Calligraphy allows for endless creativity and a great technique to add flair and personality to your lettering is "bounce." Bounce calligraphy introduces a rhythmic, dynamic flow to your writing that makes it visually captivating. In this step-by-step guide, we'll explore the art of creating calligraphy with bounce. Bouncing calligraphy involves variations in the baseline to give your letters a dynamic feeling. Bounce calligraphy thrives on being imperfect, and in its simplest form, you simply stretch letters that have straight downstrokes to make them longer than they would normally be. Letters with a circular form are shrunk to become smaller than normal, like in an a, c, g, o, d, or q. This formula is the starting point, but it can hit a stumbling block when a word has lots of circular letters at one end as shirking all of them would create calligraphy that looks off balance. Here are some methods to try that will allow you to bounce, while keeping balance within your work: Calligraphy Bounce Method #1 - The Wavy Line Letters in an alphabet follow a common baseline, an imaginary horizontal line that the letters rest upon (excluding descenders that reach below). The baseline ensures uniformity and helps maintain consistency. The waistline marks the top of the letters, (excluding ascenders that reach above) and these two guidelines usually run parallel to each other. In the Wavy Line Method, rather than drawing the baseline and waistline straight, draw them with a wavy line. Making them different from each other will give the best results, but both need to be wavy. As you write, vary the height of the letters so that they reach the wavy guides. This will mean increasing the height of some letters and reducing others, with the ascenders and descenders not confined by the wavy guidelines. Feeling comfortable stretching and shrinking your letters in this way will allow you to become far more fluid in your calligraphy bouncing. The calligraphy becomes bouncy as it reaches to make contact with the guidelines. Calligraphy Bounce Method #2 - The String of Beads or The Kebab Stick! For this method, think of your calligraphy as having a string or a stick through its middle. Draw a straight guideline and make all the letters make contact with it. You can drop descenders low, and reach ascenders up high, but every letter must have the guideline running through their middle. Think of different-sized pieces of meat and veg all being held together on a skewer, or different-sized beads making up a necklace. Use a straight line that travels through the middle of your calligraphy. Draw the shapes that are like pieces of meat, or beads (depending on the metaphor you prefer) at different sizes to help you. The calligraphy bounces, but because of the central guideline, it remains balanced. Calligraphy Bounce Method #3 - A Family of Letters For the final method, decide on an oval shape and draw a few. They can be slightly bigger and smaller than each other, and bob up and down in a row. Use these ovals as the guide for where to put each letter of the word you're writing, taking care to still connect the letters with a thin stroke. This method gives you more freedom to experiment with bounce in your calligraphy and helps you see the letters as shapes that can contort and change to bring life to your lettering. Don't be Afraid! With all these methods, use them to take your calligraphy as far as you can. Don't be afraid to make ugly calligraphy while you push yourself out of your comfort zone. Doing that will allow you to see what works, and how far you can take things, to help you discover a bounce in your calligraphy that works for you. Compare Results and Make Notes As you work on this technique and try these different methods, keep notes to remind you of what you liked and what worked best for you. The examples used in this blog are courtesy of Jane Walker who attended our Calligraphy Retreat weekend. We focused on ways to create a calligraphy style of your own and these bouncing exercises were part of that. We loved her examples and hope that they've helped you to apply bounce to your calligraphy. For more info on the calligraphy retreats that we run, click here. Here is a worksheet to help you to practice bouncing your calligraphy.

Combine the aesthetics of calligraphy with simple drawings using the pressure and release technique. Practicing calligraphy is essential, but thinking of what to write can often draw a blank! How about incorporating seasonal doodles into your calligraphy practice? This can add a delightful touch to your work and will still build up your pen control and muscle memory (the ability to reproduce a particular movement without conscious thought, acquired as a result of frequent repetition of that movement.) In this blog, I will show you how we went about creating the seasonal doodles template that was sent to our newsletter subscribers this October. It's a fun and such a simple way to keep inspired. Seasonal doodles that capture the essence of each season, from the delicate blossoms of spring to the cozy mittens of winter can become part of you way getting to grips with calligraphy. Incorporating these seasonal elements into your calligraphy practice might seem odd as they aren't letters, but keep reading! Modern calligraphy relies on the thick and thin strokes of the pen giving different thicknesses of line. If you are using a pointed nib, brush pen or paint brush, this is achieved but pressing down more firmly when you are drawing a stroke that is coming downwards (towards your body) and lighter for those strokes that go upwards. Being able to do this change of pressure without thinking about it allows you to concentrate on designing your calligraphy, so practice needs