This calligraphy artwork was inspired by a bathroom remodel, which we’re currently in the middle of. As we get closer and closer to the finish line, I’ve been considering the art pieces to display! Works by Elisa Ancori and Sister Golden caught my eye, but I wanted to make my own art for the space. In considering what to create, I came up with this concept: tiny calligraphy that creates the outline of a woman’s back. I think it’s the perfect artwork for a bathroom, and I kept track of my progress to write this tutorial! Read on to discover how you can make it, too.
1. Gather Your Supplies
First, download the Woman’s Silhouette Outline Template (it’s free!) by clicking here. You can print it out on any piece of paper!
Next, cut a piece of drawing paper to 8″ x 10″ (203 mm x 254 mm). I like to use Strathmore 70 or 80 lb. drawing paper because it’s got a nice tooth and color to it!
Finally, gather a few key supplies: Ziller Soot Black Ink (which is great for humid environments, e.g. a bathroom), a straight pen, a Nikko G nib, a pencil, and a good eraser. If you want to, you can also print off a calligraphy exemplar — I used Kaitlin Style — to reference as you write!
2. Trace
A successful piece of calligraphy artwork always begins with a good draft! Start by placing your 8″ x 10″ piece of drawing paper over the Woman’s Silhouette Outline Template. The edges of the drawing paper should line up with the rectangle containing the silhouette. Then, place both the template and the drawing paper over a light box or against a bright window. Once you can see the template through the drawing paper, use your pencil to trace over it!
Once you’re finished, your drawing paper should look something like this:
3. Add Calligraphy
Now, it’s just a matter of going over your pencil draft lines with teeny-tiny words! First, I’d choose a text to use … that way, you won’t have to rack your brain for words as you move forward. I chose Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which is a fun and imaginative play! Use the tip of your Nikko G nib and very little pressure to pen the words along your pencil guidelines.
Continue to write over your pencil guidelines. Don’t pay a ton of attention to legibility or word logic; sometimes, you’ll need to stop and start sentences in strange places!
When you reach the woman’s hair, circle around and around with your words to fill it in. This will require rotating your paper a fair amount!
Below, you’ll find some guidance on what the hair should look like! Notice that I did one circle pattern for the hair on her head and a separate circle pattern for the bun. This helps to make the calligraphy artwork look a bit more realistic.
Keep on writing! It might take you a few hours, but it’s a relaxing and worthy project.
4. Erase
Once you finish tracing over your pencil guidelines, use a good eraser — and tons of caution — to erase the pencil marks. It is very important to give your piece the utmost TLC here! One wrong move, and you can wrinkle your artwork, which can be disappointing when you’ve put hours into it.
5. Display Your Calligraphy Artwork
Once you can’t see any pencil guidelines, your calligraphy artwork is finished! You can now frame, display, and impress.
I think that this calligraphy artwork is absolutely perfect for a bathroom or bedroom! It represents a celebration of the human body and throws a nod to classic literature. The only potential downside? It can take a while to create! I spent around six hours on this piece in total. If you like the artwork but don’t have the time and/or desire to tackle making it, I recently added this art print to the TPK catalog! You can purchase it here.
I hope that you enjoyed today’s tutorial! It was a fun one for me to make; I love these kinds of projects. 🙂 Thanks very much for reading TPK, and have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
Hi Lindsey, I’m going to give this silhouette a try. Do you by chance have any notes of where to start on the womens’ body? It looks like you started on the left side of her back and went up to the head then down. Since I’m going to fill my silhouette in with a story I’m trying to see where the best starting point would be. Thanks for any insight or notes you may think about to help.
Also, what do you think about using the G-2 gel pen instead of Ziller ink? I read that you suggest the Ziller Ink for a humid environment but I was thinking this would be a project I could take on my trips and work on while on my layovers, so I was thinking I could get around packing the ink. Or, what are your suggestions if I do pack Ziller Ink and take on the plane.
Thanks again,
Debbie
I’d start on the left as you observed — but that’s because I’m right-handed and wanted to avoid ink smudges. If you’re left-handed, I’d start on the right and work your way over to the left. 🙂 I think that you could use a Pilot G2, but I’d try to get a 0.38 mm pen tip! That way, your calligraphy will be nice and fine/thin.
My friend wants a calligraphy copy of “Desiderata” and she loves Flamingos. I’m going to put the poem into the shape of a flamingo and use pink/rose/black ink. I’m planning it all now (I’ve got until May to get it done!)
You are just so talented. sigh. Envious!
Hi Lindsey,,
Really enjoyed filling this beautiful woman’s silhouette with calligraphy. I used a Lord Byron poem and wrote in tiny foundational calligraphy using my smallest nib, it took an age but really loved the result, so much so, I framed the image, unfortunately I cannot attach an image of the result.
Ta, G
Send me an email with it if you get the chance! It sounds beautiful 🙂
You make that look a lot easier than I thought it might be — it could be the kind of thing that maybe I could do, even without the kind of creativity I’d need for the botanical letter or the floral lace.
This is such an awesome piece and project. I love it! But if one wanted to try a different shape, what are the important guidelines to follow and keep in mind?
Hi Lindsey, your work is gorgeous ! I want to try some “shape” long text calligraphy since a while, but was still wondering how to manage the end of the text or the fact that you couldn’t put the text entirely? I guess people won’t even notice it or I mean… if this is just a personnal time for having fun and relax, who cares? But if you are looking to challenge yourself… how to manage it?
Hi Aurelie! While it sounds like a great challenge, I’d personally say that there is no way to predict how many words you’ll be able to fit into an image. Even going into my project, I wasn’t sure where I would end, but it doesn’t have much of an impact on the overall piece. You’ll still end with a great product and it’s more about the aesthetic or the theme of the work!
Hope this helps!