Learn Calligraphy

When looking at an artfully crafted piece of calligraphy, you may be under the impression that it may be difficult to learn calligraphy.  After all, it does look intricate and possibly even complicated to duplicate the curves and angles of the lettering.

In reality, with the right tools and practice, you can create your own calligraphy pieces quite easily.

The first secret in how to learn calligraphy is simple.  It is to decide you can learn it, just like any other skill, and dedicate yourself to practicing the strokes.  The more you practice, the easier it becomes and the more enjoyment you will get from it.

Begin to learn calligraphy with the mindset of just letting your pen flow and soaking in the feel of the letters.  If you try to force yourself to master the lettering, it will no doubt prove frustrating for you.

Instead, go into the experience with no expectations other than just getting the feel for the tools, along with the slants and curves of each letter.  Begin with a basic alphabet and move on from there.  There is no race and no competition.

Remember as you learn calligraphy that what you are really learning is an art.  To perfect an art of any kind, it takes commitment and practice.  But with an art, it should be a heartfelt, enjoyable experience.  If you begin your practices with nothing in mind other than learning and getting the feel for it, your letters will flow more easily and the inspiration will come from the heart.

Once you have decided to learn calligraphy, you may wonder exactly how long it may take to see real progress.  If about 15-30 minutes is set aside a few days each week for focused practice, you can expect to see results in just a few weeks.

Each student is different, so the results vary by individual.  Success will come sooner to the student who practices daily and really has the desire and motivation to succeed.

To learn calligraphy is not a difficult process involving a great deal of time or investment in specialized tools.  With a sketch book, pen, a lettering guide and a few minutes set aside each day for practicing the exercises, you will be delighted with the results.

The ability to produce stunning letters by hand will give you a great deal of confidence and pride.  You will become faster and able to create lovely, graceful written art in any way you'd like to use it.

Just imagine how your regular handwriting will improve once you learn calligraphy.  You're sure to receive many compliments, especially if you choose to incorporate the calligraphy into handwritten letters, thank you notes, invitations or family ancestries, which are so popular right now.

It doesn't take much more than a desire to learn calligraphy than to be able to produce exquisite handwritten pieces in just a few weeks.

Calligraphy is not only artistry that gives a sense of satisfaction and visual beauty, but it is really a craft that you will be able to use in so many ways in your day-to-day life.

Farsi Calligraphy

One of the most popular forms of Arabic or Persian calligraphy is something known as Farsi calligraphy.  Farsi is just one of the beautiful script fonts that has been practiced with this particular form of calligraphy for thousands of years.  In each of the magnificent letter shapes holds generations of ancient history.

The beauty of this particular calligraphy writing style is evident even if you cannot read or decipher what the letter shapes spell out.

One of the unique features of Farsi calligraphy is that it looks more like symbols and shapes versus actual letters of the alphabet.  This makes sense when you know that Farsi calligraphy uses letter shapes versus actual letters spelled out to form words.  By placing dashes or dots near the letter shape, it changes the pronunciation of the word as it is written in Farsi calligraphy.

Some of the most popular applications for Farsi calligraphy are for religious decrees, formal documents and quotations, and names that are framed as art and/or as tattoos.

Maybe because of its beauty, possibly because of intrigue or just as a way to pay homage to religious roots or beliefs, the use of Farsi calligraphy for tattoos is incredibly popular.  Specifically, the spelling out of names as tattoos.

There are many calligraphy generators featuring Farsi calligraphy that show you how your name looks in this very ancient, classic form of calligraphy.

In Middle Eastern nations, Farsi calligraphy serves as a strong foundation for creative inspiration and used in its purest form as art.  As you look at Arabic or Persian art, you will see how the use of calligraphy, and Farsi calligraphy in particular, is featured as the centerpiece of formal art designs, paintings and in written forms.

Farsi calligraphy, or Taliq, Nas-Taliq or Cursive Nas-Taliq, is used in more modern forms of calligraphy.  Because Farsi is one of the more contemporary forms of the ancient version of Arabic and Persian calligraphy writing styles, it is one of the fonts of choice if wanting to learn these types of calligraphy writing styles.

There are many online tutorials and books that will teach you the basics of this very specialized and beloved form of calligraphy.

It is important to remember the difference between forming actual words versus forming letter shapes.  The letter shapes really do seem more like art when you are practicing their form, but you must pay special attention to the placement of the dots and symbols because it will make all the difference as to the meaning of what you have written.

