How to do Calligraphy with a Highlighter

Last Updated on January 24, 2022

Calligraphy is a dynamic art form that can be made with a large variety of materials and tools. Like pencils, highlighters can even be found in your office or your pencil drawer somewhere in your house. Once you have found a couple highlighters, grab them and bring them back here and start following this calligraphy video or written tutorial.

Highlighter Calligraphy Video Tutorial

If you have the time or learn better I suggest watching the above video to learn how to do calligraphy with a highlighter. If you are more of a self learner, I have written out some general steps you can glance over.

Blackletter Calligraphy

Most highlighters can be great tools for black letter calligraphy because of the “chisel tip,” which is a flat angled edge that allows a variety of line thicknesses depending on how you use it.

The broad edge of a highlighter allows Blackletter Calligraphy
Maintaining an angle of 30 degrees is essential for the Foundational Script

The first thing you need to do is hold your highlighter like you would any other writing utensil. Next, rotate it until the chisel tip is at a 30 degree angle from the horizontal line you wish to write along. Keep this angle at ALL times.

If you keep your pen angle consistent, your stroke direction changes your thickness

Once you try making some strokes on your paper, you will notice that depending on which direction you go the thickness of your stroke differs. As long as you maintain your angle, a stroke down to the right is thick and up to the left is thin. This is the base concept that which all of blackletter calligraphy is based on. Try it now.

Once you kind of get the feel of what kind of strokes create which shapes you can try learning making your first letters!

“abcde” of the Foundational Alphabet

The “abcde” is from the “foundational” alphabet from the blackletter family of scripts. It is a great alphabet to start learning calligraphy due to its variety of curves and serifs.

Below is an example of uppercase and lowercase Foundational alphabets to copy.

Foundational Calligraphy Lowercase Alphabet

Foundational blackletter calligraphy lowercase alphabet example

Foundational Calligraphy Uppercase Alphabet

Master Blackletter Practice Sheets

Master Blackletter Calligraphy Practice SheetsTitle Page

If you want to learn blackletter scripts, I have created a master set of practice sheets that teaches 8 broad edge scripts throughout the ages. Check them out here:

Free Practice Sheets

If you are looking for more practice sheets and alphabets I have 4 free sheets over at this post: 4 Free Printable Practice Sheets

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