Once you discover watercolor calligraphy, a whole new door to creativity will open! All of a sudden, you can create calligraphy or lettering in any color. When you travel, you no longer have to risk wardrobe-ruining ink spills! You just put a palette and a dip pen in your bag, and you’re all set to go. Despite its advantages, though, watercolor calligraphy isn’t without its quirks. Here are seven tips to help you navigate the dip pen and a watercolor palette like a pro!
1. Pre-Moisten and Mix Watercolor “Inks”
To make your watercolor suitable to use with a dip pen, you want it to have an inky consistency. To achieve that consistency, it’s best to moisten your watercolors. Don’t just lightly mist them with a spray bottle. Instead, use a blunt syringe or a spoon to put at least 1/16 tsp of water in each pan you plan on using.
Moistening the watercolors helps the pigment to loosen up, which will result in a more consistent and vibrant “ink”.
Once you’ve moistened your watercolors, let them sit for a minute or so. Then, take a brush and use it to mix your watercolors into an ink-like consistency.
Make sure you clean your brush before mixing each watercolor! Doing so will prevent color contamination.
2. Use a Size 2 Brush
If you’ve seen the A Video Crash Course on Watercolor Calligraphy post, then you know that you apply watercolor to the back of your nib using a brush. (If you haven’t read that post, definitely take a moment right now to check it out!) Paint application with a small brush leads to too little watercolor on the nib, while application with a large brush leads to too much watercolor on the nib.
Brush sizes vary depending on the manufacturer. Usually, sizes 1-3 will work well for watercolor calligraphy purposes!
In my experience, a size 2 brush is generally just right. It gives you plenty of color without resulting in an excess of “ink”.
3. Use the Side of Your Nib to “Scrape” Color Off of Your Brush
When you apply watercolor to your nib, try holding your brush at a perpendicular angle to the nib. That way, you can use the side edge of the nib to your advantage to “scrape” all the color off the brush!
“Scraping” the brush against the side of the nib helps with color application.
4. Give the Nib a Shake to Get Rid of Excess Watercolor
If there looks to be an awful lot of watercolor on your nib, you probably need to get the excess off. Otherwise, it will rush down the nib and on to your paper in a blob! To prevent that, give your pen one firm shake over your art water after you apply the watercolor to the nib. If there’s any excess watercolor on the nib, it will slip right off into the watercolor, leaving you with just enough “ink” to write.
If you’re in doubt about whether or not your nib has too much watercolor on it, do the pen shake anyway. Always better safe than sorry!
5. Protect Watercolor Calligraphy Envelopes from Moisture
I hesitate to include this tip because I personally feel that in a lot of cases it’s not necessary. When I create watercolor calligraphy envelopes, I never put protectant on. However, if you live in a humid area or the envelope is going to an especially wet area, it’s not a bad idea to protect your hard work! You can learn how to waterproof your envelopes in this blog post.
I use a product called Microglaze or a spray fixative to protect envelopes that I’m worried about getting wet!
I’ve got a philosophy as far as watercolor calligraphy being ruined by moisture. Basically, if the envelope gets wet enough for the watercolor calligraphy to run, you’ve probably got bigger problems (like the contents being ruined). A couple of drops of water won’t do much to the envelope, but if it gets soaked, the address will probably be illegible — which is also the case with most other envelopes.
6. Think Outside of the Watercolor Calligraphy Box
You may think that the dip pen and watercolor combination can only be used for watercolor calligraphy. If you enjoy drawing, though, you can also use a dip pen to make illustrations!
I drew this cat’s henna motif with a dip pen and watercolor! You can find a tutorial over how to make a painting/illustration like this by clicking here.
Don’t hesitate to experiment with your dip pen and watercolors! I’m certain that you’ll fall in love with the things that you come up with.
7. Write on High-Quality, Non-Absorbent Paper
You have to remember that when you write with watercolors, your “ink” is really just pigmented water. As a consequence, if you write on an absorbent, fibrous paper, the “ink” will bleed. Try to write on a piece of 20# printer paper, and you’ll see what I’m talking about! Your strokes will soak into the paper, causing fuzzy and messy edges.
This Janet Style watercolor calligraphy mail art was created on 80 lb. Royal Sundance envelopes (item #0372500 at neenahpaper.com). Royal Sundance are my *favorite* envelopes for watercolor calligraphy!
