HOW TO: Calligraphy with Sharpie

Long time no see! 

It's been awhile since I've created new things here on To Be Free To Be Whole.  I've been spending a lot of the past two months preparing the makings of my typography, calligraphy, and print brand! It's still in the making but I'm excited to see what's to come.  As a fun resource for you, here's a few tips I've learned from hand lettering that might help you if you want to learn the art of calligraphy.  If you're new to the hand lettering game, starting out with markers will give you a basic and simple skill of understanding calligraphy.  Enjoy and create wonderful things! 

   

Tip #1: PRACTICE YOUR SCRIPT!!
Some are naturals at smooth lettering, others may take a little more time. That's okay! Learn to practice letters.  I started by taking alphabet script samples from pinterest and copying them over and over again.

Tip #2:  UNDERSTANDING THICKNESS
 If you search up hand lettering you'll see how the script has a mixture of both thin and thick curves or lines.  This gives the script a sort of depth. The thickness totally changes what the letter looks like.  Again, analyze and copy letters to understand how thickness works.

                                                                                                

 Tip #3 : DOWN STROKES. 

The best way of explaining thickness is by determining where your down strokes are.  Any time you draw your marker downwards is where the thickness will be created.  Find your downstrokes and add a space to create more thickness.  When you start to move to more sophisticated pens and brushes, you can start to train yourself by switching from thin and thick lines rather than going back and filling in the thickness.  

Here's a clip to show you how it works!

Here's another example: I marked all the downstrokes I made and you can see the emphasis/thickness on the strokes.  

Here's a look of how it's done.  I went for a more subtle thickness rather than a dynamic thickness.  (Sidenote: I have terrible videotaping skills) 

Hope this was somewhat helpful for you! If anything, hand lettering is a lot of fun! For me it's such a destressor and a creative means of relaxation.  

Always remember to live well and spread the love!!

For the Praise of His Glory,

XOXO Gracie