’s still so much more to learn, so much to grow & I am so looking forward to it.
My Application Experience
Apart from blind judging, what I loved the most is the detailed feedback you receive on your work. ( Go through the above slides to see my Engrossers's samples, my score & the detailed feedback )
As a calligraphy teacher & a lifelong student myself, I truly value both giving and receiving thoughtful, constructive feedback. It helps you clearly see where you're struggling and exactly where improvement is needed. The feedback I received from IAMPETH motivated me to keep learning, refining, and applying again. If you’re someone who’s hungry to learn, you’ll understand that feeling.
In fact, the process of results used to be quite different in the beginning. Until you opened your submitted samples, you wouldn’t even know if you've got the certificate or not. I still remember receiving an email from IAMPETH saying, “We’ve shipped your samples” & then you’re just waiting for the shipment to arrive, filled with excitement and nervousness. I used to pray before opening that package… hoping, wishing, crossing fingers & then finally you’d find out: either you’ve got it, or not. From this year IAMPETH has started sending mails about the results so before your sample reaches you, you know the results.
But of course not everything goes as smoothly as you plan. First year I got the certificate in first go but in the second year, when I applied for the excellence certificate, I didn’t make it. I felt bad, frustrated & honestly I couldn’t handle it for the first few minutes. In my mind I was the perfect student to get the excellence certificate but that was all just in my mind, hehe. When I went through the judges scoring & detailed feedback, I couldn’t help but laughed at myself. I had made such tiny & avoidable mistakes that I couldn’t even noticed while writing. I got 94 points out of 100 & I missed the excellence certificate for just 4 points.
These are the moments where your patience really gets tested. It would have been easy to blame the timing, the process, or even others but instead, I chose to look inward, work on my weaknesses, and I applied again for the Excellence certificate. I didn’t make it in Engrosser’s script the second time either, but I was thrilled to receive the Excellence certificate in Spencerian script! As per the IAMPETH guidelines, I needed to earn at least one excellence certificate in pointed pen style & now I have it.
Preparing yourself for the application
If you're applying for certification for the first time, you need to start with the Proficiency Certificate. Head over to the IAMPETH website, go to the certificates tab. Select the style you want to apply for the certification & download the reference book mentioned in the PDF. Start practicing based on that. Read it thoroughly and carefully observe your work. Try to make exemplars based on the PDF. Start first with the script that you are confident about. So once you get certified in that, it will boost your confidence to apply for other scripts.
For the Proficiency certificate in any script, one needs to submit 3 samples. First is alphabet exemplar (Capital letters, small letters & numbers), second is alphabetical list of words & third is a paragraph writing. All in different x heights as per mentioned in the PDF. For next level that is excellence certificate one needs to submit just one sample which is mostly writing your own certificate with different x heights on the same page. ( Go through the above pictures again to understand better) For the proficiency in illumination & borders one needs to submit 2 samples in different colour schemes & for excellence certificate in illumination & border one needs to submit just one sample with gilding.
Materials
IAMPETH has very clear guidelines about materials. Paper size, colour & thicknesses are fixed, and all samples must be done in black ink only. So, there's no need for fancy colours or gold inks for submissions. I usually create my samples on Brustro Smooth 250gsm or Canson Montval 300gsm paper. The latter has a subtle texture, but you can go for any smooth paper you prefer. For ink, I use Black Sumi Ink, and my go-to nibs are the Hunt 101 or Hunt 22, depending on the x-height I'm working with. I won’t recommend using Hunt 101 for smaller x heights as its more flexible. You can use your favourite nib & favourite black ink that you feel gives you the best results. For illumination & borders proficiency certificate I used Camlin poster colours, Camlin colour pencils, Camlin brushes & Kuretake gold ink.
Practice makes Progress
Initially in my calligraphy journey, I used to practice around 7- 8 hours each day. Afterwards as my professional work grew it became harder to dedicate separate time for practice. Thankfully, I write a lot each day & that serves as a practice in itself. However, my approach changes when preparing for the certification. Being a morning person, I like to start early, usually around 5 a.m. & I dedicate approx 1.5 to 2 hours solely to practice before attempting the final piece. I typically begin with pencil drills and focus on the specific letterforms I struggle with. I make three final attempts over three consecutive days & after reviewing all three, I choose the best one and send it for certification.
What truly helps me to get better in my script is mindful practice, something I always emphasize while working with my students. What it means is to set a clear goal before each practice session, instead of just filling up pages aimlessly. Focus on one element at a time. Maybe it's ovals, slants, shades, loops, connections, or a specific letterform. Work on just that one element & then move on to the next one. This approach not only improves your skills but also gives you a sense of accomplishment each day.
Also, we learn different scripts from different teachers. You might have developed your own style along the way but what helps to get the certification is following the guidelines provided by IAMPETH. On their website you will get clear instructions about judging is based on which book. In fact you will get that reference book for downloading as well. So it becomes easier to study that book & practice accordingly before submitting the samples. For example if you write ‘a’ in a particular way but it’s different in the reference book, then you need to follow that ‘a’ as per the reference book & not as per your own style. Pay close attention to your shades, angles, consistency, spelling, punctuation… every single thing before sending the final artwork.
& of course I make sure that no one disturbs me during my practice time, which is exactly why I wake up early. Before the doorbell rings for the maids, safaiwala or the house comes alive with daily chores, I'm done with my samples. I even leave my phone in the other room, I absolutely hate it when phone rings while I’m writing. Even during commercial projects, I either keep my phone away or turn it silent. Imagine you're just finishing your final piece and the phone rings… damn… all the concentration, writing flow, thinking flow is gone. As calligraphers, we simply can’t afford that kind of distraction.
