Calligraphy for Beginners - Artybits · In calligraphy, maintaining a consistent 45-degree angle is absolutely critical! This is because the angle at which your hold your pen determines

Copyright © 2015 Your Calligraphy Tutor. All Rights Reserved

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Calligraphy for Beginners How To Learn Calligraphy At Home in 5 Easy Steps, Even If You Are

A Beginner!

Copyright © 2015 Your Calligraphy Tutor

All Rights Reserved

Feel free to email, tweet, blog, and pass this eBook around the web to anyone you think

would find this useful... but please don’t alter any of its contents when you do. Thanks!

www.howtodocalligraphy.com

http://www.howtodocalligraphy.com/


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Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Step #1: Gather the Supplies You Need .............................................................................................. 10

Markers ............................................................................................................................................. 14

Step #2: Mastering the Pen ................................................................................................................. 19

Step #3: Getting the Letters Right........................................................................................................ 23

The l” Family ..................................................................................................................................... 24

The “n” Family .................................................................................................................................. 25

The “o” Family .................................................................................................................................. 27

The “v” Family .................................................................................................................................. 28

The “x” Family .................................................................................................................................. 28

Step #4: Correcting Your Errors & Perfecting Your Craft ..................................................................... 30

Step #5: String Letters Into Words ....................................................................................................... 33

[BONUS] 7 Surefire Tips to Learn Calligraphy In Record Time! .......................................................... 38

Tip #1: Kill Your "I Can't” Mentality ................................................................................................. 40

Tip #2: Don't Skip The Basics ............................................................................................................ 42

Tip #3: Spot And Correct Mistakes Early ......................................................................................... 44

Tip #4: Use Calligraphy Guidelines .................................................................................................. 45

Tip #5: Slow and Steady Wins the Race ........................................................................................... 46

Tip #6: The Magic Is In The Grip ....................................................................................................... 47

Tip #7: Don't Develop Your Own Style ............................................................................................ 51

Now, Persevere! ............................................................................................................................... 52


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Introduction


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The Italic script is a semi-cursive, sloped style of calligraphy that was

developed during the Renaissance in Italy, which explains its name. It

is one of the most popular styles used in contemporary Western

calligraphy, and is often a script that most beginners and

calligraphers start out with.

Lots of people admire the beauty and versatility of Italic calligraphy.

Its letters are lean, dynamically stylish, and extremely versatile and

can be styled in a variety of ways.

Today, hand-written Italic alphabets remain extremely popular for

quotations, wedding invitations, and art calligraphy.


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These are just a few of my personal pieces which demonstrate the

beauty and versatility of Italic calligraphy:


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With all its wonderful properties, Italic calligraphy (I’ll just refer to it

as calligraphy from now on for fluency sake) must be really difficult

to learn Italic calligraphy… right?

Wrong!

In fact, it is one of the SIMPLEST styles you can ever learn. With a

step-by-step guide and a decent amount of practice, you’ll definitely

master it.

You could very well be writing that Shakespearean sonnet you’ve

always wanted to in calligraphy, address wedding invitations or

create stunning calligraphy masterpieces of your favourite quote...

All just within 30 days!

In this Ultimate Guide, I will outline the 5 steps that you can follow,

which will enable you to produce the calligraphy that you have

always desired!

This proven system has been meticulously formulated through not

just my personal experience but also the experience of hundreds of

people over the years.

And I guarantee that it will help you too.

So, let’s get started!


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Step #1:

Gather the Supplies You Need


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The first step to even start learning calligraphy is to get all the

required supplies. This chapter will tell you more about the supplies

you may need to get started:

Pens

The best writing tool for a beginner to who is learning calligraphy is a

calligraphy pen (which has a broad-edged nib, and not a pointed

one).

A broad-edged nib allows us to create the effect that we want in Italic Calligraphy

The broad-edged nib of a pen creates the variations in thickness of

the letter strokes and gives it life.


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There are primarily two kinds of calligraphy pens:

a. Cartridge-loaded pen

b. Dip pens

As the name suggests, the cartridge-loaded calligraphy pen is refilled

with ink cartridges. They are generally much more convenient,

portable and mess-free.

