The beauty of calligraphy flourishing lies in its spontaneity and the unique, often surprising, paths your creativity can take. Today, I’ve got a real-time flourishing video for you and resources to help you learn how to flourish, too!
I’ve always been a huge fan of calligraphy flourishing because it embodies the spirit of creative freedom. You begin with an unembellished word or phrase and then you just play, letting your imagination and the rhythm of the pen guide you. As you add loops, swirls, and embellishments, the word transforms into something artistic and expressive.
To me, the other cool aspect of flourishing is how meditative it can be. When you focus on creating intricate loops and swirls, it’s difficult not to relax. This process is not just about creating beautiful art; it’s also a form of mindfulness practice that allows you to retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
A couple of weeks ago, a TPK customer purchased a gift certificate for her daughter, Katinka, and I calligraphed an envelope for it. At that time, it was the height of the holiday frenzy, and I welcomed the opportunity to make a relaxing project. I thought you might like to see my process, so I filmed it from start to finish. Yes, it took me a whole thirty minutes to write one name (I know, I know); but it was a thirty minutes that helped to rejuvenate me in the midst of the “holidaze”.
While you’ll pick up some layout and flourishing tips from the video, I hope that the main thing you glean is how much the journey matters in calligraphy. Calligraphy is as much about the experience and the pleasure you get from making it as it is about the final outcome. It’s a whole thing: the planning, the experimentation, and solving problems, and it demands your focus in the best of ways. Next time you take on a calligraphy project, remember that it’s okay to get lost in what you’re doing and fuss over it a bit.
While the video above is more of a stream of consciousness calligraphy flourishing creation video, there are plenty of focused tutorials on TPK that provide specific instructions. They include:
In the How to Make the Perfect Name-Only Envelope for a Card tutorial, you’ll learn how to make guidelines, plan a draft, and add optional gold enhancements to make an eye-catching and pretty name-only flourished envelope.
Note: If you’re interested in seeing more examples of name-only envelope calligraphy, see 10 Examples of Name Calligraphy on Envelopes.
If you’re new to the world of calligraphy flourishing, take heart: “flourishing” sounds deceptively technical. In reality, flourishing is really just “doodling: calligraphy edition”. In Pointed Pen Calligraphy Flourishing for Beginners + Free Worksheet, you’ll find a beginner’s guide to flourishing and a free worksheet with helpful exercises.
The beginner+ or intermediate flourisher will appreciate the Making Fabulous Calligraphy Flourishes article and the worksheet that comes with it. The article also includes numerous inspirational examples to help spark inspiration!
The three tutorials listed above were the first that came to my mind, but there are several additional flourishing resources available on the TPK site. To peruse them, click the button below:
If you want a structured approach to honing your flourishing skills, consider enrolling in Flourish With Me, an on-demand online course. In the course, you’ll learn how to create professional-looking flourishes through a pencil draft process, skills for self-critique, and technical writing tips.
I hope that you enjoyed today’s video and the additional flourishing resources. If they inspire you to whip out your pen and start making lovely loops at a leisurely pace, I’ve done my job. Thanks so much for reading, and happy creating!
Warmly,
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