to build this automatic response. Tip #1 - Apply pressure and release as you create your doodles Pencil some doodles out first, then as you work over them with your calligraphy pen or brush, press down to make a thicker downstroke, and go lightly when you move the pen up the page. This is how calligraphy is done and so even if what you're creating is a pattern or picture, by making them in this way you continue to build up your muscle memory. Tip #2 - Keep it Simple for Practice Drills Keep your drawings simple, your focus is on controlling the pressure of the pen or brush, so don't make it difficult by creating very detailed designs. Embrace the seasons, let your creativity flow, and watch your calligraphy projects bloom like the flowers in spring, shine like the summer sun, rustle like autumn leaves, and glisten like winter snowflakes. Tip #3 - Collect Inspiration Pinterest, Instagram, and nature walks can be excellent sources of inspiration. Begin a sketch book of seasonal doodles, practice different styles, shapes, and sizes until you find a style you enjoy doing. Integrate calligraphy to create seasonally themed greeting cards, invitations, or even wall art. Tip #4 - Experiment with Colours Use seasonally appropriate colours to enhance the overall theme. Coloured inks, metallic paints, or gouache can be used with a nib or paint brush. If you're using brush pens, pick a few shades that work together and blend them in your work. Tip #5 - Trace your Ideas So that you can re-use a doodle that you really like, trace it by using a light-pad. They come in different sizes and are such a useful tool as they shine light up through the paper, allowing you to see what is under the sheet you're working on to use it as a guide. Digital tools can help you practice calligraphy, so if you have an IPad Pro, an Apple Pencil and Procreate App you can trace drawings by applying layers. Download the Autumn Template for your own Calligraphy Practice This doodle design is one of the monthly templates that we send the our subscribers. If you weren't subscribed then you can click here to download your own copy and do share what you create on social (credit us please!). Click here to Download the Template If you would like more ideas and motivation, then please do subscribe to our monthly newsletter at the bottom of the page. Happy Doodling! Maisie

We know how frustrating it can be to spend all your time on your calligraphy, and then when you want to share your work, the colours look wrong, or the image is blurry and distorted. In this post we will outline simple steps that you can take to help your calligraphy look its best in your photographs. No special apps are required beyond the default photo adjustments available on Android and iOS. 1 Find a good source of light. Placing your piece in natural daylight will make the biggest difference to almost every aspect of the photography process, including the colour accuracy. Take the piece outside to photograph it, avoiding the glare of direct sunlight and any reflections from branches, or you and the phone leaning over it. If you can’t go outside, place your work next to an open door, or window to act as your light source. Turn off any lights in the room, and stand directly over or in-front of your piece to take the shot. Photographing your piece lit by household bulbs indoors will prevent the camera capturing all the different colours in your piece. 2 Avoid Shadows & Reflections. The aim is to light the entire piece evenly. Shoot directly in-front or above the piece and check for any shadows being cast. If there are shadows, move around so that they aren't falling onto the work. Don't be tempted to use flash, strong light can reflect, which will result in a glare in the photo. 3 Photograph before Framing. If you are shooting a framed picture, the glass will reflect you and anything else in front of it. Having the layer of glass there will also obscure details of your artwork, so it is much better to do your photography before framing. If that's no possible, hold the phone far enough away to avoid being seen in the reflection, and check that nothing else has been caught in the glass. Include more of the surroundings around the piece by shooting from further away, then trim away the outer edges the photo in the edit tool. If you want to show the piece in a frame, hung in situ, take the glass out for the photo and replace it once you've got the shot. Turn your screen brightness all the way up, that way you won’t be compensating for a dim display when you make your edits later. Below shows a framed piece being shot from above, and then cropped in the edit. 4. Avoid Skewing the Perspective. It's easy to skew the photo and distort the perspective of a piece of work, especially when you are busy trying to avoid shadows! Having the perspective wrong can mean your piece looks contorted and not at all how it is in reality. The key is making sure the angle of your piece and the angle of your phone are the same. If you’ve laid your piece on the floor and you’re shooting down onto it, there’s built-in help on your iPhone to make sure you’re aligned. Go into your Settings, then Camera and turn Grid function on. These steps are for an iPhone, (but most smartphones will have a similar function). With this function on, when you look down at the image, two crosses appear in the centre of your phone display. Move the phone until just one yellow cross shows – you’re now level so take the shot. As long as you have managed to take the shot from above, or from directly in front of the piece, you can edit the position later. Make sure your paper edges line up with the edges of your phone screen as much as possible. Edit the photo by using the crop tool, the phone allows you to turn, and alter the perspective, as well as cut away unwanted edges. 