Today, we’ll practice some delightfully chilling Halloween calligraphy with the help of a free six-page worksheet set! The worksheet will help you to become more comfortable flourishing, introduce you to new letterforms, and provide you with fabulous Halloween decor.
Last October, I released a free Macbeth calligraphy worksheet that walked you through some fabulous flourishes. For this year’s Halloween calligraphy worksheet, I’m kicking it up a notch with a full-page quote that features plenty of loops and a wavy baseline!
The calligraphy quote I chose to focus on for this Halloween’s free worksheet goes like this: “Silent phantoms/ of the night/ In their robes/ of ghostly white/ They are always/ to be seen/ On the night/ of Halloween”. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find an author for the quote, but it appears to have been used for many decades on cards.
First, click here to download the worksheet for free. Then, print it out on 32# laserjet paper (or a similar paper). Get out your favorite dip pen and nib combination (I used a Brause EF66 oblique pen + nib), and a watery ink like iron gall.
Filling out this worksheet will help you to practice calligraphy flourishes, new letterforms, and writing wavy calligraphy. You’ll start by observing examples of what the calligraphy should look like and how to go about writing it.
Then, you’ll trace over two versions of the calligraphy. One version will guide you through stroke widths, and the other version leaves the stroke widths up to you to figure out!
Finally, you’ll end by writing out the quote yourself on wavy guidelines. It’s important to write in pencil first, then trace over the pencil draft with your dip pen and ink.
If you have a light box, it’s a good idea to superimpose an 8″ x 10″ (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) piece of paper over your pencil draft version of the quote. Then, put both the draft and the 8″ x 10″ paper on your light box, and trace over the draft with pen and ink. Once you’re finished, you’ll have a fun quote to display in your home for the rest of this month!
I like to write wavy calligraphy because it doesn’t require a lot of fuss. You don’t have to worry about centering or a consistent letter slant! The result is always fun to look at because it’s unusual and has a lot of movement.
I got the guidelines for this worksheet set from the Practice Guidelines Collection. That said, you can always freehand draw wavy guidelines. As long as the guidelines are roughly parallel, they’ll look orderly — but still playful!
I hope that today’s worksheet challenges you to step out of your comfort zone and provides you with a fun challenge! Happy (early) Halloween!
Warmly,
inspiration in your inbox
TPK’s innovative newsletters and tutorials are a regular artistic treat. Join the 125K+ subscribers who have already discovered The Postman’s Knock, and receive 10% off your first Digital Catalog order.
