How to Use a Calligraphy Pen
The art of calligraphy, literally meaning "beautiful writing," is an ancient one, dating to early China. These days, there are countless classes, books and videos on how to learn this lovely skill. It's possible to learn the basics of using a calligraphy pen to create elegant writing without formal training.
Things You'll Need
- Calligraphy pen
- Nibs (optional)
- Ink (depending on the kind of pen)
- Paper
Instructions
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1
Select a pen. Calligraphy pens can be felt-tipped, steel-point, fountain pens and even feather quills with a specially cut point. Felt-tip pens require no additional ink. But if you are using a fountain pen, steel-point pen, or quill, you will need a bottle of ink. Try out several pens, long and short, narrow and thick, to decide what feels best in your hand.
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Select your nib. The nib is the part of the pen that transmits the ink to the paper. With felt-tip calligraphy pens, you can buy pens in different nib sizes, from very fine (tiny nib) to wide tip (very broad). Steel-point and fountain pens usually come with interchangeable nibs so that you can use the same pen body for all of your work.
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3
Dip the calligraphy pen in ink or fill the fountain pen bladder, if necessary. Press the tip of the nib gently against the ink jar to remove any big drops.
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4
Angle the calligraphy pen so that the nib meets the paper at about a 30-degree angle. This doesn't have to be exact. Just add some angle to the pen so that you get the characteristic wide and thick lines of calligraphy.
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Write. Practice writing the alphabet using sentences that contain all of the alphabet's letters, like "The quick red fox jumped over the lazy brown dog." Also practice names, numbers and symbols.
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Practice frequently. The more you use your skills, the more even and uniform your writing will become.
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7
Take good care of your calligraphy pens and ink. Always clean steel-point nibs after using them. Keep ink stored with the lid on and away from light.
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