If you don’t have a sloped desk, try propping a piece of wood on a thick book on top of your desk. Try to create about a 45° angle. If all you have is a flat surface, that’s okay too! Just keep in mind it might be easier if you can find something to prop up to create a slope, especially if you plan to do a lot of calligraphy.
India ink is a thick, black ink that is most commonly used for hand-lettering. Look for a dip pen with a nib holder that’s about 15–20 cm (5. 9–7. 9 in), which is about the length of a regular ink pen. You can find dip pens and ink at a craft supply store or online. You may also be able to find them where office supplies are sold.
Look for a package that says “rounded” on it to find the right nib. Only the very tip will be rounded off, so the nib will still look pointed at first glance.
If all you have is thin paper, stack 3-4 sheets together so the ink doesn’t bleed through. To create a finished project, consider using heavy cardstock. You can also find notebooks specifically for calligraphy practice. These are typically already lined. Look for these wherever stationery or crafting supplies are sold.
Textualis is ornate and square, and is perhaps the most common form of blackletter. The letters in Rotunda, as the name suggests, are more round. Schwabacher and Fraktur are both rounded as well, though not as much as Rotunda, and the two styles look very similar to each other. However, there are certain distinctions for specific letters. [5] X Research source For instance, in Fraktur, the capital “S” looks similar to a modern capital “G,” but in Schwabacher, it looks more like the “S” that’s used today. However, the capital letter “A” is nearly identical in both styles, resembling a modern lowercase “u. "
You may also want a small bowl of water nearby to make cleanup easier, but it isn’t necessary.
When you’re finished, you’ll have a middle row that’s 4 nib-widths high, with a top and a bottom row that are 2 nib-widths each. The middle row is called your x-height, and it’s where most of your lines will be drawn. Letters like “c,” “m,” and “o” will be entirely included in the x-height. The top row is for your ascenders, like on the letters “b,” “d,” and “h,” while the bottom row is for descenders, such as on “g,” “p,” and “y. ”
This will give you more control over the pen, making it easier to create the strokes.
Repeat this several times, trying to leave an equal amount of space between each line.
The serif should be a horizontal line about 1 nib-width across. If you lift the pen before drawing the serif, make sure it’s completely connected to the previous stroke, without any spaces. Practice this several times, as well.
You can also practice starting your serif at the top line, rather than the waist line.
Keep practicing until the top and bottom serifs are the same size each time you draw this shape. This is a basic lower-case “i,” or a lowercase “l” if you start from the top line.
It can be helpful to practice one letter several times before moving on to the next one.
You’ve already practiced drawing “i” and “l,” so try drawing “m” next. This is an easy letter because it’s made of 3 straight lines, then 2 serifs as connectors. The letters “a,” “c,” “e,” “i,” “m,” “n,” “o,” “r,” “s,” “u,” “v,” “w,” “x,” and “z” will all be contained within the x-height.
Other letters with an ascender are “d,” “f,” “k,” and “l. ”
Other letters with descenders are “p,” “q,” and “y. ”
Typically, the mark will be angled upward from left to right. However, you can play around with this if you’d like to take more of a creative approach to your calligraphy.
Try keeping both feet on the floor while you’re writing. If you notice yourself getting stiff or tired, stand up and stretch for a few minutes.
Although it might not seem like it, this will actually give you more control over your letters, and it will get easier with practice.
It’s okay to make a line and a serif without lifting your pen, if you’d like.
For instance, by looking at the negative space, you might notice that there’s an uneven amount of space on either side of the middle line in an “m,” or that one serif is too low when you’re drawing the “o. ”
