Want to learn how to get those beautiful shake-free strokes but don't know how to start? In this blog, I'll be sharing a few tips that might help you practice strokes and letters as a beginner.
1. Types of strokes.
There are 8 types of strokes that are mainly used in calligraphy. The upstroke (a), the downstroke (b), the overturn (c), the underturn (d), the ascending loop (e) , the descending loop (f), the oval (g) and the compound curve (h). Why these strokes are important? Because they help to form letters.
Below you can see that "a" is formed by combining an oval and a downstroke. "n" is formed by combining a downstroke and an overturn. Like this, different strokes are combined together to form a letter.
2. Use brush pens with a less-flexible tip.
There are a lot of brush pens available in the market and some may have very flexible tips and some may have a less-flexible tip. How to find a brush pen with a less-flexible tip? Brush pens with a less-flexible tip often have a small tip and the also bounce back easily if you apply pressure. Why use brush pens with a less-flexible tip? The main reason why I suggest a less-flexible tip for a beginner is that they are easy to use and they do half of the job while applying and releasing pressure.
The first gif is the Artline Decorite Brush Marker with a less-flexible tip and the second gif is the Camlin brush pen with a more flexible tip.
3. Calligraphy guides help a lot!
There are a lot of calligraphy guides available online and they can help you make perfect up and down strokes. You can take printouts of the guides and use a tracing paper on it to trace the strokes.
4. Make your own blank guides.
Even though calligraphy guides help a lot to practice strokes, there are some difficulties that comes with it. The guides may not suit to your brush pen size or you may not be able to take printouts of them. In that case, you can make your own guides. Try writing letters in different sizes with your brush pen and choose a size which is more suitable and comfortable for your brush pen. Draw the baseline (B), waistline (W), capline (C) and descender line (D) for that size and start practicing on it.
Wrapping up
Lastly, the most important tip is consistent practice . All the above tips will assist you to achieve those beautiful shake-free strokes only if you practice consistently.
See you in the next blog!
Happy lettering!
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