Calligraphy For Beginners

Gothic Upper-case alphabet

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In this post, I have put together a simple project about how to write upper case Gothic style letters using a calligraphy pen. There are many variations of Gothic styles, and here is an example, shown in the YouTube clip.

As you can see, the letterforms have extra details added to enhance the appearance of the letters. I used a broad nibbled calligraphy pen, black ink and I drew some guidelines to keep the letters even. The letters were about 6 nib widths high.

5 Steps to Write Impressive Fancy Letters

Gothic Black Letters or Majuscule style letters are quite tall, normally they are taller than the ascenders. In this example, I have drawn diamond shapes using a broad nibbed pen within the letters, which are created by drawing short strokes using a broad nibbed calligraphy pen. They help to decorate the letters and make them appear grand. I have also drawn vertical thinner lines, decorations, flairs and flicks drawn within the letters. I held the pen nib at a constant 45 degree angle.

1) First, map your work out by drawing faint straight lines on some paper using a ruler and a hard nibbed sharp pencil

2) Draw the outline of your capital letters with a faint pencil for guidelines

3) Holding your broad nibbed calligraphy pen at a constant 45 degree angle, carefully draw the letters as illustrated in the clip and draw the ticks at the vertical edges of the letterforms

4) Holding your calligraphy pen nib vertically, draw the vertical thin lines as illustrated

5) Draw the diamond shapes carefully by keeping your calligraphy pen nib at a 45 degree angle and draw very short lines so they appear like diamond shapes. Draw them by the thin vertical lines within the letters

Gothic Upper-case Alphabet

Majuscule Letters in Gothic Calligraphy

Some letters are quite wide, such as the letters S, Z, H, A, and D. Other letterforms are based on the shape of the letter O. They are quite wide and fit within a square. These letters are O, Q, C, G, and T. Narrow letter are B, F, J, N, U, V, L and Y.

Simple Hints to Writing Gothic Letters

Use a broad nibbed calligraphy pen
Keep the nib angle at a constant and steady 45 degree angle
Draw guidelines with a fine pencil before writing the Gothic letters
Keep practicing until you are happy with your calligraphy writing

How to Draw Celtic Knots project 2

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For this project, I have drawn a simple Celticknot design, using some inexpensive art materials, some paper and a gold edging marker pen.

The Celtic Knot Shape

Celtic knots resemble interwoven ribbon designs, that go around forever and they can easily be incorporated into any calligraphy project or on a gift card. Celtic knots are commonly used in tattoo designs and printed on fabric.

My Celtic Knot Project 2

I started this project by drawing a Celtic knot by freehand, using a hard nibbed 2H pencil and layout paper. The materials I used were a black pen, some pencils for shading and a gold pen.

I first drew the outline of the Celtic knot in fine pencil, then I drew the outline with the black pen and then shaded the Celtic knot using a 2H and 2B pencil. The 2B pencil was used for the darker shading. You can use any medium for this project, such as charcoal or coloring pencils. You can get watercolor pencils from any art shop, and they are great for setting off some color to your artwork. You can dip the pencil in some water and apply the pencil to paper and this will give an appearance of watercolor paints.

When mapping out the Celtic knot shape, be mindful that you keep the ‘ribbon’ width consistent throughout.

A Simple Celtic Knot Design

Celtic Knots and Calligraphy

Celtic knots are used for ornamentation, monuments and manuscripts and were used extensively in the 8^thcentury Gospels and the Book of Kells. There are an endless variety of Celtic knot designs and they can look like basket weave knots or ribbons. Celtic knots can be used in all sorts of calligraphy projects and are a great way to introduce designs in any calligraphy work.

Celtic knots look complex and appealing but they are easy to draw and look great in any project, with introductions to color and shading to really set off your work. They are like plaits on paper and have an interlaced looking structure. They appear to have ropes crossing over each other, over and under, like ribbons, for ever.

I will be posting other Celtic knot designs so they can be introduced and used for other calligraphy projects. Celtic knots are relaxing and fun to draw.

I love Celtic knots because they are quite simple to draw, but the look beautiful and sets off any artwork really well.

My Easter Calligraphy Projects

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For this project, I have created a couple of Easter time creations. The first one is a simple Easter card that I written in calligraphy using red ink a fine calligraphy pen and a small nib. I used a basic calligraphy style. I also drew a cross using a fine black biro. I first traced out an outline before drawing the cross.

Easter, also known as Resurrection Sunday, is one of the most important religious date in the Christian calendar. Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and his body was taken from the cross and placed in a tomb and on the third day, he rose again. The week leading up to Easter is called Holy Week. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter Day and Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter day. Easter holidays are enjoyed by many and is a good time to have a go at some Easter art.

A Simple Easter Project for Easter Cards

For this Easter project, I have created a couple of Easter creations. The first one is a simple Easter card that I written in calligraphy using red ink, a fine calligraphy pen and a small nib. I used a basic calligraphy style. I also drew a cross using a fine black biro. I first traced out an outline before drawing the cross. To do this, I used some plain paper, a hard nibbed pencil, such as a 2H, and a black pen. For the ‘Easter time’ lettering, I used a broader nibbed calligraphy nib and ink. For the cross, I simply mapped out a picture of the cross and drew it with black ink.

Many people celebrate Easter by giving chocolate Easter eggs or other gifts, but many would rather give out an Easter card during this time. Easter is also associated with Easter chickens, or the Easter Bunny. The Easter Chicken are associated with Easter because this came from Pagan days, when they were a sign of New Life. Later on, the Christians took this meaning as a symbol of remembering the Resurrection of Jesus and a New Life. Decorated eggs came from an older culture, where eggs were colored red to signify the blood of Christ at his crucifixion. This tradition was adopted by Christianity. The painted eggs are now replaced by chocolate eggs.

Other Easter Designs

There are many ideas that you can use for Easter, such as painting a picture of an Easter egg, an Easter Bunny, some daffodils or a religious theme. Yellow is associated with Easter, and this color is related with the spring and longer days.

Designs for Easter Holidays

Other Colors of Easter for your Designs

There are other colors you can use for your designs in Easter time, such as Red, which represents the blood of Christ, Gold, which is associated with celebration and richness, and white, which represents purity.

