How to do Calligraphy

Sit at a well-lit table. It's best to work in daylight, but an angle lamp is a good alternative. Relax. It helps if you work on a surface sloped 40 to 60 degrees to the flat table top. This prevents back strain and flooding your paper with ink. To make a sloped surface, secure a drawing board to a flat surface and prop up the side furthest away from you to a comfortable level. Or, you could get a designers board. A table easel can be used too, but secure it first. Pad the board with a couple sheets of newspaper, and then cover the newspaper with paper. Pin cloth tape across the top of the writing board tightly to keep the padding papers flat.

The bottom of the writing board is protected by another sheet of clean paper that is folded in half and pinned securely to the board with the folded part up. Your parchment paper is tucked under this paper to keep it flat and protect it from accidental marking.

Once a workspace is prepared, put your pen to work. Hold the pen lightly at a 45 degree angle to the paper's edge. Make sure your pen, little finger and wrist are the only part of your hand touching the paper. This helps ensure the correct angle of the pen. It also is a step towards quality, which is your first goal. "Do not try to work fast. Strive for quality first, and speed will come naturally." (pg. 2 George, Ross F.)

Remember to never push the pen away from you. Also remember to clean the pens. "Clean pens do clean work" (pg. 2 George, Ross F.) Always pause before lifting the pen off the paper. It gives the letters a crisp, clean look. So does proper spacing. Do not lean on the pen. And remember, practice makes almost perfect!