If you have spent any time browsing social media websites within the last year, you may have noticed an increasing popularity in modern calligraphy or hand lettering. Whether it was a photo shared to you of a hand-written quote or even a local calligraphy business advertisement, the rising popularity of this art form has many people thinking, how do I learn how to create such beautiful lettering myself?
I have been practicing modern calligraphy for close to three months now and it has become somewhat of an addictive hobby. I myself discovered this hobby through social media and I just had to learn how to do it myself! Calligraphy is very inexpensive to learn and you most likely already have some of the supplies recommended for beginning. Below is a list of five items and tips to get you started on your hand-lettering journey!
1. Basic Technique
The first step to beginning calligraphy is to re-familiarize with the basics of cursive. This step may sound unnecessary, but many do not write cursive on a regular basis and may be surprised by how many letters seem uncommon. Then, practice what I would consider the “golden rule” of modern calligraphy — thin up strokes and thick down strokes. In the photo above, I demonstrate some basic practice strokes to get started. The red represents very light pressure and the green represents full pressure. Make sure when practicing to always write slower than you think you should. This ensures that your letters are as precise and neat as possible. These basic techniques can be practiced with a variety of tools, which I will be introducing next!
2. Pencil or Pen
Yes, I said it; all that is needed is a simple pencil or pen to get started! With these tools, something called faux calligraphy is created. Basically, this is the process of manually creating the thick and thin lines on each letter. As demonstrated in the image above, write the letter like normal and then thicken the down stroke of the letter by shading in some extra width to the stroke. As a warning, after getting the hang of this, you will become obsessed with ensuring that each note you make is perfect!
3. Watercolor or Acrylic Paints
If you’re anything like me, you’re obsessed with creating canvases and collecting practically the entire shelf of paint from the craft store. However, if you do not own acrylic paints, it’s time to dig out the old Crayola watercolor set from your childhood. Regardless of the type of paint you choose, brush lettering is perhaps the easiest way to create modern calligraphy. By using a brush, you can readily and precisely control your thick and thin strokes. I recommend using a round tipped brush for best results. With the endless variety of colors and greatest control over the size and shape of the letters, brush calligraphy, using watercolor or acrylic paint, offers the least amount of limitations when writing.
4. Pointed Pen Calligraphy
This tool is most likely not something you already own; however, these tools are very accessible online and in many craft stores for under $15. I purchased the items in the photo above from jetpens.com by searching for Speedball Calligraphy Set and Speedball Black Ink. Another warning while we’re discussing purchases, JetPens is highly addicting and, much like the paints at the craft store, collecting becomes all too common! Furthermore, the technique for pointed pen lettering follows the same “golden rule”, light pressure on the upward strokes and more pressure on the down strokes. You may need thicker paper than regular copy paper because the ink tends to bleed through when applying pressure on down strokes. The pen works by dipping the metal end piece, the nib, into ink and the nib holds that ink until pressure is applied onto the paper to release it.
Therefore, if you were to place light pressure on the paper, very little ink would come out and full pressure would release a great amount of ink. As a continuation of tips for this form of calligraphy, make sure to reapply ink when the strokes become faded and to clean the nib with a paper towel every few minutes to avoid clogging of the ink in the nib. A potential drawback to this form of lettering is that it requires a greater amount of maintenance throughout the process. Nonetheless, the pointed pen tool creates the most authentic look to calligraphy. As always, practice, practice, and practice!
5. Brush Pens
Many modern calligraphy tools have their drawbacks. For example, pencils and pens require the creation of faux calligraphy, taking up a large amount of time. Using paints is certainly the best way to control and create variety in lettering, but the constant reapplication of paint can make this a slow process as well. Also, pointed pen calligraphy can be very challenging to perfect and limits you to the size of letters you can produce based on the size of the nib. However, brush pens do not require any application of ink or paint and are easy to use! This tool is my favorite because of the pure convenience of its use.
Once again, you can purchase several brands of brush pens online. I mostly use a brand called Tombow Dual Brush Pens, which is what I used in the photo above. Most will run you approximately $2.50 each, but I recommend buying in sets to reduce the cost per pen. You can also purchase similar pens at any Michaels store around the watercolor and acrylic paints section. One last warning, Michaels will take on a whole new level of spending after discovering modern calligraphy! Brush pens create an authentic look as well thanks to the flexibility of the pens. Regular print paper for these pens is suitable, but to maximize their functionality, I recommend using marker paper that you can purchase at any major store for under $2.00.
Modern calligraphy is a wonderful skill to have whether it is for creating custom gifts for friends, addressing envelopes for cards, or just something to do for fun during free time. I love to share my work on my Instagram account @petalspenscript for others to see and to connect with other calligraphers! I hope you have made the decision to join in on this enjoyable and increasingly popular hobby of mine!
