What I Wish I Had Known as a Calligraphy Beginner

Interested in learning calligraphy?

Here are seven things I wish I had known as a beginner when I started in 2017.

I’m sharing them in hopes that they will be helpful for you as you get started!

1. Basic strokes are a big deal

When I learned calligraphy I had no idea how important the basic strokes were.

I practiced them briefly before moving right into letters and didn’t really practice them after that.

As a result, my letters would often look “off” and I never realized it was because I hadn’t taken enough time to get the foundational strokes down!

You might also like: How to Avoid These Common Calligraphy Beginner Mistakes

2. Paper matters

I did all my early calligraphy practice on printer paper and school notebook paper. I had no idea that the paper I was using even mattered.

For the most part, this was fine because I was just practicing.

But my brush pens frayed pretty quickly without me realizing why!

(Related read: How to Keep Brush Pens From Fraying Too Fast)

Now I know that smooth marker paper or tracing paper is the best choice for calligraphy practice because it makes your brush pens last longer.

Other papers I recommend are listed in this post: Best Paper for Brush Pens: A Complete Guide

3. The pen you use also matters… a LOT

Actually, the pen you use when you’re first learning calligraphy matters MORE than paper!

When I started learning calligraphy, I used Sakura Koi Coloring brush pens.

Those pens are great for coloring (like the name implies), but not the best for calligraphy. The brush tips are large and very soft, which makes them hard to control.

I do not recommend using big, soft brush pens like that when you’re new to calligraphy.

Instead, use a smaller, firm-tipped pen that gives you good control, like Tombow Fudenosuke brush pens.

The pen you use can actually “make or break” your calligraphy.

Go read this post for more! Best Brush Pens for Calligraphy Beginners (easiest to use)

4. Guidelines are your friend

I stopped using calligraphy guidelines sooner than I should have.

I probably thought that once I could “graduate” from using guidelines I would have really “made it” as a calligrapher!

That’s just not true, though.

Guidelines are essential for neat calligraphy. The “experts” use them as much as beginners do.

(You can even just use lined or grid paper as guidelines.)

Yes, with practice you can do beautiful calligraphy without using guidelines all the time. But when you’re new, there’s no point in trying to do that yet!

Same goes for tracing calligraphy letters. You don’t have to “move on” from that if you don’t feel ready.

Take as much time as you need.

(I hardly ever – if at all – traced worksheets when I learned calligraphy. Hmm, maybe that’s why it took a while to get the hang of it…)

Related read: 3 Important Things to Check For When Doing Calligraphy

5. Just trying to copy the “pros” doesn’t work

As a calligraphy beginner, I often tried to do exactly what I saw an “expert” do so I could make my work look as good as theirs.

I would try to write as fast as they did, attempt to recreate their designs, and act like I knew what I was doing. 😂

The problem is, it didn’t work!

I ended up disappointed, and my calligraphy looked worse when I rushed through it because I didn’t actually know what I was doing.

Just copying what another artist made doesn’t always work.

You have to practice slowly first before you can write fast (and still make it beautiful).

You have to know the method and decisions behind the artwork to really be able to do it on your own.

That’s why I teach the method and reasons behind beautiful calligraphy in my online course – so that you know how to make amazing artwork on your own, without feeling lost or frustrated!

6. Repetitive practice makes all the difference

Another thing I didn’t do when I was learning calligraphy was practice things repeatedly until I could do them well.

(Ok, it’s possible that I still wouldn’t have done it even if I’d known how much it helps… just because I’m kinda lazy 🙃)

I took my time and figured things out as I went, and that’s a great, laid-back approach to calligraphy, too.

This is something that really frustrated me as a beginner.

I never really learned a modern calligraphy uppercase alphabet.

The calligraphy class I took didn’t teach uppercase letters and I couldn’t come up with ones I liked on my own.

I had to make do by copying what letters I could – or making one up – when I wrote a word that needed to be capitalized!

That’s why I made sure to include uppercase letters in my calligraphy course and calligraphy workbook for beginners.

I hope this list of things I wish I’d known helps you avoid some of the mistakes that I made when I was new to calligraphy!

The thing is, I don’t have any regrets about any of it because it was all a fun learning experience that I loved.

If you want to learn calligraphy, check out my course where I walk you through every step and share the secrets to making your calligraphy look awesome!