Have you ever admired someone’s handwriting…? The way it flows without looking choppy, and there seems to be no hard effort in making it beautiful. Then there is calligraphy (which can look somewhat similar, but it’s not the same thing), which we are in love with too, and that’s what we are celebrating today!

Calligraphy has been around for the longest time throughout our history and has many design concepts, especially for advertising and promotions today. The only difference is that there are advanced technologies to make it easier now. Nevertheless, it still remains a stunning art.

Celebrate World Calligraphy Day with PNA

We suggest shopping for some supplies at your nearest PNA store and trying out calligraphy today, or at least as soon as possible…

Calligraphy for Beginners

We know everyone wants to learn this art because the scope of calligraphy has expanded from weddings to love letters to specific careers such as designers. It has opened new career options due to its practical uses.

If you want to start with calligraphy, we understand the overwhelming calligraphy styles on social media and which pens to buy. So, in this blog, we’ll answer all your questions.

• Step 1: Start to learn – You don’t need expensive pens to start learning calligraphy. Use a regular pen or pencil at first. In fact, the only supplies you really need are a pencil, pen, marker or sketch pen, any paper, an eraser, and a ruler.

Familiarise yourself with Faux (or fake) calligraphy first. It simply means using simple tools that look like real calligraphy. It gets you started quickly before moving to real calligraphy and trying to figure out the right supplies. It also forms the correct base for you to first understand the letters’ structures.

• Step 2: Select a calligraphy script – Pick something simple to avoid confusion. Brush calligraphy, for example, is one of the easiest. It has simple rules, readily available tools, and a large community of beginners on social media. It’s also a low initial investment, which you are looking for because you don’t know yet if this new hobby will continue into the future.

• Step 3: Do research on the script – The only way to learn is to become Follow people on Instagram, watch YouTube tutorials, read books, read blogs and join practice groups on Facebook or WhatsApp.

• Step 4: Familiarise yourself with the tools – If you get to the point of purchasing calligraphy pens, please don’t use them as regular pens. It builds up frustration if you hold a brush pen like a regular pen, and you won’t achieve the variation between the thick and thin strokes. Spend time learning how your calligraphy pen is built, how to hold it and how to take care of it.

• Step 5: Start with basic strokes – Practise basic strokes that combine to form the letters you want. This way, your letters will automatically fall in place. If you master the 8 basic brush calligraphy strokes, you’ll be able to write all the alphabet letters. Don’t skip the basics, limiting your understanding and later feeling stuck.

• Step 6: Practise makes perfect – The only way to get better at something is to practise it daily. You don’t have to practice an entire day, but 15 minutes daily will show you tremendous improvement within a month. Get practise sheets online and practise mindfully, ensuring each stroke is better than the previous one.

• Step 7: Critique yourself – After practising, take a break, get back to your work, and point out areas of improvement. For example, learn to spot inconsistent calligraphy strokes, spacing between letters and refine your basic shapes. Then redraw the strokes and correct the errors. Again and again on repeat.

Remember, you won’t get smooth strokes and the perfect shapes initially because you’re still in the process of developing that muscle memory. But continue to exercise and later on try different nibs, inks, papers, and different calligraphy tools.

If you choose this, have fun doing it!