If we’re being completely honest here, I don’t even know if some of these calligraphy myths are actually myths. They’re just misconceptions that I’ve gleaned from readers’ emails. However, it never hurts to address misconceptions! Even if you already know these “truths” are false, it will be handy to keep in mind that some calligraphy learners think this way. That way, you can encourage learners you interact with and help them to break through any barriers they’ve put up for themselves.
Here are eight calligraphy myths — all dispelled! — in no particular order:
1. If you have bad handwriting, you cannot create calligraphy.
The important thing to remember about calligraphy is this: at its core, it’s art. It’s not writing. Personally, my handwriting is not what one would call “graceful”, “neat”, or “enviable”. In fact, I am sure that when my snail mail correspondents receive my letters, they have to mentally prepare themselves for what is sure to be a few difficult minutes of deciphering!
No matter what your handwriting looks like, know that it will have zero bearing on what your calligraphy looks like. They are two totally different things. A good calligraphy pen is like a Harry Potter wand … it will help you to create magic that you can’t make without it.
2. Calligraphy is an expensive activity/hobby.
You know that part in the song Forget You by Cee Loo Green where he sings, “I’m sorry / I can’t afford a Ferrari / But that don’t mean I can’t get you there!” Same principle with calligraphy: you can spend as much money on your interest in calligraphy as you want, but at its core you really only need a few basic tools to get you there. All of them are listed in The Utimate Modern Calligraphy Starter’s Kit, and all in all, a fantastic DIY starter kit will cost you $25 or so.
I’ll be the first to admit: I have about a gazillion calligraphy supplies and I spend freely on my interest in the art. However, out of all the supplies I have purchased, pictured above are the only tools I use 99% of the time. They are:
– {Clockwise from nib in cork pen:} Leonardt Principal nib, Brause EF 66 nib, Brause Rose nib, Brause Steno {Blue Pumpkin} nib, Nikko G nib
– General’s straight cork pen
– Rodger’s Pen Box oblique pen fitted for Brause EF 66 nib – {If you’re a beginner, you should be fine getting your footing in calligraphy with just a straight pen first to save some money.}
3. Lefties cannot create calligraphy.
This calligraphy myth is simply not true. Here’s the thing, lefties: we people who write with our right hands, we don’t understand how to use our left hands like you do. It’s easier for us right-handed people to say, “Well, since you can’t do it like me, you’re out of luck,” rather than say, “I don’t understand the technicals of how you can do this — but you can.”
My father is left-handed, and the poor guy was tormented up through fourth grade by teachers that tried — quite forcefully — to get him to write with his right {“correct”} hand. My dad’s teachers’ opinions aside, you do write with your correct hand, lefties! And there are tools for you, specifically, to create calligraphy, just like there are tools for right-handed people.
I know I say this relatively often, but being a leftie is more of an advantage than a drawback. While it’s difficult for right-handed beginners to apply even pressure to both tines of a nib when writing with a right slant {and a straight pen}, lefties don’t find that as hard to do. Right oblique pens were developed to help right-handed people apply that good, even pressure; but left oblique pens were developed more so lefties don’t have to be contortionists {some lefties put themselves in crazy positions to write, and the left oblique helps them not to do that}.
The main rule for anyone learning calligraphy is you do what works for you. Experiment with a few different ways of holding a calligraphy pen; you’ll figure out something that you can embrace as your normal calligraphy position. Whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, you’ve got this!
4. You have to have a dip pen to create calligraphy.
Dip pens can be intimidating, and there are different reasons for not wanting to use one. Maybe you’re just not ready. Maybe you’ve got a child in the prime of his or her “terrible twos” and you know that little jar of {very permanent} India ink is going to end up all over the carpet. Or, maybe you’re just not sure about investing in a dip pen starter kit yet.
“Calligraphy”, to a lot of people {myself included}, really just means “pretty writing”. You can write beautifully using the instrument of your choice; just use faux calligraphy and a little bit of creativity! {The piece below was created using a dual brush pen.}
5. Dip pens are only good for creating calligraphy.
If you’re not interested in illustration/sketchbooking at all, then this calligraphy myth may be true for you. But, if you’re creative enough to create calligraphy {and you are, trust me}; then you’re also creative enough to create illustrations. All of the illustrations above were made using a calligraphy pen and sumi ink and/or watercolor. {If you’re curious about how to make a piece like the watercolor dog illustration, check out my henna cat tutorial on Inkstruck Studio.}
The great thing about drawing with India ink or sumi ink is you can go over the dry ink with watercolor and it won’t bleed. It’s also super vibrant, and it’s easy to control your line width depending on the flexibility of your nib.
