Join me as I introduce the “labyrinth” calligraphy drills sheet, a project that emerged from my quest for relaxation (and a solution!) during a busy book deadline. Today, I’ll explain the benefits of both the basic and premium versions, designed to improve your pen control and provide a soothing, meditative exercise.
“I need a vacation,” I keep thinking. But the materials for my upcoming calligraphy book due in a couple of weeks, travel isn’t an option right now. To stay relaxed and centered, I’ve been focusing on exercise and bite-sized, meditative projects. Today’s beautifully designed “labyrinth” calligraphy drills sheet fits the bill perfectly, and I hope you’ll enjoy filling it out as much as I loved designing it.
This morning, I was brainstorming ways to fill up a page with calligraphy in an eye-catching and satisfying way. There’s a big, blank chapter opener illustration I need to create, and I want a significant part of that illustration to be filled with gorgeous flourishes and doodles! However, every time I put my pen to paper, my freestyle flourishes looked disjointed and a bit juvenile—not worthy of a beautiful book. Then, it occurred to me: if I divided my flourishes into shapes, the overall effect would be much better.
After a few hours of drawing shapes and filling them in, I was rewarded with an ornate and satisfying concept draft to send to my editorial team. The process was so pleasant that I had no idea so much time had passed! That’s when I knew that I had to make a worksheet for you, so you could experience the same sense of relaxation and accomplishment.
The Labyrinth Calligraphy Drills worksheet comes in two versions: basic and premium. The basic option only includes the labyrinth shapes. It’s up to you to come up with the loops and swirls that are necessary to fill it in.
The premium version of the worksheet features traceable dashed guidelines, start dots, and directional arrows where necessary. It provides clear guidance, allowing you to focus on perfecting your strokes instead of figuring out where to start or how to navigate the design. This structured approach ensures that you make the most of your practice time, building confidence and skill with every line you trace.
My advice? Start with the premium worksheet. Once you’ve got the hang of how to fill it in, see how you do using your own designs to breathe life into the basic worksheet. You can choose which worksheet you wish to download by clicking the button below:
It’s important to print any worksheet on high-quality, pointed pen-friendly paper (I like 32# HP Premium laserjet – affiliate link). That way, your ink won’t feather or bleed as you’re writing. While you can use any nib/pen/ink combination that suits you, I prefer to go with a thin ink like iron gall and a flexible nib like the Brause EF66. If you’re right-handed, you may find that writing with your nib in an oblique pen makes the experience more pleasant.
If you’re a lefty, try starting at the top right corner of the worksheet. Continue to work your way to the left and down. Right-handed calligraphers should start at the top left corner and work their way to the right and down.
As far as frequency goes, repetition is key. Remember: the worksheet is a PDF, so you can print it out as many times as you want to! It isn’t a bad idea to dedicate one practice session to filling out the worksheet in its entirety. Then, in subsequent practice sessions, you can fill out four portions or so as a warmup. After a week or so of doing that, you’ll have filled out an entire additional page!
Whether you opt for the basic or the premium version of the Labyrinth worksheet, I hope you find it as calming and rewarding as I do. Enjoy the process, and may it bring you both relaxation and progress in your calligraphy journey.
Warmly,
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon
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