Learning the art of calligraphy is a great hobby that is pretty easy to pick up but difficult to master. With a steady hand, a few tools and a lot of practice you can create alphabets, sell art, design tattoos or make wedding invitations. The problem for many new writers seems to be they do not have access to the tools to start practicing or they want to try out the hobby without spending any money off the bat. I totally empathize with this mindset because at first, I couldn’t believe some pens were $10 (even though there are much more expensive tools). Now, with practice, I can understand why they are worth that, but I would have never indulged in the art if I hadn’t tried inexpensive means of creating lettering.
Table of Contents
To dip your toe in the water of the huge ocean of calligraphy, you could learn a good beginner script such as modern calligraphy. A good way to start learning modern brush calligraphy would be using something that you probably already have:
Modern Brush Calligraphy with Crayola Markers – Video Tutorial
As you can see above, one of these cheaper alternatives is the classic Crayola marker. I bet you are like wait a minute, you can do calligraphy with those? I have some in a drawer somewhere! Yes, yes you can. Go grab them and let’s continue.
Learning Calligraphy with a Crayola Marker – Written Tutorial
Step 1: Learn the strokes
The first thing you will need to know is the two main basic strokes of modern calligraphy.
In the above image, you can see the two strokes: the thick downstroke (1) and the thin upstroke (2). It is that simple contrast of those two thicknesses that make calligraphy so appealing. Over at (3) you can see the combination of the two strokes (1 and 2) into one solid motion. From there you can start forming letterforms (4) and make the whole alphabet! We’ll get to the free practice sheets real shortly but I will briefly show you how the marker is supposed to be held in both the upstroke and downstroke:
Downstroke (1) – You will want to hold it more on the broad edge of the nib. You are trying to maximize surface area on the page (without sacrificing your comfort of course).
Upstroke (2) – You will want to hold it more straight up and down like you would properly hold a pencil.
Transitions (3) – This is better shown in the video above then I could ever take a picture of so scroll back up to the video
Step 1.5 (OPTIONAL): Get on the fastest track to learn calligraphy:
Above is a video demonstrating my detailed 50 page practice sheets that will teach any new calligrapher everything they need to know. I designed this 52 page PDF workbook to be a beginner friendly “one stop shop” for learning modern calligraphy with a brush pen. All of the information in one place and everything you need to practice to learn this script. Just grab a brush pen (I used a Tombow dual brush pen) and print this PDF on some paper, and in an afternoon you will be proud of how far you’ve come.
Step 2: Download the FREE Practice Sheets
If you would like to learn modern calligraphy but don’t have the tools readily available you can just pick up a Crayola marker and these practice sheets below (when you subscribe to my email list for free) follow along to the video above. Full Post
- Subscribe to my Email List for: Free Modern Brush Calligraphy Practice Sheets
- Premium Brush Practice Sheets here: Calligrascape Store
- 4 Different Free Practice Sheets: Full Blogpost
Enjoy!
Step 3: Get Started!
I’d like to believe that everyone that reads this post or watches the video actually practices but I know there are some people that request the free practice sheets and not even open the email! Don’t make the mistake I almost did and miss the beginning to a great lifelong skill. Get started today, even for an hour and you will notice the crazy improvement. Then try to set aside time to practice your skills during the week or look at new calligraphy skills to learn. You won’t believe what you are capable of if you keep wandering down the rabbit hole that is calligraphy.
There you have it, you have all the basics of calligraphy with a Crayola marker! I hope that this will be the first stepping stone (of many) of your calligraphy journey.
Thanks for reading until the end,
-Richard
thanks Richard for the link to this video and blog post- this is just what I was looking for, keep up the great work!
quick question- do you recommend going through the entire alphabet to practice, or focusing on one letter until you’ve got it?
Thank you so much!
I think if you are starting fresh, it is best to practice the main stroke (3) on the picture earlier in the post. Once you have gotten that, practice the whole alphabet by doing a line of them in the practice sheets. If that starts to get stale, try writing and connecting words you want to write. Definitely helps my practicing!
Thank you so very much Richards, you are very gentle while teaching the stokes, easy to follow, and very clear!
You are very welcome Ruth! I appreciate your kind words and the time you took to write the comment. Thanks and keep practicing!
i have been looking for some tips and tutorial to start calliraphy for a wile now and yours are one fo the best. thanks Richard! out to buy my markes now ! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words Ela! Glad they help you
Thank you Richard! You made quite easy to start modern and copperplate calligraphy. What are your recommendations as far books to start of with?
Can I use this as a Source for my youtube video?
Hi Gabrielle! Sure, as long as you link the post and my video in the description somewhere!
Hey Richard
2020 here with COVID-19. Yours is my first pin I’m starting with. It’s so simple but yet so challenging! I tried the fine Crayola markers first and I see that I need to look around more for the thick ones. I have the worst handwriting so I will need to print your practice sheets. So do you write with a continuous flow? How do you switch your hand position so easily?
Hi Debbie👋
Glad you can get started learning calligraphy! Don’t worry about handwriting, my personal handwriting is bad 🙂 practice sheets are very helpful for structured practice.
All I can say to your questions is practice practice. Every time you write letters and words you get better. I’ve written thousands of letters and I still have a ways to go!
Just keep at it, it’s worth it 🙂
Sorry to hear yo
Hi Richard, thanks for your advice, very helpful and economical.
This is awesome!!! Thanks so much. Now if I can just master it.
Just keep practicing and you’ll get there.