Arabic and Persian Farsi calligraphy can be used as a stand-alone piece of art to be centered in a frame, or moved to the forefront of a background picture.

Farsi calligraphy can also be used as a decorative border, with one word being used repeatedly as the border or theme of the design piece.

If not quite ready to try Farsi calligraphy in your own hand, there are online Farsi calligraphy generators so you can study and learn more about this absolutely stunning form of calligraphy.

For fun, go to an online calligraphy generator and type in your name to see how different it will look in Farsi calligraphy.  Because  this is one of the most ancient and classic forms of calligraphy, it is one style that any calligrapher should take the time to study and learn.

Fancy Calligraphy Fonts

When studying the art of calligraphy, there are a lot of font styles you will come across as your training and interests advance.  Although all font styles have beauty, fancy calligraphy fonts are some of the most elegant and beautiful.

When one thinks of calligraphy, in most cases a classic, crisply-written script font is what comes to mind.  Fancy calligraphy fonts aren't all necessarily script fonts, but certainly script fonts are the ones that give a really artistic, exquisite feel to an otherwise standard document.

A script font can range from the very simple to the highly decorated and artful lettering style.  Even the most simple script font makes a statement and exudes beauty.

On the other hand, there is nothing quite so stunning and fascinating as to read writings in fancy script fonts featuring a lot of embellishments and flourishes.

Although you may not want to use extremely fancy calligraphy fonts for invitations or a design piece that  has a lot of writing, it would be a good choice to create fancy initials or for a tattoo design with just  one or two words.

Fancy calligraphy fonts also number in the hundreds, and it's so interesting to study all of the different strokes and lettering styles that go into each and every alphabet.  Especially for art pieces where you blend your words with another form of artwork, fancy calligraphy fonts are appropriate and really bring an extra special effect to the piece.

In most any way you would use fancy writing, especially with an embroidery monogram or personalizing a book cover with a fancy scripted letter font, would be the perfect opportunity to work fancy calligraphy fonts into the project.  Even if sketching a word or name onto a mirror or into glass of some kind is perfect for using the most fancy of calligraphy fonts.

The detail that goes into creating fancy calligraphy fonts is an art form all by itself.  From very delicate strokes and lines to the beautiful angles of the letters, it is easy to understand why calligraphy is truly the art of writing words and letters.

Fancy calligraphy fonts can be used to draw the eye and extra attention to the beginning of a paragraph by using a highly decorated letter to start the paragraph.

While there are many alphabets that feature fancy lettering, by studying the differences between them and how those strokes are formed will serve you well while studying and learning different alphabets.  It is well worth the time of downloading practice pages off various websites online to begin getting practice with these fancy calligraphy fonts.

It could not be easier to create visual art pieces with fancy calligraphy fonts, especially if written in your own hand.  By learning how to form fancy letters in your own hand, you can bring a real sense of your own personality and expression to whatever it is you use this lettering for.

Absolutely stunning pieces can be made just by adding fancy calligraphy fonts to any handwritten letters or other craft projects as it will really make any of your own creative design pieces pop.

Learning and using fancy calligraphy fonts in any kind of artwork brings a sense of classic charm, in your own skillful hand, to life.  Learning and admiring those beautiful font styles will help you build your skill set to apply in every aspect of your study of calligraphy.

Calligraphy for Dummies

Most people who admire calligraphy stand back and don't believe they could ever learn to create such beautiful written work.  There is nothing further from the truth.

Even if you think you are artistically challenged, take the approach of learning with calligraphy for dummies.  We've all seen those "For Dummies" books on everything from house repair to learning keyboarding skills.  Calligraphy for dummies is no different.

If you approach this new skill, like any other "For Dummies" topic, with an open mind and a willingness to learn and practice, then you can certainly master calligraphy.

Calligraphy is the art of beautiful, elegant writing.  Everyone has seen examples on formal announcements or wedding invites because it's still a very popular form of creative writing style in society today.  Although it's been around for thousands of years, anyone can learn it, beginning with a "calligraphy for dummies" plan.

You get started by getting the proper tools you'll need.  These include pens, ink, paper and an instruction guide with lettering templates.

In your calligraphy for dummies plan, you'll want to start out with basic block letters or maybe a simple italic alphabet.  Copy the letters on to a sketch pad or other lined practice paper, and you're on your way to learning this classic art.

Learning how to work with the calligraphy pen and holding it at various angles, applying different amounts of pressure and practicing are all you need to do to move from calligraphy dummy to calligraphy expert.