5. Crop. When you’re promoting your work, you want to put out a professional looking image, even if you’re sharing it with friends. Using the ‘crop tool’ to crop and frame your picture to avoid the distraction of the background. To remove the background, go to the edit tool, line the edge of your crop with the sides of your piece. My feet, and the box that the piece is leaning on all need to be removed so that the calligraphy can be the only focus. 6 Create a Situation! Sometimes, include some background in your final shot can help, showing a sense of scale, or works in progress. Be mindful of what’s showing, and that is doesn't distract the eye. How about the inks or the pens you used to create the piece? When doing this, keep the surface wall or floor behind neutral. This can also help when a straight-on shot doesn't 'show-off' the texture of the paper, the shimmer of the ink, or other nuances in your work. For this, take care not to obscure your work, but bring the other objects close to the piece, so that the amount of area around the work is kept to a minimum. A detail shot can give a better feeling of a piece and can be taken from the side, so shadows are easier to avoid. Still keep in mind that the light needs to be natural if at all possible, and as even across the work as you can get it. Choose the part you want to focus on, and tap the phones screen at that point. It will then know to get that section sharp, allowing things further away to fade, giving a nice sense of depth of field. I hope that helps you to take fantastic photographs of all your calligraphy, and we look forward to seeing it on social media very soon. Best wishes Kirsten

In the past calligraphy was perceived to be guarded by elitists, insisting it must take years to learn and perfect your skills which of course put most of us off picking up a pen. The Victorians admired medieval Manuscripts such as The Lindisfarne Gospels, but misunderstood how the letterforms were created. When trying to emulate the alphabets they would draw an outline, and then fill it in. It was Edward Johnston OBE who realised the manuscripts were made using a broad edged nib which created the contrast between thick and thin strokes in single movements. His influence on typography and calligraphy today is undisputed, his book Writing & Illuminating, & Lettering (1906), contained clear and practical information on writing procedures as well as aesthetics kick-starting a revival in the art of traditional calligraphy. The formal styles they championed, focus on forming each letter to be identical to the next. This uniformity was admired in the past but now that a computer can do a successful version of this in a fraction of the time, a shift has taken place. The digital age has given rise to greater awareness about design and much easier access to amazing ideas and styles. There’s a renaissance in calligraphy right now, due in part to the new hybrid style now known as ‘modern calligraphy’. The old ways Traditional calligraphy that you see in ancient documents in museums was made with a broad edge nib (a nib with a wide, flat end instead of a point). This is held at a consistent angle to create the thick and thin strokes. The key to modern calligraphy however is that it’s written with a pointed nib, rather than a broad edge nib. This means that the nib comes to a sharp point and you make thick and thin lines by pressing harder and softer as you go up and down. It is also called a ‘dip pen’, as you dip your pointed pen into ink. As the nib has a point, it can be used by anyone, right-handed or left-handed. Re-employed to create a chic, informal style of work, the pointed nib was originally used for Copperplate calligraphy, a 'flourishy' formal style. The modern calligrapher, has adopted this tool and thrown away the formal rules and added their own personality to their work, to develop a much more accessible way of working. Today’s version of calligraphy doesn’t follow the strict rules that govern traditional calligraphy. The lettering still needs to be balanced, but each letter doesn’t have to be identical every time it's written, it is about learning to play with the rules. It doesn’t matter if your handwriting is terrible or you’re not artistic. The fun thing is that it doesn’t need to be perfect; it’s the imperfections that make it so human, and that is the appeal. Immersing yourself in what you are creating affords the perfect escape. When you do calligraphy you get so absorbed in what you’re doing that you can forget about everything else. The focus of the mind on the rhythm of the pen as you make the letter-strokes, helps free up “mind space”. When concentrating on the shape of the letterform, making the pen work, and remembering to spell the words you are writing correctly, all other thoughts are pushed from your mind. That is why calligraphy is so good for relaxing. How to begin Decide how you would be most comfortable learning, either face to face at a local calligraphy class near you, a virtual class live-streamed, or you might prefer a pre-recorded class, so that you can stop/start and fit learning around your other commitments. Little and often is the best way to improve, 10 minutes a day. Really think about your technique and what you are doing, so that you eliminate bad habits and make small adjustments so that your style and flow improve. Drills are the repetitive practice required to learn the art of beautiful and expressive calligraphy. These conscious marks build the automatic response to press harder on the downstroke and lighter when moving the pen upwards. They’re a good way to do this, and when you can’t think what to write, make patterns