Tips for Creating Your First Calligraphy Art Piece

Posted on by Renee

Want to take your calligraphy skills from practice pages to practical pieces? Keep reading for my best tips for developing your lettering inspiration into finished calligraphy artwork. You’ll find project ideas and tips for avoiding the hiccups that can turn into headaches.

Quick takeaway — don’t let your layout be an afterthought. Putting time into making design decisions ahead of time will help you be happier with the final piece and encourage you to write more. Think about the finished size of the work and how you will present it. Think of your work in terms of longevity.

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The Setup Takes the Longest — Layout Tips

The word "abundance" in Roman capital calligraphy over a watercolor painting resembling blue water.

“Layout” refers to how you decide to arrange the text on the page to create interest.

Using your normal handwriting and a scratch piece of paper, start brainstorming. Try writing the text in different arrangements and pick your favorite.

Here are some ideas to try:

  • Choose one word to emphasize — and how you want to emphasize it
  • Try breaking the lines of text apart in different ways
  • Play with how the text is justified: aligned all to the left? Centered?

Arranging the text is a tool in your layout box. See if you can use it to emphasize the meaning of the text. Learn more about Layout & Composition in this article.

A Tip About Margins

Margins are an invisible cushion that hold your work together. They confine the calligraphy into a nice package that’s soothing to the reader.

Without getting into the math (yes, math!), here are 2 things I learned from the book, Mastering Layout by Mike Stevens:

  1. Leave the same amount of space at the sides of the page as you do at the top
  2. Leave twice the amount of space at the bottom as there is at the top

There should always be more space at the bottom of your composition than at the top. This is because our minds perceive the “center” of a shape as being slightly higher than it is mathematically. Additionally, if there isn’t enough space at the bottom of the page, it can look like the text is about to fall off, creating discomfort in the viewer.

Choose your Materials

The materials you choose contribute to the overall experience of your piece. Think about the text. A line from an upbeat song would have an entirely different presentation than a line from a deep and thoughtful poem.

Choose colors and materials that will reflect the sentiment you want to convey.

A few more tools to consider:

  • Calligraphy script — loose and flowing? Crowded? Stacked? Dense, or spaced out?
  • Spacing — play with how far apart you place the lines of text. Spreading them out can create a feeling of space and quiet. Squashing them together can create stress and friction. You can also adjust your letter and word spacing as a design element as well.
  • Writing instrument — nib, paintbrush, Micron pen? Each will give a different character to your text. When in doubt, choose what you feel most confident with.
  • Color — cool colors are calming, vibrant colors are energizing. Color is also an excellent option for creating emphasis.
  • Paper — store it nicely so it doesn’t get damaged! Paper comes in lots of colors and textures. It can change how the calligraphy appears, depending on the calligraphic hand and your writing instrument.

Tip: Don’t feel like you have to play with all the elements with every piece! Stick with calligraphic hands and writing tools you’re most comfortable with. There are plenty of ways to arrange text and play with spacing to create an experience for the viewer.

Test, test, test

Trust me, there is nothing like carefully drawing guidelines on a page and discovering the ink bleeds on the paper with the first stroke.

Testing will save you time, materials, and a headache.

Often, our nice paper comes in nice, big sheets. Sometimes the sheets have a watermark, or get a bit bent or dented in transit or at the art store. I normally tear down the pages for a final piece, excluding the affected areas of the sheet. I write the name of the paper type and manufacturer on the scrap pages and keep them in my studio for testing ink and paint.

Take some time and try out your favorite inks and paints with calligraphy on different types of paper as you accumulate them. Personally, I write down what nib and ink I used so I can refer to it later — when I’ve forget whether I’ve tested it or not!

Take Notes

Typically, I make a mini mockup of the intended finished work. I draw out a quick box and add the dimensions of my piece.

Then, I measure out the margins and jot those down to refer to as I rule up the final guidelines for the page. I’ll make little un-detailed sketches of my layout to see if I like it. After I practice the text at-size (see next section), I’ll write down the nib and ink I like for the project.

All the above notes save me the time of having to redo or re-test an element of my design. This keeps me in the creative flow of writing. Over time, you’ll see what tools you gravitate towards as you develop your own style.

Make a First Draft

Decide on the final size of the completed piece and write out your text on a layout bond paper. Use the same size nib or pen you intend to use for the final draft and write the text at the intended size.

This will help you catch and correct possible problems before you get to your good paper. Some things to look for:

Check to make sure you like the spacing and that no ascenders and descenders collide. Check the layout for “hot spots”: or areas that draw unintended attention. See if you can make ligatures or add decorative elements.

A Few Tips for Penning The Final Piece

Clear your work area. The last thing you need is errant ink making its way to the page where it’s not supposed to be. Make sure you have adequate lighting and that you have all your materials at the ready. Keep your ink where you can reach it, but not too close to the work that you’ll flick drops onto the final draft.

Use a clean brush or a clean paper towel to dust off the surface of your nice paper. This helps remove unwanted fibers that can cause ink to drag as you’re writing, distorting a letter.

Draw guidelines for your calligraphy. These act as a point of reference for the reader and bring integrity to your work.

For more tips about guidelines, click here.

Use a Guard Sheet. Place a clean, plain sheet of paper just below the line you’re writing on, below the descending line (see Guidelines article link above). This is called a guard sheet and it serves two purposes:

  1. It will protect your nice paper from the oils of your hand and help your hand move as you write
  2. If you’ve drawn guidelines on your final page, the the guard sheet will keep you from smearing your guidelines as you write

In addition to the above two, the guard sheet will catch any errant fibers or dander that can land on the final page, causing an ink drag as you write over them!

Allow your piece to fully dry! I let mine dry at least overnight before erasing the guidelines. This also means that you need to give yourself enough time to complete a project to allow for this.

Project Ideas

A pencil lettering piece that reads, "Do not fear mistakes. There are none." credited to the legendary Miles Davis.
  • Write your favorite pangram in a few different layouts and styles
  • Choose a line from a nursery rhyme and create different compositions with it
  • Write and illustrate a recipe
  • Make a simple book (link to tutorial) and write a poem across the pages
  • Write out a quote with attribution or a family saying

Final Reminders

  1. No one is going to scrutinize your piece like you do, unless you’re asking for a critique
  2. A lull in motivation is part of the creative process

Calligraphy is such an art that invites us to focus on minute detail. There’s a balance between that and ignoring it all to do what feels the most free. Like the margins, the rules rein us in, and what happens between the lines can be focused creative expression. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and remember that you exist between the lines as well.

The energy of the creative process is big at first and dwindles as the project goes on. Your inspiration will meet your determination. Just because it doesn’t feel as exciting throughout the process doesn’t mean it isn’t worth finishing. Barring any major issues or calligraphy mistakes, try to stay the course and finish the piece. If nothing else, take some notes on what you’d do differently next time. When you’re ready, try again.