It’s easy to resolve to learn calligraphy. The tough part is sticking with it after you start! You can follow these six calligraphy tips to stay on top of your calligraphy practice and ensure continuous improvement.
1. Start Learning with the Right Supplies
Would-be calligraphers often abandon their interest in the art after they try out cheap, readymade calligraphy kits. It’s important to remember, though, that kit manufacturers generally compromise material quality to make a profit. Oftentimes, the supplies included in these kits aren’t well suited for beginners! Plastic oblique pens can lead to unnecessary frustration, and high-flex nibs result in ink spatters and pressure exertion issues. Also, paper matters so much! Ordinary printer paper soaks up ink like crazy, which results in fuzzy, unclear strokes.
If you’re just starting out with calligraphy, gather your own beginner-friendly supplies! You can find a list of supplies and links to buy them in this blog post.
Instead of buying a readymade kit, I beseech you to make your own. Really: it will be cheaper and higher quality than what you’ll find in big box stores. Furthermore, you’ll have a much higher chance of success with your DIY calligraphy starter kit! You can learn about how to put together your own starter kit in The Ultimate Modern Calligraphy Starter Kit post.
2. Gradually Add to Your Calligraphy Collection
Once you have mastered calligraphy with the basic supplies, you’re ready to start growing a collection. There are all sorts of nibs, inks, papers, and pens out there! A word of caution: resist the temptation to buy a lot of things at once. Instead, add to your collection with intention. Acquire just a few supplies every so often, and allow yourself some time to get acquainted with those supplies.
It’s okay to have a large collection of calligraphy supplies, but try to grow it slowly! That way, you can get to know each supply as you receive it.
It may be exciting to receive ten bottles of ink in the mail, but it’s overwhelming to try out every single one of them right then and there. Instead, do yourself and the calligraphy supplies a favor. Buy a couple supplies at once, and give each supply a fair shot. Challenge yourself to make several projects with each supply and get to know its quirks! Otherwise, you’ll end up like me and have a closet full of ink (a lot of which can grow mold — and probably is growing mold), nibs, and pens that you never use.
3. Embrace Birthdays and Holidays as Practice Opportunities
Birthdays and holidays are an amazing motivator to create some of your best work! There’s a big incentive in making someone you care about feel special with handmade work. Plus, you have a deadline — which is helpful to those of us who aren’t so great at finishing projects!
Try making the Calligraphy Birthday Card Tutorial for plenty of quality calligraphy practice!
If you want to use your calligraphy skills to make something, you need but look at your calendar. If no one has a birthday coming up in the near future, no problem: make a card now, and save it until the date rolls around. Remember, too, that it’s never too early to make holiday calligraphy. I regularly receive emails from readers in the summer asking about holiday tutorials. They’ve got the right idea: this time of year can be crazy, so it’s nice to have a handmade card or envelope art ready to send!
4. Don’t Let the Pros Discourage You
I post on Instagram every day, and many times, I’ll receive self-depreciating compliments from people that make me cringe. Comments like “I could never do that,” pop up a lot. Those sorts of comments make me worry that people will get discouraged and stop trying. I mean, truly: I want you to remember that, first of all, everyone starts somewhere. Every single calligrapher was once at your skill level.
This is some of my work from 2012.
Secondly, as I’ve mentioned before here on the blog, most of the photos that calligraphers post on social media are styled. I mean, I love the photo below from the Christmas Tree Holiday Envelope Art Tutorial, but, let’s be honest: it’s idealized. The envelope rests on a buttery silk handkerchief, a beaded garland twinkles around it, and lace peeks out of the corners of the photo. This picture is beautiful, but it’s not real life.
So why post idealized photos like this in the first place? For me, photography is another part of the artistic process. It’s fun to figure out what props will enhance the look of something that I made!
Listen: exercising your creativity is something that you do for your personal well-being. Who cares if someone else’s work seems to look better than yours? As long as it makes you happy to create calligraphy, then that truly is all that matters. If you struggle with internalizing that message, try reading the 5 Ways to Stop Being Your Own Worst Creative Critic post!
5. Take Photos
As you create more and more calligraphy, your skill level will improve. It happens so gradually, though, that it’s difficult to notice. Keeping a photographic record helps you to clearly see your progress!
These two photos are from 2013.
