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.
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.
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 –
- Choose your song lyric
- Find your best dark A4 paper and a bright calligraphy ink
- Draw a rectangle in pencil on the page – about the same size as your phone
- Write. Keep the entire phrase inside that rectangle if you can, leaving a wide border around the edge
- Find a cheap frame, and frame your lyrics!
- Give them to a friend, parent, sibling, lover… see how special a gift your lettering can be!
Find coloured card in any high street art shop, and buy inks from my online store at Etsy.com/shop/byMoonandTide