The basic calligraphy strokes are the best way to learn calligraphy as a beginner.
In fact, the number one struggle for beginners I most commonly see is not learning and practicing the basic calligraphy strokes.
This tutorial will teach you everything you need to know about basic calligraphy strokes.
I’ve included some free basic calligraphy strokes worksheets, so be sure to stick around until the end of this tutorial.
Here is a quick overview of the article –
Without any further delays, let’s jump straight into this tutorial.
If you’re a complete beginner, I highly recommend you check out my ultimate guide for calligraphy beginners.
To practice the basic calligraphy strokes, you’ll need a very basic calligraphy tool setup (links to Amazon) –
You can practice the basic calligraphy strokes using a brush pen, pointed nib, or even a regular pencil.
If you’re just getting started, I recommend (links to Amazon) –
Aside from your writing tool, you’ll need some paper.
If you use a brush pen or a dip pen + pointed nib, you will need specific papers; otherwise, you risk ruining the tips of your brush pens or ink bleeds.
I recommend the following papers (links to Amazon) –
I also wrote a separate guide on the best calligraphy papers.
You’ll need the ruler to create calligraphy guidelines to keep your basic strokes accurate and consistent.
I highly recommend that you do.
For guidelines, I always use and recommend the rolling ruler.
We need the pencil to create our guidelines.
I work with an HB mechanical pencil, but you can use whatever you have at hand.
The basic calligraphy strokes are the building blocks of calligraphy letters. These are individual strokes that, when put together, form different letters of the lowercase alphabet.
We use basic strokes in both modern and traditional calligraphy.
In fact, I talk about the basic calligraphy strokes in my modern calligraphy tutorial for beginners.
Any style created with a pointed nib or a brush pen.
Let me give you a bit of context as to why these basic strokes are so important.
To the untrained eye, a word in calligraphy may seem that has been created in one take without lifting the pen.
Similar to cursive writing.
However, calligraphy and cursive writing are two very different things.
It’s essential to understand this difference because the basic calligraphy strokes allow you to drastically improve the precision and consistency of your calligraphy.
The basic calligraphy strokes also help us learn how to write the whole alphabet and to identify when we should lift the pen after each stroke.
In this way, you dont have to memorize the letters individually and guess when to lift the pen.
There are 8 basic calligraphy strokes, and they are –
Some letters of the alphabet are an exception to these basic strokes.
I’ll get to them later in the article.
Here are a few quick examples of how we use these basic strokes to combine different letters.
Now let’s take a closer look at the basic calligraphy strokes.
If you’re entirely new to calligraphy, it’s essential to understand the two basic motions.
Ok, now I’m going to go over each stroke to give you a better overview of how to write them out.
Once again, it is absolutely crucial to do this using calligraphy guidelines.
The entry stroke is a thin upstroke that starts from the baseline and slightly curves following the slant lines to the waistline.
In most instances, you won’t have to take it up to the waistline but rather to the middle or slightly above.
Here are a few examples of what you should try to avoid –
Begins at the top of the waistline as a thick stroke.
Then, it curves on the baseline and comes back up as a thin upstroke to the waistline.
Two important things to mention here.
Here you can see a few examples of what you should try to avoid doing –
It is absolutely the same as the underturn, just in reverse.
You begin from the baseline with a thin upstroke, curve on the waistline, and come back down with a thicker downstroke to the baseline.
Again, both strokes are parallel and follow the slant lines.
Start applying the pressure gradually right after the curve.
Here are a few examples of what you should try to avoid –
A combination of the two previous strokes.
Slightly more challenging.
Begin with a thin upstroke, curve at the waistline, come down with a thicker downstroke, curve on the baseline, and back up with a thin upstroke.
All three lines are parallel, following the slant lines.
Try to avoid these mistakes –
Probably the trickiest basic calligraphy strokes.
Start slightly from the right side (2-3 o’clock) with a thin upstroke. Curve upwards (counterclockwise) into a thick downstroke which is also curved. Gradually transition on the baseline into a thin upstroke to join the oval.
Avoid these common mistakes with the oval shape-
Another important mention about the slant of the oval stroke.
I often see people confused about how to angle the oval correctly.
The best way to direct the oval is by using an axis line.
The axis line is basically a line that goes through the middle of an oval and splits it into two equal parts.
Obviously, you can’t always stop mid-practice just to draw an axis line for your oval.
However, what you can do is imagine one and use that as a guide for the slant of your oval.
Pretty much the same thing as the oval, just in reverse.
Here you can also slightly modify it, and instead of joining the two strokes, the reverse oval can and in a half loop inside like this.
The ascending loop begins at the waistline and extends in a curved thin upstroke to the ascending line.
At the ascending line, it curves back down towards the baseline following the slant angle.
As it curves, you gradually apply pressure to create a thick downstroke.
Alternatively, you could start slightly above the waistline with light pressure that gradually becomes a thicker stroke all the way to the baseline and add the loop as a second stroke.
This second method is often used for adding flourishes at the end.
Because with a closed-loop, your flourishing options are limited.
Both ways are good for closed loops, so use the one that suits you best.
Here are a few examples of common mistakes you should try to avoid –
Pretty much the opposite of the ascending loop.
Start from the waistline with a thick stroke.
Then, take it down to the descending line, and right before it, start releasing the pressure for a smooth thick, and thin transition.
Then, you curve it on the descending line and right back up in a curved, thin upstroke to the baseline.
Here are a few examples of what you should try to avoid –
If you don’t know what counters are, it’s basically the white space inside of the letters.
We differ two types of counters – opened and closed.
To make your basic calligraphy strokes and your calligraphy, in general, more consistent, it’s important to keep an eye on your counter spaces.
By maintaining an equal counter space (both open and closed), we get a much more consistent and balanced look.
The example below shows that counters with equal space look much better than those without.
Obviously, it’s impossible to measure this perfectly, but it’s just something I wanted to point out.
In the video below, I demonstrate how I use the basic calligraphy strokes to write out the whole lowercase (minuscules) alphabet.
However, some letters have a certain element of these basic strokes, with a slight variation or addition.
Here are a few examples –
I’ve created free printable worksheets to help you put the theory into practice.
I highly recommend you practice these basic strokes before attempting to write letters, words, sentences, etc.
I promise that if you practice for just 15 minutes a day for 30 days (consistently), you will significantly improve your skills.
In these worksheets, you’ll find –
The worksheets, along with all the other freebies, are located inside the Lettering Crate.
If you’re new here, just sign up for the newsletter, follow the super easy instructions, and get instant access to the Lettering Crate.
The Lettering Crate is an exclusive member area where I upload ALL free worksheets (and other freebies) to help you learn and improve your skills.
Note – if you struggle to access the worksheets, email me rather than leave a comment below.
Let’s have a quick recap of everything we talked about in this tutorial –
If you are interested in other styles, check out my article on the 10 calligraphy styles for beginners.
And once you feel confident with your basic strokes, you can read about other helpful calligraphy practice tips.
And there you have it, friends.
I hope this tutorial helped shed some light on the basic calligraphy strokes and how to use them to learn calligraphy.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to drop a comment below or reach out via email.
Until the next one!
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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.
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