This Janet Style calligraphy envelope photo is from a couple of months ago. There’s a big difference in skill level between this calligraphy and the calligraphy in the previous photo!
You don’t have to show your photos to anyone, but if you want encouragement or to swap tips, you can post them to social media. Instagram in particular has an encouraging and supportive calligraphy community. Just make sure you add appropriate hashtags (for example: #calligraphy, #moderncalligraphy, #calligraphybeginner, #dippen, #pointedpen, etc.) so people can find your work!
6. Remember That the Pursuit of Perfection Will Lead to Disappointment
Even if you’re not comparing yourself to others, you’ll often hear a nagging voice of critique in your head as you work on projects. The voice may tell you that your letters look juvenile or that you made your “B” too big. It will pick the project apart until you look at it and only see imperfections.
I can spot plenty of errors in this calligraphy medallion. It’s taken an attitude adjustment for me to be able to enjoy looking at my work despite noticing mistakes!
If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that only you notice the subtle mistakes. Your errors may seem obvious, but other people often won’t spot them. You have to learn to step back and view your work as someone else would. Don’t let the little things bother you, and if you really did make a big mistake, then let yourself learn from it! Keep in mind that hand-written calligraphy appeals to people precisely because of its imperfections. Otherwise, we would all be using computers and printers to write out addresses.
I hope that these six calligraphy tips give you some food for thought! I think the best takeaway from this post is to keep a positive attitude. Practice may help you to improve, but it’s positivity that fuels continued practice! If you have any other tips for fellow calligraphers of any level, please feel free to contribute them to the comments. Questions are also welcome, of course! Thanks very much for reading TPK, and we’ll reconvene in Friday’s post, which will announce the release of the new Holiday Calligraphy worksheet!
Warmly,
Do you have any tips for one’s writing getting cramped at the bottom of a page? I seem to run out of room, not on the paper itself, but in moving my hand.
Move your paper up on your table! 🙂
Lindsey, thank you for your kind words. As you said, beginner (like me) can easily get discouraged. So your words are soothing. Thank you 🙂
Hi Lindsey, just wanted to say THANK YOU for your constant encouragement and inspiration.
Thank you very much!
Thank you very much! This blog really helped me a lot since I just started calligraphy.
Thanks for all these tips! very usefull!
I totally agree with not letting be discouraged by the pro’s.
That’s actually what led me to better sketching and I believe it works exactly the same with calligraphy.
Can’t agree more with #6! Need to give up the pursuit of perfection and embrace the beauty of imperfection!
Number 1!
I remember when i started out being so frustrated that my ink bled everywhere. The first time i used proper calligraphy ink and paper and watched the pen glide effortlessly across i was hooked (:
I am new to calligraphy. The second tip is the one I needed most. All of the inks, different nibs, and pens, are so so tempting. I don’t have many supplies and am currently resisting the urge to accumulate more right this minute.
Thank you for all of your advice! I love you blog, by the way.
Number four!! I love what you said about taking time for personal creativity helps your well being so who cares if someone else’s calligraphy is better than yours? Amen and thank you for this perspective.
Out of the six calligraphy tips mentioned in this post, tip number 3 (“Embrace Birthdays and Holidays as Practice Opportunities”) resonates with me the most because I love creating (er, attempting to create) something beautiful for a loved one to brighten up their day. Because I’m making it for someone else, it encourages me to take my time.
I’m a super newbie and I haven’t practiced regularly because I get so discouraged. These are really great tips to help overcome! Thank you!
Having the right supplies is I think my biggest thing. I have been so frustrated with ink just “falling” out of my nib– only to realize its probably a lot to do with the nib I am using! I asked the bf for an xmas gift of calligraphy stuff. Hopefully that helps!
Having the right supplies is I think my biggest thing. I have been so frustrated with ink just “falling” out of my nib– only to realize its probably a lot to do with the nib I am using! I asked the bf for an xmas gift of calligraphy stuff. Hopefully that helps!
What good tips !
The n ° 1, it is essential to start with good material and the n ° 3 to please the family and the friends…
Your blog is wonderful and I especially love the number 4 comment and then see where thou were in 2013. Practice makes improvement!
