chemistry assignment calligraphy

9 Free Calligraphy Practice Sheets

Stacy Fisher is an expert on crafting, sewing, and frugal finds, sharing her knowledge of hands-on DIY creations, finding freebies, and budgeting. Stacy was a guest on "The Dr. Oz Show" and featured in Woman's World Magazine. She has nearly two decades of writing and editing experience.

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These free calligraphy practice sheets will teach you the basics of modern calligraphy. There are practice worksheets that teach you brushstrokes, help you relax your breathing, and even teach you a few different styles of the alphabet.

Modern calligraphy, sometimes referred to as faux calligraphy, doesn't require any special tools. All you need is an everyday writing utensil and some paper.

Being able to write using modern calligraphy means that you can write beautiful notes and letters impressing all your friends and family. It's really perfect for someone who is looking to improve their handwriting, whether you want to make it decorative at not. You'll learn some great techniques that you'll be able to use in your everyday handwriting. It's also great for the beginner, who may want to get into traditional calligraphy or brush lettering in the future.

If you find that you enjoy these free calligraphy practice sheets, you may want to consider taking a calligraphy class .

Breathing Drills Traceable Worksheet

Crooked Calligraphy

Breathing in a relaxed manner while you're writing is how you get smooth letters that flow one into another. Breathing this way can be more challenging than you may think. This free calligraphy worksheet will help you regulate your breath while learning some basic calligraphy strokes.

There are more calligraphy freebies here including guideline sheets, envelope addressing templates, and a wide variety of tracing worksheets. You'll get these for free too, when you download the breathing drills worksheet. There are even some seasonal worksheets that will help when you're addressing those Christmas cards and sending your holiday letters.

Breathing Drills Traceable Worksheet from Crooked Calligraphy

Printable Pencil Calligraphy Worksheet

This calligraphy worksheet was made especially for regular pencils. It has practice areas for downstrokes, upstrokes, horizontal strokes, and an uppercase and lowercase alphabet tracing guide.

Before you get started, check out this Beginner's Guide to Pencil Calligraphy so you can be readily prepared for pencil calligraphy. You'll learn all about choosing a pencil, holding the pencil, achieving stroke variation, using a lightbox, and waterproofing your paper to avoid smudges.

Printable Pencil Calligraphy Worksheet from TPK

How to Do Faux Calligraphy Worksheet

The Happy Ever Crafter

Before you download this worksheet, be sure to check out the written and video directions. It will teach you a ton about faux calligraphy.

The free calligraphy worksheet teaches you the basics of downstrokes and then asks you to try out your new skills on a copy of the alphabet.

How to Do Faux Calligraphy Worksheet from The Happy Ever Crafter

Faux Calligraphy Alphabet Worksheet

Scribbling Grace

This Faux Calligraphy 101 worksheet teaches you how to write pretty script letters and then fill in the downstrokes. It will take you through each step and then give you room to practice on your own. There's also a video that goes along with this worksheet if you need some extra help.

Faux Calligraphy Alphabet Worksheet from Scribbling Grace

Calligraphy Practice Sheet

Small Brown Writes

Grab a pencil and a pen, as well as a ruler and an eraser, for this calligraphy practice sheet. You'll be learning how to write the letters and add downstrokes. An emphasis is placed on making letters uniformly slanted.

Calligraphy Practice Sheet from Small Brown Writes

Basic Faux Calligraphy Exemplar

A micron ink pen is recommended for this worksheet but really any writing utensil will do. Using the "Kaitlin" style of calligraphy, you can trace this lowercase alphabet and then fill in your downstrokes.

Basic Faux Calligraphy Exemplar from TPK

Faux Calligraphy Alphabet Worksheets

Smiling Colors

There are two faux calligraphy worksheets here, an uppercase alphabet and a lowercase alphabet. Simply print the worksheets and then use a writing utensil (like a gel pen) to trace the letters and add the downstrokes.

There are lots of other free worksheets here on brush lettering and other writing techniques.

Faux Calligraphy Alphabet Worksheets from Smiling Colors

Faux Calligraphy Practice

Teachers Pay Teachers

This free calligraphy worksheet is great for the beginner who wants to practice the alphabet. It's an uppercase and lowercase alphabet that you can trace and then add downstrokes to. There's also a page of some words that you can practice.

Faux Calligraphy Practice from Teachers Pay Teachers

Free Faux Calligraphy Worksheet

Vial Designs

This set of modern calligraphy worksheets is a great way to wrap up your practice. It has a great overview of downstrokes and then has room to practice the alphabet: first by tracing, and then by writing it yourself. There's a blank page at the end that you can use to practice your new skills.

Free Faux Calligraphy Worksheet from Vial Designs

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Chemistry Worksheets and Handouts (PDF for Printing)

This is a collection of free chemistry worksheets and handouts to print. Most of the printables are PDF files, although some are available as JPG or PNG files. All of these worksheets print cleanly on normal printer paper, plus you can resize them to fit your needs.

Here is a list of worksheets. This site also has articles explaining these topics in detail.

