March is Women’s History Month! Today, we’re celebrating with a free calligraphy quote worksheet that serves as an important reminder.
When I read Jane Eyre for a university class, I was already in love with it. I’d read it myself in high school, and I enjoyed the story. At university, we delighted in analyzing Jane’s character and discussing, in particular, whether Jane Eyre is a feminist novel or not. The conclusion: for Victorian times, Jane was a trailblazer! In contemporary culture — well, maybe not so much. But, the novel has some concepts that continue to stick with me. One of those concepts is to be true to yourself, thus the line featured in today’s calligraphy quote worksheet.
Calligraphy flourishing is rarely straightforward. Which flourishes you use and where you put those flourishes depend on the position of several letters. The goal with flourishing is to keep things legible yet eye-catching. When you practice writing quotes like today’s Brontë wisdom (or 2020’s Macbeth line), you work on flourishing with “training wheels”.
Of course, one of my hopes is that as you fill out this calligraphy quote worksheet, you’ll internalize its words. I fully support choosing happiness over dignity, and this line from Jane Eyre especially resonates with me right now! As the mother to a baby who is only a couple of weeks old, I haven’t been looking or feeling very dignified lately — and that’s okay. I’m taking a (literal) page from Brontë’s book to decide that there will be plenty of time to be dignified when I’m less sleep-deprived!
First, click here to download the worksheet for free. Then, print it out on a dip pen-friendly paper like 32# laserjet. Get out your favorite dip pen and nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 oblique pen + nib), and a nice, smooth ink like sumi or iron gall. Then, when you’ve got a free hour or two, sit down to fill out the worksheet!
Filling out this worksheet will help you to practice new letterforms and calligraphy flourishes. You’ll start by tracing over arrows that show you exactly what direction to push or pull your pen.
Then, you’ll move on to tracing over two versions of the calligraphy that don’t have directional arrows.
Finally, you’ll try writing the calligraphy yourself on blank practice lines.
I hope that you enjoy filling out the worksheet! I loved writing this quote and remembering that happiness is something to be prioritized and celebrated. Sometimes, the pressure of appearing to be perfect can be a bit stifling, especially for women. That’s why it’s always a good idea to put away the screen, get out some analog supplies, and enjoy an hour or two to re-center by — say — filling out today’s worksheet (or making a sketchbook page or a project)!
Flourishing is an art, and you could write this same line from Jane Eyre with your own strokes and curves for a completely different effect! My two tips for successful flourishing are to start with a pencil draft (!!! – I have to emphasize that) and take frequent breaks while writing.
For more information on flourishing, see the Calligraphy Flourishing for Beginners + Free Worksheet article. For plenty of structured practice, consider enrolling in the Intermediate Modern Calligraphy Online Course! Thanks very much for reading, and enjoy filling out today’s calligraphy quote worksheet. Happy Women’s History Month, and don’t forget to take this opportunity to celebrate the amazing women in your life.
Warmly,
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