Pilot Parallel Pens

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For this project, I used a Pilot Parallel Pen, 2.4mm nib size and green cartridges. There are an assortment of cartridges in the pack and it makes for great color choices. You can create a gradient of colors by touching one nib with another one of a different color and this will create a gradual change of color as you write, which make some beautiful effects.

Calligraphy Is Fun

Parallel Pen Nib Sizes

The Pilot Parallel pen comes in four nib sizes, which are 0.5mm, 2.4mm, 3.8mm and the broadest being 6.0mm. The colors available are black, blue, green, red, yellow and purple. The great thing about these pens is that you can create very fine lines by holding the pen sideways so the nib is vertical.

The Pilot Parallel pens nibs are sharper than conventional fountain pens. The nibs consists of two parallel plates, which help to hold the ink and they also have sharp corners so the writing appears cleaner, sharper and crisp, and the writing more impressive. The parallel plate is a unique design, and you can achieve sharper, smoother and neater calligraphy handwriting, better than conventional calligraphy pens. The ink flow is excellent and you can pick the pen up again after months of not being used, and the ink will flow easily as if it were only used yesterday. There is a converter in the pack, which is used to clean and flush the pen out after use or for ink refill. The pack has a shim, which is used to clean the nib between the plates.

Paper For Pilot Parallel Pens

The paper I used was A4 sized sketch paper, which was of a high quality 130gsm white cartridge paper. However, I found that the paper could not cope with the amount of ink used on the paper. The ink started to soak in the ink and started to bleed and became feathery. This was rather disappointing but I do like the colors. For this project, I also used a fine nibbed conventional fountain pen and deep red ink.

I was excited with the new pens, but it is important to be mindful of the quality of paper used. If feel that hot pressed paper of a higher quality is better for these pens because of the amount of ink that comes out of the nibs. These pens can use a lot of ink, so it may be a cheaper alternative to keep the ink cartridges and refill them with good quality ink, but be careful when choosing ink as some may clog the pen.

Writing a Menu

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Step by Step Writing a Menu

Mapping out a menu is a great way to practice calligraphy and laying out your work. It is a simple project that is productive and also fun to do. You can use this technique for writing menus on chalkboard.

For this project, I wrote a menu by mapping out the menu layout first, using a faint pencil and a ruler.

1. I mapped out my work using a hard nibbed pencil and a ruler. I drew straight lines and marked out the centre of the paper by dividing the paper width measurement into two and drew a line in the centre of the paper. I used a set square to ensure the measurements are straight and at a right angle.

2. I mapped out the letterings by first of all by counting each letter and letter-spacing of each line. I then divided the total number of letters / letter-spacings into two and worked out the letter or letter-spacing that is central.

3. I write this central letter or letter-spacing on the central vertical line drawn on the paper, and then I carefully map out the other letters before and after this central letter to ensure the sentences are central to the paper. I write the letters from the centre, outwards.

4. I mapped out all the letters carefully, using a faint pencil as guidelines before writing the letters with a calligraphy pen.

5. In the example shown, I used black and red ink and a fine nibbed calligraphy pen

6. I introduced some swirls, using a broader nibbed calligraphy pen

7. I always remember to check the spelling!

Other Hints and Tips

Don’t forget to check your calligraphy pen nib size so the letterings are not too big or small, and fits comfortably onto the page.

Writing menus are a fun way of practising how to layout your work and practice centring the letterings.

How to Practise Writing Menus

You can make up your own menu design and practice writing the layout of your menu on some stiff card or fancy paper. You can also introduce some swirls, patterns or even some Celtic knots to customise your menu. You can draw some frames or margins to exemplify your work. It is special to make your own home-made custom menus and you can give it that individual and unique touch.

Putting Color into Menus

Why not introduce some pastel shading, watercolors or color to your design with pencils, or even draw some illustrations of food to enhance your menu.

Writing A List In Calligraphy

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Finding every opportunity to practising to write in a calligraphy style is a great way to keep your skill alive and refining your technique. You can find lots of opportunities to do this, for example, when writing out notes, writing a shopping list, a menu, a task list, even doing a crossword puzzle or Arrow Words! Anything that needs handwriting can be written in a calligraphy style. You will find that your calligraphy will look better with time and it will become second nature and you may also find that you can write calligraphy faster than before.

In the example shown below, is an example of how you can use calligraphy in everyday situations, such as a simple shopping list.

The YouTube clip shown illustrates how to write a short shopping list written in Gothic style, using black ink and a broad nibbed calligraphy pen. Of course, if you are in a rush, then it is not practical to do this. I used a Manuscript calligraphy pen and the nib size used was a 4B or 2.8, which is one of the broader sized nib. You can write out a list of anything you like, such as a grocery list, things to do or other lists in general.

A collage of calligraphy writing

Keep Practising Calligraphy for a Professional Look

Writing gift cards, Christmas cards, birthday cards, festive events and any other special occasional cards, are a great way to practice gorgeous handwriting. Writing a letter for a special occasion, and writing on an envelope with beautiful styles is a lovely and creative personal touch for that someone special. Writing calligraphy is very relaxing if you know how and writing a list is a great start in practising calligraphy styles but it is important to enjoy it too.

Mother's Day Cards

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Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday has been celebrated for many years around the world, and the tradition originated from North America. It is a celebration of motherhood and family bonds. In the UK, Mother’s Day moves ever year, usually around the spring time. Families traditionally invite families around for Mother’s Day and treat their mothers with gifts, days out, chocolates and cards. In the US, Mothering Sunday is a national holiday and is a celebration of the importance of mothers.

In the UK, this day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in Lent and the dates are not fixed. Celebrating Mother’s Day came earlier than in the USA and England was the first country to celebrate Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day cake is traditionally a Simnel Cake, which is an almond cake.

How to Write a Mother’s Day Card Using a Calligraphy Pen

Here is an example of how to write a Mother’s day card using a broad nibbed calligraphy pen, black ink and writing in Gothic style. I used black ink cartridges and a Manuscript calligraphy pen. The broad nib size used was a 4B or 2.8. When writing on card, be careful to choose a card that is not too shiny or rough, as this will affect your calligraphy work. Shiny card will make the ink smudge and run and rough surfaces will make your nib snag and will affect your calligraphy work. Before writing your card, think of a short and simple poem or think about what you’d like to write in the card. Draw some faint pencil lines with a ruler for guidelines before you write in your card.