• Label Parts of the Atom [ Google Apps worksheet ][ worksheet PDF ][ worksheet PNG ][ answers PNG ]
• Acid formulas [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Balancing equations Worksheet #1 [ PDF ][ Answers ] Worksheet #2 [ PDF ][ Answers ] Worksheet #3 [ PDF ][ Answers ] Worksheet #4 [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Chemical and Physical Changes [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Chemistry scavenger hunt [ PDF clues ][ Answers ]
• Element names crossword [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Element symbols – Symbols that make words [ PDF worksheet ][ Answers ]
• Element symbols – Countries of the world [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• More element symbol worksheets
• Homogeneous or Heterogeneous Mixtures [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Intensive and Extensive Properties [ Worksheet ][ Answer Key ]
• Intrinsic and Extrinsic Properties [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Ionic and Covalent Compounds (Names and Identification) [ PDF Worksheet ][ Answer Key ]
• Ionic Compound Names and Formulas [ PDF Worksheet ][ Answer Key ]
• Metric to English Unit Conversions [ PDF Worksheet ][ Answer Key ]
• Mixtures [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Periodic table scavenger hunt [ PDF clues ][ Answers ]
• Reading a meniscus [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Reading periodic table element information Worksheet #1 [ PDF ][ Answers ] Worksheet #2 [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Scientific Notation [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Significant digits Rules [ PDF ][ Answers ] Addition and subtraction [ PDF ][ Answers ] Multiplication and division [ PDF ][ Answers ]
• Types of Chemical Reactions [ Worksheet ][ Answers ]

In addition to these chemistry worksheets, there is a collection of word search puzzles .

Chemistry Handouts

These chemistry handouts illustrate chemistry concepts and offer examples.

• Amino acid side chains [ PDF ]
• Antimatter examples [ PNG ]
• Atom facts [ PNG ]
• Chemical properties [ JPG ]
• Colligative properties [ JPG ]
• Electron configurations [ PDF ]
• Element electronegativities [ PDF ]
• 118 Element Flash Cards [ PDF ]
• Element list [ PDF ]
• Endothermic reactions [ PNG ]
• Error calculations [ JPG ]
• Exothermic reactions [ JPG ]
• Heterogeneous mixtures [ JPG ]
• Hydrocarbon prefixes [ JPG ]
• Ionic compound properties [ PNG ]
• Genetic codons [ PDF ]
• Lewis structures [ JPG ]
• Litmus test [ PNG ]
• Magnetic vs non-magnetic metals [ JPG ]
• Mole ratio [ JPG ]
• Organic vs inorganic [ JPG ]
• Oxidation numbers [ JPG ]
• Periodic table Bingo game [ PDF ]
• pH indicators [ PNG ]
• Physical change [ JPG ]
• Physical properties [JPG ]
• Noble metals [ JPG ]
• Reactants and products [ JPG ]
• RNA vs DNA [ JPG ]
• States of matter [ JPG ]
• Visible spectrum [ JPG ]

Periodic Tables

There’s a printable periodic table for just about any purpose, but some of the most popular are listed here.

• 118 element vibrant periodic table [ PNG ]
• Actinides [ JPG ]
• Blank periodic table [ PDF ]
• Element charges [ JPG ]
• Element density [ PDF ]
• Element electrical conductivity [ PDF ]
• Element state of matter [ PDF ]
• Muted color 118 element periodic table [ PDF ]
• Native elements [ JPG ]
• Valence [ JPG ]

Biology Worksheets and Handouts

Is biology more your thing? We’ve got similar resources for the life sciences, including biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and anatomy.

Chemistry Worksheets Terms of Use

You are welcome to print these resources for personal or classroom use. They may be used as handouts or posters. They may not be posted elsewhere online, sold, or used on products for sale.

This page doesn’t include all of the assets on the Science Notes site. If there’s a table or worksheet you need but don’t see, just let us know!

Related Posts

Calligraphy Fonts

The word “Calligraphy” is derived from Greek, meaning “beautiful writing”. Calligraphy or the art of fancy writing has thousands of years in its history and development. They are of aesthetics, refinement, creativity and pure beauty. For different scripts, for example, Chinese or Arabic, they have developed their own way of calligraphy. However, either western calligraphy or Chinese or Arabic calligraphy, they have strict rules and shapes with a geometrical order of lining on the page, each character with a precise stroke order.

Calligraphy fonts resemble elegant handwriting. They often look as if they were drawn with flat-tipped pens or brushes. Calligraphy fonts are widely used in wedding, event invitations, original logo design, religious art, films, TV, etc. Burgues Script created by Alejandro Paul is a typical font family of calligraphy style. According to the designer, the font is an ode to the late 19 th century American calligrapher Louis Madarasz, known as “the most skillful penman the world has ever known.”

Burgues Script by Alejandro Paul

To download free calligraphy fonts for personal or commercial use, you can take a look at our collection of calligraphy fonts . If you just want to create text graphics and logos online using calligraphy fonts, you can check out our text generator below.

Create Text Graphics with Calligraphy Fonts

You can use the following tool to generate text graphics based on your selection of colors, text effects and sizes using calligraphy fonts in seconds. You can then save the image, or use the EMBED button to get image links.

