I don’t believe that you have to own an expensive calligraphy pen to create beautiful calligraphy. Just like with most endeavors, you can start off with cost-effective tools (like those listed in the Ultimate Modern Calligraphy Starter Kit), then treat yourself to splurges as your skill level improves. One such splurge might be a Rodger’s Pen Box (also known as RPB) calligraphy pen!
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I’ve wondered how to adjust an oblique pen holder to fit different nibs for a long time. Before last weekend, I hadn’t dared to try it, mainly because all the flanges on my pens are adjusted perfectly for their respective nibs. I was afraid I’d mess something up! However, after a trip to Albuquerque a couple of days ago to meet with Rodger Mayeda, the artisan behind Rodger’s Pen Box, I now have the confidence to fiddle with my flanges. After you watch the flange-focused videos that Rodger was generous enough to help me make, I know that you will feel the same way!
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In the Calligraphy Swirls Tutorials (Part I) post, you learned how to make two different calligraphy swirls. Today, it’s time to expand your repertoire with two more swirl techniques! First, I’m going to start you off with a very simple and versatile flourish: the “Scroll Swirl”. Then, we’ll move on to a more complicated swirl called the “Arabian Nights”. I encourage you to try creating both of them at some point; they both offer a great way to add personality and pizazz to your pieces!
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All pointed pen creations are beautiful, but add calligraphy swirls to the mix, and your work becomes extraordinary! Paired with casual modern calligraphy, swirls are fun and ironic; and when they appear with more formal calligraphy, they immediately add a regal/important vibe. Part of the reason people love them so much is they look intricate and complicated. After reading the two parts of this series, though, you’ll know the truth: while swirls look amazing, they’re far from impossible to make if you break it down! Today, you’ll learn two techniques for creating swirls, and next week, you’ll learn two more.
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A couple of years ago, a calligraphy enthusiast named Rodger Mayeda sent me an oblique calligraphy pen prototype he’d made just for fun in his New Mexico workshop. When I received it, I immediately fell in love with its smart simplicity! It had this wonderful, sleek design, and felt “just right” in my hand. I’d never used anything like it, and I saw my calligraphy improve almost immediately! I believe I owe the improvement to the practical design of the pen and the fact that I was more motivated to practice with the artisan pen than I had been with my plastic Speedball oblique. I begged Rodger to make his pens available for purchase, which culminated in the development of Rodger’s Pen Box (RPB) on Etsy. RPB is now so popular that Rodger generally sells out of pens the first day of every month!
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It’s nice to know how to draw a banner because banners make lettering stand out. If you have a particular message you want to get across, writing it in a banner will send a visual message of, “Hey, look here!” Unfortunately, banners can seem daunting to illustrate because the end product looks a bit complicated with its folds, shadows, and centered text. That, my friend, is precisely why I am writing this blog post: I promise you that, once you break it down, banners aren’t so tough! Today, we’re going to look at how to make the perfect banner to feature your lettering or calligraphy.
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When I want to make an impactful piece of mail art, I add a design motif. In my opinion, the best sort of design motifs are subtle but lovely, and often soothingly repetitive. The “Roses and Swirls” motif that I am going to show you how to make today is one of my favorite designs, and surprisingly simple to make when you deconstruct the process! In the steps that follow, I am going to focus on the Roses and Swirls design motif in a mail art context. You should remember, though, that there’s no reason to relegate this motif to mail art: you can add it to anything — bookmarks, gift tags, notebooks, etc. — and you’ll be rewarded with a “wow!” factor!
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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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I love envelope liners because they add elegance and flair to any envelope! They also look deceptively complicated to DIY, so I thought today I would offer a short and sweet tutorial over how to make your own. All you need is an envelope, a pretty piece of paper, glue, scissors, and a pencil to get started! The first step is to address your envelope, preferably in pretty calligraphy like the Janet Style envelope pictured below. The reason it’s best to address the envelope pre-liner is the liner may make the surface of the envelope less smooth than it could be, which could lead to bumpy writing or unexpected spatters.
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Since my last few posts have been more art-focused, I thought we could switch things up with a calligraphy post. And what better calligraphy-centric thing to focus on than writing slant? If you’re new to calligraphy, this element of learning is probably tripping you up a bit; and you shouldn’t feel bad because that’s completely normal! With the help of these five tips, you’ll be able to steer your slant in a consistent and beautiful direction (both literally and figuratively).
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