YouTube Clip of How to Write in Calligraphy

This video clip gives an example of how to write out a Mother’s Day card using a Gothic style, but you can choose another style, such as Italic or Cursive. You can draw patterns or swirls to set your work off nicely and introduce some colors to create some stunning designs. You can also use fancy calligraphy writing for gift tags too.

Practice your writing on a scrap bit of paper before writing in the Mother’s Day card, and make sure your work is evenly spaced and pleasing to the eye.

You can use calligraphy writing for other gift cards too, such as Birthday cards, Valentines cards or Christmas cards too. Calligraphy can be used in so many ways, is versatile and is fun to do.

Happy Birthday

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People all over the world celebrate the anniversary of their birth with gifts, cards, a birthday cake and a party with friends and family.

Notable birthdays and ‘coming of age’ is traditionally the 16^th birthday, (sweet sixteen) celebrated in the US and Canada, 18^th birthdays and 21^st birthdays.

The Birthday Song

Around the mid nineteenth century, a kindergarten in Kentucky used the song ‘Good Morning to All’ and it was presented by Mildred and Patty Hill, who were sisters. They later changed the lyrics to ‘Happy Birthday’. This song is still commonly used today all over the world in different cultures.

How to Write Birthday Messages Using Gothic Calligraphy

Have you ever wanted to make your own personalised designs for gift cards, tags or labels? Here, in this example is how to write ‘Happy Birthday’ in beautiful calligraphy handwriting. Shown in this tutorial, is a way to write in beautiful writing for gift cards, banners and birthday cards to impress your family and friends.

How Do I Write a Birthday Message in Beautiful Writing?

Shown in the YouTube clip, is a simple tutorial of how to write a message in calligraphy. I have used black ink cartridges and a wide sized calligraphy pen. The broad nib size used was a 4B or 2.8, and the pen was a Manuscript calligraphy pen

I introduced some simple swirly patterns to enhance the Gothic style calligraphy work.

It is very easy and simple to make you work look impressive and it just takes a little practice. You can create a template to use again and again, and it takes little time to design one.

You start by choosing which calligraphy writing you would like to use. Then you map out your work carefully, using a pencil and ruler. Once you have planned your work, you can start practising with your chosen style. You can use some subtle color to offset the letters, introducing gold or pastel colors to enrich your work.

How Do I Write Beautiful Writing On A Birthday Cake?

The picture shown below, can be used as a template to write pipe letters, using buttercream, Royal Icing or melted chocolate on top of a birthday cake with the style used in this example. You can use freestyle and your imagination to create your own cake decoration using calligraphy styles for your birthday cake. It is best to use a pipe bag with a fine tip. Practice on some grease proof paper before attempting to write on the birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Message Written in Gothic Style

How To Make Labels For Jars and Containers

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To create personalised fancy labels for jam jars, sweet jars or other containers, you can use simple, but effective designs. You can vary the layout by using different mediums and nib sizes to create beautiful patterns for boarders. Make sure your lettering is central by mapping out your labels using a faint hard nibbed pencil and using a ruler to work out the centre line of your label. For small labels, use a finer nibbed pen and simple and legible lettering styles.

Label For Loose Leaf Tea

How to Produce Labels for a Tea Box or Tea Caddy

This simple project shown below, is an idea for producing a label for loose leaf tea, such as Black Tea, commonly seen in tea shops. You don’t have to stick with formal layouts and letterings to produce labels. You can use any design you like. In the example below, is an ornate label for a tea caddy. You can use different shades of grey, black or pencil colors to set off your work.

In the picture, shown below, is a mapped out design for a label for tea.

Mapping out your work

I chose a wide Gothic font style so I can introduce some ornate patterns inside the upper case letter form. I mapped out the outlines of the work in pencil, and drew inside the letterings, using a fine nibbed pencil. I then drew a simple plait pattern design inside the upper case letter, but you can make up any pattern or design you like. It is important to keep the ornate design balanced with the letterings, so the pattern does not distract from the letters and that the calligraphy style is kept legible. I used a 2H pencil and a fine nibbed black marker pen to draw the outlines of the letters.

How to Make Colored Labels for Jars

In the YouTube example shown, I used some watercolor pencils for this pencil tuition, but you can use other mediums as required. This pencil technique can be used in other project, but you can use watercolor and pastel colors too.

Personalised Labels for Gifts

You can use self-adhesive labels, colored labels or commercially produced labels for your work and you can use any calligraphy fonts you like. You can also draw some ornate borders around your work. In the project example, I have used a variant of the Gothic style and a Celtic upper case letter. The letter is a capital ‘T’ but it can look like a ‘C’. This letter form, is a typical example of Celtic styles, commonly used for tattoo designs. The upper case letter used, gives a bold statement, which introduces sweeping curves and ornate patterns.

Valentine Calligraphy

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St Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate romance, and is marked every year on February 14^th. People traditionally give each other cards, chocolates, flowers, and gifts to express their love for each other and giving valentines day presents.

A Quick History about St Valentines

The tradition dates back to early Christianity, when three Catholic saints were martyred on 14 February, although this is shrouded in history. It was said that one of the saints performed forbidden Christian weddings for soldiers. Emperor Claudius II didn't want Roman men to marry during wartime although there is many legends surrounding St Valentine’s Day.

A Few Modern Facts about St Valentine’s Day

St Valentine’s was marked as a holiday in 1537

The first Valentine’s card was produced in 1913

Cadbury’s manufactured the first heart shaped chocolate box in 1822

In Victorian times, it was said that it was bad luck to sign a Valentines card

Many people give Valentines cards to their beloved pets

The term ‘Wearing your heart on your sleeve’ came from the Middle Ages when men and women would write names and pinned them to their sleeve for about a week is more than just a phrase. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be and to express their true feelings.

Writing Romantic Messages on Valentine’s Day for him or her

Writing a simple, but loving message to your beloved in your own calligraphy handwriting can make an extra special and personal touch to your Valentines card.

Here are some simple demonstrations about how to write valentines messages using an easy calligraphy style for cards and gift tags on Valentine’s Day.

You can use this style for writing your card, using a black calligraphy felt-tippen or a biro if you prefer.