More Fonts to Check Out

Download free fonts for local use, or create text graphics and logos with them online. You can click here to refresh with a new set.

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Calligraphy 101 – The ULTIMATE Guide For Beginners

This post and the photos within it may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a commission at no extra charge to you.

If you want to learn how to start with calligraphy, you’ve come to the right place.

On this page, you will find everything you need to know about what calligraphy is and how to get started with it.

Whether you’re just starting with calligraphy or have been practicing for a while, this page contains many valuable resources to help you learn and improve your calligraphy skills.

Let’s get started!

Note – This page is consistently updated as I create new helpful resources. 

What is calligraphy? In simple words.  

Calligraphy is a visual art form that creates decorative handwriting using specific tools.

In other words, calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing.

However, calligraphy is a broad term that encompasses a wide variety of styles and cultures from every corner of the globe. 

We can primarily divide calligraphy into different cultures around the world.

To name a few – 

• Western calligraphy (the Latin alphabet)
• Chinese calligraphy
• Japanese calligraphy
• Arabic calligraphy
• Indian calligraphy

Note:  Despite the art of beautiful writing being present in many cultures across the globe, I focus primarily on studying, practicing, and teaching Western calligraphy and the Latin alphabet. 

What are some key features of calligraphy?

It’s important to distinguish between handwriting (including cursive) and calligraphy.

It is common for the untrained eye to see these two as the same.

With that in mind, here are a few key features of calligraphy. 

1. Variation in stroke thickness.

Calligraphy can be done with any writing tool; however, there are specific tools dedicated to calligraphy.

The two most common tools are broad-edged and pointed pens.

These tools are specific for calligraphy because they can create stroke thickness variations.

The broad-edged nib achieves that by keeping the pen at a consistent angle (and the direction of movement), whereas the pointed nib achieves that by adding/removing pressure as you write.

The contrast in stroke thickness that these tools can create while you write is one of the most prominent features of calligraphic letters. 

2. Letterform proportions and structure.

A specific proportion and structure of letters are maintained throughout the writing.

This is particularly important for traditional calligraphy scripts.

For example, Blackletter calligraphy is created with a broad-edged tool.

The angle of the pen is held at a 45-degree angle.

The letters are completely vertical, and they are proportionally sized according to the width of the pen.

That’s why we use the pen width as a measuring unit when it comes to broad-edged (flat tip) calligraphy styles.

These are just some of the “rules” you need to follow to create this particular style of calligraphy.

Calligraphy guidelines allow us to focus on creating beautiful and consistent letterforms.

Without calligraphy guidelines, you would have to guess and eyeball all the sizing and proportions, and it would make the whole process much more difficult.

3. Consistency and uniformity.

Calligraphy places great emphasis on consistent and uniform letterforms.

Achieving consistent stroke widths, angles, spacing, rhythm, etc., and overall letter shapes throughout a piece of writing is essential for creating a cohesive and visually pleasing result.

In the example below, I am using two different colored brush pens along with the basic calligraphy strokes to write out the word minimum.

I am focused on maintaining consistent spacing, slant, space within the letters (also known as counters), etc.

What is calligraphy used for?

Today, calligraphy is used in many different ways.

From personal use as a relaxing hobby and artistic expression to commercial purposes, official documents, wedding invitations, font designs, and much more. 

The written word can be used to convey not only information but also emotions.

As you can see in the image below, the same sentence written in two different styles can communicate a very different feeling.

Often we don’t pay any attention to letters used in advertisements, logotypes, and other promotional materials.

Try to pay more attention the next time you’re in the city or any other place where you can see letters around you.

Take a moment to look at the letters and think about what they communicate on an emotional level and how they make you feel.

This could also be a helpful exercise to determine what sort of style of calligraphy you want to learn and practice.

At this point, it’s also important to mention that calligraphy and hand lettering are not the same thing.

Despite the fact that these two terms are often used interchangeably.

When doing calligraphy, you’re writing letters, whereas, with hand lettering, you draw them.

I wrote an article about the difference between hand lettering and calligraphy . Check it out!

The Origins Of Calligraphy

Paleographers and historians believe the first alphabet evolved in Phoenicia around 1200 B.C.

As Phoenicians merchants traveled and traded across the Mediterranean, the Greeks adopted their alphabet around the eighth century B.C.

Soon after, the Etruscans adopted (and adapted) the Phoenician alphabet, which the Romans subsequently took.

By the first century B.C., the Romans had already developed several scripts using the Latin alphabet, which we all know and use today.

The word calligraphy derives from the Greek words “kallos” (beauty) and “graphein” (to write).

According to Britannica.com , the word calligraphy entered most European languages by the end of the 16th century.

This was initiated by the introduction of the printing press in the mid-15th century and thus created a clear distinction between handwriting and more elaborate forms of lettering.

We often take it for granted, but the written word is one of the foundations of human civilization.

Writing has allowed us to share and preserve information, ideas, and knowledge for thousands of years.

The history of calligraphy is rich, with many evolutions throughout centuries.

Below you can see a shorter general overview of how the Latin alphabet evolved throughout history.

In case you want to learn more about the history of calligraphy, I’ve written a separate in-depth article on the history of calligraphy and how it evolved throughout the years.  