6. If you know how to create calligraphy, you can write on any paper surface.
This is kind of true, kind of not true. If someone hands you a piece of flimsy 20# printer paper and a dip pen plus sumi or India ink and says, “Write my wedding vows on here; I’m going to give them as a gift!”, that’s bad news bears. That paper will absorb the ink like crazy, and the result will be legible but very bleed-y letters.
The trick to writing on certain paper surfaces is using the right ink and nib. As a quick example, let’s consider the humble grocery bag. First, here it is with sumi ink:
See how that ink bled? It’s legible, but it doesn’t look neat. That’s because the ink is a bit thin for the paper, which is absorbent and encourages the ink to sort of spiderweb out.
Here’s try #2, with walnut ink:
Yikes. Walnut ink is just a tad thicker than water, so it really soaked in to the surface.
But … when you use white ink:
Perfection. That’s because the ink is essentially acrylic paint; the paper doesn’t encourage it to spread out because the ink is so thick that it will pretty much stay put.
My solution for absorbent surfaces like grocery sacks or low-quality {absorbent} envelopes is either A) write with white ink; or B) use a thickened-up black ink. You can thicken up your ink with gum arabic or ink thickener. Thicker ink is harder to work with, but it will allow you to write on absorbent papers.
7. You must take classes to learn calligraphy.
I know I’ve mentioned this before somewhere, but my spouse, Hernán, is in the last months of his PhD in Aerospace Engineering {well, at least we think so … keep your fingers crossed!}. His advisor sat him down shortly after Hernán began the program, and said, “As a general rule, classes are useless. You can learn whatever you want from books and the internet.” {I should also mention that Hernán’s advisor is a German engineer who doesn’t mince words.} While, obviously, this isn’t a blanket statement, it does apply to many things {and has inspired me to pursue learning many things!}.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to learn whatever you want on your own, and calligraphy is no exception! You can purchase a Learn for a Latté worksheet set on TPK for $5.00, or check out one of the free worksheets {the styles offered are: Kaitlin, Beth, Janet, Amy, and Flourish Formal}. Go to YouTube and watch a few videos of people creating calligraphy so you can see the process in action! If you don’t mind a $15-ish investment, purchase the book Modern Calligraphy by Molly Suber Thorpe; I found it very informative and inspirational as a beginner! If you’re interested in how I, personally, learned calligraphy, check out the blog post How I Learned Calligraphy … I know you can learn it, too, without investing a lot of money in classes. {That said, you may find a class enjoyable — so if you think you’d have fun taking one, by all means! Go for it! But it’s not a must.}
8. Calligraphed envelopes won’t get delivered.
You might be curious about how many calligraphed envelopes have been returned to me … and the answer is zero. Okay, yes, I think two in the past three years have gotten lost; but who knows why that was? The only artistic envelope that has been returned to me was this ambitious paper cut art envelope … which, ah, was clearly torn to shreds by the sorting machine. Oops.
I know, though, that some people have problems with calligraphed envelopes being returned. So, here are a few general tips to follow:
- Make sure the zip code is written clearly and legibly. Machines at the post office read that zip code, and if your zip code is legible, your chances of the letter being delivered go up exponentially.
- Always write your return address in the upper left corner or on the back of the envelope. Make sure it’s super-legible {but you can still feel free to write it in calligraphy}. That way, if the envelope is undeliverable, at least you’ll get it back and know that the person you wrote to doesn’t have it.
- If your post office doesn’t seem to support your calligraphic aspirations {though it will take a lot to get them fed up … just check out Schin Loong’s Annoy a Postman for evidence}, tone it down a bit. You can experiment with what they’ll tolerate and what they won’t tolerate by asking your recipients to confirm when their letter(s) arrive.
And that’s it for the top eight calligraphy myths {that I know of, at least}. If you are aware of any more myths, or want to know whether something you have heard is myth or fact, please feel free to comment. Also … do you know of a good left-handed calligrapher who may be willing to answer some questions for a blog post? I’d love to give lefties more guidance, but I’m afraid I’m ill-equipped to do so!
