Faux Calligraphy For Beginners

Hey everyone! Today I'm sharing with you a tutorial on faux calligraphy. Faux calligraphy is when you take a mono weight pen (like a normal pen, pencil, sharpie, etc.) and add in the downstrokes afterwards. 

Faux calligraphy is what I started off doing when I first stepped into the handlettering world. I used pencils, Faber Castell markers, and Micron markers. Basically anything besides brush tips will work! 

Some quick tips:

  • Every time the pen comes downwards you will make a thicker downstroke.
    • If it helps, you can make arrows to visualize what direction your pen was going in. 
  • You never want two downstrokes to intersect.
    • In the video I show my solution for letters "x" and "k"
  • Just practice, practice, practice! This is the only way you will learn and improve on your skills! 
  • Know that if you are starting with faux calligraphy, it will help when it comes times to use a brush marker and have to apply pressure for the downstrokes.
Watch the video below for my tutorial on faux calligraphy! You can check out my YouTube channel for more tutorials!  

Until next time,

Jordyn Alison


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