It was so hard at first, I almost gave up. I’m a lefty and though I am a hand-lettering artist, I never had much luck with getting calligraphy with a traditional pen to look like anything more than chicken scratch. And then I learned. Practicing that started to make using pressure to control my stroke become second nature. So I decided to give Modern Calligraphy another shot and it just clicked. I still practice a ton and I also still consider myself a beginner in learning this lovely art form, so this post will cover the very basis: supplies, basic strokes, and practice worksheets for letters with flourishes.

Supplies Let’s get started with what you’ll need to learn and practice. You don’t need the fanciest stuff to begin. These are fairly inexpensive but not so cheap that they don’t work. I’m a bigger believer in the value of purchasing quality art supplies! • – When I decided I wanted to learn Modern Calligraphy I bought this book. It’s wonderfully informative, has beautiful letter sample pages, and even has a ton of project ideas to make with your calligraphy. • – This pad is designed to work well with calligraphy pens inks.

• – You see me use this pad a lot in the videos I do. The little dots are perfect for keeping your lettering straight at the baseline yet slanted italic style. • – This is the set I started out with. My favorite nib in the set is the pointed 512. I find it easiest to work with as a beginner. • – They say the straight pen holder is better for lefties but I actually find the oblique much easier to work with.

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• – There are so many lovely inks you can use for calligraphy but this basic one is perfect for getting started. • – This helps prep your nibs so the ink coats them properly. I didn’t have it to start but invested in it recently and oh what a difference it makes! • – Pretty self-explanatory. This is for cleaning your nibs.

• – For playing with colored inks. Just plain fun!

Prep your Nibs New nibs are coated to keep them from rusting. Prep a new nib by running it through the flame of a candle very briefly or scrubbing it with a toothpaste and toothbrush. Rinse and dry it. Your ink should coat the nib smoothly if the nib is properly prepped. If it beads try running it through the flame of a candle very briefly or scrubbing it with a toothpaste and toothbrush once more. Dip it in the liquid gum arabic and gently wipe clean before dipping into your ink.

This helps the ink flow smoothly and prevent the nib from catching on the paper. It’s especially useful for thicker inks like the FineTec Metallic Mica Gold Paints I’ve used in some photos in this post. (I’ll touch on that in a coming post, but you apply it to the nib with a small paintbrush.) Let’s Practice! Start by getting the hang of basic strokes using pressure. There are three types of strokes to use for basic practice: • Diagonal strokes: Go up with light pressure for thin line and down with heavier pressure for thick lines • Loops: Practice using various pressure in a continuous motion to achieve loops as shown below. • Simple Flourishes: Again practice using various pressure in a continuous motion to achieve loops as shown below.