The first year that I started learning calligraphy, many key things eluded me. I couldn’t figure out what kind of paper to write on, how to get nibs to work, or how to practice, among other things. The frustration I experienced in trying to navigate the calligraphy world was what prompted me to write the TPK blog, and, specifically, articles like this one! My goal is to help you skip a lot of confusion and go straight to the fun part. In this blog post, you’ll find six “calligraphy hacks” to help make calligraphy creation easier — especially for beginners.
1. Use a Potato to Clean Your New Nibs
Every new, unused nib has oils or waxes on it from the manufacturer. The greasy preservative is good because it keeps nibs in great condition as they wait for you to purchase them. However, the downside is that when you receive the nib, chances are it won’t want to behave with ink (because oil and ink don’t mix well). Learners usually just assume that the troubleshooting is user error, but manufacturers’ oils are often the culprit — not you!
To get rid of manufacturers’ oils, you can stick your new nib in a potato. It’s only necessary to stick the pointy half of the nib in, since the blunt part won’t make contact with ink.
Let the nib sit for 15 minutes, then take the nib out of the potato and wipe it off with water and a non-fibrous cloth. Try not to exceed 15 minutes; otherwise, the nib may start to rust.
Once you wipe off the nib, it will be ready to write! Note that there are other ways to prepare new nibs for use, but this is my tried-and-true. I use it to prime the nibs for myself — and the nibs for all TPK workshop participants!
2. Practice on 32# Laserjet Paper
I love specialized calligraphy papers like Rhodia, but truthfully, 32# laserjet paper works just as well to practice on. Smooth laserjet paper is very cost-effective, and will work beautifully in your home inkjet printer if you want to print off calligraphy worksheets — like the Flourish Formal, pictured below — or drills.
If you’re learning calligraphy, I highly recommend keeping a ream of laserjet paper around. It’s a dream to write on with a dip pen because the ink doesn’t bleed or feather out.
32# laserjet paper is also nice and smooth, which means your nib won’t catch on it as much as it might with other papers. Whether you own a printer or not, you can’t go wrong investing in some of this paper to practice on!
3. Do Calligraphy Drills
While we’re on the topic of laserjet paper, your skill level can improve immensely with drills. You can print off the Not Your Average Calligraphy Drill Sheet below on laserjet paper, then fill it out! Doing drills will help you to regulate your nib pressure exertion, and will give you fun practice making different kinds of strokes.
Once you fill out the Not Your Average Calligraphy Drill Sheet, try doing the 11 Calming Calligraphy Drills sheet.
Keep doing drills every once in a while (shoot for at least once per week), and you’ll see your calligraphy improve immensely!
4. Cross Letters in Two Parts
Sometimes, you’ll experience “ink drag” when you go to cross letters like “t” or “x”. That basically means that your nib takes ink from a wet downstroke, and drags that ink as you cross the stroke. This leads to letters that look a little bit “off”, like the example letters below. You can see that on the right side of the t’s cross, there’s a bit of ink drag. There’s also ink drag on the bottom juncture of the x’s cross.
To avoid ink drag, you can make your letters in three parts instead of two. Start by writing the main part of your letter, then make the first half of the cross.
Pick up your pen, then draw the second half of the cross. Do you see the difference between the two letters on the right versus the two letters on the left? The two letters on the right are crisp and clear, without any ink drag.
5. Use a Light Box for High-Quantity Projects
When friends and family hear about your knack for calligraphy, chances are they’ll have an envelope project for you. If you need to write addresses on several envelopes, you can make a template to slip inside each envelope. The template can include guidelines as well as slant lines to ensure that every envelope is perfect!
Once you make the template, put it inside an envelope. Place the envelope on a light box, and you should be able to see right through it!
You can then use the guidelines that are shining through to write on the envelope.
Once you’re finished, there are no pencil guidelines to erase! That, paired with the fact that you don’t have to draw pencil guidelines to begin with, makes using a light box an amazing and efficient option. I honestly don’t know what I did without one!
The caveat for this “hack” is you must use a light-colored, non-lined envelope. Light boxes, unfortunately, cannot shine through darker envelopes. As far as which light box to get, I use an 11″ x 14″ Artograph LightPad 930 light box — I like it because it shines nice and bright. The only downside is the cost! There are, however, many light boxes with rave reviews available on Amazon — like this one — offered at a fraction of the LightPad 930 price! They will work just as well for envelope calligraphy.