Be careful when choosing gift cards, as some of the paper can be quite shiny and smooth, and can smudge your work. Other paper can act like blotting paper and may cause the ink to bleed between the fibres of the paper. Try to pick a card that is smooth but not shiny. Practice your work before you finally write your message in the gift card. It is a good idea to map your work in faint pencil marks before writing your work in calligraphy pen.

You can practice drawing some love hearts, flowers and other illustrations around your work to bring out your calligraphy writing and introduce some color.

You can hand write your messages in calligraphy styles for other occasions, such as Easter, Christmas, birthdays, weddings and many other special events. You can also put your calligraphy practice into use for gift tags too.

Wine Bottle Labels

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Calligraphy is a versatile hobby, and can be used in so many different ways, for example, producing labels and using beautiful calligraphy styles.

In this post, we are focusing on making labels for home made wine. Brewing home made wine is a common hobby, can be fun and save you money. People have been producing home made wine for thousands of years and wine can be made from fruit, grapes or mixed with spices. Making your own wine labels give it that extra special and personal touch to your creation.

How to Produce Home Made Wine Labels

To start, draft up a basic layout of the wine label, such as the date, name and details of the type of wine you have produced. Think carefully about the curvature of the wine bottle when designing your label. Try to keep the layout balanced and pleasing to the eye and think about the size and shape of the label to fit the wine bottle.

Attractive Borders for Wine Labels

Wikimedia Commons

You can use sticky labels, or waterproof adhesive, so the label does not wrinkle when you stick the label to the glass bottle. For attractive borders, you can photocopy some basic decorative designs to frame the lettering or you can try to draw the borders by hand. You can introduce some color to the borders to make the label stand out.

Choosing the Lettering Style for Your Wine Bottle

Many wine bottles have two labels, one at the front and another at the back. You may also choose to have a smaller label on the neck of the wine bottle. Have a look at other wine bottles for some ideas for your design. The wine label shown, illustrates the italic copperplate style, which is a traditional style commonly used in wine bottles designs. You can use the lettering template, such as the example shown below to help you trace out the lettering styles for your wine bottle label. Other commonly used styles are Gothic or Roman letterings. However, you can choose any calligraphy style you like.

Lettering Template for producing a wine bottle label

Producing a Picture to Design Your Wine Bottle

Introducing color and simple colored images can set off your wine bottle label beautifully. In the example below, is a simple pastel image of a landscape. You can draw a simple picture for your label to make it stand out. You can also use any image you like to create an eye catching label for your wine bottle. If drawing or painting a picture is not for you, then you can take a photograph of a landscape and then use the special effects settings commonly seen on camera phones to make the photograph look like a watercolor picture. The picture below was taken by a camera phone and special effects was applied by using one of the camera settings. You can apply different colored or tinted effects to help you create a great wine label. You can then upload the picture on a computer and resize it, using ‘Paint’ and then apply the picture on your label with your letterings.

A Pastel Colored Landscape using a camera phone

Modern Style 1

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There are many different styles of calligraphy and you can make up individual styles yourself. This particular style does not have a name, but it is a very popular typeface and is very versatile. The basic outlines of the letterforms are drawn first. You can use a simple Biro, waterproof marker pens or a simple black felt tip pen. You can also use any pattern style to fill inside the letters, such as squiggly lines, dots or any other patterns as desired.

Inventing a Style of your own

First of all, trace the outline shapes with faint pencil for guidelines, and use a ruler to ensure the lines are straight. Carefully draw the outlines with a black pen, being very careful not to stray from the guidelines. You can draw the outlines with a steady free hand if desired. The letters can be drawn quite large for this particular style.

Introducing Patterns and Dots

For this modern style, you can use any design you like, such as squiggly lines, doodles or any other patterns drawn inside the letterforms. You can combine this with dots and introduce some color and other decorations as required. This style can be used for producing posters, flyers and notices, where the letterings are large, eye catching and easy to read.

Many modern styles are based on the older fashioned styles, which are original calligraphy letterings, such as Roman, or Gothic.

In the picture shown in this post, for example, I have drawn straight lines, using thick black felt-tip pen to outline the letterforms and used a finer nibbed black pen to draw the patterns inside the letterforms. As you can see, there is a combination of squiggly lines and dots for effect. It is a simple design, but you can use any design you like. Experiment with different combinations of patterns, lines and dots for artistic effects.

A simple calligraphy style with patterns inside the letterforms

You can use color to make the letters stand out, or if desired, gold nibbed calligraphy pens or pastel colored pencils to make the letterforms appear shiny.

Using a traditional calligraphy style, such as Times New Roman or Black Letter, for example, and experimenting with these letterforms using a combination of different designs and colors can be a great way to invent a lettering style of your own.

I find that experimenting and combining traditional styles as a basic letter template is a great way to find a unique style of your own.

Lombardic Alphabet

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The Lombardic alphabet is characterised by very broad, fat letters, and ornate designs. The broad letters gives plenty of room to draw beautiful patterns, scrolls and designs within the letterforms. The Lombardic letters are usually used for initials, and beginning of sentences. They are to be used sparingly though, because your work can look over the top if you overuse the Lombardic lettering styles. However, with this in mind, it can be very effective when combined with lowercase letters, such as poems, odes and short paragraphs and phrases.

How Do I Use Lombardic Letters

The Lombardic letters have been used for many years and were commonly used for notices and signs in circuses, market stalls, and fairs. However, Lombardic letters can also be used for cake decorating, using clever artwork with icing and icing sugar. Other common uses were fancy embroidery, posters and flyers, fabric artwork and part of pictured designs and illustrations.

How To Write Lombardic Letters

You can download plenty of Lombardic templates, transfers or typeface styles to practice your work and you will find that there are many variants of Lombardic lettering styles. You can even make up some designs yourself.

Plan your work before writing this style. To begin with, draw some very faint straight lines to map out your work, and then lightly trace the letters carefully, using a hard nibbed pencil. Copy a style carefully, or trace it out until you are confident with drawing the letters. Once you are satisfied with your outlines, you can then start to use a Rapidograph or a black, fine marker pen to draw out the outlines. If you wish, you can color in the letters with any color of your choice, and any medium desired. Lombardic letterings are commonly used with bright and vibrant colors, such as red or green. You can use felt tip pens or strong watercolors to bring out your work.