I think that the comparison with the pros is something that is very hard for me to deal with…
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Tip that most resonated? Buy supplies gradually and use birthdays and holidays for practice projects. We start wanting to buy everything the pros have, not knowing small little things like a good penholder, nib and ink is the only necessity to smooth our calligraphy. I still have things bought that only used once…
#3 Embrace Birthdays and Holidays as Practice Opportunities – that’s what I’m doing! Let me practise my brush lettering by writing the name of my relatives and friends as their birthday gifts!
Gradually add to my calligraphy collection, you say? I’m sure my budget wishes I figured that out back when I started in February. I have a ton of supplies I haven’t even opened yet, do I’m going to make it a point to use at least 3 before I can buy 1 new one and see if that helps me focus on what’s already in front of me. Definitely saved this to read again each month!
#6 is so important to remember because I’m always doing this. It’s hard to really step back and let go of the little issues I see when practicing or doing anything and it’s just one of those things you must really learn to wire your brain to do. Struggle everyday but thank you for the reminder!
Number 6! I was worried my modern calligraphy Thanksgiving placecards weren’t perfect on Thursday morning, but when I put them away Saturday I thought they were beautiful
Thank you for the tips!
Thanks for the ink competition
I definitely appreciate the tips #1 and #5. I have started myself with cheap supplies and guess that made me give up on calligraphy. I am willing to give another shot with proper supplies this time.
Thank you so much for posting this blog! I appreciate your tips and seeing your before + after photos of your calligraphy. I started learning calligraphy in January this year and had to stop after my son was born 3 months later. I’ve only just been able to pick up my pen again to start practicing! Scrolling through the pro’s on Instagram can be simultaneously inspiring and discouraging. So thank you for your words of encouragement to all of us beginners out there!
I’m so excited I found this post. Tip 1, finding right supplies, easier said than done for a newbie. I actually made my own starter set with your recommendations. Can’t wait until they’re in my mailbox!
Number 6, Remember That the Pursuit of Perfection Will Lead to Disappointment. The nagging voice in the back of my head always gets me. It sucks all of my motivations away so now I try my best to avoid having negative thoughts and just do something.
I love tip #4. I need to remind myself that I’m just starting and many of the pros have been working and practicing for decades!
Start learning with the right supplies resonates with me the most. When I first discovered brush lettering I didn’t know that I needed to use smooth paper so my pen tips frayed quickly and I gave up on learning for about 6 months before I invested in the right supplies.
Tip number 4 really resonates with me. It’s good to remember not to compare yourself with others for you are unique. As well as “practice makes perfect.”
I can definitely relate to all of these, number 2 and number 6 mainly. I think I sought out too many lettering supplies when I was getting started, without learning how to use them all.
I like the advice to not let posts on social media intimidate! Your photos then and now are eye-opening. Thank you!
I think the 6th one definitely resonates the most with me because I am somewhat of a perfectionist. In the end because of my perfectionist personality it’s hard for me to see a mistake as anything but a mistake, which also actually often leads to tip #4 resonating with me because I often compare myself to all these pros whose works seem so much more perfect. I imagine how good they must be and it really gets me down sometimes so knowing that even a pro that I respect a lot is saying not to do those two things, it’s really uplifting and comforting which is why I think those two (I know it was only supposed to choose one, sorry >.<) tips resonated with me the most.
“Embrace Birthdays and Holidays as Practice Opportunities” is the best tip because I feel that Christmas with right around the corner, a hand-made greeting card is the best gift to make anyone feel special. And I am so motivated by this tip that I am going to hand-letter Christmas cards for all my colleagues in the office. So wish me luck! 🙂
Hi Lindsey! Thank you for the post. I’ve just started to learn Calligraphy. I always was affraid to start, since I saw the incredible pieces made by professionals and thought that I could not do anything like that… Well.. May be I am not able to do the same things right now.. But you Blog gave me hope and encouraged to start my calligraphy way. So the tips from this post: “not to be discouraged by professionals” and “pursuing perfection leads to disappointment” are very in time for me right now. Actually these tips can be extended to ALL aspects of life 😉 I also started to do photos of my works. Will see how I will improve…
I’m just starting out and am finding having the right ‘beginner’ materials is helpful. The beginner supply list really got me off to a great start!
Tip #4 really resonates because I always feel embarrassed to post things because everyone else seems to be way better than me! But again everyone starts somewhere
The pursuit of perfection gets me every time! I have to constantly remind myself that I’m not a machine and that is the beauty of a handmade object…it is unique.