with the nib so that you learn to control it and understand how to get the best from it. Beginners tend to grip the pen tightly as they may be nervous, but this can make you wobble, so as you gain the confidence to loosen your grip and relax, you will achieve better results. If you find it hard to write because of limited movement or pain, then adapting the pen holder with a gripper can help. Work slowly and focus on each stroke and you will start to build up the muscle memory that will help your calligraphy improve and become more consistent. You don’t need many tools or much space, so this is an inexpensive hobby. This tactile perception is a huge part of learning calligraphy, working with our hands results in an experience that doesn’t end with the mental process; calligraphy is tactile, creativity and rewarding. Sitting down to write can be considered similar to meditation, calligraphy requires you to slow down which allows you to create a space of self-care and let your mind unwind. As technology pushes us to go faster, lifestyle and wellness trends focus on listening to the need for balance, self-recognition, living in harmony with oneself and the environment and so calligraphy is being seen as part of this, a practice of well-being. All the gear Writing instruments that you might have thought had disappeared into the mists of time are reappearing, being embraced by an increasingly wide audience. Here’s my guide for what to buy to begin. Pointed Nibs There are hundreds of them and you can try them all once you have learned the basics. To begin with, I recommend a Leonardt 30 nib, it’s perfect for beginners as it’s easy to use, and is flexible enough to give you great contrast of line. We have a few that we use in workshops, but for a larger selection try the sites below. https://www.blotspens.co.uk https://scribblers.co.uk Brush Pens If you’re nervous to try a nib and ink, you can get similar results with a ‘brush pen’. With their flexible tip, they react in a similar way to a pointed nib. The Pentel Fude Touch brush pen is lovely to use and writes to the scale of a nib. https://www.themoderncalligraphyco.com https://www.cultpens.com Papers Rhodia pads are the perfect paper for calligraphy, their smooth surface allows the nib to flow across the page without the ink feathering or seeping through. moderncalligraphyCo.com Inks Visit L. Cornelissen & Son for an array of inks and pigments. In the heart of London, it is a stone’s throw from The British Museum. https://www.cornelissen.com Our website has a small selection of supplies that are specially made or stocked as they are tried and tested by us, so beginners can buy with confidence. https://www.themoderncalligraphyco.com Attend a Workshop Having a tutor show you exactly where to make minor adjustments to their angles and positioning can make all the difference to picking calligraphy up quickly. Most teachers will do demonstrations so that you can watch them and see what to do firsthand. Learning together means you can chat about your lettering and get inspiration from each other, so it can be a great way of making new friends. Buy a Book There is an array of books available teaching calligraphy, whether you learn directly from them or use these as a reinforcement of what you have learned in a class, they will offer you ideas for ways of practicing and projects to apply your new skills. Use Social Media Instagram is a fantastic platform for sharing your own calligraphic work. Photograph your calligraphy and show your results or simply browse what others are doing to get ideas and inspiration. Pinterest also has all sorts of ideas, free downloads, and tutorials to help and inspire you. Learn Online If you prefer to learn from home there are live-streamed calligraphy workshops or pre-recorded workshops available online. With the kit being sent to your home this is an easy way to get everything you need in one go, then at the specified date and time, by logging onto Zoom, you can learn without leaving the living room! Theres a thriving online community of calligraphy enthusiasts that has developed online and now that Covid restrictions are beginning to ease, hopefully, these online communities will be able to migrate to face-to-face meetings. There are calligraphy groups on Facebook that give feedback to each other and we run a calligraphy club that you can join that has weekly zoom sessions, worksheets to download as well as fun forums and challenges. It’s subscription based and will keep you motivated and learning month on month. https://the-modern-calligraphy-club.mn.co We hope this has helped you decide on where and how you would like to start learning calligraphy. The term 'modern' encompasses calligraphy created using a pointed nib, a paintbrush, or a brush pen. Pointed nib calligraphy is the best place to start. You learn the processes that are fundamental to all modern calligraphy, but because the nib forces you to go slowly it is a good place to begin. The nib keeps you working slowly and with focus. Once you understand the basic principle, begin to experiment with brush pens. Just like a nib, the thick and thin lines which make calligraphy distinctive are made by changing the pressure applied. Handy for when you are on the go as there’s no need to carry inks or water, the brush pen is wonderfully convenient. If you would prefer trying a more formal style? From Blackletter to swirling Copperplate scripts, calligraphy comes in all shapes and sizes so whether you want to look back into the history of lettering or play with new emerging styles it’s so wonderful to put pen to paper and use our hands again to write beautiful things. Click here to see what dates are coming up for workshops in Copperplate calligraphy.