Creating a DRAFT
One of the most crucial steps in the whole process is creating a draft in the exact size specified. I use a regular steel ruler and Apsara HB pencil to draft my layout, strictly following the x-height mentioned in the IAMPETH PDF. I take a paper of exact same size as the final submission and start planning everything on that like line spacing, alignment, letter placement, margins basically the entire composition. I enjoy creating my own guidelines with ruler & pencil. I usually don’t use any liners or calligraphy rulers available in the market. Once my pencil guidelines are ready, I recreate them in Adobe Illustrator so that I can print them & use with my Huion light pad. If all this is too much for you, you can try creating guidelines with lanquach.com where you can get the ready guidelines & also adjust the spacings, angels or x heights as per your need.
I usually make 3 to 4 drafts before I even think about moving on the final sheet. Once I’m done, I take a step back and look at all the drafts from a distance, with my eyes half closed. This might sound funny, but it really helps! Looking at it this way gives me a better sense of balance especially between the white space (negative space) and lettering (positive space). It instantly shows if something looks too heavy or uneven, and that’s what helps me decide which layout feels right.
Once the final draft is ready and approved by myself, I replicate the same proportions onto the final paper. I take final paper with extra 0.5" from all the sides so I can cut the exact size just before the submission & get fine edges. One more tip here: make sure your pencil guidelines on the final sheet are super light. You just need them visible enough to guide you, but they should be easy to erase later without leaving marks or damaging the paper.
Other important things to consider
IAMPETH Master Penman is the highest honour offered by IAMPETH organisation for showing a distinguished level of excellence in penmanship. For which they offer a certificate program : an incremental path through which it is possible to earn acknowledgements of proficiency and excellence in specific categories, leading ultimately to the Master Penman designation.
You need to be a member of IAMPETH for at least one year before applying for the certificate program. ( Current Regular Membership $35 / approx. Rs.3000/- per year)
You need to follow the exact guidelines provided by IAMPETH ( regarding paper size, x height, paper gsm, paper colour & ink colour etc. )
Non-refundable certificate entry fee currently is $100 ( approx. Rs.8500/- per certificate)
You need to send the original artwork to IAMPETH for judging. They do not accept photos or soft copies. So consider shipping charges that goes around Rs.2500/- to 3000/- ( from India to USA )
Additional supplies costs to consider ( Paper, inks, nibs or any other material that you buy)
Packaging charges ( A flat package or a mailing tube) whatever you select. I keep my original artwork in a plastic bag & then I pack it between two cardboards, like a sandwich. Then I keep it in another envelope making sure there won’t be any folds on paper during shipping. Also don't forget to add butter paper in between your artworks.
Deadline – Follow the deadline carefully. I like to send the samples before 2 weeks of the deadline. As sometimes shipping takes more time & I don’t want to take any risk there.
Just for your better understanding, I have invested around Rs.11000 for the first year, Rs.20080 for the second year & Rs.30750 for the third year. These are just the certificate entry fees, material & shipping charges. I have not included yearly membership in this. I hope this gives you a better idea of how much money you need to invest if you are planning to enter into the certification programme. So make sure your sample is just perfect before sending it for judging. If you find any faults in your work, discard it right away & make a new sample.
How do you know when you are ready for it?
For me it was always the excellence in my work, than just a mere writing. Getting the best results in my work satisfies me more than anything. I will put end number of hours into practice until I get something as per my desire. I think that’s the nature of every artist out there regardless of which art form they are doing. This habit itself helped me to get into this program successfully. Sharing below a few questions that will help you to decide if you are ready for it or not.
When you look at your script, are you happy about it ? Do you feel like you have done your best work so far? Or is it just another post for Instagram? Do you feel that your basic, fundamental alphabets are equally eye catching just as they are? Without adding any flourishing or different ink colours to it ? When you look at your work closely does it feel so consistent that it looks flawless? If answers to above questions are YES, then you are on the right path. I know these are tough questions to ask but be true to yourself. You are not answerable to anyone else but just you. So be honest about your work if you want to apply for the certification. Even if your answer to above questions is no, don’t worry, that just means you need to practice more to get better.
After all It’s more than a certificate…
Frankly, for me this certificate is more than a golden seal. It symbolises years of dedication, practice & patience. Those quiet early mornings with myself, the scratchy sound of a nib on paper, the frustration of imperfect strokes & then finally the joy of nailing that perfect stroke after hundredth try. It’s not just about proving something to the world but more about proving to myself that I'am growing, learning, and showing up for my art, even when no one’s watching. For me it feels like having my own little ‘me-time’, away from the hustle, away from working just for money. The journey to certification taught me one of the most valuable lessons that how important it is to pause and acknowledge how far I’ve come.
Whether you’re just starting out or have been practicing for years, your progress truly matters. Every stroke, every mistake, every retry, it all adds up. There’s no deadline on growth. It’s not a race. Sometimes you get selected, and sometimes you face rejection. But in both cases, you learn. You evolve & that’s the real beauty of it. It’s never just about the certificate, it’s about who you become in the process.
In fact, when I started I never had this much detailed information or certificate reference images available so easily. So make the most of it. Take that first step. I’m cheering you on every step of the way!!
Keep writing! Keep inspiring!
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