How to get started with calligraphy? The three-step formula

Ok, now we know what calligraphy is, what it is used for, and where it comes from.

Now it’s time to learn how to start learning and practicing calligraphy.

If you’re a complete beginner, the best way to start learning calligraphy is by following the three-step formula :

• Choose a calligraphy style that you want to study and practice.
• Pick the correct calligraphy pen for the style you want to practice + the essential calligraphy tools.
• Find a proper study resource and create an effective practice routine.

With that in mind, let’s have a closer look at each of these three key steps. 

Step 1 – Choosing a calligraphy style 

The first thing you should do is find the calligraphy style that appeals the most to you.

This is the first step since the next step (picking the tools) will depend on your calligraphy style, aka script choice.

I often get asked what is the easiest calligraphy style to start with, and the truth is that each style has its little nuances that will create challenges along the way.

Some people might find working with a pointed nib easier, while others find it more comfortable with a broad-edged pen.

To learn, understand, and properly execute a specific calligraphy style, you need to stick to it for an extended period, so it’s essential that you choose something that is appealing to you. 

Generally speaking, there are a few main categories of calligraphy styles.

We can categorize calligraphy styles according to the type of pen we use. The main categories are – 

• Pointed nib calligraphy styles (Copperplate, Spencerian, etc.)
• Broad-edged calligraphy styles (Uncial, Gothic, Foundational, etc.)
• Brush pen calligraphy 

To make it easier for you, I created a separate guide on the 10 best calligraphy styles for beginners.

That article contains the most popular calligraphy styles and many helpful resources to help you make the right first step.

So if you’re a complete beginner, make sure to check out that article first.

Quick note:  The different calligraphy styles are usually referred to as scripts. People commonly use the term “calligraphy fonts,” but that is incorrect. Fonts are what (today) computers use to display text.

Step 2 – Picking the correct calligraphy pen + the essential calligraphy tools

Remember, not every calligraphy pen suits every style.

This is why it’s crucial to pick the style and then the calligraphy pen that fits that style.

Entry-level pens and tools are not crazy expensive, but it would be silly to waste your money simply because you didn’t know what you needed to get started.

Luckily, with one pen, you can create a bunch of different styles.

On top of that, there are only three main pen categories to choose from.

To help you find the right pick, I have created a complete in-depth guide on choosing the right calligraphy pen. 

In addition to the calligraphy pen, you will also need the basic calligraphy tools.

The basic calligraphy tools are :

• The calligraphy pen
• Calligraphy ink

To learn more about this, I created a separate article on the 6 essential calligraphy tools.  

By following these two guides, you will find the correct high-quality tools without wasting your time or breaking the bank. 

What if you cannot afford or find any calligraphy tools in your area?

I wrote a tutorial where I show you how to create calligraphy with a regular pen , and if you have a pencil lying around, you can also do calligraphy using just a pencil. 

Other articles about calligraphy tools you might be interested in checking out :

• Calligraphy Paper – The Ultimate Guide For Beginners
• 10 BEST Brush Pens For Calligraphy Beginners
• 10 Useful Lettering And Calligraphy Tools
• How To Clean Your Calligraphy Nibs (5 EASY Ways)
• How To Make A Calligraphy Pen At Home
• Lettering & Calligraphy Gift Ideas (The ULTIMATE Guide)

Step 3 – Find a proper study resource and create an effective practice routine.

Once you’ve picked out the calligraphy style and the needed tools, it’s time to find a proper resource and start practicing.

One of the best ways to learn calligraphy is by attending an in-person workshop hosted by a professional calligrapher.

An online workshop is also great. 

However, you can still find a bunch of great free resources online.

Instructional calligraphy books are also fantastic – I’ll talk more about them later on.

With the help of a good study resource, you’ll learn how to construct letterforms properly and keep your calligraphy proportional, consistent, and well-balanced.

Basically, all the elements you need to develop a strong foundation upon which you can then easily build more complex elements and learn new calligraphy styles.

You could just find an alphabet from Google Images or Pinterest and copy that for several months, but you might do more damage than good with that approach.

It’s much better to practice with a correctly structured exemplar that has a ductus along with it.

An exemplar is a full alphabet demonstration for you to use as a reference.

The ducts are the little red arrows indicating the stroke sequence to construct the letters. You can see an example of it below.

Trust me when I say this – finding a good study resource could make a massive difference in the quality of your calligraphy artwork and how quickly you can learn and improve your skills. 

Here is a list of current step-by-step guides for various calligraphy styles that you can find on the Lettering Daily website – 

• Blackletter/Gothic Calligraphy For Beginners (+FREE Worksheets)
• Fraktur Calligraphy Tutorial for Beginners (+FREE Worksheets)
• Italic Calligraphy For Beginners (+FREE Worksheets)
• Copperplate Calligraphy For Beginners (+FREE Worksheets)
• How To Get Started With The Foundational Hand (+FREE Worksheets)
• How To Do Modern Calligraphy (+FREE Worksheets)
• Brush Calligraphy Alphabet – a to z (Lowercase Letters)
• How to Do Faux Calligraphy (+FREE Worksheets)
• How To Do Pencil Calligraphy For Beginners (+FREE Worksheets)
• How To Get Started With Dip Pen Calligraphy (+FREE Worksheet)
• How To Do Calligraphy With Crayola Markers
• How To Draw Illuminated Letters
• How To Improve Your Handwriting (+FREE Worksheets)

This list will grow with time as I keep creating and adding more tutorials. 

