When I first started studying calligraphy it was intimidating. It looked too complex to undertake. But then, I discovered that by mastering a few key principles, that it’s not as complicated as I initially thought.
I began by learning what’s called faux calligraphy. What is faux calligraphy? Well, it’s actually just lettering in a style that simulates calligraphy. Understanding the basics of calligraphy will help you to create your own artful writing.
One of the great things about faux calligraphy is that it does not require special equipment or tools. You can easily create faux calligraphy using a pencil, pen or marker.
First, the basic key elements are: pressure, angle and spacing of letters. If you maintain consistency of these aspects, you’re well on your way to lovely calligraphy.
Pressure – when drawing letterforms, upstrokes are thin and downstrokes are thick. All crossing lines are thin.
Angle – all upstrokes and downstrokes should be parallel to each other. Not all of the letters are perfectly parallel, but that is part of the beauty of bouncy calligraphy styles. There is a little bit of wiggle room to allow for perfectly imperfect lettering!
Spacing – not all letters are created equally and spacing is vital to the overall composition. This comes more naturally with consistent practice.
Now, this may all look complicated, but that’s where faux calligraphy comes in to make it easier! When it comes to faux calligraphy, write your desired word in cursive or italic style. Try to make your letters a little more spaced apart than usual.
Then, draw a secondary line on all of the downstrokes. Try to make all secondary lines evenly distributed on each downstroke. Do not add secondary lines to horizontal lines or lines that cross another letter, for example crosses of Ts.
Finally, fill in the downstroke double lines to give a thick stroke effect.
Feel free to add flourishes using the same method.
Voila! You have mastered faux calligraphy! I hope this tutorial has been helpful and that it inspires you to add beauty and style to letters, cards and signs galore. Let me know if you have any questions. If you have a chance to try it out, I’d love to see your artwork. Post in the comments or send me a message.
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