How to get to your calligraphy practice after a long break
Hi dear friends,
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post, and to be honest, I missed writing.
The first months of 2021 have been quite busy for me. Firstly, I focused on completing a marketing course that started in April 2020, plus a 3-month internship in marketing began in January, and the final cherry of the cake was moving to our first home in March.
We left London and moved to a beautiful green town in Kent called Royal Tunbridge Wells. Our dream of owning a house has finally come true this year, and we couldn't be happier about it. We enjoyed London, but we knew we would move out to a quieter place. I'm so grateful for the place we have today. Daily walks in the forest are my favourite. We are enjoying the slow living here.
With the move in our home, that means I have a new studio only for me. It's not finalised yet in terms of organisation, but I finally have a separate table only for calligraphy works and another one for computer work. The best part, my window is facing the forest. Every morning when I enter the studio and open the window, I hear the birds singing. I'm so grateful for these moments.
Therefore, my calligraphy practice has been on and off this year, and so my presence on social media. But I'm hoping this will change soon.
We have recently been away, and I haven't touched my calligraphy pens since the beginning of May. Short story - we went to our home countries to visit families. First, we stayed almost 3 weeks in Romania to visit my husband's family. We also managed to have a short getaway with my sister in a mountain area, visiting some breathtaking places during this time. We also had both doses of vaccines there, and then we went to Moldova. My husband only stayed for a few days, but I stayed almost 3 weeks.
So, last week I came back to the UK.
And what a funny thing. Whenever I go abroad, I always take a few calligraphy essentials with me, but I never touch them. It happened a few times, and I realised that at only home in the UK, at my table, I can do any calligraphy work.
After two months of no writing, it can usually be challenging to find inspiration to do some practice and get back to the habit of writing.
If you also happen to take extended breaks and want to get back, then here's a tip that worked for me:
- start with a small project like writing a letter in a beautiful envelope to a pen pal.
When I got back, I had on my list to write 2 letters for an envelope exchange I'm taking part in yearly - Copperplate Special Interest Group (CSIG) Envelope Exchange of the Calligraphy and Lettering Arts Society. The exchange runs in two 6-monthly cycles per year: May-October and November-April. I find envelope exchanges an excellent opportunity to practice calligraphy at least once a month and spreading the beautiful art of writing beautifully.
Envelopes for the CSIG Envelope Exchange for the month of June and July.
But, before I started doing my envelopes and cards, I knew I needed first to do a warm-up session. It is a must for me after long breaks and before any calligraphy work I have to do daily/weekly.
Below, you can find a short video of my favourite drills for warm-ups. These are great for warming up your all arm, not just your fingers. Executing these drills will help relieve any muscular tension you have in your hand and arm and help build muscle memory. You can do these in pencil, monoline pen and dip ink. I always start in pencil, and then I move to the ink part.
The entire session of warming up took me in real-time about 20 minutes.
My favourites are oval drills and figures eight which I always do in pencil. When I move to ink, I love practising the basic strokes of copperplate.
To stick to your habit of practising calligraphy regularly, I have a few tips for you today that works amazingly for me.
We always have times when we lack motivation or inspiration to write, and that's ok. But, to avoid longer breaks, here's what I found helpful to do more practising:
1. have a tidy corner on my desk with some essentials for practising calligraphy ready to go: a few sheets of paper for warming-up, a printed guideline paper, a pencil, a calligraphy holder with a few nibs, a pot of ink and a pot of water, paper towels. Also, I always keep on my desk small cardstock/watercolour paper sheets and a pile of envelopes in different sizes and colours. Also, on the left, the first drawer has all my ink collection that is easily approachable in case I want more colour inks.
My corner of the desk with a few calligraphy essentials ready to go
2. If you plan to do some calligraphy practice the next day in the morning, try and prepare this corner in the evening.
This way, when you wake up the next day, you are ready to sit and start right away.
3. Keep your tech devices away from the table where you intend to practice calligraphy.
I'm feeling lucky that my computer sits on a different desk. This way, I am more focused on the calligraphy session I have to do. If your space is limited, try at least to keep away any tech device, including your phone, to avoid distraction.
Especially when you are a beginner, it is essential to build a habit of practising regularly.
Remember, it is better to practice 20-30 minutes every day than 3 hours once a week. Small steps taken every day will build your muscle memory and help improve your calligraphy progression.