The ampersand represents the word and. It is actually a ligature (two characters combined) an e and t from the Latin word et, meaning “and”. With many variations, there are two main ways of writing the ampersand: the traditional version (&), and the style that looks more like an E or an et. Once the ampersand was accepted as a single character, it evolved into a more flowing design. Most fonts include an ampersand, but how do you write one in calligraphy? Introducing the Snowman Method! In our weekly Instagram Challenges that we call #calligraphywriteoff Maisie and I tried to make a good-looking ampersand. If you want to watch, you can see all these challenges on Insta TV (click the image above to link to our channel. Maisie taught me this simple method, and you can see it underneath my attempt here. With two circles pencilled in, one on top of the other, there is the framework to create a beautiful '&'! Start with the tail, cutting across the bottom circle (the snowman's body!) Follow the loop around the top circle, bringing the line down to form the bottom part and back up. Finish with a flourish why not?! It's simple when you know how. Now you know this trick, you can play with the size of your circles. You don't have to draw the pencil circles every time, just have it in mind when you work as just by imagining this will help you to form a balanced and elegant ampersand. In the challenge, Maisie used a nib, and I used a paintbrush. The formula is the same, you want the thick part of the line to be to the side of the form, not hanging at the bottom. If this all seems too confusing opt for the version that looks like the letter E and a T or et. For a calligrapher, this is a much easier shape to make. A curly capital E and then extend the flourish at the end to hit at the crossbar of a letter t. Play around with the shapes and find one that suits the style you are working with, and we hope this has helped you to form beautiful ampersands forevermore. Join us next time for another #calligraphywriteoff or become a member of our calligraphy community where we run challenges and calligraphy projects like this every month. For Calligraphy Club info click here. Kirsten & Maisie

We are living through extraordinary times. Times that call for greater emotional connection through empathy and kindness. Each day we hear of the loss of loved ones to coronavirus, of our selfless NHS staff working around the clock to save lives under the most extreme conditions, and of the intense loneliness and isolation that people of all ages are experiencing. As I write, here in the UK we’re in our third lockdown. For so many, this time forces us to be apart from those we love, from family support, from friendships that nurture us, from the comfort of a simple hug we may not have felt for months. But there are small (yet significant) things we can do to show the love and solidarity we feel for what others are going through. To know that someone has empathy with your situation can be of such great comfort. Thanks to the postal service we’re still able to reach people the old fashioned way, so why not pop something special in the mail and let them know you care? Perhaps you know a medical key worker who is feeling the immense weight of responsibility during this time? Perhaps a teacher doing their best to support children via a computer screen? Perhaps it is a parent trying to juggle work and family all under one roof, or a friend or family member you miss dearly… Whoever it is, your thoughts and effort to make contact - if only from a distance - will make a positive difference to their day. Whether it’s a handwritten letter, a card or perhaps a piece of uplifting art, there’s so much we can do to show someone we’re thinking of them. If you’re looking for creative inspiration, feel free to visit our beginner series blog pages or even join one of our live online workshops! Here at The Modern Calligraphy Company, we offer a range of Empathy cards which are perfect for sending to someone you care about. This range was inspired by my personal experience with cancer. First diagnosed with breast cancer aged 30, I have fought the disease three times, the last being in 2015. I was lucky that each time the cancer hadn't spread further, so with the help of chemo, radiotherapy and numerous operations, I am now in remission. What struck me was that every time I was battling the disease, I noticed that friends who were genuinely concerned and wanted to help, sometimes struggled to express their thoughts or feelings. As a result, they often ended up saying nothing and seemed to disappear from my life. As a greetings card designer for the last eighteen years, I took inspiration from my own experiences and decided to fill the gap. Of course, there are already sympathy and get well soon cards, but not much for empathy - to let someone know you’re there, that your thoughts are with them, even if you’re not quite sure what to say. I hope you like the cards – they have been created with great love and the hope that anyone currently finding life a struggle will find their path a little less lonely.

Creating greeting cards and phrases using calligraphy is fun and a great way to get some practice in too! You can download the worksheets here and warm up with a lowercase alphabet, and follow some simple design ideas. Add your own twist to them by mixing inks, or using different pens for each letter. In my YouTube video that goes with this blog, I use a soft pencil as well as a nib & brush pen. Soft pencils are marked with the letter B, we usually write with an HB pencil, so find one that is softer - 3B or 4B. The softer pencils will give you a contrast between the downstrokes where you are pushing heavily and the light upstrokes. Small brush pens like the Pental touch brush pen and my Sailor pen’s small brush create letters to the scale of a nib. If you use the large brush of the Sailor or any other larger brush pen, the letters will not only be bigger but thicker too. Visit our Amazon Page for all these pens. If you do choose to try calligraphy with the pencil, you do need to apply quite a bit of force to give the downstroke it's weight. You aren’t able to get the same thickness that you can with the nib or brush pen, but a pencil makes it a great tool when you are learning as you need to be very deliberate when you change of the pressure you apply. This will help you to reproduce these movements without conscious thought, which is referred to as muscle memory. Muscle memory is acquired as a result of frequent repetition of the movement, so the more you do