6. Write with Watercolors
A few years ago, I was delighted to discover that you can write with watercolors! Watercolor calligraphy is very unique because you can use it to create a fun ombré effect. For example, in the woodland wreath envelope below, the address was written using a combination of blue and brown watercolor paints.
Watercolor calligraphy is also amazing if you’re traveling. My family travels internationally every year to visit my in-laws, and I always bring a dip pen, nib, and a set of dry watercolors in lieu of ink. It’s nice to not have to worry about ink getting all over the clothes in my suitcase!
To write with watercolors, you’ll start by moistening the watercolors that you want to create calligraphy with. Use a smallish paintbrush (around size 0) to paint those watercolors on the back of your nib. Give the nib a vigorous shake to get rid of excess water, and write as you would with normal ink! I know that explanation oversimplifies things a bit, so here’s a video showing you how to do it:
You can find additional information about how to create watercolor calligraphy in the Video Crash Course on Watercolor Calligraphy blog post.
I hope that you enjoyed these six “calligraphy hacks”, and that at least one of them comes in handy! If you have your own hack to add, please feel free to contribute it in the comments section! It’s always great to learn new ways to make calligraphy creation easier and even more enjoyable.
Thanks so much for reading TPK, and enjoy the rest of your day!
Warmly,
The envelopes are beautiful! Question…do you use waterproof ink so there’s no chance of a ruined address on a journey where it might get a raindrop or two? I love your blog and FB page! Thank you for sharing your teaching and talent–it’s inspiring!
Hi Michelle! I usually don’t use waterproof ink because a raindrop or two can’t really do much. 🙂 Still, if you’re worried about it, I’d check out the how to waterproof paper post!
These are wonderful tips. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and talents.
One question about the Altoid tin. I’m new to this, so where do you purchase this watercolor set?
Blessings,
GG
Hi Gail! I got it on Etsy at Greenleaf & Blueberry. 🙂
Perhaps I should be doing more reading but…so far, my tip-of-the-iceberg research on Calligraphy has led me to believe that I should probably attempt Copperplate Calligraphy with an oblique pen instead of a straight one….
I’ve been getting the impression that trying to do the Copperplate style with a straight pen will be a giant source of frustration that can be avoided by using an oblique pen. But what if I still want to try working with a straight pen, do you have any resources that you can recommend?
Hamid Ebrahimi uses a straight holder for Copperplate. You can watch him on YouTube. The development of Copperplate calligraphy long predates the development of oblique holders.
When writing strongly canted styles like Copperplate with a straight holder, the paper must be set at a steep back angle. I’ve been doing it for some months now after being a broad-pen calligrapher for years, and I’m not at all frustrated; pointed pen is actually coming more more easily for me than broad pen has.
Hi Adelaide! A lot of right-handed calligraphers prefer using a straight pen, actually … it’s totally personal preference. 🙂 You can find some good information in the book Modern Calligraphy by Molly Suber Thorpe. I myself prefer to use an oblique pen. I would recommend starting by reading The Beginner’s Guide to Modern Calligraphy article!
Thank you! These are great tips!
I’m happy they are helpful — thank you!
Lindsay, the lightboard on Amazon (AGPtek 9.45X14.17 Inch LED Artcraft Tracing Light Pad) is one of my favorite finds. I’ve used it constantly since purchasing a year ago, and I can’t recommend it enough. Super thin and doesn’t get in your way. Plus, the power cord was interchangeable with my old Kindle cord. (The only issues I’ve found is that the little power connector is unsupported and can bend if the light board is used in your lap. Lesson learned. And the light switch turns off if you brush it accidentally. But for $35 I will buy again. It’s showing no signs of stopping.
I love hearing that! Sometimes, small investments can make a huge difference. 🙂
WOW. Thank you. NEVER would have thought of the potato lol.
I know! It’s a strange technique, but it totally works! 🙂
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks so much for sharing these great tips!
What paper do you recommend for finished projects? I would like to make a few gifts and looking for thick, high quality paper that is nib friendly.