A Picture Of A Typical Lombardic Alphabet

As you can see below, a flat pastel yellow watercolor wash was applied for the background of this lettering artwork, and a fine black pen is used to draw the outline of the letters. White flecks of highlight are used to enhance and bring out the letters and there is no calligraphy pen involved.

The Lombardic Alphabet

There is no hard and fast rule when writing Lombardic letters, so you can produce your own orinigal designs. Once you have mastered the basic shapes, you can go to town and produce some wonderful and creative decorative artwork.

Versal Letters

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Versals are ornate style of letters that are written, usually with a chisel shaped nib or quill. The nib shape helps to emphasise the thick and thin characteristics of the letters. The letters are used to mark significant parts of a piece of text or it can be used for headings, beginning of verses or poems. The letters are usually larger, with fancy flourishes, curves and ornate patterns, and can really set off a piece of calligraphy work.

The beauty of versals is that it can be used in conjunction with other calligraphy styles and can also work very well on its own too. Versal letters are very legible and normally resemble the form of the Roman styles, and are often elaborately decorated.

Using Versal Letters

Versals are used to draw your eye to a particular part of a page and you can use versal letters for any purpose, whether it is for a poem, a sentence, a message or a greeting, versal letters can offset your work beautifully. You can go to town and create some really great ornate lettering artwork. You can start by planning what verse you would like to write, and then write the verse, but remember to draw the versal letter extra large at the beginning of your sentence. Plan the positioning of the versal letter, it can be positioned at line-height, drop-height or take up some space from the margin.

Experimenting with Versal Letterforms with Patterns

Versals are usually drawn, emphasising thick and thin lines. You can then color in the letters with any color of your choice. Using the 2-pencil technique is a great way to draw letters, emphasizing the thick and thin widths of letters. An example is shown below:

Writing letters using the 2-pencil technique

You can then introduce some color and fancy artwork, or Celtic knots to your versal lettering designs if you so wish.

Here is an example of capital, or upper case versal letterings, emphasizing the thick and thin lines, with splashes of purple and yellow color.

An Example of Uppercase Versal Letters

A black graphic pen is used to draw the thick and thin lines of the letterforms, but you can use a ballpoint pen or a felt-tip pen if desired. The thicker lines are then colored in, using the black pen, for effect. You will notice that the letters are a drawn outline of the letterforms. You can use any calligraphy style, for example, the Uncial; half uncial or Roman styles, which are great for practicing drawing outlines of letterings. They are simple, rounded styles and are ideal for creating versal letters.

Half Uncial

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Half uncial or the Semi-uncial is a form of the uncial letterforms. It is a cut-down version of the full uncial style, and it has characteristics of the medieval, rounded scripts.

It is similar to the uncial in that it has evolved from the Roman cursive type of letters. It was first used approximately 2^nd or 3^rd century and continued to be used until about the 9^th century. The half-uncial had connections with the Celtic and monastic locale.

There are many variations of the half-uncial letters. There are the Roman half-uncial, the Celtic half-uncial and the English half-uncial to name but a few.

The half uncial is characterize by chunky, and very rounded and broad style that we see during the earlier medieval scripts.

How Do I Write the Half Uncial Calligraphy Style?

The half uncial style cannot be written quickly, you have to take your time writing this style. When you look at the way the style is written, you will notice that the letters have very rounded and broad characters. A couple of words written in this style will take up quite a lot of space, so bear this in mind when choosing this style, and make sure you have plenty of space planned when mapping out your work on the paper.

The secret to writing successful half-uncial letters, is to hold your calligraphy pen nib at quite a shallow angle, almost at a vertical position, but not quite. Try writing this style carefully, but keeping your calligraphy pen at a consistent angle. Incidentally, this style is great for left handed calligraphers, so if you are left handed, this style is great for left handed beginners.

Half Uncial Letters

Use Indian ink and a broad nibbed pen, and start practicing writing the letterforms, studying the shapes of the letters carefully, as shown in the illustration below:

Ensure you draw your horizontal guidelines straight and true, to keep your work looking even, for pleasing results. Next, map out the rounded letters by drawing the letterforms carefully in faint pencil before writing with your calligraphy pen. Study the letterforms carefully before finally drawing the letters. Remember to make sure you leave plenty of space for sentences, because the letters are quite round and fat and take up a lot of room.

You may choose different colored ink for pleasing effects.

The half-uncial letters can be used for flyers, posters and large notices, because the letters are quite rounded, broad and legible.

Rustic Calligraphy

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Rustic letters is a form of the Roman style calligraphy and is quite an easy style to learn. It is easy to read, not too elaborate and is used in many ways. The style is commonly used to produce large posters and flyers, using a poster pen or a broad, flat calligraphy pen or brush. The rustic styles can also be used for short, bold statements and notices.

What Does The Word ‘Rustic’ Mean

The word rustic means, of relating to rural or the countryside, things made in a simple and plain style.

Although the term ‘Rustic’ may seem to some people, basic or plain, it can also mean elegance. The broad styles can be exploited, by using this style to explore with textures and decorative effects.

The Calligraphy Pen Angle

It is always important to hold the calligraphy pen at a steady angle. Most calligraphy styles require holding the calligraphy pen nib at about 30 to 45 degree angles. However, with the rustic style, you will need to hold the calligraphy pen at an unusual angle, about 80 to 90 degrees. This may feel a little odd at first, especially if you are used to holding the calligraphy pen at a steady angle of 45 degrees, but this technique is important if you want to practice writing in rustic styles. You will notice that the upward strokes of the letters are quite thin, but they flare a little at the bottom. You will need to practice with your calligraphy pen to get this desired effect.

Rustic Style Calligraphy

First of all, apply light pressure, with the pen held at a 90-degree angle, then as you draw the line at a downward stroke, gradually move the pen to about 10 degree angle, and apply a little more pressure. This should give the flared effect at the base of the letters.

Experimenting With Different Widths For Great Effect

You can experiment with this technique and really go to town with it. For example, why not try holding your calligraphy pen at different angles, from 10 to 90 degrees as you draw the stroke downwards to the base of the letter-form tapering to a thin line or do this the other way round, from 90 degrees to 10 degrees. You can create some great letterforms doing this. Try doing some different angles for great effects. Doing this would also help you practice with changing the angle of the calligraphy pen to get maximum effects. This technique is key to writing Rustic calligraphy styles, starting with a thin line at the top of the letter-form and ending with a broader line at the bottom of the letters.