You don’t have to worry about ‘refilling’ the nib of your pen halfway

through a stroke, unlike a dip pen.

Synonymous with its name, the dip pen is refilled by dipping the nib

into an ink bottle, although most people prefer to refill it by dipping

a brush into ink and then applying it evenly on the nib of the pen

itself.

Using a dip pen allows for a larger variety of inks to be used for

different effects. The nib can also be sharpened or shaped in a way

which suits the calligrapher.

(If you are interested in learning more about dip pens, here’s a

wonderfully detailed article on what a dip pen looks like and how to

use it.)

https://calligraphypen.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/care-and-feeding-of-the-calligraphy-dip-pen/


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However, I would not recommend it at this point in time.

I would recommend that a cartridge loaded pen (e.g. Pilot Parallel

Pen) or a pre-loaded one (Zig Calligraphy Marker) be used first. It’s

better to start off simple and there are some distinct advantages of

using cartridge-loaded pens over dip pens at this point in time when

you are just starting out.

*Recommended Pen: The Pilot Parallel Pen. Beginners and experts

alike love this pen because:

o Ink flow is superb

o It’s easy to use

o Inexpensive pen and cartridge refills

o Come in a variety of nib widths and ink colours

o It’s mess-free, portable because it is a cartridge-loaded pen


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Markers

A Water-based Zig Calligraphy Marker

Markers are a great choice when time is a concern but quality isn’t.

They are wonderful for practicing your strokes and also perfect for

small tasks that don’t require a high level of intricacy, such as writing

a casual note to a friend or co-worker or posting a reminder to

yourself on a Post-it note.

They are also mess-free, and you can carry them around with you

everywhere.

They have these advantages:

They are fuss-free and mess-free. You can just buy them,

use them till they’re out of ink, throw them away and buy a


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new one again. They are inexpensive, too.

They are good for practicing the right strokes. Markers are a

cheap and easy way to practice your strokes and

fundamentals before you start using a calligraphy pen.

However, there are some significant drawbacks to using markers:

You can’t do nice, sharp calligraphy with a marker. The

writing tip is simply not fine enough to make the sharp edges

and fine hairlines that a calligraphy pen will give you. You

might be able to still make thicks and thins of the letters

with a marker, but it will not be as crisp and as desirable as

letters produced with a pen.

Markers are not suitable for larger tasks. For example, you

wouldn’t want to letter a certificate or a heartfelt gift to a

friend with a marker.

Markers tend to dry out quickly, and you might only be able

to use them only for a short period of time.


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The tip blunts, even with really careful use. This is because

the pressure that you put on the nib of the marker causes it

to deteriorate and blunt after repeated usage.

Markers might encourage bad pen-holding habits. This is

because markers will write no matter what angle you hold

them at. On the other hand, a calligraphy pen (dip

pen/fountain pen) will not.

Paper

Ensure that you have a good supply of paper, preferably thick, good

quality paper.

What you want is paper which does not cause ink to feather (bleed).

There are many factors which contribute to feathering, but changing

the paper you’re using to stop the feathering of ink is the easiest

way.

Just for demonstration sake, here is what I mean by feathering:


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Ink feathers when written on cheap / overly absorbent paper

Ink does not feather when written on thicker paper

You can start out with inexpensive printing quality paper (for e.g.

Double A Printing Paper) – they are good and smooth enough.

If you don’t mind investing a little more for better quality paper, you

can try out Rhodia pads, Kokuyo Campus Paper or Maruman Paper.

There are many other brands but these are a few of the popular

ones.

http://rhodiapads.com/collections_spiral.shtml

http://www.jetpens.com/Kokuyo-Campus-Notebook-Semi-B5-Dotted-6-mm-Rule-30-Sheets-Pack-of-5-Cover-Colors/pd/5359


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Additional tools that you may want to get before starting out:

1. Pencils. You’ll need a few good-quality pencils.

2. Eraser. Get a white eraser that erases well but doesn’t cause

abrasions to the paper. I particularly like Staedtler erasers.


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Step #2:

Mastering the Pen


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You should pay the most attention to this step.