If you plan on doing watercolor calligraphy on envelopes, just make sure they’re nice quality. They shouldn’t be flimsy! This blog post will guide you on buying envelopes that are effective for all varieties of calligraphy. If you’re writing in a sketchbook journal or making a calligraphy quote, try to make sure you’re writing on 70+ lb. paper. (My preference is 80 lb. drawing paper or 140 lb. watercolor paper!)
Giveaway
My friend (and, fun fact, former college roommate) Jess at Greenleaf & Blueberry recently released an awesome calligraphy palette. It has been a lifesaver during the annual holiday trip to my in-laws’ in Peru! I hate packing ink — I’ve learned my lesson with suitcase ink spills in the past — so watercolors are a fantastic option.
This artisanal watercolor calligraphy set retails for $125.45 at Greenleaf & Blueberry. The colors are artist-grade and will last you a long, long time!
Jess designed this palette to feature traditional ink colors, metallics, and an opportunity for mixing. For example, you don’t have an orange in this palette, but you have red and yellow, which you can blend! Same goes for green: just mix up some blue and yellow. I have to say that I love the three metallics, which I frankly found to be smoother and more opaque than Finetec!
I pulled some former roommate strings to get Jess to give away a set of these beauties here on the TPK website! You can enter the giveaway in the Rafflecopter widget below.
This international giveaway will end on Saturday, 1/13, at 11:59 PM MST. The next morning, a winner will be announced (first name, last initial) in this blog post and on social media; and I will email him or her. If you’re not on social media, you can still enter! Just use the “Subscribe to the G&B Newsletter” option to get your name in there. Best of luck to you — my fingers are crossed that you’ll end up with a shiny new watercolor set in mid-January! Thanks so much for reading TPK, and enjoy your weekend.
Warmly,
Hi, I noticed that the watercolor palette you used is $125. Since I don’t have that kind of money, could you recommend some cheaper ‘beginner’ watercolors? Thank you so much!
Sure! This post recommends some great alternatives — you can scroll down to the bottom to see them. 🙂
Hi, I’m new to this… ALL of this-blogs, commenting and calligraphy! Something i saw make me look up teach yourself calligraphy and i came to your site. The heavens must has led me here to find a giveaway, as I read through the site. I never enter anything but something in my spirit said this will be your new hobby so take a leap of faith! I want to lean and I am amazed at what i ahve found! Thank you for sharing your talent with us.
I hope I’m commenting in the correct area? Love ❤️ love your blog and instruction
You are! Thank you!!
This would go perfectly with my watercolor adventure…calligraphy! It’s so lovely.
Took me forever to find where to comment. I love your work, bought a few of the instructional kits a while aga. They are wonderful.
Thank you both so much for your inspiration. I am so new to all of this that I wouldn’t even qualify as a “beginner,” but I love to read about your art and see the loveliness that can be created. Now to take that first step ….
Any update on this giveaway?? 😬🙏🏻🤞
Thanks so much. I’m brand new to watercolors but you’re site has been so helpful. Would love love love to try thIs amazing set. Thanks for the giveaway
Lindsey, thanks so much for all your posts and especially this one on watercolor. Have been working to learn to use them in art and have watched you use your friend’s watercolors in your Art. Love all your art and thanks for talking her into putting her watercolors in this giveaway. Whoever gets them will be very lucky.
Never thought of using watercolor for calligraphy as I have so many different colored inks. I used a dip pen 40 years ago in college but for music notation, not calligraphy. It was only after graduation when I finally bought a good pen that I decided to teach myself calligraphy. I’ve used watercolor to illuminate but never in place of the ink.
Warning! Greenleaf & Blueberry paints are highly addictive! 🙂
Amen!
Interested in reading again about the G&B sets – have noticed you mention them other times, and have tried to get some. But they didn’t reply to my email asking how you get hold of the product if they’re so limited in supply and you’re in Western Australia, so it’s the middle of the night when they ‘open their shop’. Asked for some prior warning so could wake up to see about getting some, but no answer. It doesn’t make it easy.
Meanwhile, Lindsey, love your material and your tutorials, and have enjoyed doing a few now. Thank you.
I’m sorry you’ve had issues trying to get the watercolors, Jo! I know that Jess gets more orders (and many more emails) than she can handle, which is a good thing, but can be frustrating if you have your heart set on getting some! Here’s the workaround I would suggest: try emailing Two Hands Paperie in Boulder ([email protected]). Two Hands is going to start carrying G&B watercolors on Friday, 2/2, and I would be very surprised if they wouldn’t be willing to sell you a set and mail it to you.
I would so love to win these watercolor paints!
