Beginning Calligraphy

 

This is an ongoing handout for when I teach beginning calligraphy, but I will try to keep it as up to date as possible.

 

Handout: .docx, .pdf

 

Ratio Lines for Practice: .docx, .pdf

(I suggest printing on 110# card stock for practice)

[heads up, I've been told these lines don't download well to tablets; it should be a full page of lines, not just a few dashes along the side --> the .pdf should fix this problem, but let me know if it doesn't]

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Note for Lefties: Read through this first, but know there is an extra step for you to take, though it is a small one and even righties need this step -- finding your angle! You don't always need lefty nibs if you are lefty. It all depends on how to get that 30-45 degree angle (which varies depending on the script but not within a hand). Don't contort your hand to fit the angle. Twist the page to fit your angle. My left hand is imprecisely mirrored to my right, so all I had to do to write lefty was to turn my page clockwise 90 degrees then my pen was magically at a 40-45 degree angle. Sometimes if you hook your hand, it's best to have the page upright and do the letters bottom to top instead of top to bottom, as long as you're "pulling" the pen instead of trying to push like cursive. Sometimes you write almost upright and the lefty nib gives you the exact angle adjustment you need. There is no "one size fits all" for lefty. The best bet is to order (or borrow) a little of everything and see what works best for you. And if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me and we can chat :)