Experimenting with different pen angles with one pen stroke

Horizontal strokes are usually written with the calligraphy pen held at a constant 40 to 45 degree angle.

Chosing Calligraphy Fonts

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Calligraphy is beautiful handwriting, and it is used in countless ways. There are many calligraphy styles and here are the most common ones used.

Cursive Calligraphy

Here is an example of cursive calligraphy, which is fancy handwriting. It is commonly used for invitations, for example weddings or events.

Gothic, Old English or Black letter Calligraphy

This very ornate style is characterised by long, tall strokes of the calligraphy pen and broad, black widths. They can be found in medieval scripts and today is commonly used with tattoo styles.

Uncial Calligraphy

This simple, but effective rounded style has broad letters and is easy to read. It is commonly used for writing posters and flyers.

Round Hand or Foundation Hand Calligraphy

The Roundhead or Foundation Hand is great for brushing up on your handwriting. This style is usually used for calligraphy beginners.

Italic Calligraphy Style

Italic style is characterised by long and thin letters. Occasionally, the letters lean to the left, as shown below.

Choosing Calligraphy Styles

When choosing a style, try to think which style fits the occasion. Small calligraphy letters, or thin letters would not be legible for a poster. Equally, large, chunky styles would not be the best style for an elegant invitation, needing fine and ornate styles.

Which Style is Used When Writing Calligraphy

A calligraphy beginner may be unsure which calligraphy style to choose for a project. However, here is a simple guidance to help when choosing a style for an occasion. There is no hard and fast rule, but it should give a rough idea.

Wedding invitations, common styles used would be fancy Cursive Calligraphy or Copperplate styles

Posters and flyers, common styles would be Uncial Letters or Foundation Hand styles

Tattoos, airbrushing techniques or fantasy artwork, Gothic, Old English or Black Letter would commonly be used

Handwritten texts, Foundation Hand or Round Hand would be suitable for this style.

Labels and table names, Copperplate is the usual style used.

Remember to do some research before choosing your style, look at which style fits the occasion.

You can download loads of calligraphy fonts and templates to help you choose the best style, and to practice writing the design of your choice.

Once you have chosen your desired style, grab a calligraphy pen and practice this style until you are happy with your result. You will be able to use this design in the future for other projects.

Basic Calligraphy

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There was a time when calligraphy writing was full of strict rules and regulations, and only accessible to the experts. Many professional calligraphers clashed and disagreed with each other with how calligraphy should be written. However, this has now changed and calligraphy rules are made to broken. Many styles and letterforms have been through many transformations and mutations throughout the years. Some calligraphy styles may seem firmly established, but they have undergone subtle changes and adaptations along the way.

It is still important to study the basic disciplined calligraphy styles of years ago to get the feel of how calligraphy has been transformed to the styles that we see today. This helps to master the art of how to write beautiful calligraphy.

Calligraphy Is For Everyone

Calligraphy is accessible for all. Many people may believe that they cannot draw and is only for the very artistic, but this is not true. Calligraphy is a great hobby for all ages and abilities. It encourages discipline, a steady hand and simple practice to produce magical results.

Basic Formal Alphabet Calligraphy Styles

The Basic styles, shown below is also known as the Foundation Hand is a general script which is both legibly and decorative. This style can be applied in general every day situations and can easily be written without a special calligraphy pen. An every day normal biro or some simple pencils can be used instead. This style can be written beautifully in one simple sitting and is timeless.

The Basic styles are a great start for the novice and you can move onto more challenging styles after you have mastered this style.

Once you have mastered the general concept of writing calligraphy, you will want to put your new skill into practice and learn more complicated styles.

Simple Calligraphy Projects

You can make a start by using your new skill for simple projects, for example, writing some greeting cards, birthday and Christmas cards, packaging labels, posters and flyers, menus and so much more. You do not need to be at an advanced level to tackle these everyday projects.

Introducing Art And Drawings With Calligraphy

You can really enhance yourcalligraphy by introducing some clever designs and drawings to impress your family and friends. Drawing Celtic knots is a great start and there are so many different kinds of Celtic designs to choose from. They are very easy to draw and you can even make some designs up yourself.

What Are Celtic Knots Used For?

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Historically, Celtic knots were used thousands of years ago and are associated with Paganism and folklore. These ancient designs can be seen in ancient manuscripts, churches, Celtic jewellery, metal work, carvings, and cathedrals. The early Celts used this beautiful design in their art and weaponry.

Modern Uses For Celtic Knots

Celtic knots are still commonly used today, for example in fashion and clothing, furnishing, cutlery, glasses, modern jewellery and many other uses.

Tattoos And Celtic Knots

A Celtic Knot Ring

Celtic knot designs are generally used in tattoo art and body piercings and have become very popular and fashionable. Many tattoo artists offer a service where they design and print coloured tattoos onto a person’s skin so the design is permanent and lasting. To many people, these designs hold personal and spiritual meaning. The permanent coloured tattoo pigment may fade in time if the skin gets sunburnt so it is advisable to use a high factor sun cream for lasting results. These tattoos are commonly used on a person’s arm, leg or back.

Many people may prefer to have a temporary tattoo. These tattoos can easily be removed or washed off or if left alone will fade within a few days to a week.

Other types of temporary tattoos are Henna art and tattoos produced by using a special ballpoint pen and ink. Again, these can be washed off or allowed to fade in time.

Jewellery And Celtic knot Designs

Celtic jewellery designs are very popular for both men and women and are a great fashion accessory and can even be used for unisex jewellery. The designs can be seen in gold, silver, and even interwoven into beaded jewels as ornamental knots. Rings, bracelets, charms earrings, necklaces, trinkets are used to display various Celtic knot designs. The most commonly used knot is the Celtic hearts, the trinity knot (Triquetra), the Dara knot, the Triskelion, the interactive knot, the Serpent knot and many more designs.

What Does Celtic Knots Mean?

Mathematical Infinity Symbol

There are many meanings to these beautiful knots but a lot of knowledge has been lost in time, but basically, a single Celtic knot symbolises eternity and the universe and if you look closely at the knot, you will see that the path has no beginning or an end. The mathematical symbol of eternity closely resembles the single Celtic knot. People believed that these knots have a timeless and spiritual meaning.

