Helpful Hints for Learning Pointed Pen Calligraphy

1. It takes time. A lot of time. Im going to be really honest here. Learning pointed pen calligraphy took me about 6-8 months to learn. I tell my students to give themselves grace……. a lot of it. There will be days where you are so frustrated you will want to walk away from it…I almost did. Push through the frustration and then push some more. Give yourself at least 4-6 months and give yourself a lot of patience….and grace.

2. Prep your nib before you begin. There are many methods of prepping your nib but this is a must. If you come to my class you will learn about the flame method. There are many others too, such as putting your nib in boiling water, sticking your nib in a potato, washing it off with water and small amount of toothpaste. The flame method is my favorite because it is the quickest and easiest for me.

3. Materials. Invest in the correct materials. It is a must. For pointed pen calligraphy you need the following: an oblique/ or straight pen holder, ink (Sumi black, bleed proof white are my favorites), paper to practice with (Rhodia dot pads), inkwell, nibs (Brause blue pumpkin, leonard). Most can be found on Amazon.

4. Master the basic strokes before you begin. Know your basic strokes before beginning and it will make it a lot easier.