Thanks again for reading TPK! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Warmly,
Hi! This may be an odd question, but will learning the art of calligraphy change my handwriting? Or, would I be able to retain my style?
You’ll retain your style. 🙂
I absolutely loved those super-original drill sheets!
Thanks for all the info!
Hi Lindsey,
I have just found your blog post as I was thinking of trying out Calligraphy but I was hesitant whether I would be able to learn it or not. I am very interested in creative things like Calligraphy but I am lacking confidence. Your post just gave me that. Thank you for encouraging people including me to get started.
Keep on blogging, it is so enjoyable to ready your blog.
All the best,
Angela
I’m obviously late to this post, but do have one comment as a left-handed calligrapher. I haven’t had any unsurmountable issues with calligraphy pens, but I did study calligraphy in Japan as well and it cannot be done left handed. In traditional Japanese calligraphy (shodo or shuji) as brush is used to create Japanese characters (kanji). The formation of many of the strokes cannot be done left handed as one must pull the paintbrush to the right. The best a leftie can do is push the paintbrush, which does not have the same effect. So for my course, I used my right hand, which worked fine for me as I am fairly ambidextrous, but the limitation for me was creating small characters. Large was okay, but once they became too small (like a size closer to what you would typically see written on a page, my right-handed fine motor deficiency kicked in. Thought you might be interested in that feedback.
That’s interesting to know! It’s a bummer that lefties have so much difficulty writing traditional Japanese calligraphy. :-/
Love your list! I’m just learning calligraphy and am thrilled to find out that my normal chicken scratches don’t mean I can’t create beautiful letters! Thanks for all the info!!
Oh, and I had to mention your Dillons bag. I guess I thought we only had Dillons in Kansas. You’re in CO, right? Has our local grocery store branched out? 🙂
Oh my gosh! I love that you noticed that!! In Colorado, we have King Soopers. BUT: we also have a 10 cent per bag charge here in Boulder. I am originally from western KS (where my family still lives), so I have my mom save paper Dillon’s bags for me (because I have taken a weird “absolutely-will-not” stand against paying for grocery bags). I just like having them around for everything from projects like this to putting the recycling in.
Fun fact: my college roommate (KU) was David Dillon’s niece. She is, of course, from Hutch. 🙂
Hi Lindsey,
I so love this myths you enumerated.. 🙂 Always always thankful that I bumped into your youtube post. My calligraphy had a lot of improvement since then.. You really are a blessing to me 🙂
It’s funny how one chance encounter with a piece of information on the internet can lead to so much more inspiration and learning. I can totally relate! I’m glad that this blog serves a wonderful purpose for you; that makes my day. 🙂 Thank you, Farryl!
Thanks so much for addressing my issues with kraft paper! And I have plenty of acrylic inks and a shiny new Brause Rose nib! (And clearly a spending problem…)
Also, kinda mollified to see the Pentel EnerGel pen 😉 I hope it’s up to snuff.
I have decided that there are two things that you can spend freely on and not be considered to have a spending problem: 1. art supplies, 2. food. Both are necessary {for me, at least} to have a happy life, so I’ve got a no-limits policy, there!
I do love the contents of my Sally package so much! I use both the pens and the notebook every day — both are so portable {plus the leather from the notebook smells amazing}. Best. gift. ever!! Your little trinket is coming along slower than I expected; though that always happens to me! But: I’ll be excited when I send it!
Haha! My list is something like 1) Music 2) Food and 3) Calligraphy/Planner Supplies… And in about that order.
I love my FoxyDori too. (I got mine in the dark gray when I ordered yours…) And there are so many fun ways to use them and interesting inserts on Etsy now!
Also, no worries on the “trinket.” Please take all the time you need. 🙂
Oh, I think the FoxyDori is awesome! I would be lost without it; I use it to doodle in *and* make to-do lists. I can tell my FoxyDori and I are going to be very happy together for years to come! It was an extremely thoughtful gift that fits into my life priorities, for sure. 😉
Thank you for being patient with me! I always have grand ideas, but am slow on the execution. One of these days soon, I’ll send something that will brighten your mailbox.
Loved this post! I took good advice out of it and am very happy to see that there’s other people that enjoy writing their friends letters. I find it’s good practice and makes other people really happy!
Thanks for sharing, came here from reddit!
