Learning the Art of Calligraphy

Calligraphy refers to an ancient style of writing. The word is derived from a Greek phrase, that means 'beautiful handwriting' and is also known as a kind of visual art. Though it is a very old form of art, it is still being practiced all over the world. Since, it has been developed in many countries, a variety of hand calligraphy styles are available today. These include Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Roman, English, Old calligraphy and many more.

You need not be an artist or extremely creative to learn the art of fancy lettering. It is quite simple and can be mastered with consistent practice. The basics can learned on your own by following some simple instructions. Before you can start learning, you should select a calligraphy style. The Roman calligraphy style is easy and would be ideal to start with. Also, you should know about the tools and lettering, alphabets and fonts, used to write calligraphy.

Calligraphy Tools
The calligraphy tools consist of calligraphy pens, nibs, ink and calligraphy paper or lined parchment paper. Calligraphy pens can be either felt pins, fountain pens or quill pens. You will also need a ruler and powdered ink. You can purchase a calligraphy set for beginners, if you are not sure about the type of pen you would want to use.

The Art of Calligraphy

• Select your calligraphy tools and keep them handy.
• Seat yourself in a comfortable position, on a firm and wide table, preferably with a tilted desktop.
• Choose the style that you would want to learn and place it on the table on your right side. You can use a book that shows the basic strokes of that style.
• Hold the brush or pen at an angle of 35°. Dip it in the ink, if using a quill pen and start practicing the basic strokes.
• You can start with the lower case alphabets and if you find it difficult getting it right, try practicing by tracing the alphabets.
• You will need to practice the letters over and over again to learn calligraphy.

Tips on Learning Calligraphy

• When you seat yourself to practice calligraphy, make sure that there are no shadows on the paper, as they can interfere with the detailing of the strokes.
• Start from practicing and master, writing the letters of calligraphy before proceeding towards the intricate formations, techniques and designs.
• Stick to learning one style at a time and practice on a daily basis for mastering it.
• When you want to lift the pen off the paper, do not do it in a sudden jerk. Hold the pen at the position for a second or two, allow the ink to get saturated at the point and then lift the pen.
• You will need to pay attention to the spacing between the strokes and the width and weight of your strokes. Do not use ink excessively.
• Aim at consistent practice and achieving the perfect spacing, perfect strokes and perfect lettering.

Once you have mastered the art you can learn Chinese and Wedding calligraphy. You can pursue it as a hobby and can also prepare calligraphy wedding invitations and party invitations. Enjoy!