Creating an effective practice routine.

Calligraphy is a motor skill.

This means that the brain, muscles, and nervous system all need to work together.

It also means that building muscle memory requires a lot of practice.

In other words, the more you practice, the better you will become at calligraphy.

This is one of my favorite videos that describes in detail how practice helps us to improve any sort of skill :

However, it’s not just about the consistency of your practice that matters.

It’s also the quality of your practice that is crucial.

If you’ve been reading my articles or will be reading them, you will often see me repeat the following sentence: Consistent practice is important, but how you practice makes all the difference.

Over the years, I’ve seen some people progress more in six months than others in several years.

The key difference was almost always the way they practiced. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to create a good and effective calligraphy practice routine and how big of an impact it can have on your progress. 

I also want to point out that it’s important that you make the routine fun.

Aimlessly copying basic strokes and alphabets can quickly become tedious. 

I created a separate article on how to practice calligraphy effectively.

In that article, I share many helpful tips and a suggested practice approach that works for any calligraphy style you choose to practice. 

On top of that, you can check out my article on the most common calligraphy mistakes and how to avoid them. 

Additional learning resources for calligraphy

Alternatively, to the options mentioned earlier, calligraphy books can be a fantastic learning option.

Over the years, most of my calligraphy knowledge has come from calligraphy books.

I wrote an article sharing my top 10 calligraphy books for beginners.

Other options are also online courses.

For example, Domestika and Skillshare offer some great online courses to help you start your calligraphy journey.

I also wrote an article sharing some of my favorite online calligraphy courses.

I prefer live or online workshops over courses (even if they are more expensive) because you can interact with the teacher, ask questions and get detailed feedback on your work. 

Advanced calligraphy techniques and effects

Once have you covered the calligraphy basics, you can start experimenting with more complex effects and techniques. 

However, it is crucial that you go over the basics before you try different techniques and effects. 

Below you can see a list of various tutorials and guides for calligraphy techniques and effects you can add to your work :

• How To Add Shadows To Your Letters (5 EASY Ways)
• How To Do Calligraphy Flourishing (+Free Worksheets)
• How To Dry Emboss Your Lettering By Hand
• Color Fundamentals, And How To Use Them In Your Lettering
• 5 Ways You Can Add a Gradient To Your Lettering
• How To Vectorize Your Hand Lettering (4 EASY Steps)
• How To Create A Calligram (Step-By-Step Tutorial)
• How To Create Brush Lettering Compositions With Ease
• How To Become Ambidextrous (Beginners Guide 2023)
• How To Do Water Brush Lettering (+FREE Worksheets)

Frequently asked questions about calligraphy

Here are some questions (and answers) that I get from calligraphy beginners :

Although both relate to writing with your hands, calligraphy focuses on artistic expression and creating visually pleasing letterforms. Regular handwriting, on the other hand, focuses on speed, efficiency, and conveying information.

No, calligraphy and cursive writing are two different things. Calligraphy uses specific tools, requiring deliberate and focused movement to create beautiful letters. Cursive writing, on the other hand, is a form of handwriting that you can execute much faster since it needs fewer pen lifts.

Yes, this type of calligraphy is also known as faux calligraphy, and I wrote a tutorial on how to do it.

You definitely can. You can monetize your calligraphy skills in numerous ways. Some common methods are client work, advertisement, wedding invitations, teaching (online and in person), selling products (physical and digital), and more.

Yes, if you have the desire and the patience, you can learn calligraphy at any age.

Yes. Many great online resources can guide you through all the needed steps to get started. The online community is also very active and supportive, so you can always ask questions and get feedback from more experienced calligraphers. Aside from free online resources, you can also get an instructional book about calligraphy and attend an online or in-person workshop.

You can learn calligraphy regardless of the quality of your handwriting. The two are different from each other. All you need to learn calligraphy is a good attitude and patience to learn the skill since it does take a while. In case you want to improve your handwriting, check out this article.

It can get expensive, but you dont need to spend a lot of money to get started. You only need to spend 20-30 $ (USD) to get you started. In my calligraphy tool guides, I’ve shared many tools that are of great quality and don’t cost that much.

There is no exact answer to this question. It does take several months to get a good grasp of the basics. It all depends on the quality and frequency of your practice. I’ve shared some helpful tips in my article on how to practice calligraphy effectively.

My motto is – consistency over intensity. In other words, you can get better results from practicing 15-20 minutes daily than doing two hours twice a week.

I can only speak from personal experience. For me, calligraphy is a therapeutic activity that benefits my mental health. According to this article , there is concrete evidence of the benefits of calligraphy for mental health.

Before you’re able to develop your calligraphy style, you have to learn the basics first. By understanding the basics of calligraphy, you will develop a strong foundation that will allow you to develop your style. In other words, you must learn the rules before you break them.