I’m loving the Adventure Milo site … though I have to say, it’s giving me wanderlust. Letters are amazing anyway, but they’re really neat when sent while traveling! I really enjoy seeing the different stamps and hearing about all the things that are going on.
So happy to see you came from Reddit! My spouse has been posting my blog posts there … I’m still a little shy on Reddit, but I’m getting there. 🙂
Another lovely post. Thank you! Ive been playing around woth calligraphy now for a couple of months and have to say that your posts and worksheets have been very helpful and inspirational. It was on one of your recommendations that i bought the modern calligraphy book you mention in this post and i love it. Spent atleast an hour tonight copying the variation examples of the letters and writing my name about 10 different ways. As a left handed person, you may be suprised to know i write and draw different to how i do calligraphy. Im usually a ‘hooker’ or over the top writer/drawer but for calligraphy i found keeping my wrist straight under my writing was easier. Its really true what they say, each to their own, its the results that matter.
Looking forward to your next post!
I really love that book, too! {Well, as you know!} And I agree with you that it’s just the results that matter. I’m an odd right-handed person in that to write “normally”, I turn the paper to a complete 90 degree angle, so I’m writing sideways. I’ve always done that; I remember my teachers in school thinking it was so odd. But, like you, when I write calligraphy, I keep my wrist under my writing as well. That said, just because that’s what works for me, that’s not what other people need to do! It’s always best to develop your own system, I think. 🙂
I’m really, really glad that you’re enjoying calligraphy and practicing! It’s a really neat skill to have that lasts a lifetime. Thanks very much for the leftie input!
Sorry, Lindsey, I don’t know any left- or right-handed calligraphers (except via the internet). Best of luck in your quest. Wow, your cat tutorial on Inkstruck Studios is fabulous (as are the dog, the fashionista, and the unseen guitar strummer on this post! I also love the floral Laurel wreath on the envelope.). You are quite the talented artist! I enjoyed perusing the Inkstruck Studios site. Thanks for the pointer! Kudos to Hernán as he nears the end of his journey to a Ph.D. Well done! Looking forward to Thursday’s blog post.
You did help me in my quest after all — thank you! I’ll be reaching out to your recommendation when I have a moment. 🙂
The unseen guitarist in this post is my little cousin! I’m working on her high school graduation invitation design here and there when I have time. Go figure; after I drew this one, she informed me she’d rather have an illustration of her playing the drums. Teenagers! I also really enjoy perusing Inkstruck Studios. Zakkiya’s style is different from my own, yet I never fail to garner inspiration from looking at her pieces!
We’re hoping Hernán is at the end of his journey! The timeline he and his professor came up with is December, but I think that’s sort of fluid. I know he’s ready to be out of school, though! We’ve already taught our little niece to call him “Uncle Doctor Carlos Hernán” in preparation … poor girl. What a mouthful! 😉
I learned calligraphy way back in the mid 70s as a high school student; it’s been a while since I’ve done it on a regular basis, but I’m coming back to it -and agree wholeheartedly with your post!
In regard to the post office pickle, I suggest using a certain office with regularity and if possible one or two clerks with whom you can chum up with. Along with calligraphy, I send the most odd things through the mail- always as un-boxed/packaged as my imagination will allow (pool noodles, sandals, beach pails, a fully blown up plastic pool dolphin, balls, a paint brush… you get the idea). At my post office they always greet me with excitement to see what I’ve brought in this time and beg to hear reports of how it was received (“Did it arrive still blown up?” That question always perks up the ears of others standing in line “What blew up?!?!?!”) While having friends at the post won’t guarantee a safe delivery, it does grant a safe passage through at least one facility!
Thanks again for always providing an interesting post and fab visuals to boot!
A wonderful tip, Penni! And I love that you are sending imaginative things through the post office — how fun! It’s probably really amusing for the clerks to see what your creativity has led to every time you come in. 🙂
I think that ultimately it’s important to realize that the post office is a system that can fall victim to human error every once in a while. The reasons that some letters aren’t delivered vary so much from situation to situation … maybe it was a windy day, and the letter blew out of the carrier’s bag or hands; maybe the letter was simply dropped by the carrier outside and s/he didn’t notice; maybe there was a domestic disaster at the post office {e.g. a bad water leak from broken pipes} that ruined a few letters. You just never know! So, it’s always good to try, try again.
Thanks for the cheerful advice and input! 🙂 I’m curious to hear about what you send next!
