5 Fun Calligraphy Exercises to Master a Nib

Practice your modern calligraphy skills with these hand-lettering exercises for pen control and perfecting your flourishes

Calligraphy is a truly meditative art form, but it also requires love, patience and practice to truly master. There are some simple exercises you can do to practice your pen control, perfect your flourishes, and get into zen mode.

Modern calligraphy artist Mathilda Lundin (@mathildalundin) swears by calligraphy’s meditative powers. She hosts calligraphy workshops and has collaborated with renowned stationery brands, such as Paperchase and Cartier.

In this tutorial, she will teach you some of her favorite exercises. So grab a pen and some paper and get into the zone whilst perfecting the art of calligraphy.

1. Light upstrokes and thick downstrokes

Make sure to begin with your pen poised at the angle you will be drawing the downstroke on. Begin with a thin upstroke, then pause at the top. On the downstroke, bring the pen down with more pressure. This will open the nib so that it produces a thicker line. Make sure to maintain the same pressure as you are pulling the pen off the paper, so that you get a nice, clean finish.

2. Transitions between thick and thin strokes

Practice transitioning between thick and thin strokes without taking your pen off the paper by drawing a series of “u” and “n” shaped lines. Keep practicing this drill until you have mastered a smooth transition.

3. Oval shapes

Begin turning the “u” and “n” shapes into oval shapes, so you can really get the hang of the alternating pressure and strokes. This is particularly useful for when you begin practicing capital letters like C’s and D’s.

4. Practice basic flourishes

Start drawing basic flourishes, ending with a little ribbon. These look like repeated infinity signs. Vary the thickness of the lines as you draw these flourishes. This is a particularly helpful exercise in learning to maintain control as your hand moves across the page.

5. Use shapes to practice control

Once you have mastered the previous exercise, draw a square and an oval with a pencil. Fill the square and oval with the same, infinity-like flourishes. Try drawing these flourishes at different angles to simultaneously increase your agility and control.

Did you enjoy these exercises? If you would like to learn how to write calligraphically but with your own, personal touch, then check out Mathilda’s course, Modern Calligraphy: Creating Expressive Letterforms.

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