How to Learn Calligraphy at Home
Calligraphy is the ancient practice of treating the written word as an art form. Literally meaning "beautiful writing", calligraphy originated in Asia and has been traced back as far as the 28th century B.C. While this art form can take a lifetime to perfect, it is never to late to start practicing the art of beautiful writing.
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Things You'll Need
- Nib
- Reserver
- Ink
- Water cup
- Paper
- Tissue
- Pencil
- Paint brush
- Paint pallet
Instructions
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Buy reference materials that explain the basics of calligraphy. Books such as "Beginner's Guide to Calligraphy: A Three-Stage Guide to Mastering the Skills of Letter Art" teach the student the foundational marks that all calligraphy originates from. Whether you are practicing Chinese, Japanese or English calligraphy, many of the same line principles apply to each form of writing.
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Practice the basics repeatedly using your calligraphy pen on watercolor paper. Take time to ensure that you are able to form the basic calligraphic line structures. Perfecting the foundations of calligraphy will ensure that you will have the skills required to move on to more advanced forms of writing.
Make time for an hour of calligraphy practice a day. You may find that not only will your calligraphy skills get better, but setting aside time in your day to practice a stress relieving exercise will leave you feeling calmed and refreshed.
You can practice your basic calligraphy marks wherever you are comfortable. This place could be at a kitchen table, or a work desk. The only requirement is that your work area needs to be well lit.
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Move on to more advanced techniques. "Chinese Calligraphy Made Easy: A Structured Course in Creating Beautiful Brush Lettering" is a wonderful resource that will guide you through some of the more advanced techniques of Chinese calligraphy.
Once you have the basic foundations of calligraphy mastered, you can practice more advanced forms of writing by doing exercises such as writing your name, or a short story in calligraphy. What you write is not as important as how much you write. For extra practice, you can find creative ways of incorporating this art form into your every day life such as writing shopping lists or personal notes in calligraphy.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Anicent Chinese Calligraphy image by Da Vynci from Fotolia.com
