Three years ago, I decided to try making a calligraphy worksheet. It was the first worksheet that I ever made, and I used a calligraphy style that I called “Flourish Formal”, a style with ample curls and embellishments. Last year, I started to notice just how outdated the worksheet was … it just didn’t measure up to the quality of later worksheet sets, both functionally and aesthetically.
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The year has just started, and it’s time to start thinking about what you want to achieve in 2017! If one of your goals for this year is to learn calligraphy, then you can follow the instructions below to learn calligraphy in two months. As you’re learning, don’t forget to be kind and patient with yourself. Teaching yourself a new skill takes some time and self-discipline, but I know for sure that you can do it! Ready? Let’s go:
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If you’re anything like me, then all of your Yuletide correspondence — featuring beautiful holiday calligraphy — was sent out weeks ago. Yep, you did not procrastinate, and you have already calligraphed gift tags for all of the gifts that you perfectly wrapped.
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A couple of weeks ago, I released a free printable dip pen calligraphy drills worksheet. It featured a few traditional drills; but mostly it explored new, fun drills to help regulate pressure and improve technique. I received a lot of positive feedback for its effectiveness, which inspired me to create a brush pen drills sheet as well!
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I sneak brush pen calligraphy into every (dip pen) modern calligraphy workshop that I teach. I do that for a couple of reasons: first of all, brush pens respond beautifully to pressure. If you exert pressure on a downstroke, the brush pen makes a gorgeously thick stroke. Let up on pressure, and the brush pen makes a delicate thin stroke. Learning this principle with a brush pen leads to success with a dip pen, which is also responsive to pressure!
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A new version of the Beth Style Premium Calligraphy Worksheet has been in the works since March 28th. On that day, I calligraphed a Beth Style alphabet and some titles to incorporate into the worksheet set, then I posted on Instagram: “I’m not sure when the new worksheet will be finished, but it should be within the next two months.” That time estimate was ambitious, to say the least — you can’t rush doing something right! Today, half a year later, I am incredibly glad to be able to tell you that the new Beth Style Premium Calligraphy Worksheet is available, and it was well worth the wait.
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The other day, I was in Whole Foods, which is this sort of hip grocery store chain in the US/Canada and the UK. As I was perusing all the beautiful food labels and the advertising throughout the store, one thing stood out to me in a big way: hand-lettering. Whole Foods is big on ambiance, and a lot of their charm is thanks to hand-lettering!
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When I first started making the Learn for a Latté worksheets, I never intended to create calligraphy video courses to accompany them. Not only did I lack the equipment to make videos, but my video editing had not been put to the test since seventh grade (when iMovie was in its infancy and blissfully simple to use). However, as the calligraphy worksheet user base grew, I began to receive regular requests for videos to complement the worksheets. To be honest, it made sense and I could relate … I am a visual learner, and YouTube and Vimeo tutorials have taught me everything from how to use the Adobe Creative Suite to how to line a cake pan with parchment paper. I knew it was time to step up my game, so I tried my hand at creating a video course to accompany the Amy Style calligraphy worksheet a few months ago.
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When I released the Amy Style worksheet set, I also made an optional video course to accompany it. The video course was born out of feedback I had received from visual learners. Many of these learners suggested that it would be easier to catch on to the concept/style if I could show them letter formations, how to hold a dip pen, etc. in a video.
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Friday’s A Guide to TPK Calligraphy Styles post discussed the TPK calligraphy styles Amy, Flourish Formal, and Kaitlin. Today, I’d like to tell you about the other two calligraphy styles in the Learn for a Latté series, Beth and Janet. I’ll also talk about Hand-Lettering for a Latté, which, while not technically a calligraphy style, is a fun hand-lettering inspiration resource!
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