What to Expect in this Lesson

In this lesson, you will learn how to create beautiful faux-calligraphy. You don't need any special pens or artistry skills to do this. If you can write in cursive, you can do faux-calligraphy.

If you don't feel confident in your cursive skills, I've put together a few sheets in your workbook to help you practice. Have a look at the cursive cheatsheets, which show how to write each individual letter. Then, you can use the penmanship paper to practice writing your letters and words.

For this lesson, you will need:

• A black pen
• A marker (optional)

Once you are ready to write in cursive, you can move on to the faux-calligraphy portion of this lesson, in which I have provided written and video instruction for you to follow along with.

Finally, at the end of the lesson, you will receive an assignment to show off your new skill before moving on to the next lesson.

The Basics of Faux-Calligraphy

Essentially, you will be creating a script style similar to traditional calligraphy or brush lettering without needing any prior knowledge or practice. Because there is no need for special pens, it costs you nothing to get started. You can use any pen and practice on any paper you have lying around.

This is a great technique to learn; while it's simple, it's gorgeous and can instantly make a page in your journal shine. It's perfect for large headers in your monthly layout, and even the smaller headers in your weekly and daily layouts. And as we progress through this course, we will combine faux-calligraphy with other design elements to make stunning but easy headers and decorations.

A Few Pointers

• If your letters are normally tightly packed together, consciously make more space between your letters. You will need this space to thicken your down-strokes. The more room you leave between your letters, the thicker you can make your down-strokes. This is completely up to you and your preference.
• Down-strokes are defined as strokes where you pull your pen in a downward motion towards the bottom of the page.

The next portion will walk you through faux-calligraphy step by step. Read through all the steps before starting so you aren't picking up your pen and trying to read instructions through the process.

Step-by-Step Faux-Calligraphy

1. Grab your pen and a piece of practice paper from your workbook and sit down with the paper directly in front of your body.
2. If you want slightly slanted writing, turn your paper counter-clockwise just a little. This allows you to naturally write with a slight slant in your writing. If you prefer to keep your letters straight up and down, leave your paper where you positioned it in step 1.
3. Write the word 'calligraphy' in cursive script, being sure to leave extra space between each letter. Try to write the entire word without picking up your pen. If you do, it's alright, just begin the next letter wherever you left off. With practice, you will be able to write words without picking up your pen between letters.
4. Once you have written the word, go back through and thicken the down-strokes of each letter by adding a second line. If you are confused about which strokes are down-strokes, have a look at the cheat sheet in your workbook. Wherever you see an arrow that points down, that's a down-stroke.
5. Now, color in the thickened strokes with your pen to create a more realistic calligraphy look. You can also leave the space white for a unique and beautiful style of lettering.

The next video in the curriculum will show you how to connect your letters and write entire words in faux-calligraphy, as well as give you some fun options for playing around with the technique.

Your Assignment Will Be Attached to the Following Portion of Lesson 3