The Magic of Calligraphy

Calligraphy Pens
Calligraphy is an art of tremendous presentation through its color, style and uses. Its main tools are pen or paint brush and ink. A calligrapher represents his marvelous creation by those tools. Mostly it focused on formation of characters, the ordering of the various parts and the harmony of proportions.

The ancient Romans, Egyptian, Chinese, Sumerians and also the Babylonians were used to habituate with Calligraphy pens; basically that ancient civilization has produced that glorious product which met up their demand at that time. This is very natural when we face some demand then we run for the solution.

From the ancient till to date there were several types of pens used for that calligraphy purpose. Such as reed pen which was created at Ancient Egypt times and this type of pen were made by a bamboo having a nib shape at one end. Afterward Quill/feather pen were revealed at medieval period to meet up the demand of writing. It was made of steel-tipped nib instead of bamboo and its longevity was more then reed pen. The Ancient Romans used a metal stylus with the wax tablets and its end the journey of Quill pen as it took a many time to sharpening its writing end. Later metal nib pen became very familiar and stylish.
In the Islamic and Chinese cultures, calligraphy is as highly revered as painting. The ancient Chinese used one kind of brush for that Calligraphy purpose instead of a tool as a calligraphy pen. Their Calligraphy pens were unique and elegant then ever made any type of Calligraphy pens or tools. It is made by goat’s hair or wolfs hair and also made up of two layers. The first layer is an inner core of short hairs that are then surrounded by an outer layer of longer hairs that form the tip of the brush

How to Improve Your Calligraphy Writing

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Sometimes we can't write using a computer. When you want to use some embellishment and artistic lettering, calligraphy will make your writing stand out.

  Steps

1. Get a calligraphy book if you want to learn an established style or form.  For simply embellishing your usual lettering, this may not be needed, but the results will not be authentic calligraphy.
2. Buy some lined paper. The lines act as guides so the lettering will be a consistent size.  If you don't have access to lined paper, you can make your own with a hard pencil and ruler, by measuring equal distances down each side of the page, and then lightly marking a straight line between each mark.
3. Obtain a set of calligraphy pens, or at least one broad nibbed pen. Alternately, you may be able to shape the end of a crayon or use a wide point marker to create your letters, but the results may not be as good.
4. Practice making individual letters, first marking the general shape of a letter, then using the wide pen nib or other alternate writing instrument to give it its final shape with curves, and variations in line width. You will want to pay close attention to how the lines flow if you are duplicating an existing, recognised style.
5. Continue practicing individual letters in upper and lower case until you have mastered the shape of each one.  You may want to pay more attention to more commonly used letters as you begin, but eventually, you should master all of the letters of the alphabet.
6. Begin to practice forming words, then sentences with your newly learned technique.  Be aware of the spacing of letters within and between words. In some Olde English forms of calligraphy, some letters may be difficult to distinguish, so a reader will need to see the text well enough to make out words to have enough clue to understand what you have written.
7. Use your technique in daily writing when possible. You won't want to turn in a science report written in calligraphy, but you can use it in your diary, creative writing endeavors, or even in notes to your friends, outside of class, of course.
8. Compare your lettering with other people's lettering, and you may be find some styles of letters you want to copy.

  Tips

• It isn't always going to be perfect. Keep practicing, and try to notice where you need more work on developing your technique.
• Use a good quality stock (paper) for finished work, and invest in calligraphy pens if you are going to make a permanent hobby of it.

  Things You'll Need

• A book
• Lined paper
• A pen or pencil

How to Write in Gothic Calligraphy

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

                                       
Gothic script is over eight hundred years old. It is one of the most difficult and ornate calligraphic scripts existing today. Read on to learn how to do this impressive calligraphy.

  Steps

1.   Measure your pen's nib. Lowercase Gothic script is done at five pen widths, ascenders and decenders use an additional two pen widths and uppercase letters are done at six pen widths.
2.   Rule pencil lines across your page at the correct x height. This means that if your pen's nib is 3 millimeters wide, you'll need a line 15 millimeters wide for the lowercase letters. In the picture the lines are ruled in pen to make them show more clearly, but it is usually done in pencil to erase them later.
3.   Add an extra two pen widths at the top and bottom of your x height for the ascenders and descenders.
4.   Divide the extra two pen widths at the top in half again with another line for the six pen widths of the capitals.
5.   Hold your pen or quill at a 40° angle (see picture).
6.   Look at your example of Gothic Calligraphy. Familiarize yourself with the form of the letters and then make the letter on your ruled lines.
7.   Practice calligraphy regularly. At first your letters are going to look shaky and silly, but it will improve if you are dedicated to your new hobby.

  Tips

• Buy a good calligraphy book or visit calligraphy websites on the internet.
• A beginner should preferably start with a felt tip calligraphy pen, not a quill.
• A beginner should also use wider nibs at first - the smaller the nib, the more difficult it gets.
• Do not write everything in capitals when you are using Gothic script, for reasons of legibility.
• If you are using a quill, use a paintbrush to apply the ink to the nib - this looks neater.
• You have to be quite confident in your writing before you start adding flourishes to letters.

  Warnings

• Gothic script is one of the most difficult calligraphic scripts to learn. Be prepared!

  Things You'll Need

• Quill and ink (or calligraphic felt tip pen)
• Thick paper
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Brush (optional)
• Eraser
• An example of Gothic Calligraphy

How to Write in Calligraphy

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The word "calligraphy" is derived from the Greek words meaning "beauty" and "writing". Samples of calligraphy date as far back as 200 BC, and this art form continues to be practiced in various parts of the world. Whether you're looking to make your own invitations or create a work of art, calligraphy is a unique and enjoyable skill to develop.

