The brush pen has quickly become my new favorite tool for writing calligraphy.
The ink is already there, the flexible tip allows me to achieve the varying thick and thin strokes, and I can carry the pen with me everywhere!
In response to requests for tips on improving with brush calligraphy, I thought of the top three things that I consistently tell folks: break it down, build the words, and slow down.
1. Break it down.
Every letter can be broken down into single strokes.
Practice simple strokes like these over and over again to increase your writing consistency.
There are more strokes than these that I’ll share in the future. But these are basic ones that I actually use myself when I first get a new pen and want to take it for a “test write.”
2. Build the words.
Don’t start writing phrases, don’t even write words! Just take it letter by letter and see how each letter is built with some of the strokes I demonstrate above.
Take it one letter at a time. Start with any letter!
Just pick one and fill a PAGE with that letter. Discover what it takes to build that letter, how the strokes connect.
If you’re too anxious like me, go ahead and write the whole alphabet. Then you have my permission to write words.
3. Slow down.
Melissa’s advice in her online calligraphy class will always stick with me: “Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.”
She’s right.
We’re a generation that craves instant gratification. We want it now. We see it and want to do it.
But it’s so worth it to slow down and take your time. You will eventually be able to write smoothly and without thinking too hard about which strokes to connect, and when to lift your pen.
That’s all she wrote! (Pun intended. Told you I love puns.)
Need more?
Check out this guide to brush pens by Melissa, and this detailed and informative brush pen tutorial by Lindsey!
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It’s your turn!
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What do you want to see explained in more detail?
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