With interwoven knots, where there are more than one strand involved, this symbolises connectivity and unity.

Many believed that these mystical knots brought good luck, health, fortune and stability into their lives. Other common meanings are power, strength, endurance and wisdom.

Drawing A Single Celtic Knot

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Celtic knots can appear intricate and very difficult to draw, but it is much easier than you think. All it takes is some dots drawn on a piece of paper and drawing criss-cross patterns that weave around these dots! You can practice how to draw Celtic knots anywhere, at work at break time or when you are in the mood for doodling at home. It is quite relaxing and can be fun.

How Do I Draw A Single Celtic Knot?

Drawing a single Celtic knot is really easy, and is a great start before moving on to learning how to draw more intricate Celtic knot designs. You start with drawing just 5 dots on a piece of paper. You draw 4 dots that outline a square shape, and then a dot in the middle of this square. These dots form a basic outline for drawing a single Celtic knot.

Drawing the Celtic Knot

Once you have drawn these 5 dots, you can then introduce some straight lines that criss-cross around the drawn dots. If you follow the YouTube video, shown on this article, you will see how this is done.

The next step is to draw curves around these lines to form the basic shape of a single Celtic knot. Again, the YouTube video shows how this is done. You can follow the video to help you get an idea of how to draw these lines around the dots. When you have completed your drawing, you have a choice to either block colour the single Celtic knot, or you may prefer to use shading to give an impression of woven ribbon. In the example of the YouTube video I have demonstrated how to block colour the Celtic knot.

Filling in The Celtic Knot Design

Once you have drawn your Celtic knot, you can start to fill the knot in with either black ink or a colour of your choice. In the example of the video, I have used black Biro and black felt-tip pens. The Celtic knot is quite easy and quick to draw.

You can use this Celtic knot design for illustrations around you calligraphy artwork or you may prefer to use it as a repeating pattern or even when writing a greeting card or other special occasions to give it that extra special look.

Where Can I Find Celtic Knots?

Celtic Knots are found everywhere, in jewellery, Celtic knot rings, cathedrals, tattoos etc, and there are many different types of Celtic knots, such as Celtic eternity knots, Celtic trinity knots, Celtic knot hearts, and many more.

Simple Celtic Knot - Project 1

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Have you ever wanted to draw some really effective Celtic knots to enhance your calligraphy project? There are so many different styles of Celtic knots and you can make some designs up yourself. You can find Celtic knots everywhere, on stained glass windows, churches, crosses, cathedrals, ancient manuscripts, old floor tiles, necklaces and love pendants. Many tattoo artists’ use Celtic knots for their designs too.

Simple Rules of Celtic Knots Designs

Celtic knots have a simple rule, they are characterised by interwoven designs, like ribbon, that go round forever. You can introduce Celtic knot designs in your calligraphy work, for example, for a wedding invitation or a card for a special occasion.

A Video Demonstration Showing How To Draw a Simple Celtic Knot - Freehand

Here, I have drawn a simple Celtic knot freehand style, using some very simple art materials, which is some layout paper, a black marker pen, some soft nibbed pencils for shading and some pastel pencils to introduce some soft, faint colour but you can use a different medium such as paint or gouache if you prefer.

Start off by using a hard nibbed pencil to map out the Celtic knot. You can use layout paper over a grid for guidelines. Carefully map out your chosen Celtic knot design with the pencil, drawing the knot, making sure the ‘ribbon’ is the same width throughout. Draw the ribbon so it appears to weave over and under itself. Once you have drawn the ribbon with the pencil, you can then use a thin nibbed black pen to draw over the pencilled lines. When you are drawing a design freehand style, you have to keep a steady hand and take your time drawing over the pencilled guidelines.

When you have finished drawing the Celtic knot using the pen, you can then use some soft pencils to shade the ribbon so it gives an appearance of weaving under and over itself. Once you have completed the shading, you can introduce some colour using any medium desired.

This Celtic knot design can be used to set of a calligraphy project and can be copied over and over again, like a repeated pattern, for example. This can be very effective for boarders or to frame some texts and fonts as part of your work project.

Researching Celtic Knot Patterns

You can find all sorts of Celtic knot designs by researching the Internet, books and looking around Churches and cathedrals. You can make some designs up yourself too, but remember that the ‘ribbon’ has to go over and under itself, like a road that goes over and under a bridge.

Simple Celtic Knots

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Celtic knots are interlaced and intricate mosaic patterns which first appeared in the early Centuries and were used to inscribe elaborate illustrations and manuscripts in the Bookof Kells, Lindisfarne Gospels and many other Christian scripts. The patterns were also extensively used in floor mosaics and monoliths. The Celtic knot was first used around the 3^rd or 4^th Centuries. The design is very popular in Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

What Are Celtic Knots Used For

Celtic knots are characterised by continuous interlacing woven patters or knots, not unlike plaits or woven ribbon effects. This interlacing cord pattern is very effective and used in many ways. Celtic Knots can be seen in many guises, for example, love knots, tattoos, wedding bands, Celtic Knot rings, Irish Jewellery, Celtic Crosses, Celtic Pendants, and many other purposes.

Celtic Symbols and Calligraphy

Celtic knots are a great way to enhance your calligraphy project and you can introduce different colours and shades to really bring out your work.

The video shown below, demonstrates how to draw a very simple Celtic knot, introducing some shading for effects. A simple marker pen and pencils were used to draw the Celtic knot. This is a great design to set you off before you look at drawing more intricate designs.

There are many simple and complex designs but the trick is to see the knot as interlaced ribbon, a pattern of ribbons that weave over and under the other ribbons that cross each other. Many Celtic knots, however, are simple blocked print without the interweaving effects. Remember to keep the widths of the ‘ribbons’ consistent when drawing your design.

Celtic Knots and Calligraphy

You can introduce Celtic knot designs in your calligraphy work by using small weaving patterns around letters or inside large calligraphy letters. You can even draw weave patterns around the capital letters of your work, which is usually the biggest letters of your work. Once you have designed the pattern, you can introduce some colour.

Introducing Colour To Celtic Knots

You can use coloured ink or colouring pencils to fill in the patterns, or if you prefer, you can use watercolour paint or even gold inks to really set off your work. This is very effective, not unlike the Gothic scripts used many years ago.

You can see so many designs by researching the Internet and you can download some simple patterns to practice before moving onto more intricate designs.