Recap + Final words

Here is a quick recap of the beginner guide to calligraphy :

• Calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing.
• The word calligraphy derives from the Greek words “kallos” (beauty) and “graphein” (to write).
• Calligraphy and hand lettering are different from each other – read more about their differences here. 
• Calligraphy is used to convey emotions as well as information. 
• The three-step formula to start learning calligraphy is as follows – 
• Choose a calligraphy style you like
• Find the right calligraphy pen + the essential tools.
• Find a good study resource + an effective practice routine.
• Explore additional learning resources.
• Once you’ve developed a solid foundation by practicing the basics, you can explore additional styles, techniques, and more advanced elements of calligraphy. 

Calligraphy is a complex art form with many little nuances, and it takes years of studying and practice to master this skill.

However, getting started shouldn’t be too complicated, and I’m confident that if you follow this guide, you will start seeing concrete results fairly quickly. 

I would like to hear it from you now :

What is the reason you decided to start learning calligraphy?

Also, what sort of style would you be interested in learning? 

Be sure to drop a comment below. 👇

Until the next one!

Stay updated with my tutorials and get instant access to the Lettering Crate –

A growing library of free lettering & calligraphy resources that includes –.

• Calligraphy practice sheets
• Procreate brushes
• The 30-day lettering planner
• Printables, and more!

About the author

Hey, I’m Max Juric, and I’m deeply passionate about calligraphy and hand lettering.

I’ve spent years honing my skills in the art of lettering, working with hundreds of clients from all over the world on design projects such as logotypes, branding, custom lettering, murals, and more.

But my journey doesn’t end there. I’ve also dedicated myself to sharing my knowledge and expertise with others, creating a wealth of resources including tutorials, articles, and podcasts.

It’s been incredibly rewarding to see thousands of people engaging with my content each month. Knowing that I’m helping fellow enthusiasts grow and develop their skills makes me really happy.

Welcome to Lettering Daily, your hub for all things lettering and calligraphy. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, I’m here to inspire and guide you on your lettering journey. Stick around, and let’s explore the world of letters together!

18 thoughts on “Calligraphy 101 – The ULTIMATE Guide For Beginners”

Thank you for all the content you have created and I look forward to what’s next. I love writing poems and I always thought poems look so boring on paper because I am not very good at drawing. So at a very young age I started to obsess over pretty writing, that’s how I came to my obsession with dip pen calligraphy. I love copperplate and spencerian

Hey Jillian, thank you so much for the kind comment 🙂 Would love to see some of your Copperplate and/or Spencerian.

Thanks Max for your newsletters and for this Calligraphy 101 Guide, plus all the extra topics and articles. Something you could put in your newsletter is where you get your calligraphic supplies and books from–Amazon, local art store, etc. Typism 2023 starts next week. I wonder if anyone is going to teach a class geared toward calligraphic art, mementos and such, for the 2024 Paris Olympics? (hopefully, the civil unrest will get settled). I took Natalie Brown’s Greeting Card 101 class, Typism 2022. Nice class, but am having difficulty with understanding PS/AI Pen Tool technique in order to vectorize my art, so it can be sent to a publisher. I’m getting help though. Bruce, North Carolina, US.

Hey Bruce, thank you so much for the suggestion. I have all those links on my site, but I will include them in my next newsletter as well. Shoot me an email, and i’ll send you some great resources that will help you with manual vectorization of your calligraphy. It’s not the easiest skill to learn but also not the hardest one. It just takes practice.

Thank You very much for this article, is a lot of very interesting information. Regards, Jose

Thank you for the nice comment, Jose. I really appreciate it! 🙂

Hello Max, This is an excellent resource for, in my opinion, calligraphers and lettering artists at all levels, from beginner onwards. Thanks for for the all the work you put into it — I know that I’ll come back to it often. Drew

Thank you so much, Drew. I am happy to hear you think that about my article, it really means a lot! 🙂

Hi there, Your emails and articles are very interesting and informative. I appreciate all the work you put into them. You must be a workaholic. 🙂 Nonetheless, I decided to get into calligraphy because it is a beautiful art form of conveying messages and I would like to give scripture messages using calligraphy as gifts to friends and family. I haven’t decided what style I will be using yet. However, I do like the templates you provided for your faux calligraphy fonts and I have been using that since I signed up with you. I have been painting them in gold. Thanks again for your sharing and generous spirit. God willing it will pay off.

Hey Lorraine, thank you so much for the awesome comment 😀 I used to consider myself as a workaholic before but now i think i have more work/life balance. I just enjoy doing this so i dont necesarily consider it as conventional work 😀 Faux calligraphy sounds awesome! Let me know if you ever struggle with something, always happy to help.

Max, you are a wonderful human being! Again, you have provided fabulous information (free!) for beginning calligraphers and those who want to improve their calligraphic skills. I’m always impressed with the offerings you provide and love to recommend your site to people…they will get quality guidance to steer them in the right direction! Thank you for all you do to promote calligraphy!

Thank you so much, Gail! You are awesome! It really means a lot hearing these things – thank you! 🙂 <3

Excellent resource for beginners or those wishing to advance their skills or expand their style range.

