How I Learned Calligraphy

A couple of days ago, I received a thought-provoking email from someone. In the email, I was asked: “When you first started doing calligraphy did you like how it looked? Did it take a while before you felt you were doing a good job and you liked how you did it? … I’m hoping if I practice enough I will get good at it – is there hope?!” I remember having the same questions — and you might, too. Since sometimes it’s just nice to read about how someone else achieved something, I thought maybe it would be fun for you to read about how I learned calligraphy, and the ups and downs along the way.

Motivations

First, I will touch on why I wanted to learn calligraphy in the first place.

In September of 2011, my now-husband, Hernán, and I moved from our college town of Lawrence, Kansas, to Boulder, Colorado. Hernán came here to pursue his PhD in Aerospace Engineering, and I came along because I had always wanted to live in Boulder with its cool vibe and close proximity to my family in western Kansas. Like moving anywhere, it was magical for the first few days, and then reality sunk in and I realized I missed my friends. So … I started writing letters to them.

Writing letters made me feel closer to my friends in Kansas, and I really enjoyed decorating cards and envelopes to send to them. At that time, though, I wasn’t necessarily trying to create calligraphy. I just liked drawing on envelopes.

The first year we lived in Boulder, I worked at a software company downtown. I wasn’t completely in love with the job, so when a coworker mentioned that she used to create calligraphy on wedding envelopes for extra pocket change, a lightbulb went off in my head. I liked making mail art, so why couldn’t I create calligraphy, too? And why couldn’t I make extra income from it? I knew nothing about calligraphy, but I looked at some photos of calligraphed envelopes on the internet and resolved to figure out how to make envelopes like the ones that people seemed to like.

How TPK Got Started

At the time, I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how to use a calligraphy pen. I had a straight plastic Speedball holder with some nibs that I didn’t know much about, and the pen was really difficult to use. I suppose I had assumed that when I first used the dip pen, I would have a calligraphy epiphany and be able to write like a pro. Sometimes that happens with new tools! Like: you buy something that totally changes the way you do things. Since this unfortunately was not the case, I stuck to what I knew: regular (gel or ballpoint) pens.

As far as I could tell from photos of envelopes on Google Image Search and Etsy, some parts of letters in calligraphy were fat, and others were thin. I now know, of course, that that’s because of pressure levels on the nib. I figured out the pattern, and offered envelopes with faux calligraphy in my Etsy shop (I didn’t have a website at that time).

For my very first commissioned envelope job, I had to figure out how to make white faux calligraphy. I went to Michael’s, purchased a few Sakura Gellyroll pens, and created the envelopes. I couldn’t have been more proud of my creation — and by some miracle it ended up on Style Me Pretty {photos below are from the SMP photoshoot}.

Now, thus far, I haven’t mentioned whether I actually liked my creations or not. I do remember being content with them. Sure, I knew there were better calligraphers out there {who actually knew how to use calligraphy pens}, but I was getting little commissions to do things with faux calligraphy, which was fun. I remember charging $15.00 for the Rumi quote below — and it took me three hours to make! That price was fair, though, because my skill level was still “getting there”. I did the best I could, and was always thrilled when people would request commissions! I even designed a few tattoos.

Progress

My commissions weren’t overwhelming, but I was getting better at calligraphy, and I progressively disliked my day job more and more. So, after a year of working at the software company, I turned in my notice; and Hernán and I planned out how I could create a business. Initially, my focus was on logo design for small businesses — so that’s mostly what I did, along with other design projects like creating invitations. I also had a steady stream of calligraphy commissions; mainly poems and wedding place cards like the ones below, which were always created with a Pilot G2 pen.

I’m not sure what the tipping point was, but eventually, I just thought to myself: “OK. I’ve got to figure this dip pen thing out.” A normal person would have Googled how to use it; but, of course, that would have been too easy. I sat down with the pen, and after a few hours of trial and error, I figured out that when the tines are spread, a thick downstroke is created, and when the tines of the nib go up, a thin upstroke results. I was really shaky at first, but after a couple of days and countless ink blobs, my style got a little bit better. You can see some before and after photos in this blog post.

At that point, I started noticing oblique pen holders, mainly in styled photos on Etsy. After I figured out what they were called, I ordered a plastic Speedball oblique from Amazon.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have started out with a metal-flanged oblique holder. But — the angle of the plastic oblique did make it easier for me to create calligraphy, and my calligraphy improved. At that point, a couple of brides approached me for help with their invitations. That put some pressure on me to make sure my calligraphy was decent.

At that time, I always wrote things out in pencil first — a grid plus the actual calligraphy — to ensure everything would turn out correctly. I also began experimenting with white ink.

Blogging

As I was learning more and more about calligraphy, I started to blog about it. I am so oblivious; I didn’t think anyone would be interested. But — with every blog post I wrote, I discovered that the case was quite the contrary. Plus, the more that I blogged about calligraphy, the more my skills improved. I was still using the plastic Speedball oblique, but I had finally gotten to a point where the pressure I put on the nib was intuitive. My calligraphy was less strained and more fun to make. I used calligraphy styles I knew I could create well on client materials; and I practiced styles I felt iffy about on personal correspondence. I had a lot of fun making some pretty neat materials for weddings!

I think I broke into making “real” calligraphy with Kaitlin Style. It’s a creative style — whimsical and modern — and doesn’t require a lot of concentration. Because of that, it proved very beginner-friendly for me. Later, I tried writing more formal styles with the plastic oblique, and I was pleased with the result.

It was at that point that I realized people have a genuine interest in calligraphy. That’s probably because everyone can write, and there’s always potential to improve on something that you already know how to do. I have noticed that calligraphy-related blog posts get more traffic than general art-related posts. Perhaps the reasoning behind that is calligraphy is perceived as being more useful in everyday life? I mean, you’re always going to need to write a thank-you note or a birthday card or what-have-you; and of course you want the envelope and note to look nice. Basically, it’s fun — and, compared to a large art project, easy — to create a beautifully calligraphed piece and send it out into the world.

About eight months ago, I started using metal-flanged oblique calligraphy pens. After a bit of a learning curve, they helped me to improve my skill significantly. Eventually, I was comfortable enough with my own calligraphy to make calligraphy worksheets for other people, and, ultimately, a video course for beginners.

Now, even as I work on projects for celebrities, publishing companies, and wedding planners, I believe there’s always room for inspiration and improvement. I can’t tell you how delighted I am when I find an Instagram account that inspires me (my latest obsession: @fpmmac); or when I discover a new calligraphy ink or nib.

The point of this blog post is to show you: I wasn’t always good at calligraphy. In fact, pretty recently, I wasn’t good at calligraphy! My exclusively-faux-calligraphy days were but two years ago — which, in the scheme of things, is a very short amount of time. And, here’s the thing: I don’t think it’s going to take you two years to figure out what it took me two years to figure out. More and more people are having conversations about calligraphy, especially online, and goodness knows I’ve failed if the TPK blog doesn’t help you in your calligraphy endeavors at least a little bit.

If you’re just beginning calligraphy, here are some great TPK blog posts to check out:

• The {Utter & Complete} Beginner’s Guide to Modern Calligraphy
• About Oblique Pen Holders
• The Ultimate DIY Modern Calligraphy Starter Kit
• Faux Calligraphy Tutorial

Just keep creating, and you’ll notice improvement. My advice is to keep it fun: send intricate, embellished envelopes to friends; volunteer to help with someone’s wedding; and make calligraphy quote art. The more you create calligraphy, the more you’ll be astonished at what you are actually capable of!

If you have any questions, you know where to find me. 🙂 Thanks again for reading TPK!

Warmest wishes,