Making your calligraphy practice fun!

I hate letter drills. Writing pages of a single letter isn’t for me – I think focusing to that extent is counter productive, to be honest. So I challenge myself to practise modern calligraphy in a fun way.

Image credit: Zehra Photographer

I use colour – it brightens my desk and changes the look of my letters. Writing in black ink on white paper is meh. Writing in a metallic pink on black card changes everything.

Image credit: Zehra Photographer

And I don’t practise letters. I practise words. Quotes are great, song lyrics are better – especially if you play Spotify in the background as you write. A single phrase, song title or line from a chorus becomes a gorgeous piece of calligraphy art – and the motivation to practise more! Here’s how –

  1. Choose your song lyric
  2. Find your best dark A4 paper and a bright calligraphy ink
  3. Draw a rectangle in pencil on the page – about the same size as your phone
  4. Write. Keep the entire phrase inside that rectangle if you can, leaving a wide border around the edge
  5. Find a cheap frame, and frame your lyrics!
  6. Give them to a friend, parent, sibling, lover… see how special a gift your lettering can be!
Image credit: Zehra Photographer

Find coloured card in any high street art shop, and buy inks from my online store at Etsy.com/shop/byMoonandTide