• The New Janet Style Calligraphy Worksheet Set Has Arrived!

    This blog post serves as an introduction to the newest TPK printable calligraphy worksheet set! The set will teach you how to make Janet Style calligraphy, a Copperplate-inspired style that happens to be my personal favorite.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock

    In late 2014, I released the Janet Style Calligraphy Worksheet Set. While I love the set and the style, these past three years have taught me a lot about how people learn most effectively. Furthermore, as I have used Janet Style calligraphy over the years, I’ve tweaked letters here and there. I wanted to develop a worksheet update that reflected those tweaks!

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    This is the Stroke Reference Sheet from the new worksheet set. It breaks down how to create each Janet Style character!

    For the past few months, I have been working to ensure that this calligraphy worksheet is the very best that it can be! Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to the all new, vastly improved Janet Style Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set. It’s a fantastic set — my favorite yet — that will teach you how to create calligraphy with an elegant, vintage vibe.

    About Janet Style Calligraphy

    I developed Janet Style calligraphy in 2014 for a client named — you guessed it — Janet. She requested glamorous, traditional envelopes for her sophisticated wedding. I pored over several different versions of Copperplate alphabets to come up with my own twist!

    Janet Style Blue Envelope | The Postman's Knock
    This is an envelope from Janet’s original order. I used Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bombay Ink in “Blue” to create it.

    After Janet’s wedding, I found myself returning to this calligraphy style time and time again whenever I felt the urge to make beautiful calligraphy.

    Flourished Art Supplies Envelope | The Postman's Knock
    This decoupaged envelope was created with Bleed Proof White ink.

    As far as I’m concerned, Janet Style calligraphy exemplifies what we love about pointed pen calligraphy. It’s refined without being stuffy or unapproachable, and — most importantly — it’s fun to observe and to make.

    Walnut Ink Place Card | The Postman's Knock
    I create elegant walnut ink place cards like these for my calligraphy workshops!

    If I had to pick a favorite out of the five calligraphy styles on the TPK website, this one would be it. I love, love, love this style, and I feel so happy that its worksheet is now up to my 2017 standards!

    Features of the Janet Style Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set

    This calligraphy worksheet set includes three sections: the Core Worksheet, Intensive Alphabet Practice, and Intensive Word Practice. You can read exactly what is included in all three sections in the worksheet product description, but I’ll provide a brief overview here!

    1. Core Worksheet

    The Core Worksheet will teach you everything you need to know to get started. In it, you’ll begin with faux calligraphy (calligraphy created with a regular pen), then transition into using a dip pen.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    You’ll start learning Janet Style calligraphy with a regular pen. It’s a nice, familiar way to begin!

    Once you’ve mastered faux calligraphy (it can take between two days and two weeks), you’ll move on to dip pen calligraphy. First, you’ll start with letters.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    Once you master Janet Style faux calligraphy, you’ll move on to using a dip pen!

    Then, you’ll move on to words. There are 26 words from “Apple” to “Zephyr” so you can practice making letter connections! You’ll finish up with a page of tips detailing how to customize Janet Style calligraphy to make it into your own. My hope is that you’ll play with the letters and eventually form your very own calligraphy style!

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    The “How to Customize Janet Style Calligraphy” page will give you inspiration to personalize the style.

    2. Intensive Alphabet Practice

    People have different styles of learning, and many people (myself included) benefit from lots and lots of repetition. I designed the Intensive Alphabet Practice pages to help you master “problem letters”.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    If you are having trouble with a particular letter, the Intensive Alphabet Practice section will help a lot!

    Let’s say, for example, that you are experiencing a lot of frustration with the letter “B”. You can print off the “B” Intensive Alphabet Practice page, and repeat writing the “B” in the spaces provided.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    Intensive Alphabet Practice pages give you plenty of guided practice to build up muscle memory.

    Once you’re finished with the page, the letter “B” won’t be nearly as intimidating!

    3. Intensive Word Practice

    It can be tough to figure out how words interact, so the goal of the Intensive Word Practice packet is to help you practice connecting letters to form words.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    The Intensive Word Practice section is great for mastering letter connections!

    If you notice that you’re having trouble with double “f”s and double “e”s, you might print off the “Coffee” page. That way, you can practice writing “Coffee” over and over until you’re confident writing those letter combinations.

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock
    You can use any dip pen to fill out all the parts of the worksheet set. While I prefer an oblique pen, a straight pen is just as effective!

    Supply List

    To learn Janet Style calligraphy, you’ll need a few supplies. They are:

    If you’ve never used a dip pen before, read The Beginner’s Guide to Modern Calligraphy before you get started. It will teach you the basics like how to write with a dip pen! (Next year, I hope to add a video course to this worksheet set. For now, though, The Beginner’s Guide is a good place to start.)

    32# Laserjet Paper | The Postman's Knock
    I strongly encourage you to print out the worksheet on 32# laserjet paper. It’s smooth and high-quality; perfect for dip pen practice!

    Like all TPK calligraphy worksheet sets, the Janet Style is intended for printing at home. The very best paper to print this worksheet on is 32# laserjet paper! Note that you do not need a laserjet printer to print on laserjet paper.

    Other Things to Note

    First of all, there is a 2-page free, very basic version of the Janet Style calligraphy worksheet available. It is essentially an exemplar, and you can download it by clicking here.

    Free Janet Style Calligraphy Exemplar | The Postman's Knock
    There is also a free Janet Style alphabet exemplar available!

    As I promised in Tuesday’s blog post and on social media, if you own the previous version of the Janet Style Printable Calligraphy Worksheet, you have been “grandfathered” in to this new worksheet set. If that’s the case, you will receive an email with updated download links. If you don’t receive an email by Sunday, August 13th, please email me at [email protected]. You can also access the new set from your account (if you have one).

    Printable Calligraphy Worksheet Set (Janet Style) | The Postman's Knock

    Finally, I’d like to add that you should have the latest version of your PDF reader (the program that opens PDF files on your computer) to properly view the worksheet set. Many people use Adobe Reader, which you can download for free by clicking here. If you have an outdated PDF reader, you may experience printing issues or notice that there are some letters missing in the worksheet set!


    If you have any questions about this new worksheet set or Janet Style calligraphy, please feel free to comment! Otherwise, I sincerely hope that you enjoy this new learning tool. If you have any feedback (or notice any mistakes) as you are using it, I’d really appreciate hearing from you!

    Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks very much for reading TPK!

    Warmly,

    Lindsey's Signature | The Postman's Knock