It has been 2 weeks of learning calligraphy, and I am loving every second of it! I purchased a basic calligraphy set on Amazon that came with three different sized pens. I did not realize at first that they were different, so I started with the fine tipped pen. I found this pen to be challenging to use and could not quite figure out to make my lines bolder. On my second day of practicing however, I noticed the small “F” denoting fine, and decided to switch to the one marked “B” for bold. I found this pen much easier to handle and the ink to flow better.
started by watching this video to get a hang of holding the pen. I will admit, I thought that it was a pointless exercise to practice holding and doing small pen strokes, however I realized quickly how wrong I was. Without proper pen technique it was almost impossible for me to have my lines turn out properly. I ended up spending a whole day working on holding the pen and making thin or thick lines. Once I got the hang of the pen I started trying letters using the guide provided on the Julie Blanner blog. I enjoyed being able to see the letters and trying to recreate them myself. I also appreciated the fact that I could print out the alphabet that she used and try tracing them to get the hang of making the letters. On the right you can see my first few letters using Julie's alphabet. I did have a few issues with getting too much ink on the paper as well. I did not expect the ink to flow so much!
The issue I ran into however, was trying to connect my letters. This was not addressed in the original learning sources I had found. I was so proud of each letter I created, however once I tried spelling out whole words, my letters would become either too close together or would look more like the first few letters I had drawn. Since my goal is to be able to write short cards in calligraphy, this would not do! I found a forum online that described how to hold the pen when creating letters and this helped me immensely. The descriptions of how to hold the pen really clicked for me, as I am better at learning through reading, rather than seeing someone do a task.
My goal in the coming week is to work on my capital letters along with improving my ability to write words. I am getting the hang of the lowercase so I am almost ready for the challenge! While my sources so far have been helpful, I know that I will need to continue finding more to support my journey in learning calligraphy!
My goal in the coming week is to work on my capital letters along with improving my ability to write words. I am getting the hang of the lowercase so I am almost ready for the challenge! While my sources so far have been helpful, I know that I will need to continue finding more to support my journey in learning calligraphy!