From leaves to leather, avocados to glass, this post has got you covered if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I’m tired of writing on paper. Let’s take this calligraphy thing to the next level!”
Calligraphy is all about creating something unique and personal, a piece no one else can exactly replicate. It’s a way to express creativity and make others feel special in the process. Naturally, this desire to create extends beyond paper, leading to the trend of calligraphy on non-traditional surfaces like leaves, glass, and even fruit. In this article, you’ll learn how to write on some of these surfaces and get ideas on how to use your new skills!
Only a handful of non-paper surfaces can handle a dip pen and ink. Here are a few of them:
Calligraphed leaves have been popular as wedding escort or place cards for the past decade or so. While the leaves can handle a dip pen, it’s important to use a nib with a relatively blunt tip (I use the Brause Rose) as opposed to a nib with a sharper tip such as the Nikko G. You’ll also want to make sure you use thick, paint-like ink. I used Bleed Proof White ink to write on the fresh ficus leaf below.
Unfortunately, watery inks just don’t work on fresh leaves. I experimented with Finetec Gold and admittedly didn’t have much success. The high water content doesn’t allow the pigment to “stick”, leading to inconsistent calligraphy.
If you plan on writing on leaves for an event, I recommend conducting some experiments a few weeks or months beforehand to see how long your chosen leaves will stay fresh-looking (and, effectively, how far in advance you can make the calligraphed leaves). For this article, I plucked leaves from a ficus, and they stayed fresh and healthy-looking for about a week. However, I’m sure the climate here in Colorado, the health of my tree, etc. etc. were all factors.
In the course of Pinteresting, I have noticed calligraphy on dry leaves, which gives an impressive vintage effect. Sadly, I was unable to write on one … my nib poked a hole right through it! (The dry leaf pictured below is from an arrowhead plant.)
All that said, creating calligraphy on leaves is all about experimentation. You may be able to write on dry leaves if you use leaves from a hardier plant, or maybe spray them with some sort of fixative before you begin so they won’t tear.
You can use calligraphed leaves for quite a few things; for example, I wrote in Kaitlin Style on the leaf in the photo below, punched a small hole in it, and used it to polish off a snail mail card presentation. (I would not do this for international mail … you’re not supposed to send vegetation to other countries.)
Calligraphed leaves also make for impressive place cards or escort cards. Alternatively, you can tuck them into wreathes, or use them in scrapbooks (for example, bring a leaf home from a city you have visited, calligraph on it [e.g. “New York, Autumn 2024”] and preserve it).
You can use your pointed pen to create calligraphy on fruits and vegetables with a bit of “give” and a relatively thick skin. To check if your fruit or vegetable is suitable, gently squeeze it — if it yields slightly and has a firm skin, it’s likely a good surface for calligraphy. You can see that I successfully wrote on the avocado pictured below using Bleed Proof White ink and a Brause Rose nib.
I won’t lie — writing on an avocado isn’t easy. The challenge comes from creating calligraphy on a non-flat, slippery surface. It can be done (and mistakes are washable!), but it’s far from simple. While I haven’t tried writing calligraphy on many fruits or vegetables, I imagine one could write on lemons, limes, oranges, bananas, and other fruits with a bit of give and strong skin.
Why on earth would you want to calligraph an avocado or another fruit? I can think of a few reasons. Perhaps you’re having a dinner party and you want to use peel-able fruit or vegetables as edible place cards. Or, maybe you own a grocery store/coffee shop/restaurant, and you want to display an eye-catching message (e.g. “2 for 1 today”, or “Add Guac – $1”). Then again, maybe you live with others and want a beautiful but clear way to say, “Keep your hands off my avocado!”
As a side note, I would not recommend eating the flesh of fruits that you have calligraphed because ink is not designed for human consumption. However, if you calligraph fruits/veggies with a non-edible peel, this won’t be an issue.
You can also create dip pen calligraphy on smooth leather. That’s because it A) has “give”, and B) has a surface that is nearly impossible to puncture by accident with your nib. For this reason, you don’t have to relegate yourself to a blunt nib; you could certainly use the Nikko G or Brause EF66. Again, a relatively thick ink like Bleedproof White works best.
I also have experienced somewhat successful results using sumi ink, as you can see on the Amy Style piece below. I did have to go over some upstrokes 2-3 times because the ink wasn’t adhering to the surface, though.