Thank you so much, Eden. I really, really, really appreciate it! 🙂

Damn, son, what a resource! I love the infographic and the other illustrations. Keep this gold coming. 🔥🔥🔥

Muchas gracias chica 🙂 I really appreciate it 🙂

What a wonderful Masterclass. The most in depth Calligraphy guide I’ve ever seen. Hats off Max!

WOWOWOW! Thanks so much bro! 🙂 Means a lot to hear that from you.

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The University of Chicago The Law School

Innovation clinic—significant achievements for 2023-24.

The Innovation Clinic continued its track record of success during the 2023-2024 school year, facing unprecedented demand for our pro bono services as our reputation for providing high caliber transactional and regulatory representation spread. The overwhelming number of assistance requests we received from the University of Chicago, City of Chicago, and even national startup and venture capital communities enabled our students to cherry-pick the most interesting, pedagogically valuable assignments offered to them. Our focus on serving startups, rather than all small- to medium-sized businesses, and our specialization in the needs and considerations that these companies have, which differ substantially from the needs of more traditional small businesses, has proven to be a strong differentiator for the program both in terms of business development and prospective and current student interest, as has our further focus on tackling idiosyncratic, complex regulatory challenges for first-of-their kind startups. We are also beginning to enjoy more long-term relationships with clients who repeatedly engage us for multiple projects over the course of a year or more as their legal needs develop.

This year’s twelve students completed over twenty projects and represented clients in a very broad range of industries: mental health and wellbeing, content creation, medical education, biotech and drug discovery, chemistry, food and beverage, art, personal finance, renewable energy, fintech, consumer products and services, artificial intelligence (“AI”), and others. The matters that the students handled gave them an unparalleled view into the emerging companies and venture capital space, at a level of complexity and agency that most junior lawyers will not experience until several years into their careers.

Representative Engagements

While the Innovation Clinic’s engagements are highly confidential and cannot be described in detail, a high-level description of a representative sample of projects undertaken by the Innovation Clinic this year includes:

Transactional/Commercial Work

• A previous client developing a symptom-tracking wellness app for chronic disease sufferers engaged the Innovation Clinic again, this time to restructure its cap table by moving one founder’s interest in the company to a foreign holding company and subjecting the holding company to appropriate protections in favor of the startup.
• Another client with whom the Innovation Clinic had already worked several times engaged us for several new projects, including (1) restructuring their cap table and issuing equity to an additional, new founder, (2) drafting several different forms of license agreements that the company could use when generating content for the platform, covering situations in which the company would license existing content from other providers, jointly develop new content together with contractors or specialists that would then be jointly owned by all creators, or commission contractors to make content solely owned by the company, (3) drafting simple agreements for future equity (“Safes”) for the company to use in its seed stage fundraising round, and (4) drafting terms of service and a privacy policy for the platform.
• Yet another repeat client, an internet platform that supports independent artists by creating short films featuring the artists to promote their work and facilitates sales of the artists’ art through its platform, retained us this year to draft a form of independent contractor agreement that could be used when the company hires artists to be featured in content that the company’s Fortune 500 brand partners commission from the company, and to create capsule art collections that could be sold by these Fortune 500 brand partners in conjunction with the content promotion.
• We worked with a platform using AI to accelerate the Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and application process to draft a form of license agreement for use with its customers and an NDA for prospective investors.
• A novel personal finance platform for young, high-earning individuals engaged the Innovation Clinic to form an entity for the platform, including helping the founders to negotiate a deal among them with respect to roles and equity, terms that the equity would be subject to, and other post-incorporation matters, as well as to draft terms of service and a privacy policy for the platform.
• Students also formed an entity for a biotech therapeutics company founded by University of Chicago faculty members and an AI-powered legal billing management platform founded by University of Chicago students.
• A founder the Innovation Clinic had represented in connection with one venture engaged us on behalf of his other venture team to draft an equity incentive plan for the company as well as other required implementing documentation. His venture with which we previously worked also engaged us this year to draft Safes to be used with over twenty investors in a seed financing round.

More information regarding other types of transactional projects that we typically take on can be found here .

Regulatory Research and Advice

• A team of Innovation Clinic students invested a substantial portion of our regulatory time this year performing highly detailed and complicated research into public utilities laws of several states to advise a groundbreaking renewable energy technology company as to how its product might be regulated in these states and its clearest path to market. This project involved a review of not only the relevant state statutes but also an analysis of the interplay between state and federal statutes as it relates to public utilities law, the administrative codes of the relevant state executive branch agencies, and binding and non-binding administrative orders, decisions and guidance from such agencies in other contexts that could shed light on how such states would regulate this never-before-seen product that their laws clearly never contemplated could exist. The highly varied approach to utilities regulation in all states examined led to a nuanced set of analysis and recommendations for the client.
• In another significant research project, a separate team of Innovation Clinic students undertook a comprehensive review of all settlement orders and court decisions related to actions brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for violations of the prohibition on unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices under the Consumer Financial Protection Act, as well as selected relevant settlement orders, court decisions, and other formal and informal guidance documents related to actions brought by the Federal Trade Commission for violations of the prohibition on unfair or deceptive acts or practices under Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, to assemble a playbook for a fintech company regarding compliance. This playbook, which distilled very complicated, voluminous legal decisions and concepts into a series of bullet points with clear, easy-to-follow rules and best practices, designed to be distributed to non-lawyers in many different facets of this business, covered all aspects of operations that could subject a company like this one to liability under the laws examined, including with respect to asset purchase transactions, marketing and consumer onboarding, usage of certain terms of art in advertising, disclosure requirements, fee structures, communications with customers, legal documentation requirements, customer service and support, debt collection practices, arrangements with third parties who act on the company’s behalf, and more.

