Ready to dance with your pen? Try making the calligraphy medallions in TPK’s new printable worksheet set!
Calligraphy medallions are stunning pieces of art comprised of simple strokes and repetition. When you make a calligraphy medallion, you’re practicing pointed pen movements and learning spatial consistency. While these benefits are appealing, the best part about making calligraphy medallions is the result of your efforts!
The Calligraphy Medallions Worksheet: Dancing Pen Edition will teach you how to make five calligraphy medallion designs. Each of the designs was inspired by a famous dance: Foxtrot, Waltz, Cha Cha, Tango, and Samba.
In this worksheet, you’ll find strokes with arrows and step-by-step instructions to walk you through making the five medallions. Medallions look tricky, but I promise: anyone can draw a calligraphy medallion. You’ve just got to take it step by step per the worksheet! After each set of instructions, you’ll find a medallion to trace over. If you’re ready to work on your own, you can use the blank circle templates at the back of the worksheet set to make your medallions.
I really enjoy the repetition and reward of making calligraphy medallions. It’s a therapeutic activity that can add real beauty to the world in the form of medallion-emblazened envelopes, wedding invitations, and sketchbook pages. The video below shows you what goes into making a fabulous “Waltz” medallion:
To make this medallion, I used black cardstock, Arabic gold watercolor, and a Brause EF66 oblique pen. I had the worksheet PDF open on my iPad, which I referenced often. The template that I traced around at the beginning of the video is from the worksheet set.
While you can draw calligraphy medallions “just because”, there are also plenty of paper goods you can use medallions to enhance. I love making medallions on the backs of envelopes! They provide a nice surprise for any recipient.
You can use your medallions to add interest to your sketchbook, as I have done here with the “Tango” medallion:
Other usages for medallions are endless: frame them for display in your home, use them on invitation designs, or make medallion wrapping paper. (I used the “Peacock” medallion from the Calligraphy Medallions Worksheet: Birds and Botanicals Edition to design the wrapping paper below!)
There’s one rule to live by when making medallions: don’t let small errors trip you up. You will make spatial mistakes or put a stroke where it’s not supposed to be. Don’t worry about it! Calligraphy medallions are so intricate that it’s difficult to notice when something’s “off”.
Take your time making calligraphy medallions. They’re supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable to create, so there’s no need to rush! Always feel free to rotate your paper to achieve a comfortable writing angle, and make sure your ink from the previous step has dried before you go on to the next step. (Many a calligraphy medallion has smudged as a result of moving on too quickly.)
My most important tip is to have fun and be creative! Use the medallions in this new worksheet as a jumping-off point to make up your own medallions. Play with colors, strokes, and circle ratios — and don’t hesitate to use your medallions to add embellishment and elegance to whatever you’re working on!
I hope that you enjoy this new worksheet set! If you’re not quite ready for a full worksheet of medallions, I encourage you to play with this tutorial. Thanks so much for reading, and enjoy the rest of your week!
Warmly,
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