If you do not get this step right, all your effort in mastering steps #3 -

#5 will be in vain. You won’t be able to write calligraphy even if

you’ve finished step #5.

This will be the single most important step you will learn. Screw it up

and you can forget about ever doing beautiful calligraphy!

But if you master it, your calligraphy will look amazing.

Sounds like this must be a really complicated thing to learn right?

Fortunately for you, sometimes the most important things can be the

simplest things too.

I’ll just let you in on it:

Whether or not you can write beautiful calligraphy all boils down to:

Maintaining A Consistent 45-Degree Pen Angle

In calligraphy, maintaining a consistent 45-degree angle is absolutely

critical!

This is because the angle at which your hold your pen determines the

look of your letters. Hold it at the correct angle and you’ll get your

“thicks” and “thins” at the right places.


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Figure 1: At a 45-degree angle, the thicks and thins appear magically as you write.

If you want to know if you are holding your pen at the correct angle,

draw a horizontal line 45 degrees to your right. If you’re holding your

pen at the correct angle, you would be creating the thinnest line

possible with the pen.

Figure 2: Hold your pen such that your nib is at a 45 degree angle

http://www.howtodocalligraphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2015-03-27-17.12.30-e1427449310692.jpg


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Let’s illustrate this using a diagram:

If your pen is gripped in a manner such that the nib is 90 degrees,

your vertical strokes will be very thin and your diagonals will be thick.

If you hold it in a 0-degree angle, your "n" will be the one on the

right - thick vertical and diagonal strokes.

However, what you want are thick vertical strokes and horizontal

strokes but thin diagonals. That can only be achieved with a 45-

degree pen angle. The "n" on the left best demonstrates that.

You have to master Step #2 before you can proceed to Step #3.


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Step #3:

Getting the Letters Right


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The next step on the list is to begin to form letters following a

template as a guide.

There are six basic letter families: l, n, u, o, v, and x.

The l” Family

The letters in this family are: i, l, j, f, and t.

The main characteristic of the letters in the “l” family is the

downward stroke.


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The “n” Family

The letters in this family are: n, m, r, h, b, k, and p.

The main characteristic of the letters in the n family is the pull-down,

bounce-over stroke.

**Notice that the “n” shape consists of two vertical lines connected

by a branch that extends out midway from the first vertical.


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The “u” Family

The letters in this family are: u, y, a, g, q, and d.

The main characteristic of the letters in the u family is the pull-down,

swing-under, and pull-down stroke.

Notice that the “u” shape is a vertical inversion of the letter “n” –

just turn “n” upside down and you get a “u”!


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The “o” Family

The letters in this family are: o, c, and e.

The main characteristic is their oval shape.


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The “v” Family

The letters in this family are: v and w.

The important thing about getting these letters right is to ensure that

the diagonals of these letters are straight, not curved.

The “x” Family

The letters in this family are: x, s, and z.


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Some additional tips for you to note:

1. Practice first with a pencil (get the strokes right first).

2. Each letter has its own order of strokes and a certain shape and

way that you should write it.

It is absolutely important that you follow the correct order of

strokes. Following the diagrams above or having someone to guide

and help you along the way or is the best and fastest way to get it

right and to create the most professional finish.


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Step #4:

Correcting Your Errors & Perfecting

Your Craft


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There are many types of errors that you can make in calligraphy, and

it is very important that you are able to identify them, or at least

have someone there to help you to identify them so that you can

advance quickly in your practice.

Many beginners waste a lot of time practicing the wrong things

unknowingly. As much as calligraphy is a really simple art, beginners

still make mistakes, and it is very important that these mistakes are

rectified early before you start “perfecting your imperfections”.

Here are just a few of the many common mistakes beginners make:

1. Overly rounded letters

These letters are too fat and rounded and are too wide for Italic

text.

Letters on the left are too round. They should be narrower like the ones on the right.


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Solution: Keep the letters more compact; keep them narrower.

When you practice your letters, compare them to the letters

shown in Step #3 and make sure that your letters are not overly

rounded.

2. Overly rounded arches

The arches are too rounded and not sharp-looking enough.

