Welcome!
You just unlocked everything you need to start brush calligraphy from scratch — for free. No experience needed. Inside this kit you’ll find supply guides, step-by-step tutorials, practice tips, and printable worksheets. Just pick where you want to start and dive in!
New to calligraphy? Start with Step 1 below!
What is Brush Calligraphy?
Brush Calligraphy is the umbrella term for calligraphy created with a brush. What you’ll find here at Pieces Calligraphy is all things brush pen calligraphy, meaning a brush pen or brush marker pen is used. Other brushes include the paintbrush and waterbrush, although those are not covered here (yet!).
Step 1: Grab Your Supplies
- Beginner supplies
- My favorite calligraphy supplies
- A comparison of my favorite brush pens
- Choosing the Best Paper
- In my toolbox: A review of five brush calligraphy pens
Step 2: Learn the Basics
- Getting started with handlettering
- How to hold the brush pen
- Holding the brush pen at the right angle
- How to apply pressure
- Improve your brush calligraphy with these basic strokes
- How to use the Tombow dual brush pen
- How to use the Tombow blending palette (1st edition)
- How to use the Tombow blending palette (2nd edition)
Step 3: Level Up Your Strokes
- Three ways to improve your brush calligraphy
- Make your brush calligraphy strokes thinner
- Tips for taking better photos of your calligraphy
- Focus on thin strokes, but not the hairline
- Why you should focus on the direction your brush pen faces
- 5 reasons you should master basic brush calligraphy strokes
- 3 tips for connecting basic strokes to form letters
- Improve your letters using two different colors of brush pens
- Improve your thin upstrokes
Step 4: Practice with the 8-Week Stroke Series
- Basic strokes (1 of 8): Entrance stroke
- Basic strokes (2 of 8): Underturn stroke
- Basic strokes (3 of 8): Overturn stroke
- Basic strokes (4 of 8): Compound curve
- Basic strokes (5 of 8): Oval
- Basic strokes (6 of 8): Ascending stem loop
- Basic strokes (7 of 8): Descending stem loop
- Basic strokes (8 of 8): Full pressure stroke
- 5 reasons you should master basic brush calligraphy strokes
Bonus: Uppercase Bootcamp
Left-Handed? I’ve Got You!
- Lefty inspiration: Meet five lefty calligraphers
- Best grips for lefty calligraphers
- Best tools for lefty calligraphers
- 7 tips for left-handed calligraphers
Print these out and keep them beside you as you practice — these are the exact worksheets I use with my workshop students!
Free Printables — Yours to Keep!
- 6 mm 65 degree guidesheet
- Alphabet and Basic Stroke Guide
- Worksheets (no slant)
- Large guidesheets (bold, with slant) – 15 mm 55 deg
- Large guidesheets (gray, with slant) – 15 mm 55 deg
- Small guidesheets w/ labels – 10 mm 55 deg *NEW*
- Small guidesheets w/o labels – 10 mm 55 deg *NEW*
- Drill boxes
- Copperplate guidesheets
- Lettering guide
Special thanks to the following calligraphers for help with the guidesheets: Nina Tran, Bianca Mascorro, Grace Jimenez, Younghae Chung
Pieces Calligraphy 