How to Create Beautiful Calligraphy You Will Need
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HOW TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL CALLIGRAPHY YOU WILL NEED... a ruler or set square permanent ink nibbed drawing pen gouache paint paper sticky tape tissues a couple of old cloths or towels water a flat-edged paintbrush chisel-tip pencils black marker SETTING UP your tools should be tape your paper to the work on a slanted desk within easy reach desk for extra stability or a table if possible give yourself plenty of room to work don’t keep your ink right next to your paper! If you knock it over, you’ll make sure you’re spoil your work comfortable PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT 45° hold your pencils at a tape two pencils Keeping the pencils steady, 45° angle - the tips together with start making some marks. of your pencils are like sticky tape Try some zig-zags or curves the nib of your pen FILLING YOUR PEN never dip your pen directly using your brush, paint a you’re ready to start some into the ink pot horizontal stripe of ink or calligraphy! gouache paint across the pen’s nib BEFORE YOU BEGIN... put on some old clothes - make sure you’re sitting cover your lap with some calligraphy can be messy! comfortably - try not to slouch old towels or cloths - ink can stain your clothes PREPARING YOUR PAPER 2 4 5 3 1 4 1 DRAW YOUR BASELINE 3 DRAW THE X-HEIGHT 5 DRAW THE Find this line by aligning your ruler A typical italic typeface is about CAP-HEIGHT lengthways across the top of your 4-5 nib heights tall. Using your nib Cap height is the height of the paper. Then, with your pencil, draw ladder, measure 4-5 nib heights capitals in your calligraphy. along the bottom of the ruler. This is and draw a line with your ruler to It is a line between the ascender your baseline. form the x-height line. Label this and x-height line. with your pencil. 2 CREATE A NIB LADDER 4 DRAW THE ASCENDER WARNING A nib ladder is a good way to form a If you’re drawing your nib ladder & DESCENDER with your nib pen, wait for it to dry guide for measuring the size and From your x-height, measure 4-5 before drawing your baseline, height of your calligraphy letters. nib heights above and below and ascender and descender lines. If Put your pen parallel to your draw a line with your ruler. The line you draw these lines while the ink baseline and make a square using above your x-height is your is wet, your work will smudge! the tip of your pen and a short ascender line, while the one below stroke. Then, starting at the very is your descender line. edge of your first square, draw a We recommend using a black second square the same size and chisel-tip marker before using your height as your first. Continue in this nib pen until you get comfortable. way until you have formed a diagonal line of 10 squares. SOME LETTERS TO GET YOU STARTED Hold your pen at a 30° angle for this alphabet This curve is tighter than 2 2 the O and C 2 3 1 1 1 Imagine two ovals stacked on top of 3 each other 3 1 2 go back to the like an I except 2 1 top and extend taller and with add a cross 1 the tail no serif draw the serif bar 2 2 go back to the top 4 3 1 2 3 2 draw the serif 1 1 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 1 2 3 4 4 2 1 3 1 2 2 1 3 3 4 3 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 2 4 3 2 draw this letter with a 45° angle draw this letter with a 45° angle 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 3 2 4 draw this letter with a 40° angle 2 go back to the 1 top and extend the tail 1 moo.com.