these simple alphabet drills, the sooner you will change the pressure without even thinking about it. Making the thick downstrokes is easier with a brush pen, tip the pen slightly to the side so that the flexible brush like end is pushed to the paper surface. With a brush pen it is the delicate upstrokes that are the challenge. Keeping them fine and consistent is difficult, I use my fingers nearest the paper to steady my hand to help make these fine strokes. Just as with the nib, I make the change of pressure very gradually when I need to make a curved shape, using those fingers to help lift the pen to its tip smoothly. I am careful about the release or increase of pressure so that the thick part is always to the side of the letters, never dropping to the bottom or continuing over the top of an arch. There's more on this in our book Secrets of Modern Calligraphy and join me on Instagram for lots of tips and tricks to help you improve your lettering skills. Remember to move the paper, so that it is comfortable for you to write. Slide it upwards as you get to the bottom, and keep thinking about that smooth sensation for the downstroke. When using a nib, the tines need to hit the paper equally so they can open easily. Hold it flat with your other hand, mine keeps crumpling up because I am trying to keep my other hand out of the way so you can see what I am doing in the video. Get the position of the paper right, I keep saying this because it so important. Everything depends on it! Modern calligraphy doesn’t require you to make every letter identical. Instead, we can play with their shapes the suit our design. Why not mix capital letters and lowercase within a word? This more playful way of working with words allows you to choose the SHAPE that works best for what you are doing, so you might decide a lowercase t is best to begin your THANK YOU card, but the shape of the capital H looks more dramatic than the lowercase. Modern calligraphy enjoys playing with the shapes of the letters to make a pattern with words, you can experiment. To really go to town with this you could try substituting one of the letters for a doodle of a similar shape like I’ve done here. Make the doodle a similar enough shape to the letter it's replacing so that the word can still be read. Keep the pressure and release happening when you work over the heart shape because if you treat your drawing in the same way as your lettering, they will fit in perfectly with the design. Another way to add interest to a design is by swapping the tool you are writing with, or the colour of each letter. Try using some coloured inks and dip from one colour to the other for a blended effect. Put both coloured inks near, open, so that you can dip easily into them. Once the first ink has stopped flowing, rather than returning to get more of that colour, go to the other ink and dip into that. There will be a tiny deposit, which will if you do this a lot will change the colour slightly, so if that will annoy you, pour a little of each of the colours into smaller pots so your main ink isn’t altered. You need to get back to what you have written quickly so that the inks blend together, because for them to do that they both need to still be wet. The colour gradually changes as you write and I love this effect. We have some lovely inks that we have developed to blend well with each other. If you'd like to buy them then click here or visit our shop page. I hope that taking the first step into calligraphy has inspired to carry on and that you have enjoy the worksheets & are eager to take your skills further. Until next time, happy lettering Kirsten Worksheet Download

If you have watched the YouTube tutorials so far, you now know how to use your nib and ink, and how to form the shapes that make up the alphabet. In my video I show you exactly where to move your page, when to move your wrist and where to use the shapes we worked on last time. If you missed the previous tutorial, you can watch it here. If you would like to work along with me you download the worksheets, print them off and follow the YouTube video that goes with this blog. Worksheet Download You need to use a pointed nib, or any other tool that has a point with some flexibility to it. A brush pen, or even a soft pencil such as a 2B will work. Traditional nibs that have a flat end won't work, as the way you make the contrast of line is done in a different way. Modern calligraphy is about self-expression, so the letters I teach are just a starting point. You don't have to make your style the same as this, by using this simple style I am able to show you where the thick downstrokes go, where you would make the stroke thinner, and why you might alter the thickness in some places. Understanding the foundations of where to put the 'weight' of the letter means that you can move forward with your calligraphy. Knowing the basic principles allows you to practice, getting it right. When you do this it does become an automatic response, you will instinctively push when you are forming a downstroke, your transitions will be smooth and in the right places, and you will always go gently when there's an upstroke. So print off the worksheets and watch number 5 in my Beginner Series of Calligraphy Tutorials where I show you how to form the uppercase letters. When you come to the end of a letter, avoid the temptation of flicking the last stroke. Calligraphy is about control, so flicks can make your lettering look scruffy. Whether you're using a nib or a brush pen, make the final stroke of every word as delicate and considered as you can to give your lettering a refined look. I will look forward to seeing you next time where I will show you how to make the lowercase alphabet and how to blend colours in your calligraphy. Worksheet Download Happy Lettering! Kirsten

Usually, around this time we will be handing out templates to all our workshop students with a Father's Day theme. As we aren't able to do that this year, we thought we would do something a little different. That's why we are sharing with you this fun calligraphy piece, especially for the best dad ever. You can choose to print off our coloured and completed version and add your names around that. Or, print the black and white version so that you can use it to trace from, to create your very own version. Download the complete version HERE and the traceable template HERE. Having the home peppered with quotes of love, particularly when the artwork was done by you or your kids is the perfect way to lift spirits and remind everyone how much love there is in your family.

