If you’re new to calligraphy, you may have noticed some diagonal lines on practice sheets. Those are called “slant lines”, and today we’re going to talk about what they are, why they’re useful, and when to use them.
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A List of TPK’s Free Printable Calligraphy Practice Sheets
The TPK blog is peppered with free printable calligraphy practice sheets to help you improve your penmanship! However, with 400+ blog posts on this site, some of the best freebies may have eluded you. For that reason, I decided to create a compilation of the free dip pen and brush pen calligraphy practice sheets and present them to you in this article. Some may look familiar, while others may be new to you! My hope is that these will help you to set aside some “me time” to improve your penmanship, relax, and indulge your creativity.
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8 Creative People Who Inspire Me
I was hesitant to write this post because I know so many creative people, and I discover new artists/calligraphers/makers almost daily. The post’s title implies that I only know of eight people who are worthy of note, when the reality is that there are hundreds. Still, I decided to go ahead because I think that you’ll find every person on this list just as interesting as I do! So, here they are, in alphabetical order:
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8 Surprisingly Useful Art + Calligraphy Supplies
When it comes to art and calligraphy supplies, it’s difficult not to hoard. You never know when something will help you to add the perfect finishing touch to a future project! Still, there are some supplies that tend to just sit and collect dust while others get used all the time. In today’s post, I’d like to enumerate eight art and calligraphy supplies that I — surprisingly — use all the time. These supplies aren’t the obvious hard-hitters like pens and inks, and you may be a little taken aback by some of them!
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7 Mistakes That I Made as a Freelance Calligrapher and Artist
Last week, I posted a throwback article called 10 Items That I Successfully Sold on Etsy. Writing that post offered a fun trip down memory lane, and I think that people were able to draw some inspiration from it! This week, I’d like to continue that throwback theme by sharing some of the mistakes that I made as a freelance artist and calligrapher. I hope that you can learn from my mishaps if you decide to take on any freelance work, whether it’s just on the side or as part of a full-time gig!
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10 Items That I Successfully Sold on Etsy: A Throwback Post
In 2012, I decided to start an Etsy shop called “The Postman’s Knock”, and I quit my day job (read the full story here). The idea behind the Etsy shop was this: I could design stationery and write out custom envelope calligraphy for people, which they would be delighted to receive when they heard “the postman’s knock” at their door. Eventually, the Etsy shop evolved into so much more than that — now, TPK is mainly a blog and learning resource — but, like everyone, I started somewhere. I tried a lot of things and put myself out there before I felt completely ready, which is just what you have to do! Here are some of the items that I used to sell, some of which you may be surprised at. Without these now-retired items, TPK as we know it wouldn’t exist!
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About the Oblique Calligraphy Pen
When I first developed an interest in calligraphy, I perused a lot of calligraphy photos online. Those photos featured a recurring theme: a strange-looking pen with a “thingy” sticking out of its side. After some intensive Googling, I found out that the “thingy” is called a “flange”, and the pen is called an “oblique calligraphy pen”.
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Help, My Calligraphy Ink is Bleeding!: 5 Ways to Fix This Common Issue
If your calligraphy ink is bleeding, know that you’re in good company. Virtually every calligrapher runs into this issue at some point! When you notice the edges of your calligraphy spiderwebbing out, don’t despair: there’s always something that you can do to fix the problem.
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Watercolor Cactus + Quote Artwork Tutorial
Every time I make a tutorial like this watercolor cactus + quote artwork, I wonder why I don’t make more watercolor pieces. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a blank piece of paper transform into a vibrant, eye-catching work of art! I know that many people find watercolors to be intimidating, but there’s a secret to using them: embrace mistakes and run with them! Watercolor seems to have a mind of its own, and that’s the basis of its beauty. Understand that, and you’ll enjoy making artwork like this. Here’s how to do it:
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Calligraphy Kit Collaboration with The Paper Seahorse
For as long as I’ve been writing about calligraphy, I’ve been encouraging people to DIY their own calligraphy kit. It’s very easy to find pre-made calligraphy kits in big box stores, but manufacturers are — rightly — concerned with pricing. As a result, commercial kits are attractively priced. However, in lieu of high-quality materials, most kits include cheap tools that are ill-suited for a beginner. At the same time, I know from emails that I’ve received over the years that DIYing a calligraphy kit isn’t for everyone. It was a problem that I discussed with Tona Bell, owner of the Paper Seahorse, when I was in Tampa a few months ago to teach a workshop at her store. As a solution, we designed two amazing calligraphy kits, which Tona made available just in time for the release of the Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course.
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