Seven New Calligraphy Tips + A Weekend Giveaway

This is my second calligraphy tips post {you can read the first post here}, and I’m writing it because, well, I’m always learning new tips myself. I get new ideas from readers’ questions and comments, my own trial-and-error, and aha! moments that strike me at random. Since these tips make my life easier, it’s only fair that I pass them on to you. Whether you’re a beginner or someone who has been creating calligraphy for a long time, the recommendations in this blog post should come in handy!

Tip #1: Get a Rhodia Paper Pad

I was teaching a private calligraphy lesson last week, when my “student” Noel whipped out her Rhodia pad. I was initially dubious, then I  tried it out for myself. I immediately fell in love and ordered both an 8.25″ x 11″ pad and a 6″ x 8.25″ pad. You can order the pads lined or unlined; I prefer unlined because that way if you want to scan your work, you can. That said, guidelines could be great for practicing.

Now I feel slightly embarrassed that I was in the dark about the joy that is a Rhodia paper pad. In the past, I have recommended Strathmore 70 lb. paper to beginners and advanced calligraphers alike, and, while the Strathmore paper is great, nothing compares to the smoothness of the Rhodia paper. There are no fibers for your nib to catch on, and ink does not bleed! Once you’re done with your Strathmore paper, try one of the Rhodia pads … you’ll love one {or a couple}!

If you would like a chance at winning a Rhodia paper pad {along with a few other calligraphy goodies!}, check out this weekend’s TPK Facebook giveaway.

Tip #2: Add Gum Arabic to Ill-Behaving Ink

I know I’ve told you this tip before {in the Addressing Envelopes for an Event post}, but I’ve never actually gone in detail about how to add gum arabic. Let’s say you have an ink that’s driving you crazy: you put it on your paper, and it immediately spiderwebs/bleeds all over the place. Your first frustrated question may be “WHY is it doing that?!” The answer is your paper is too fibrous; and/or your ink is too runny. The photo below shows what can happen with an incompatible ink/paper pairing:

It’s important to remember that there are some inks that are formulated especially for fountain pens, which require thins ink to function {Noodler’s inks come to mind.} If you have purchased some of these inks and were not intending to use them for fountain pens, that’s perfectly fine: you can add gum arabic, and the inks will be suitable for your dip pen.

As far as the process of adding gum arabic, I would recommend putting some of your ill-behaving ink in a separate container. This is a good idea because gum arabic slightly affects the shelf life of your ink; eventually, the gum arabic in the ink will mold. Mold will take a while to develop {at least a year}, but it’s still something to keep in mind. Transferring ink is easier with a syringe — which I use — or a glass dropper; but you can use whatever tool you have at hand.

Once some of your ink is transferred to a new container, you’ll want to clean your syringe or eye dropper, and use it to add some liquid gum arabic to the transferred ink. I realize that “some” is a very vague adjective … but the amount needed varies depending on the ink. I would recommend starting with three drops of gum arabic, then test the ink. If it is still acting unruly, add a few more drops. Test again. If the ink still isn’t “there” yet, keep adding a couple of drops of gum arabic at a time until the ink stops running. For the Noodler’s purple to behave, I had to add about 1.5 TBSP of gum arabic.

Gum arabic solves ink problems because it’s a binder. It adds much-needed viscosity to inks that are too thin {fun fact: it’s also used in the making of watercolor paints}. You can see that the Kaitlin style envelope calligraphy below looks much cleaner than the first address photo I showed you. The ink does dry darker, but that’s because it sits on — rather than soaks into — the paper.

However, if even gum arabic is unable to come to the rescue {or is not available}, read on to the next tip!

Tip #3: Spray a Fixative on Impossible Paper

You may find yourself in a position where you have to use a certain type of paper or envelope, and it causes your ink to spiderweb all over the place. For example, perhaps you’re addressing envelopes for a bride who is in love with a very specific envelope. Or, maybe you are attempting to make calligraphed place cards for a dinner party, and the card stock you have chosen for the task simply won’t behave. For example, check out the calligraphy in the photo below. It is somewhat acceptable, but the letters’ edges aren’t as crisp and clear as they should be.

Before you throw up your hands in despair, I’d like to pass along a trick that TPK reader Sharon gave me: spray a final {not “workable”} fixative on the paper before writing. Spraying a fixative on the paper creates a non-absorbent layer on the paper’s surface. You can see that the Janet style calligraphy below — created on fixative-sprayed paper — is very smooth, and not “furry” on the letter edges like the original calligraphy.

Now, mind you, the fixative may slightly change the feel — but probably not the actual look — of your paper or envelope. Instead of the paper feeling super-smooth, you will notice a matte feeling. It’s still a good idea to spray the fixative on a “tester” piece of paper or envelope before you start your project, though. And, of course, remember to spray in a well-ventilated area. The fixative is great for your paper, but, unfortunately, not so great for your lungs!