Archs are too rounded (like a bridge); they should inch towards the top then drop

Solution: Branches should be nicely branched 45 degrees to the

vertical, joining the vertical stroke at the top.

With proper practice and by identifying your errors as you

practice, you will be able to master calligraphy in no time!


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Step #5:

String Letters Into Words


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Now that you know how to form beautiful calligraphy letters, it’s

time to string these letters together to form words.

The best way to practice this is to write out pangrams.

A pangram is a sentence which contains all 26 letters of the alphabet.

Writing out pangrams in calligraphy is good for practicing your words

because you get to practice every letter of the alphabet while still

being able to learn how to regulate the spacing between letters in a

word.

An example of a popular pangram would be:

“A quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”


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Some things to take note of here:

1. Don’t forget to always keep your pen angle at a consistent 45

degree angle!

2. Continue using your calligraphy guidelines so as to keep your

words consistent in size. When you feel more confident, you

may try writing without any calligraphy guidelines.


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Now It’s Your Turn To Do It!


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I have given you the five basic steps that you can take, and now that

you know the five steps, you will be able to learn calligraphy in the

comfort of your own home. All it takes from here is to practice italic

calligraphy the right way and before you know it, you will be able to

write beautiful calligraphy anytime, anywhere, and for any occasion.

Now it’s your turn to do it!

To Your Success,

Henry

www.howtodocalligraphy.com

P.S. If you have any questions or comments regarding this eBook,

feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] and

I’ll reply you once I get to it!

http://www.howtodocalligraphy.com/

mailto:[email protected]


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[BONUS]

7 Surefire Tips to Learn Calligraphy

In Record Time!


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Everyone wants to learn calligraphy, and everyone wants to learn it fast.

But, not everyone can, because they might not know how to.

Here are the 7 proven and effective tips below will significantly accelerate your progress and help you learn how to write calligraphy in the shortest time possible.

However, just before I let you in on the 7 tips which you would definitely find useful, you will find NO magical techniques or tricks here which will enable you to learn calligraphy overnight.

Zero. None.

If you are looking for that magical technique, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you.

The fast and easy way to learn calligraphy is to practice. There's no way around that.

But trust me, these 7 tips will make a world of difference to your practice and learning of calligraphy.

Now get ready for these 7 Golden Tips:


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Tip #1: Kill Your "I Can't” Mentality

This is the first thing you've got to do.

One of the largest hindrances to your learning calligraphy is you believing that you can't learn it. Some of the common reasons I've heard are:

I cannot learn calligraphy because…

I have no artistic talent

My handwriting is atrocious, hideous, and messy

I have no background in calligraphy

And so on…

When you adopt a “I can never do calligraphy” mindset, you are making learning calligraphy unnecessarily tougher.

You're going to doubt every stroke that you make - Oh no I'm probably not doing this right... I’ll probably get this wrong again.. It's going to affect your confidence and progress.

You have to make a decision to ditch this mindset that will do you no good!

If you don't have such a mindset or have already conquered it, good on you! But if you haven't, you're probably thinking, "how?"

Now, you just have to know this:

If you can write, you can do calligraphy. It's just that simple.

Just like how dancing is just moving beautifully, calligraphy is beautiful writing. In fact, calligraphy originated from the greek words kallos which means beauty and graphein which means writing. So, calligraphy essentially means beautiful writing.


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Till this date, anyone who has followed the right steps has been able to learn calligraphy, no matter how bad their handwriting is, or how little artistic talent they have. But don't just take it from me, the lengendary master calligrapher, Lloyd Reynolds, said it too.

I used to believe that I could never learn calligraphy because I had no artistic talent and bad handwriting too. But when I started believing that I can (since so many people just like me were also able to learn calligraphy), I started to truly see myself enjoying earning and writing calligraphy.

Time has proven again and again that anyone can learn calligraphy if they can write. So stop worrying, ditch that "I can't" mindset, grab your pen and start learning!

http://www.howtodocalligraphy.com/how-to-learn-calligraphy-in-5-steps/


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Tip #2: Don't Skip The Basics

NEVER skip the basics!

Skipping the basics is a big mistake because the basics are what you need to know if you want to write beautiful calligraphy.