Lastly, I just received my first ever oblique pen…and luckily was able to order it from Rodger’s Pen Box. (Rodger is truly as kind as he is talented) Needless to say, I am now 100% an oblique fan. Since most obliques seem to be fitted for specific nibs, how do you recommend trying out new nibs? Is there a universal oblique pen that would fit various nibs, or is a straight pen with an universal insert the best bet? Just curious as I would prefer to try new nibs with an oblique!
Thanks, Lindsey!
Hi Nikki! You’ll find that oftentimes obliques that are fitted for certain nibs will fit other nibs as well — for example, you can use an oblique that’s fitted for a Nikko G nib to write with a Brause Rose nib. As long as they are around the same size, they’ll work! You can also adjust your oblique pen’s flange, which Rodger showed me how to do (and I wrote this blog post about it).
Thanks so much for the link to your post about adjusting the flange, that is very helpful! Now I’ll see if I can work up the courage to tinker with it. 😉
Any thoughts on paper:
What paper do you recommend for finished projects? I would like to make a few gifts and looking for thick, high quality paper that is nib friendly.
Thanks again!
I love using watercolor paper for finished projects, but it can be difficult to write on because it’s a bit fibrous. 80 lb. drawing paper also works great!
Have you ever dipped the nib directly into the moistened water color, rather than using the paint brush to load the color?
Hi Lisa! I haven’t, but I’m sure that you could make an ink of sorts by dissolving some watercolor paint in water. 🙂 That said, it would take a very high concentration of paint to water to get a nice, vibrant color. You’d probably need to keep the water/paint mixture covered and use it as an ink from there on out. Since I like to use my paints for watercolor painting as well as calligraphy, I’ve never tried making it into a dippable ink!
Hi Lindsey,
thank you for posting these hacks. which I enjoy. Unfortunately I stopped practising for 2 weeks now because I’m so frustrated because it looks ugly. I practised Amy for weeks and the letters do not look like yours and I can’t figure out why. I can’t copy the letters 1:1. I started showing my attempts on Instagram but to be honest, I feel ashamed showing it and therefore I stopped it again. Anyway, your blog is a gorgeous inspiration. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.
Claudia
Claudia please don’t give up or get disparaged – Lindsay has been doing this, probably non stop and daily, for years. It’s her actual living now so she writes and practices all the time. She has said in many of her blog posts that it was a long time and a lot of hours practicing before her calligraphy looked the way it does now. She actually has a post somewhere about how her first attempts, and even her ‘after doing this for a long time’ work looks in comparison to now and stresses that it takes a lot of time, years even to be a proficient calligrapher. Remember the rule- it takes 10,000 hours of practice at something to achieve mastery. Keep going.
Dear Brooke and Lindsey,
thank you so much. I’m not a very patient person but possibly calligraphy will teach me to change this too. I’ll keep going and remember the rule :)….
I agree 100% with everything that Brooke pointed out — I certainly didn’t start out writing like this! Here are a couple of articles that I think would help you: Calligraphy Before and After Photos, 7 Ways to Stay Motivated When Learning Calligraphy, and How I Learned Calligraphy. You can do it! Just don’t judge yourself harshly and embrace the small victories one at a time. 🙂
Claudia– don’t give up! When I taught beginner calligraphy classes, one of the things I covered in the first class is that it takes an average of 21 days (that’s three weeks) of everyday practice to change a habit involving hand/eye coordination. Calligraphy is a prime example of a new hand/eye coordination habit! And the 21-day thing is truly an average. Some folks will pick it up within a class or two; some take time to relax and learn to “write loose.” — The key is to not give up. Keep practicing. Eventually your hand will learn what your brain is trying to tell it, probably on a day when your brain is not paying really close attention. Keep going!
Hi Lindsey,
After you take the nibs out from the potato, is the potato still edible? Or will the oils from the nib render the potato uneatable? Do you yourself eat the potato after you prime your nibs?
Also, thank you for your blog posts from which I learn something new and interesting every time!
Esther
That is a great question! I have never eaten a potato after priming nibs in it … but I’m sure that a person could. 🙂 I would advise cutting off the part that primed the nibs (since it was exposed to the wax/oil, which potentially has chemicals in it) and eating the rest.