Miscellaneous

• Last year’s students built upon the Innovation Clinic’s progress in shaping the rules promulgated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act to create a client alert summarizing the final rule, its impact on startups, and what startups need to know in order to comply. When FinCEN issued additional guidance with respect to that final rule and changed portions of the final rule including timelines for compliance, this year’s students updated the alert, then distributed it to current and former clients to notify them of the need to comply. The final bulletin is available here .
• In furtherance of that work, additional Innovation Clinic students this year analyzed the impact of the final rule not just on the Innovation Clinic’s clients but also its impact on the Innovation Clinic, and how the Innovation Clinic should change its practices to ensure compliance and minimize risk to the Innovation Clinic. This also involved putting together a comprehensive filing guide for companies that are ready to file their certificates of incorporation to show them procedurally how to do so and explain the choices they must make during the filing process, so that the Innovation Clinic would not be involved in directing or controlling the filings and thus would not be considered a “company applicant” on any client’s Corporate Transparency Act filings with FinCEN.
• The Innovation Clinic also began producing thought leadership pieces regarding AI, leveraging our distinct and uniquely University of Chicago expertise in structuring early-stage companies and analyzing complex regulatory issues with a law and economics lens to add our voice to those speaking on this important topic. One student wrote about whether non-profits are really the most desirable form of entity for mitigating risks associated with AI development, and another team of students prepared an analysis of the EU’s AI Act, comparing it to the Executive Order on AI from President Biden, and recommended a path forward for an AI regulatory environment in the United States. Both pieces can be found here , with more to come!

Innovation Trek

Thanks to another generous gift from Douglas Clark, ’89, and managing partner of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, we were able to operationalize the second Innovation Trek over Spring Break 2024. The Innovation Trek provides University of Chicago Law School students with a rare opportunity to explore the innovation and venture capital ecosystem in its epicenter, Silicon Valley. The program enables participating students to learn from business and legal experts in a variety of different industries and roles within the ecosystem to see how the law and economics principles that students learn about in the classroom play out in the real world, and facilitates meaningful connections between alumni, students, and other speakers who are leaders in their fields. This year, we took twenty-three students (as opposed to twelve during the first Trek) and expanded the offering to include not just Innovation Clinic students but also interested students from our JD/MBA Program and Doctoroff Business Leadership Program. We also enjoyed four jam-packed days in Silicon Valley, expanding the trip from the two and a half days that we spent in the Bay Area during our 2022 Trek.

The substantive sessions of the Trek were varied and impactful, and enabled in no small part thanks to substantial contributions from numerous alumni of the Law School. Students were fortunate to visit Coinbase’s Mountain View headquarters to learn from legal leaders at the company on all things Coinbase, crypto, and in-house, Plug & Play Tech Center’s Sunnyvale location to learn more about its investment thesis and accelerator programming, and Google’s Moonshot Factory, X, where we heard from lawyers at a number of different Alphabet companies about their lives as in-house counsel and the varied roles that in-house lawyers can have. We were also hosted by Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati and Fenwick & West LLP where we held sessions featuring lawyers from those firms, alumni from within and outside of those firms, and non-lawyer industry experts on topics such as artificial intelligence, climate tech and renewables, intellectual property, biotech, investing in Silicon Valley, and growth stage companies, and general advice on career trajectories and strategies. We further held a young alumni roundtable, where our students got to speak with alumni who graduated in the past five years for intimate, candid discussions about life as junior associates. In total, our students heard from more than forty speakers, including over twenty University of Chicago alumni from various divisions.

The Trek didn’t stop with education, though. Throughout the week students also had the opportunity to network with speakers to learn more from them outside the confines of panel presentations and to grow their networks. We had a networking dinner with Kirkland & Ellis, a closing dinner with all Trek participants, and for the first time hosted an event for admitted students, Trek participants, and alumni to come together to share experiences and recruit the next generation of Law School students. Several speakers and students stayed in touch following the Trek, and this resulted not just in meaningful relationships but also in employment for some students who attended.

More information on the purposes of the Trek is available here , the full itinerary is available here , and one student participant’s story describing her reflections on and descriptions of her experience on the Trek is available here .

The Innovation Clinic is grateful to all of its clients for continuing to provide its students with challenging, high-quality legal work, and to the many alumni who engage with us for providing an irreplaceable client pipeline and for sharing their time and energy with our students. Our clients are breaking the mold and bringing innovations to market that will improve the lives of people around the world in numerous ways. We are glad to aid in their success in any way that we can. We look forward to another productive year in 2024-2025!