They are the foundation of the house that you are going to build. If you don't lay the foundations correctly, no matter how nicely you build the rest of the house, it's always going to be wobbly.

If you want a good house, you've got to lay the foundations straight.

The same goes to calligraphy - if you want to be good at it, you've got to get the basics first.

I remember being really excited about learning calligraphy and tried writing calligraphy the moment I got hold of a calligraphy pen.

Guess what happened?

Well, you probably guessed it right: instead of the beautiful, elegant calligraphy that I was expecting, lopsided, ugly letters turned out instead.

As calligrapher Fred Eager said, there's nothing more destructive than practicing the wrong thing.

And the thing is, if you skip the basics and go straight to writing calligraphy, chances are that you will waste a tremendous amount of time making unnecessary errors and frustrating mistakes.

Moral of the story: Don't skip the basics!

But what's the solution?


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Learn a step-by-step method. Get an online calligraphy guide, whatever. There are many good books out there that would give you a good head start.

Here's a list of good books that I would recommend:

Learn Calligraphy: The Complete Book of Lettering and Design by Margaret Shepherd

Calligraphy For Dummies by Jim Bennett Calligraphy (First Steps Series) by Don Marsh The Italic Way to Beautiful Handwriting: Cursive and Calligraphic

by Fred Eager

If you prefer a more visual step-by-step guide that takes you along

every step of the way, you may want to try our Easy Calligraphy e-

Learning System™, which uses the proven 5-step method. It is

broken down into 5 lessons, where each lesson contains a series of

compact tutorial videos to get you maximum results in the shortest

time possible.

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Calligraphy-Complete-Lettering-Design/dp/0767907329

http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Calligraphy-Complete-Lettering-Design/dp/0767907329

http://www.amazon.com/Calligraphy-Dummies-Jim-Bennett/dp/0470117710/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431579914&sr=1-9&keywords=calligraphy

http://www.amazon.com/Calligraphy-Dummies-Jim-Bennett/dp/0470117710/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431579914&sr=1-9&keywords=calligraphy

http://www.amazon.com/Calligraphy-First-Steps-Don-Marsh/dp/089134666X/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431579927&sr=1-13&keywords=calligraphy

http://www.amazon.com/Calligraphy-First-Steps-Don-Marsh/dp/089134666X/ref=sr_1_13?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431579927&sr=1-13&keywords=calligraphy

http://www.amazon.com/Italic-Way-Beautiful-Handwriting-Calligraphic/dp/002079990X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431579959&sr=1-2&keywords=calligraphy+fred

http://www.amazon.com/Italic-Way-Beautiful-Handwriting-Calligraphic/dp/002079990X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1431579959&sr=1-2&keywords=calligraphy+fred


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Tip #3: Spot And Correct Mistakes Early

You're bound to make mistakes as you practice and learn calligraphy.

But when you don't spot them early and continue to make them unknowingly... then there’s a problem, because when you practice these mistakes diligently, you're going to 'perfect’ them, which isn't really what you want!

Well the good news is, this is easily avoidable and it need not be a long and unnecessarily frustrating process for you if you want to learn calligraphy.

Get your model examples (exemplars), and constantly refer back to them. You'll be quicker to identify where you went wrong and it's easier to figure out how to make it right.

Sometimes figuring that out will be a process of trial and error but with a little bit of persistence, you will definitely get there.

There are many common mistakes made by beginners and it would be immensely helpful for you to spot them and correct them instantly. It will save you a ton of time, effort and unnecessary frustration.

You can look at Step #4 again for more examples.


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Tip #4: Use Calligraphy Guidelines

I can't emphasize this point enough:

Always Use Calligraphy Guidelines!!

Calligraphy guidelines are your naggy teachers, that thing that always reminds you to keep your letters in line and with consistent size.

Here’s an example of a calligraphy guideline:

Like it or not, calligraphy guidelines will be your best friend during calligraphy practice, and it is one of the most effective techniques of learning how to do beautiful, consistent calligraphy.

Preparing calligraphy guidelines is not hard and will take you only 3 minutes at most.