Troubleshooting

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You may wonder why your calligraphy work does not look up to scratch. There may be many reasons for this, for example, using the wrong calligraphy nib or the wrong paper. Even skilled calligraphers can have ‘off’ days where their calligraphy work looks less than pleasing. Tiredness, or simply not being in the mood to get the calligraphy pen out can cause undesired results.

Use the correct materials for calligraphy

Why Does My Calligraphy Work Look Amateurish?

A common mistake for new calligraphers is allowing the calligraphy pen nib to slip and wander into different angles when writing. This can make the work look wobbly and amateurish. Try to hold your calligraphy pen at a steady angle, preferably between about 45 degrees. Keep practising until this becomes a habit.

Another common mistake is using the wrong paper. Shiny paper can make the calligraphy ink smudge or not set on the paper. Some paper allows the ink to bleed and this can make the letters appear ‘furry’. Try to use proper calligraphy paper or hot pressed smooth paper.

Other Common Problems And Trouble Shooting

Many beginners will be tempted to write calligraphy without using guidelines and this can make the letters appear uneven and shoddy. To encourage more even writing, draw some very faint horizontal, even guidelines using a hard nibbed sharpened pencil and a ruler. Use a set-square to draw the margin on the left side of the paper. The guidelines will encourage you to write the letters neatly on the lines and make your work look straight and true.

Stick With One Style At A Time

Some beginners may be tempted to rush and learn more than one style at a time. This may work for some people but a common problem for many is that the calligrapher may write one style, and then slip into another style unintentionally. As a result, the work appears clumsy and unprofessional. Try to master one style at a time until you are confident before learning another style.

Using The Wrong Sized Nib

As a general rule, you can use any size width of nib to write any calligraphy style for different effects. However, when writing very large letters, it is preferable to use either a thick marker pen or a very broad nibbed calligraphy pen. This can make the writing more readable. When writing very small letters, choose a fine nibbed calligraphy pen.

Double Check Your Research!

Some people stumble at the first hurdle when it comes to checking the most basic details. It is always important to check your spelling before writing. There is nothing more frustrating than to write some beautiful calligraphy work, only to find out at the end that a word or a name has an incorrect spelling. Always check your spelling first. If there is another way to spell a name, check with that person before writing the name.

A simple calligraphy project

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Sharp Italic

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The Sharpened Italic calligraphy is a variant of the Italic calligraphy style and is characterised by compressed, sharp letterforms. There are many other variants of the Italic styles, for example, Renaissance Italic, which is a popular and elegant style, and is used in many ways, and sloping Italic, which is characterised by gentle sloping letters.

The Sharpened Italic style predominantly came from the Renaissance period and it had a revival during the 20^th Century. The Sharpened Italic style is also known as Gothicised Italic because it has a bold, angular appearance, which resembles the Gothic calligraphy forms.

Techniques of Writing Sharpened Italic Letters

When you are practising writing Sharpened Italic, you will need to hold the calligraphy pen so the nib is about 45 degrees angle. The calligraphy nib needs to be quite broad, about 5-nib width height of the x-height of a letter. The x-height of a letter is the height of a lowercase letter, without the ascenders and descenders.

The ascenders and descenders should be approximately 3 to 4 nib widths in height and length. Ensure that you keep the spaces between the letters equal. Keep the downward strokes of the letters parallel and straight and keep the joins of the letters angular.

As you can see, this picture shows as a guideline, how lowercase Sharp Italic alphabet letters should look like. You can practice, using this guide until you are confident.

Experimenting with Sharpened Italic

Sharpened Italic is a very popular style of writing and can be used for writing poems, quotations, and elegant signs. You can experiment with Sharpened Italic with the 2-pencil technique, which is quite an effective way of writing. The 2-pencil technique can create an artistic shadow and can look quite effective. You can also introduce colour with the 2-pencil technique.

Brush Up On Your Handwriting

Sharpened Italic is a great way to brush up on your handwriting. Simply using a black Biro you can write lists, your Curriculum Vitae, an essay or anything you like, so your handwriting will look impressive and neat. Try to experiment with different angles and lengths of ascenders and descenders for various effects and neatness. This technique is quite easy once you have mastered writing this style, and it will become a habit to write in this fashion for anything that you do. Your work will look neat and legible. Keep practising until it becomes second nature.

A sample of lower case Italic Style

Cursive Italic

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The word ‘Cursive’ means flowing scripts, or joined up rhythmic handwriting. The cursive italic is a variant form of the basic italic style, as with Renaissance Italic. The cursive italic resembles flowing or joined up handwriting, but instead of using a normal writing pen, the calligraphy pen is used instead. The reason this style was born is because of the writing speed and efficiency. The pen does not leave the page; so writing words and letters are quicker and smoother. Letters are normally joined up together by using thinner diagonal strokes of the pen.

Experimenting With Writing Cursive Italic Calligraphy

Learning to write cursive italic calligraphy is quite easy. You can write cursive italic calligraphy and experiment with various letter heights, sloping angles and the weight of the letters. When you practice writing cursive italic calligraphy, this will help you develop a rhythm to your work. You can start by writing with a normal pen, to form ‘skeleton letters’ before writing with a calligraphy pen. You can apply long, elegant ascenders and descenders to add extra effects to your work, or writing big, graceful capital letters to really set off your work.

Cursive Italic Calligraphy Styles

You can use cursive italic calligraphy in so many ways, for example labelling jars with home made preserves to give a personal touch, or writing a simple short poem, with faint watercolour washes and tints for a colourful backdrop.

Experimenting With Letter Sizes

Many people write italic cursive styles by writing small letters, ending a sentence with a long elegant stroke, and beginning another sentence with more swirls and writing large graceful capital letters to set off the art work. However, evenly sized letters and plainer styles can be used for everyday handwriting.

Basic Rules To Writing Cursive Italic

As a rule, you will need to practice holding a calligraphy pen nib at a constant angle of about 40 to 45 degrees to produce pleasing calligraphy work. This will help your technique. You can use the picture guide of the cursive italic alphabet, shown below, to copy your work, or you may prefer to print the picture out, and use it as a template to trace the letters to help you practice.

You can use any pen nib width or even use a simple Biro to write the cursive italic style. You can also experiment with coloured inks, coloured pencils and washes to set off your work.