Yet again, an ink with a high water content doesn’t do so great when used on a surface like this. I had major coverage issues with the Finetec gold. Additionally, when I swiped my thumb over the dry Finetec, all of the calligraphy peeled cleanly off the leather.
Keep in mind that while smooth leather can be calligraphed, soft/heavily textured leather cannot be written on with pointed pens. The surface simply doesn’t allow your nib to move.
What would you possibly use calligraphed leather for? A couple of things that I can think of. You could calligraph on leather wedding or event materials (e.g. a leather folder holding an invitation/rsvp card); make a bookmark, or just use calligraphed leather for scrapbooking or an art project.
You can write on (most) stone and ceramic surfaces with ink, including Finetec gold. When choosing a surface, aim for one that’s smooth but has a slight texture, or “tooth,” for your nib to grip.
If the surface is too smooth, the ink won’t adhere properly, making it difficult to write cleanly. The right amount of texture ensures the ink flows well, while still allowing you to create beautiful, detailed strokes. Surfaces like slate coasters, ceramic tiles, and agate are perfect for experimenting with calligraphy.
What’s the appeal of calligraphing on agate or tile? There are plenty of reasons to give it a try. For example, if you’re hosting a wedding or dinner party, agate slices or ceramic tiles can make for stunning, personalized place cards. Or, if you’re looking to spruce up your home décor, a beautifully hand-lettered quote or family name on a tile can serve as a unique display piece. If you own a café or boutique, a custom tile with a message like “Special of the Day” or “New Arrivals” can grab the attention of your customers.
There are many surfaces that aren’t suitable for pointed pen calligraphy for various reasons. Here are the top surfaces I get asked about most frequently:
Hard, extremely smooth surfaces like mirrors and glass are not compatible with a pointed pen. It’s exceedingly difficult to get your ink “started”, maintain the ink flow, and ensure that the ink is staying on the glass where you want it to. For this reason, it’s best to use a marker and “faux calligraphy“.
There are many possibilities for writing on surfaces like glass. For example, you could decorate your bathroom mirror with an encouraging message for yourself to look at every morning. I notice my barista uses glass markers (affiliate link) to write customers’ names on ceramic mugs. On a larger scale, you can create calligraphy on storefronts to garner curiosity and interest.
I’ve written about painted rocks before, but what if you just want to make some calligraphy on a natural stone? In that case, all you need to do is grab a marker. A permanent marker is certainly your best bet, and an oil-based permanent marker will give you the most opaque coverage. (If you prefer to write with white ink, you’ll want a paint marker [affiliate link].) Use the marker and the faux calligraphy technique to write a word (or words), and boom! You’ve got calligraphy … on a rock.
I like the idea of using calligraphed rocks as garden markers or just keeping them around as home decorations. Again, you could also use these as place or escort cards at a nature-themed wedding or dinner party.
There are two categories of wood: finished, and unfinished. You can actually use gel pens (such as a Pilot G2) with smooth, unfinished wood. For finished wood — by this I mean wood with some sort of paint/gloss on it — you’ll need to use a permanent marker. There’s just not enough “tooth” on most finished woods for a gel pen’s ink to adhere to the surface.
When I first started an Etsy shop in 2012, I sold calligraphed wooden clothespins (among other things), and they were surprisingly popular! A lot of people used them for baby showers and bridal showers. To make them, clamp clothespins around an object such as the chopstick shown below, then rest your hand on an elevated surface like a book. Then, use faux calligraphy to write names on them.
If you were working with a very large piece of wood (e.g. a sign), you would use paint and a brush to make your faux calligraphy. However, for small applications such as clothespins, a gel pen or a fine-tipped permanent marker works great. In addition to clothespins, you could also use calligraphy on wood to make signs, wooden picture frames, coasters, keychains, and more.
If you’re considering creating calligraphy on any non-traditional object, including the items detailed above, the mantra to live by is “test and experiment”. The reason calligraphed objects are so unique is the fact that they are difficult and/or time-consuming to create … otherwise, you’d see a lot more of them! It’s worth a bit of experimentation to create something innovative and unique.
Exploring calligraphy on non-paper surfaces opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities. Whether you’re working with wood, glass, or fruits, the key is experimentation and a willingness to try new things. With each new surface, you’ll discover unique challenges and rewards — and in the end, you’ll create something truly memorable.
Thanks so much for reading TPK. I’m glad you’re here, and I hope that you learned something new today!
Warmly,
This article was first published in September 2015 and has been updated with clearer content and new, improved photos.
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon
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