Here's a wonderful post by Joyce Teta on how you can create beautiful calligraphy guidelines.

http://calligraphyforbeginners.com/

http://www.howtodocalligraphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/SCN_0001-e1431410711540.jpg


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Tip #5: Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Slow down!

Calligraphy is not a race, but it's sad that not many people see that. The quicker you write, the more ugly habits from your handwriting will surface.

Instead, don't rush through your letters. Focus on making every stroke as perfect as possible. Make sure that they look as perfect as the model examples.

Concentrating intently on every stroke will increase your chances of producing a sharp, clean stroke. Letters will also look uniform.

As you slow down and become more meticulous and aware of how you’re writing, you will realise that you are doing much better calligraphy than before.


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Tip #6: The Magic Is In The Grip

The essence of calligraphy is in the way you grip pen.

Writing with the nib at a 45-degree angle is what creates the beautiful calligraphy alphabet, with the "thicks and thins" at all the right places.

Therefore, your pen angle is one of the most important things that you have to take note of, because it makes or breaks your calligraphy.

Here's a picture to illustrate how to hold your pen at a 45-degree angle:


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Let’s illustrate this using a diagram:

If your pen is gripped in a manner such that the nib is 90 degrees, your vertical strokes will be very thin and your diagonals will be thick.

If you hold it in a 0-degree angle, your "n" will be the one on the right - thick vertical and diagonal strokes.

However, what you want are thick vertical strokes and horizontal strokes but thin diagonals. That can only be achieved with a 45-degree pen angle. The "n" on the left best demonstrates that.

So, hold your pen in a 45-degree angle at all times – if you ever want to write beautiful calligraphy!


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Pen Contact

When the edges of strokes turn out jagged and uneven, instead of a nice, smooth and thick line, it’s a sign you’re not holding your pen properly.

It can take time getting used to the broad nib of the calligraphy pen which can be honestly be quite difficult to write with compared to a regular pen.

You have to make sure that the nib of your pen is flat against the surface of the paper at all times when you are making the stroke.

You can hold it this way: let the pen rest on the side of your middle finger, with the thumb securing it. The index finger then rests on top of the pen, gently pressing the pen flat against the paper.

Practice this with exercises like these:


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Once you get the hang of it, you’ll see your strokes come out nice and clean!


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Tip #7: Don't Develop Your Own Style

"What?? Don't develop my own style? Seriously??"

"Isn't calligraphy all about personal expression?"

Well there's no need to panic just yet, what I meant was: don't consciously try develop your own style now, especially so if you are just a beginner.

Your style will come to you sooner or later, as you grow more confident, smooth and better with your calligraphy.

Now, note what I said: it will come to you naturally. You won't even have to go out searching for a distinctive personal style.

Do you think Pele could have developed his graceful style of dribbling without having learnt the basics of dribbling first?

Probably not, right?

If he hadn't known the basics of dribbling a soccer ball, I'd doubt that he'd be concerned about trying to develop a graceful style of playing soccer, because it isn’t the right thing to learn at that point in time.

Similarly, you should just concentrate on learning the basics of calligraphy - how to form basic letters, how to hold the pen etcetera.

As you proceed on and start learning how to write words and sentences, you will subsequently develop a style that you would find most comfortable.

So, don't try to consciously develop a style now. You will develop it in time to come.


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Now, Persevere!

The creative discipline of calligraphy is a wonderful source of calm and pleasure - not just to the one doing it, but also others.

And like all other satisfying personal skills such as cooking, dancing, or playing the guitar or piano, calligraphy

can be learnt easily step by step

gets better with practice

comes to life when there's an audience

Calligraphy may be a little more difficult at the start, but as with all worthwhile pursuits, the pleasure and calm that you get is definitely worth the effort and the practice.

And good news, just like running downhill, it gets easier and easier as you go on.

So, now that you know these 7 proven and effective tips, put them into action! Practice and persevere! You will be able to develop a deeply satisfying personal skill which will be worth every second spent learning.

Please feel free to share your thoughts with me – you may email me at [email protected] anytime!

To Your Calligraphy Success,

Henry

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Calligraphy for Beginners - Artybits · In calligraphy, maintaining a consistent 45-degree angle is absolutely critical! This is because the angle at which your hold your pen determines