The letters of the alphabet are a selection of shapes. That’s why we are beginning by learning how to make these shapes with a nib. Drills Drills teach you how to make your pen move from thick lines, to thin and back again. This repetition means that you will gain muscle memory. This is when you automatically do something, in the case of calligraphy it is when you no longer need to think about the pressure and release of the nib, it becomes an automatic response. Transition A fancy word for changing the amount of pressure between an upstroke and a downstroke. By going slowly and changing the pressure gradually, you get a smooth transition. Making loops is a great way to work on getting smooth transitions. Keep releasing and re-applying the amount you push your pen down. Don’t feel you have to keep the pen on the paper, calligraphy is different from writing in this way. Lift your nib off to review what you’ve done and where you’re going next, and to dip into more ink of course. Alphabets are Shapes Thinking of the letters in a calligraphic alphabet as different shapes that require different pressure will help you to slow down, and to create each part of the letter with care. You are designing the alphabet, so think of calligraphy as drawing rather than writing. The Ups and Downs Downstrokes, upstrokes, across strokes, diagonals, arches and ovals. Notice that the thick downstroke moves to a different side of the oval, depending on when the downward stroke is made. This is decided by how the letter is formed, and so where you are working downwards and making a thick stroke. Doodle! Not all calligraphy practice has to be letters or strokes. Try doodles using your nib, keeping the change of pressure consistent. Always heavy downward and light when going up. Transitions gradual and slow. All these rules remain the same whether you're forming letters, doodles or drawing illustrations. You can watch all of this here, and if you need a beginners calligraphy set, follow the link here. Hop over to our YouTube channel for a free downloadable alphabet guide. Happy Lettering! Kirsten

Modern calligraphy is easy to learn and all you need is a pen holder, nib, paper and ink. Once you have got your basic calligraphy tools, you need to know how to use them. ♥ Pen holder ♥ Calligraphy ink ♥ Nibs ♥ Paper If you're unsure which ones to buy, visit blog Beginner Series Part 1 Find a flat clean surface and a comfy chair in a bright spot - calligraphy is easier if you’re relaxed and can see what you’re doing! Assembling your Pen Slide the nib into the holder, the curved side of the nib fits snuggly outside of the metal ‘petals’. If it won’t go in, move around the edge of the holder pushing the nib down, until you find the place where it slides in. You may have to push quite firmly, so use something to protect your fingers. It can hurt! Your pointed nib is made up of two split pieces of metal which fit perfectly together. These are called the ‘tines’. The tines lead to a small hole called a ‘vent’, where the ink sits. If you twist the nib the ink can’t release and it will feel scratchy. The vent needs to be facing up, and the tines need to hit the paper equally. Paper Position For your pen to be able to work properly you need to have your page turned 40˚ from your body. The position of your paper is critical. Turn it 40 degrees anti-clockwise (clock-wise for left handers) Pointed nibs are symmetrical, which means you can still use them if you are left-handed. Position your arm perpendicular to the bottom edge of your paper. When you are making your downward, thick lines, your pen holder, nib and fore arm should all be aligned. Hold the pen gently, trying not to grip it too tightly. Sit up straight and relax your shoulders, then rest the palm of your hand gently on the table so that your arm can move easily back and forth. Paper to Practice on. When you are practicing or working up ideas, try Rhodia pads which have a smooth paper that handles most inks. The paper is slightly see-through which allows you to trace designs and perfect them. For the video that accompanies this series, I used Daler Rowney FW acrylic ink onto a card that we buy for making templates to go into our calligraphy kits. We tested lots of different inks with lots of papers and the truth is one paper or card probably won’t work with every ink out there. Paper for Special Work. However a good bet is a smooth watercolor paper, a bristol board or my favorite is Fabriano 'Hot Pressed', which means it's the one with a smooth surface - as it takes most inks well and is lovely to work onto. All these things are in our Amazon shop so that you can see everything I recommend in one place. Ink The first time you use a new nib, it needs burnishing for it to work. You only need to do it the first time you use that nib. If you aren't sure, pop over to this blog in the beginner series or the YouTube video that shows you how. Dip your pen into the ink as far as the vent, then dab off any excess by gently touching the nib on the side of your ink pot. Don’t dip it in so deep that the pen holder is submerged, as getting liquid, ink or water in the pen holder will cause the metal ‘petals’ to rust. When you dip into the ink, it will coat the nib. If you don’t remove the glaze, the ink won’t cling to the nib in this way and you won’t be able to write with it. Now you know how you use these 4 things you need to do calligraphy. So join me for the next beginner’s series tutorial, where we will take this knowledge and form the letters of the alphabet. We post all kinds of helpful calligraphy videos so visit our YouTube channel and watch the video that goes with this blog. Happy Lettering! Kirsten

