Houston Wine Bottle Engraving

When I am asked what I do for a living (penman & wine bottle / fragrance bottle engraver), the responses range from inquisitive looks to the occasional laugh. I’ll reserve my thoughts regarding those that laugh and focus on the inquisitive look. The responses are usually along the lines of “that still exists” to “how do you make a living at that”. The inquisitive look & questions are completely understandable. Before I became a penman, calligrapher or engraver, I had never met one. In our digital world, many people do not see the need for what I do (until they need one :). But people like me (engravers and calligraphers) do exist and some of us make a full-time living at it. If you meet an engraver that does it for a living, I assure you that they love it. There is no other reason that they do it :).

I absolutely love engraving, especially in wine, spirit and fragrance bottles. When I fell in love with Spencerian lettering and Ornamental Penmanship, that was it. I still offered Copperplate and other calligraphy hands for a while, but I learned the hard lesson that mentors tried before to teach me. Focus on what speaks to you and the rest will follow. The calligraphy lettering on this wine bottle would fall into the category of Ornamental Penmanship. Cheers!