I am currently attempting to address the wedding invitations for my son’s wedding. His wonderful bride chose brown kraft paper envelopes, inner & outer, & wants them addressed in dark brown ink. I am on my second full day of mixing numerous combinations of walnut & gum arabic, Sepia with a drop of sumi black, walnut with a drop or two of sumi black. I still have problems with bleeding which wastes envelopes. Sadly, white is not an option she will consider. Will you kindly offer me advice?
Hmm … well, I don’t think you’re going to be able to use walnut ink because of its high water content, even if you add a ton of gum arabic. {Though: I could be wrong!}
You know what a fool-proof solution would be? Writing with gouache. Gouache dries pretty matte, so you’re not going to have that sheen that walnut ink has, but I actually love the matte, and it sounds like the bride likes an earthy vibe, so I’ll bet she’d like it, too. To write with gouache, you’ll just add water until the gouache is the consistency of heavy cream {if it’s too thick at that point, you can add more water drop by drop until you hit a “sweet spot”}. You can watch a video here of someone mixing gouache for calligraphy. Remember, you’ll want your gouache to be a bit thicker than the average ink, though, so it doesn’t bleed.
An alternative solution is this: you could go to Goulet Pen Co.’s website, take a look at their browns {here}, and identify if there are any browns that would work, color-wise, there. Then, you can scroll down to click the “Contact” option, and write them an email explaining that you are writing on kraft paper so you need a more viscous ink {I’d repeat to them what you have tried so far}. You can then mention the colors you think would work, and ask if Goulet anticipates bleeding with those options, and if so, if that can be remedied with gum arabic or a special ink thickener.
No matter what you decide to do, I’d dig one of the dud envelopes out of the recycle bin and use it to experiment on. The creative solution you come up with will, I’m sure, end up being really cool and unique! Just keep trying new inks {or ink concoctions} until something works!
Hi Lindsey!
Enjoyed reading this post! There are so many myths, and people think that it sooo hard to do calligraphy, especially when they think that you need to have nice handwriting. It’s all about how letters are built.
I’m a left handed calligrapher (for about 2 years). Feel free to check out my site if you like. I’d be happy to see if I can answer some leftie questions if you want to send them my way!
Love when you posts end up in my mail box. They are always so good! Thanks for sharing your expertise!
Reva
Hi Reva!
I would love to compile a few questions for you and make a blog post that can help some lefties {and give learners confidence}! You’ll be hearing from me this week — thanks so much!
This is really a good article. And i like how you explain the proper or what type of ink i can use with a different kind of paper.That is sometimes my problem, it bleds. But question, when is the right time to change the nib? Tysm
Hello!
There is no set time that you need to change the nib; I just stop using one if I notice it’s not writing like it used to. 🙂 It’s always best to buy 2-3 of the same nib at a time, use one for a few months, and when the ink doesn’t flow as smoothly or you just notice it’s acting weird, you can throw it away {or upcycle in a creative project … jewelry?} and use another another one!
Sorry for the somewhat vague response! I wish nibs had an expiration timeline so my answer could be more exact; but the real answer is you’ll just know when it’s time … I promise!
I was one of the many who asked Lindsey about left-handed calligraphy, and she assured me that I could do it. I was also inspired by this video showing master calligrapher John DeCollibus at work. (Inspiring – but don’t be discouraged – he’s been doing this for 40 years!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtiupZ2L_U8
Thanks so much for sharing that, Pam! What an inspiration — and it’s great to be able to see his hand position and also that he is using a left oblique pen! 🙂
Lindsey, thanks for the write up. Being fairly new to calligraphy I have not or was not aware of all the incorrect thinking in regards to this art but now if any any concerns should arise I can throw them out the window. I do know that it is because of you that I was finally able to jump into calligraphy with confidence being a left handed person and thinking “Yeah, I can’t learn this.” But you set me straight on that. Lol and even told me I have an advantage. Your words of encouragement set me on a path of being free to master and create without fear. I am learning I am Imperfectly perfect in creating calligraphy my way because of my left hand gift.
I’m really happy that you are creating calligraphy without inhibitions! I’m really wanting to write a blog post for left-handed learners so they can have a bit more specific information. However, it really is a “whatever works” type thing! It sounds like you’re developing a great system to make calligraphy, and that’s so wonderful. Go, Suzette! And thank you!