“Hey, I want to start learning calligraphy. But I don’t know how? Can you help?”  Yes, of course, I will.  This is the most common message I get each day on my Instagram from at least 30 people — how to start learning calligraphy? That’s because the scope of calligraphy has expanded in the past few years—from weddings to love letters and taking workshops—that everyone wants to learn this art.  Most importantly, we’ve seen practical uses of calligraphy in our day to day to lives. This, in turn, has opened up new career options. At this point, there are so many calligraphy styles ..read more

“Hey, I want to start to learn calligraphy. But I don’t know how? Can you help?”  Yes, of course, I will.  This is the most common message I get each day on my Instagram from at least 30 people — how to start to learn calligraphy? That’s because the scope of calligraphy has expanded in the past few years—from weddings to love letters and taking workshops—that everyone wants to learn this art.  Most importantly, we’ve seen practical uses of calligraphy in our day to day to lives. This, in turn, has opened up new career options. At this point, there are so many calligraphy styles ..read more

This blog covers a detailed tutorial on calligraphy with the Pilot Parallel Pen. We’ll be learning how to use this pen with the Foundational Hand Exemplar. Have you always wondered how does a Pilot Parallel Pen work? How do you use this square-shaped nib for calligraphy?  If yes, then gear up. In this tutorial, we are going to discuss how to do calligraphy with the Pilot Parallel Pen.  These pens are best suited for broad-edge calligraphy. And you can do scripts like Uncials, Roman, Fraktur, and many more with these pens.  For ease of understanding, we’ll be writing letters from ..read more

Basic brush calligraphy strokes — what are these? Do you struggle with inconsistent letters while doing brush calligraphy?  If yes, then it’s possible that you think of calligraphy as cursive writing—only with a brush pen rather than a pencil.  What! Calligraphy and cursive are different? Yes, obviously. Although, you can make cursive look like calligraphy. But that’s faux (fake) calligraphy.  Let me explain. The purpose of cursive (read handwriting) is to write legibly for day-to-day communication. Also, you don’t lift your pen off the page as much while doing cursive.  Wh ..read more

Today, I’m going to give my honest review on Brustro Metallic Brush Pens.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I’m now a part of the creative squad team of Brustro. And, I got these pens as a part of the welcome kit.  Infact, I wanted to try them for a while now. Even more, after the multiple review requests, you’d sent on YouTube. So, they’ve arrived just in time.   If you prefer watching a video over reading, here you go: To clarify, being a part of the creative squad does not mean that I’ll highlight only the good points of these pens. Let me assure you that I ..read more

From getting started in calligraphy to keeping yourself motivated to practice, here are 9 practical tips for all calligraphy beginners.  While calligraphy may seem as easy as handwriting—thanks to social media—it takes a lot of practice and dedication. For this reason, beginners give up on calligraphy as soon as they hold the pen. This high expectation, in turn, leads to frustration and disappointment.  With these tips for beginners, you’ll develop the right approach to calligraphy. This, in turn, will help you get better at calligraphy. And in due time, you’ll fall in love with this ..read more

Before we quickly dive into the list of best lettering and calligraphy books, I’ve got a confession to make. I prefer reading books on lettering and calligraphy rather than attending workshops.  Simply because: I get to learn from the best reliable sources in the calligraphy and lettering industry via books. And that too, without having to spend a lot on a workshop. Also, I’m the self-learner type who prefers to learn at their own pace with references to come back to anytime And if you also relate to this, I’m sure you’ll find this list of the best lettering and calligraphy books extrem ..read more

Pilot Parallel Pens are one of the best calligraphy pens available. And, in this blog, we are going to discuss how to use the Pilot Parallel Pen?   These pens are best suited for broad-edge calligraphy styles like blackletter.  And, Pilot Parallel Pen is my first choice when it comes to writing these scripts.  For better understanding, I have divided the blog into these sections: Unboxing the Pilot Parallel Pen Construction and Durability Cleaning the Parallel Pen Refilling the Parallel Pen Blending with the PPP Papers to Use Calligraphy with the PPP Recommended Nib Size Are t ..read more

You might have seen calligraphers recommending the Tombow fudenosuke hard and soft tip brush pens to beginners in brush calligraphy. But, the problem is that you don’t understand the difference between the two.  And, your question is, which one is better? Which one should you pick first and why?  So, you google “Tombow fudenosuke hard tip vs soft tip” only to find out that both are equally good.  Honestly, that’s true. Tombow fudenosuke hard and soft tip brush pens are the best small-tip brush pens available.  Overall, both the pens are best for beginners and are almost id ..read more

This is the most dreadful question—how to price your calligraphy work?  First of all, there is no standard industry rate card. There is no set price or even a range for what you as a calligrapher create. That is why deciding a price becomes challenging.  So, you create an arbitrary price. That’s based on what you think it might be worth or what you have seen other people charge.  And, you don’t feel confident about your pricing. That’s why you are continually battling whether you are asking too much or asking too little. I am Simran and I have been running my calligraphy busines ..read more