We suggest solutions to the most common calligraphy problems. When you are starting there are a few things that can trip you up, so let us let you into the tricks of the trade. With these tips, you will be able to enjoy creating calligraphy and spending time calm and relaxed, not frustrated and cross!! 1 What to do if your nib just won't work. For beginners, it is best to opt for a nib that isn't too flexible. A sturdy nib will help you get to grips with when to apply pressure and will hold more ink so that you can write for longer before dipping into your ink. Avoid traditional broad-edged nibs, those are for a different style of calligraphy. Good Starter nibs are Nikko G; Zebra G; Leonardt 30; Leonardt 265 which are all listed on our Amazon shop. Alternatively, you could buy our calligraphy set which has 2 of these nibs in it, plus a Principle Nib which is great for smaller lettering. 2 Your Pen Holder has cracked Avoid leaving your pen to soak in water, doing this will rust the nib as well as the inside part of the pen holder. If your pen holder is wooden, it may also cause it to crack and split. Instead, wipe the ink off the nib with a damp cloth once you've finished working. 3 The ink won't flow and the nib is scratchy. Your pointed nib is made up of two split pieces of metal which fit perfectly together. These are called the ‘tines’. The tines lead to a small hole called a ‘vent’, where the ink sits, ready to flow down your nib when you apply pressure. Begin by touching the tip of the nib down on the paper. The vent needs to be facing up, and the tines need to hit the paper equally. If you twist the nib the ink can’t release and it will feel scratchy. Move your paper so that there is a right angle between your arm and the bottom of the page. Check that the tines can open up easily. The sensation of the downstroke is a smooth one, so keep adjusting until it is. Hold the pen at an angle of 30 degrees from the paper. If you hold it too upright, you will have issues with the nib catching on the paper and the ink won’t be able to flow. Hold the pen gently, trying not to grip it tightly. 4 There's no contrast between the up and down stroke thicknesses. This could be caused by the nib having picked up paper fibres which are sitting on the point of the nib. Remove them with a damp cloth and try again. It could also be that your ink is dehydrated and so is too thick. Add a drop of water with a pipette if you have one. An alternative is to add Ox Gual in the same way, a drop at a time and then test. This won't cause any feathering, which water might. 5 The ink keeps bleeding into the paper. This is what I meant when I mentioned feathering - both terms mean the same thing. If this is happening you can try adding Gum Arabic to the ink this thickens it which will stop the colour spreading into the fibres of the paper. 6 My calligraphy is wobbly. Oddly when we try and control the pen, we grip it tightly. Instead, loosen your grip so that the nib can move across the paper, bearly touching the surface for the upstrokes. Doing that will reduce the wobbles. Check the position of the pen to the paper too. 7 The ink only works on the downstrokes. When a letter begins with an upstroke the ink won't always release from the nib. When this happens, bounce the nib gently on the spot or touch the tip onto a wet cloth. This will coax the ink out. 8 The ink won't stay on the nib. All nibs have a glaze on them, so if you use the nib without removing it the ink can't hold onto its surface and so you won't be able to pick up enough ink for it so flow. Hold the nib over a flame for a second or two, as if you were sterilising a needle or rub some toothpaste on it to remove the coating. 9 I'm always smudging my work. Particularly for left-handers, this problem. You can resolve it by using a piece of paper under the pad of your hand. In the case of left-handed underwriters, it can also help remind you to keep your hand under your calligraphy. Pointed nibs are symmetrical, which means you can still use them if you are left-handed. If you are an under-writer then keep your wrist straight when you write and you will be able to work in the same way as a right-hander. The only difference is that you will need to turn your page clockwise so that the pen is in the correct position to be able to open. Over-writers, you need to bend your wrist over the paper, start at the bottom of the letter and go upwards. Experiment moving your paper around to find a position where the tines can open. How Often Should I Dip? This varies depending on the nib, paper and ink you use. At first, it can feel like ink is going everywhere. Controlling the ink flow is an important skill to get to grips with, practice makes perfect with this one. After a while, you will start to be able to tell when the ink is about to run out. Ink is dropping off the nib as I work and spoiling my work. Dip your pen into the ink as far as the vent, then dab off any excess by gently touching the nib on the side of your inkpot. Don’t dip it in so deep that the pen holder is submerged, as getting liquid, ink or water in the pen holder will cause the metal ‘petals’ to rust. 10 The nib is catching on the paper and flicking ink. When you are working on textured papers, having the nib catch and flick ink can ruin your work. Avoid it happening by dusting the papers surface with Gum Sandarac powder. Put the gum crystals into a fabric pouch and crunch them to release the powder. When you then tap the pouch on the paper, some of the finest particles are released onto it. They act by filling the surface and smoothing it out, making it easier to write on. My calligraphy looks scruffy. Don’t be tempted to flick your pen on the upstroke or flourish. Calligraphy is about control, so even the thin lines need to be careful and deliberate for a crisp look. I get frustrated when my work isn't as good as I'd like. Modern calligraphy is all about having fun with lettering. Try and enjoy the doing, your lettering will improve. Whenever we put pressure on the end result, our calligraphy suffers. We hope that you been able to grab a little time for yourself and let your worries wash away as you immerse yourself in the wonderful world of calligraphy. If you’d rather learn from the comfort of your own home, grab one of our kits and books- full of tips, tricks and easy to follow projects or take our online class. There is also our magazine called 'Modern Calligraphy & Lettering’ which is packed with fascinating features and inspirational galleries from the UK’s leading calligraphers. Or join me on YouTube where we publish regular tutorials to help you get the most from calligraphy. Anyone can do it, so just pick up a pen, relax and write! If you would like all the details of the products I mention in my video, head to our Amazon shop. The beautiful handmade paper I use in this video is handmade from cotton by Aurobindo. Happy Lettering! Kirsten