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