  Steps

1. The Pen
2. Obtain a chisel-point writing implement. The objective is to be able to make a broad stroke if the pen is held one way, and a thin stroke if the pen is rotated. You have several options:
   
   
   
   
   
   • Felt tips pens - convenient, disposable, they do not leak and they do not need to be dipped.
   • Fountain pens - refillable, long-lasting if properly maintained (see Warnings below)
   • Steel-point pens - ink must be fed with a dropper or a brush, capable of creating fine detail and hard edges, but it is inconvenient to change tips frequently.
   • Quill - leave a duck or turkey feather to dry in the sun, cut at an angle with a pen knife.
   • Pencil - use fine grit sand paper on one side of a soft pencil (#2, HB, B) against a flat surface, then turn and flatten the other side to create a "chisel" tip, sharpen as need while writing.
3. Hold the calligraphy pen at an angle. When you're starting out, it doesn't matter what angle. The most common angle used in calligraphy is a 30° angle, although Gothic script uses a 40° angle and Unicals uses a 0° angle.
4. Practice.
5. The Ink
6.   Buy some water-based ink. It will say on the bottle what kind of base it has.
7.   Dip a good quality brush into the ink. Smear the ink along the back your nib or quill. (You can dip your pen in the ink as well, but this causes blotches on the paper.)
8. The Paper
9.   Obtain some thick paper. Ordinary photocopying paper is fine if you are just practicing, but for your final project you will need to buy something at least 120 gsm (4.23 oz in the USA) from an art supply store.
10.   Discover the table angle at which it is comfortable for you to write at. Most calligraphers prefer to use a drawing board set at a comfortable angle (like those used by architects) but some people like to lay the paper flat on the table. Try both possibilities out.
11.   Lightly tape or blu-tack your paper to your writing surface to prevent it moving just as you begin to write.

  Tips

• Make sure there aren't any slits on the paper. They can interfere with the details of your strokes.
• If you want to do intricate embellishments, use a very fine nib, draw the outline of the letter, do the embellishments, then fill in the letter.
• Pause before lifting the pen off the paper. This allows the ink to saturate the paper a little extra at that point, giving the letter a crisp, clean look.

  Warnings

• Don't use a fountain pen in low-pressure conditions, such as in an airplane or when a storm is coming, because it may leak.
• Do not lean on the pen.

  Things You'll Need

• chisel-pointed writing implement
• ink
• suitable paper
• an idea or example of what calligraphy alphabets look like. Good ones can be found here
• brush

Calligraphy is an art of writing that has flourished over thousands of years in many different cultures around the world.  Whether you are an artist, a writer or just a hobbyist, learning to write with a calligraphy pen is a valuable and rewarding skill.  Many calligraphers find that their script becomes a lucrative hobby, since skilled calligraphers are in demand for custom lettering on documents and works of art.  Once you learn the basic skill of how to write with a calligraphy pen, you can expand the applications for your calligraphy as your skills advance.

  Steps

Choose a Calligraphy Pen

1. Felt tip disposable calligraphy pens are a favorite option for beginners because you simply remove the cap and write.  These pens, like many other pens and markers, have a felt tip that fills with ink automatically, but the tip is cut to be slanted with a flat edge that comes to a point.
2. Fountain pens are more commonly used by intermediate and advanced calligraphers.  These pens have changeable nibs and ink cartridges, which are switched out periodically.
3. Steel nib pens are less common, but are good for permanent ink and detailed projects.  These pens require ink to be fed to them from a dropper every few words.

Fit Your Pen

1. Both fountain pens and steel nib pens may need to be shaped with a whetstone to fit your grip.
2. Hold the pen as you would an ordinary pen, with the nib at a 45 degree angle on the page so that if you drew a vertical or a horizontal line, the end of the line would be slanted.
3. Angle the pen slightly towards the shoulder of the hand you write with.
4. Sand down the edge of the nib so that when you hold the pen in this way, the nib is flush with the paper.  The degree to which you angle the pen towards your body when you hold it will dictate the extent to which you shape the nib.

Practice with Lines

1. Drawing vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines is a good way to practice.  Always use fluid movements for each individual stroke, and raise your pen from the page after a stroke is complete.
   
   
   
   • Use three lines of notebook paper for each vertical line you draw.
   • Draw horizontal lines about the same length as your vertical lines are tall.  Practice tracing the notebook paper lines and placing your strokes at different intervals between the lines.
2. Draw diagonal lines in both directions, leaning to the left and the right.
3. Also draw some curves and circles, practicing the curved line with opening and closing parentheses and with “o” shapes of various sizes that combine the two types of curves.

Choose an Alphabet for Calligraphy

1. A number of alphabet styles are available for use with calligraphy lettering.  Consider the following options.
   
   
   
   • Use the Chancery alphabet for a light, elegant script commonly used in modern calligraphy.
   • Use the Gothic alphabet for a bold style that can be embellished with shadows or illuminated letters.
   • Use Carolingian alphabet, used during the 8th to 12th centuries, for a Medieval effect.
   • Use the Insular or Irish alphabet for a more open font and Celtic aesthetic.
2. If you study a language with a non-Roman alphabet, you can also practice writing with a calligraphy pen in those alphabets.  Chinese and Arabic are both famous for their calligraphy, which uses a brush rather than a pen.
3. You can also model your calligraphy on an example you find online or in a text.

  Tips

• As you practice your lines and your alphabet, check that the ink is coming out evenly with each stroke.  While some strokes are meant to be thick and others thin, blots or spurts of ink mean that your nib is not flush with the page and needs to be shaped.