Tip #4: Feel Free to Dilute Your Thick Inks

The past two tips have discussed problems related to runny ink, but sometimes you may find that your ink is too thick. For example, a few weeks ago, I ordered some Dr. Ph. Martin’s ink that arrived practically in solid form.

To rectify a situation like the one I faced, you’ll simply add water. How much depends on the ink; keep adding droplets of water and subsequently testing the ink, just as advised in the gum arabic tip above.

You can take comfort in the fact that if you add too much water, an easy fix is to leave the ink alone for a few hours with the lid off. The water will evaporate out, and you can resume tinkering with the ink’s viscosity! You may be wondering: How do I know if I add too much water? The answer to that is either A) you notice the ink isn’t as opaque as you want it to be; or B) the ink is too watery to play nice with your nib. Once you add the water, screw on the lid and shake your ink vigorously; the result will look something like this:

After mixing, you’re ready to write!

Tip #5: Try Crossing Your Letters in Two Parts for a Clean Look

The more I create calligraphy, the more I get annoyed if a little thing disrupts my otherwise scrupulous script. “Ink drag” certainly classifies as one of these annoying little things! Ink drag sometimes occurs when you make a downstroke, cross it while it’s still wet {as is only natural}, and you end up with a little bit of ink where it shouldn’t be.

Ink drag can be annoying because it makes calligraphy look less neat/clean than it could. To avoid ink drag, I make the cross in two parts for some letters, like “x”. First, I create the “body” of the “x”:

Then I cross the top of the “x” like so:

I then cross the bottom of the “x” separately.

The result is a cleanly-crossed letter.

This technique really only comes in handy for capital and lowercase “X”s as well as uppercase “Q”s {depending on how you are writing your “Q”}. You can generally cross letters across (for example, “t”s and “H”s} without fear of ink drag. For some reason, it seems to be a downward motion that encourages ink drag the most! Just something to remember.

Tip #6: Hold Your Oblique Pen Correctly

If you read the headline for this tip and thought, “Oblique pen?? What is an oblique pen?”, then you’ll want to read this blog post. If you have an oblique pen, you may be going, “Yeah, obviously, I try to follow this tip.”

As you probably know, my favorite oblique pens of all time are made by Rodger Mayeda. I love Rodger’s pens, but, more than that, I love Rodger’s philosophy, which is, essentially, “Do what works for you.” When first he saw videos of me using his oblique pen, he said, “I actually designed them so people could rest their thumb on the flange; but if you feel more comfortable writing like that, that’s fine!” Here’s how I was holding the pen at the time:

You can see that my thumb is not resting on the flange; instead, it’s gripping the body of the pen {and not touching the flange at all}. I wrote like this for a long time, but one day, I decided to try using the pen as Rodger had suggested. To accomplish this, I rested my thumb on the metal flange as shown in the two photos below:

It did, admittedly, make a big difference! I suddenly was able to exercise more control over my writing, and the pen felt strong and sturdy in my hand. This hand-positioning should, I believe, apply to any metal-flanged calligraphy pen. I know that Rodger’s Pen Box is only open the first day of every month, so if you’re looking for a list of substitute pens, scroll down to the bottom of the Lowdown on Calligraphy Nibs post.

Tip #7: Use a Layout Shortcut

If you are creating original calligraphy artwork, you’ll want to make sure you have a game plan when it comes to layout. The easiest way to do this is with scrap paper, an ordinary pen, a photo-editing program {such as Photoshop Elements}, and a light box. First, cut your scrap paper to the same size your final piece needs to be. I have cut my paper to 8″x10″. Use a regular pen to write on that piece of paper in the approximate style and size that you want your calligraphy letters to be. Don’t worry about centering or making sure your words are all on a perfectly straight line. For this example, I am using Kaitlin style calligraphy.

Once your calligraphy is all written, scan it into your computer, and use your photo editing program to arrange the lines so they are in the position you want them to be. Then, print out the re-arranged/centered lines. You can see my printout below:

Next, print out your Photoshopped draft and put it under the piece of paper you wish to write your calligraphy on. Trace over the draft with calligraphy.

Once you create calligraphy on the whole piece, you’re completely finished: no guidelines to erase, and no spacing mistakes that will warrant a re-do!

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Even if just one of these calligraphy tips helped you, this post has fulfilled its purpose! I hope that if you have questions — or additional tips! — you’ll feel free to comment. I’m always happy to answer any queries and/or learn new things! In the meantime, visit TPK on Facebook to enter this weekend’s giveaway if you’re interested in a Rhodia pad, a new pen + nib {Nikko G}, and ink.

Thanks so much for reading!

Warmly,

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