The Kaitlin style is fun and elegant, with plenty of contrast between upstrokes and downstrokes. Download worksheets to help you learn how to write in this style; and get ideas on how you can use it in this blog post!
You’ll have to forgive me for dropping the ball on posting this weekend; we have fallen victim to the Game of Thrones epidemic. Yesterday, all we did was lie in bed, eat mochi, and feed our newfound addiction via binge-watching. Needless to say, no work got done — but that’s okay because I’m making up for it today with a free calligraphy worksheet for you!
If you want to create a fun, whimsical calligraphy style, look no further than the Kaitlin. It’s a style I developed for a North Carolina client who wanted her letterpress invitations to have elegance and personality .
After I made her invitation suite, nothing could stop me from using Kaitlin style calligraphy in any project. I love using this style because it’s quick, doesn’t require measuring, and renders great results. The reason it doesn’t require measuring is you can overcorrect or undercorrect any letter angle and it will still look fantastic. If your calligraphed word seems to be going at a downward angle, just make the next letter go sharply upward and vice-versa.
Because the Kaitlin style is so light and free, there’s really no standard way to write every letter. You can make all the letters slightly different every time. However, this free calligraphy worksheet I developed will help you get the gist of it.
If you would like to delve deeper into how to create the Kaitlin style, you can purchase the Kaitlin Premium Worksheet Set for the cost of a latté. It is a 29-page worksheet set that will teach you everything you need to know to make gorgeous Kaitlin style calligraphy.
When I create Kaitlin style calligraphy, I use an oblique pen fitted with a Brause Extra Fine 66 nib. If you’re new to Kaitlin calligraphy, sumi ink is a great ink to begin with; but if wish to buy locally and can’t find sumi, India ink will make a fine substitute!
If you’ve never used an oblique calligraphy pen before, you will find this blog post helpful.
My favorite way to use the Kaitlin style is with all lowercase letters, especially when sending out written correspondence.
{If you want to learn how to create ombre watercolor calligraphy like this, visit my watercolor calligraphy tutorial; if you want this printable henna envelope, you can find it here.}
However, I have used it on many wedding materials as well; generally, on wedding materials, I don’t do just lowercase. It is well suited for ceremonies with bohemian elegance, like these invitations for an intimate California wedding:
Once you master this style, the sky is the limit! Use it on place cards for an impromptu dinner party, practice it in your sketchbook, or use it to address envelopes. You can find the free Kaitlin style calligraphy worksheet here; you’ll notice there are two files to download. The first has capital letters and an explanation of upstrokes and downstrokes, and the second has lowercase letters, numbers, and a couple of words. The premium set is available here.
If you don’t hear from me in a while, I’ll wager it has something to do with Game of Thrones. Luckily, you’ve got this worksheet to practice with until my next tutorial!
Thanks so much for reading,
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