Calligraphy doesn’t always need to be serious! This project encourages you to relax, experiment, and enjoy the process.
When it comes to calligraphy, sometimes it’s nice to let go of perfect slants and precise strokes. Crayon calligraphy is all about play: layering colors, adding flourishes, and watching your letters come alive in unexpected ways. It’s a playful, no-pressure way to practice calligraphy … and a lovely excuse to slow down and enjoy the season.
For this tutorial, I chose to create my crayon calligraphy quote in a massive sketchbook. (The pointed pen snags on this particular sketchbook’s cottony pages, so it’s a perfect candidate for crayon calligraphy.) That said, you can create crayon calligraphy on virtually any piece of light-colored paper. So, pull out a sketchbook, a piece of printer paper, or even a standard notebook. Anything works!
Once you’ve got your paper ready to go, here are the other supplies you’ll need:
Now, use your yellow-orange crayon to write a short quote in script. Be sure to make expansive letters so you can draw in downstrokes later. Don’t bother with pencil guidelines; this is loose, just-for-fun writing!
Now, use the faux calligraphy technique (as covered in Lesson 1 of the new Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course) to make downstrokes.
If the piece looks a little sparse, use some flourishes to flesh it out. Give them some faux calligraphy downstrokes as well.
Finish up this step by coloring in all of your downstrokes with that same yellow-orange crayon. Go over upstrokes, too, to make them more opaque and robust.
Now, grab your red-orange crayon. Use it to draw directly over the calligraphy you just created with the yellow-orange crayon, working your way about 75% up every letter or flourish. The goal is for the top of each letter to have a tidy amount of yellow-orange on top. If the colors don’t blend nicely where the red-orange ends, don’t fret; we’ll address that later.
As you color, you’ll notice that this step is pretty smooth. A toothy paper surface eats a crayon quickly (like my nub of a yellow-orange crayon from the previous step); but drawing directly over wax crayon is pretty easy.
Now, use your brick red crayon to draw directly over the letters. Stop about halfway up, such that the bottom half of each letter or stroke is red.
For letters like “p”, “y”, and “g”, you’ll make all of the descender red.
Next, use your brown crayon to draw over the bottom 25%(-ish) of every stroke.
Exercise good judgment here, and be flexible depending on what will add balance to the piece. Notice, for example, that I used brown in two places on the “g”. The first brown occurs in the descender, and the second is in the flourish above the word.
Remember how I said not to worry about abrupt color transitions? That’s because in this step, you’re going to use your yellow crayon to draw over every single stroke. Its lighter pigment blends and unifies, softening the transitions.
Once you’ve used your yellow on the strokes, you can use an orange colored pencil to smooth out stroke edges. This is an optional step that arguably makes this “crayon/colored pencil calligraphy”, but it goes a long way in making the quote look cleaner.
Once you’re finished, step back and admire your work! Then, if you need a couple more flourishes here and there, feel free to add them in. It’s all about making a colorful, expressive piece that speaks to you.
As you create, remember that this project is more about play than perfection. The gentle repetition and color blending make for a calming, almost meditative experience—with a cool finished piece as the bonus reward. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of it:
This crayon calligraphy tutorial is as much about enjoying yourself as it is about learning. You can think of it as low-stakes practice with high-reward results. If you’re taking the Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course, consider it bonus homework that feels more like play. And even if you’re not, it’s still an excellent way to sharpen your eye and loosen your hand! Have fun, and don’t hesitate to post your crayon calligraphy adventures on the TPK Discord. I’m excited to see your quotes and color schemes. 🙂
Warmly,
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