My imagination is just teaming with ideas………….I have had some down time since June of last year, but I am finding my artistic desires being reborn and there is nothing better than the best handmade materials to work with.
My fav is the watercolour HB card with the initial, although the elephant and tiger is also cute
Well, I really like both the watercolor tutorials and the Greenleaf handmade watercolor blog posts. Thank you for writing posts with substance.
Also, I love the worksheets you create for calligraphy practice. Thank You!
🙂
Vikki
Really appreciate the tutorial. I think I might give this a shot and see how it all works out. Cheers
I love these tips! I am excited to use the water color calligraphy for mail art and stationery. It is s fun creative outlet that my friends and family really enjoy receiving 🙂
I would love to use calligraphy to make cards and envelopes. I definitely need to start early though as I never do.
I would love to use watercolours to create occasion and holiday orientated cards – valentines, Easter, birthdays and Christmas. Your artwork is very inspiring and not daunting to try even for a beginner like me.
Watercolor calligraphy is something I use in handwritten letters to my acquaintances since I believe letters need a splash of color and a tinge of creativity. I find it more heartwarming when a message is accompanied by something creative and colorful.
I’d like to use watercolor calligraphy and probably watercolor art on thank you cards in the future 🙂 And why not extend that to the envelope for envelope art, right?
I would use the paints to make my own illuminated manuscript. I’ve been reading “Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World” by Christopher de Hamel, and it makes me want to create one of my own.
I would love to use calligraphy on Christmas cards I make for family and friends. I’m starting early to learn for next year! Of course it would be fun to try it in lots of other ways, too. Thanks
You are such a lovely woman who shares her love of calligraphy with everyone. Thank you so much. I have learned so many things about calligraphy from you. Your blog is splendid.
A lovely post! Thanks for the giveaway!
Such an inspiring post – I am going to use this technique to make some watercolour bookmarks for my friends!
birthday card for my mother, thank you so much for very informative blog post.
I would use this technique to make a framed piece of lettering art.
I will use watercolour calligraphy for my cards.
I would use watercolor calligraphy for my workspace – as a teacher I’d like to write inspiring messages for my colleagues and my students, so they can strive to be the best that they can be! And to add more color into the classroom. 🙂
WoW !! That’s an incredible palette !! Thanks for your generosity !!
Oh my goodness–I love this post. The cat is amazing. Thank you for the chance to win a set. I may have to use my Christmas money to purchase a palette.
I would and am using it for when I do fine details on cards or envelopes as well as just for lettering when I want more colors than just black and white!
Love this blog! Many thanks!!
Thank you for the tips, especially for the brush sizes we should use. That was really helpful. These paints look yummy. I have to try them. Thanks for telling us about them…..Linda E.
I would love to use watercolor calligraphy for making cards for friends and family and decorating their envelopes! 🙂
I’d use watercolour calligraphy for presents for friends! Finding a meaningful quote and writing it out in a font and colour that “matches” them, and then framing it would be so awesome!
Thanks for the great tips and techniques. Love watercolor Calligraphy and have made booksmarks and a few other projects using these technique.. Thanks for the chance to win. I’d love to be able to “Travel” with my paints so easily.
Thank you very much for all these useful tips !
I have to read your blogspot about Microglaze more in detail; I don’t know it.
That little calligraphy-palette looks like a great tool ! What a generous give-away.
Good luck to all of us !
I would also use watercolor calligraphy for mail art, but I would also just love to experiment with it!
Heartfelt thanks, Lindsey, for all that you share! Your tutorials are beyond compare. I’m inspired to use watercolor calligraphy to create my Valentines in the coming weeks. This palette looks amazing!
I’m drooling over that calligraphy set by Jess……
I’m sorry that your contest is based on using a FB account. I do not use FB but I certainly enjoy your email newsletters. They are so full of interesting ideas and I know many hours are put into their production.
I hope one day you will have a contest that a FB account is not a requirement, I will certainly take part in that wonderful opportunity.
I’ve just discovered your site and love the info. I’ve been doing calligraphy for many years, but just learning brush work and found your site brilliant with so many tips and tricks I didn’t know.
I had never considered using watercolours and can’t wait to try this.
Your art is beautiful thank you.
Beautiful watercolors and envelopes!
Thank you, Lindsay, for the abundance of useful information you send our way!
Use watercolor calligraphy for card making and qoutes on joutnal.
I use watercolor calligraphy for card making and quotes on journal
Thank you for hosting this giveaway!