Moving along with your calligraphy for dummies plan, you can now learn other types of lettering styles and alphabets.  You can practice writing numbers and even fancy lines and scroll-type symbols.  In this way, you can begin to add cool enhancements and jazz up your basic calligraphy.

Start by learning how to form each letter, and move on to practice writing words.  The next step calls for writing a few words together and then sentences.

Calligraphy for dummies is all about taking it slow and a step at a time.  Build on each step to advance into new font styles and letters.  Remember you can't expect to write out professional-looking pieces without mastering the basics first.  Calligraphy is a skill that grows as you master each basic step along the way.

Once you've mastered a basic block or italic alphabet, you can practice new font styles including such calligraphy classics as Roman letters or manuscript-type styles.  From there, learn how and where to add the flourishes and embellishments that can make your work really fancy, or a far cry from where you started in your calligraphy for dummies plan.

Learn the tips and tricks to take some simple calligraphy writing and make it really special and unique.

Once you've mastered each step in your own calligraphy for dummies program, put your newfound skills to the test by attempting to produce actual documents such as certificates or announcements.  Even putting together something as simple as a handwritten card or poster will do.  Just put together anything to use what you have learned to compose and execute a real, usable document.  Add those fancy adornments and garnishments to take your project to a whole new level.

On the calligraphy for dummies plan, it's all about learning the basics, moving forward at your own pace and continuing on to the next step until you've achieved a level of success and can see real results.

Calligraphy is not as hard to learn as you may think and the biggest obstacle to overcome is to simply get started.  Take the pen to paper and learn how to take curves and strokes, then put them all together in a way that will give you beautiful written documents.

Taking the calligraphy for dummies approach is probably one of the smartest ways you can learn calligraphy.  By believing that even with little to no artistic skills, you can learn to create beautiful written art, you will be thrilled with the results you can achieve by building on each small step.

Alphabet Written in Calligraphy

One of the first major accomplishments when learning calligraphy handwriting is getting the alphabet written in calligraphy.  Calligraphy takes practice and with any art form, you start at the beginning.

The beginning is to practice basic strokes and then moving on to check off the first major goal of getting an entire alphabet written in calligraphy.

Calligraphy can be challenging at first, but if you take it slow and keep practicing, the form and flow is sure to come.  There are some basic strokes to practice before even attempting to form the letters of the alphabet written in calligraphy.

The basics include mastering the downward stroke, push/pull strokes and something referred to as branching, which is a style of curved line.

Before you begin practicing, be sure to have the tools you need to get started.  These tools include some ruled paper and a calligraphy pen.

Practice the strokes you will be using to form the letters.  Select an easy font such as manuscript, Roman or italic to get a good feel for these letter strokes.

You'll need to practice the alphabet written in calligraphy both in upper and lower case.  The size and spacing of the letters can be copied from any beginner's template or instruction manual.

Basically, the letters take up two sections of the lines on your paper.  Lower case letters stay below the middle dividing line, while upper case letters go all the way up to the top section of the lines on the paper.  It's much like when you learned how to form cursive letters in school.  Each letter has a form, shape and size built by adjoining different lettering strokes together.

The difference with the alphabet written in calligraphy is that each font is different and will require you to learn the writing form of each letter as it is written in different fonts.

In the beginning, pick one basic font style and master writing each letter of that particular alphabet.  Once this has been accomplished, move on to different font styles and learn the strokes and letter forms of that alphabet.  By working your way through different font alphabets, you can learn how to form the letters and write properly in various calligraphy alphabets.

It is so important that you practice the strokes and then each letter as you learn.  This is how you learn and the more you practice, the faster you can move on to using flourishes and embellishments to enhance your writing.

It is also important to learn how to use the calligraphy pen properly, which will help you write the letters correctly.  A general rule of thumb when practicing the alphabet letters is to hold your pen at a 45 degree angle.  This is a good starting point to get the feel of the strokes and actual lettering.

Take advantage of pictures in your instruction manual, as they can show you how to hold the pen and write the strokes and letters in proper form.

Pay special attention to the size of your letters, in addition to spacing.  You don't want the letters to run too closely together because it will be too difficult to read.

Experiment with the simpler font styles first to get into the flow of forming letters.  Once you get the hang of it, your speed will increase which will automatically help with the lettering flow and spacing.

At first, it may seem like getting that first alphabet written in calligraphy will take forever.  However, by first practicing the strokes used to make up the letters, it will not be as hard as you think.  A handsomely written alphabet is the first step to moving on to more advanced techniques in the future.