Mastering Calligraphy: How to Write in Cursive Script

1. Warm up with the Basic Strokes

Before we dive into Cursive Script, let's warm up our hands.
Step 1
Print out four or five of the practice sheets on a nice cardstock or Bristol paper.
Step 2
Practice the basic upward stroke for one or two lines to warm up. This stroke is a
bit new but very easy. You start just above the bottom line. Then you curve down
and to the right to touch the bottom line. Next, you shoot up to the top line.

Step 3
Practice the basic curve stroke for one or two lines to warm up. This one hasn't
changed but you may curl up a bit more than before.

Okay! Now we're ready to start. In this lesson on mastering calligraphy, we're
going to learn a very familiar alphabet called Cursive Script.
2. Cursive Script Lowercase Alphabet

Let's take a look at the Cursive Script alphabet. As you can see, it looks almost
identical to the cursive you learned in elementary school. The blue arrows above
show the directions of the pen strokes and the numbers below tell you how many
strokes make up each letter. Most letters will be made with just one stroke as
cursive is all about efficiency. We're going to start with the lowercase alphabet
and break it up into two sections: upward stroke letters and curve stroke letters.
So let's start with the downward stroke letters!
Step 1
Print out a copy of the alphabet above so that you have it handy for reference.
3. Upward Stroke Lowercase Letters
Step 1
The letters b, f, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, and z all begin with the
downward stroke. Some have strokes that fill up the entire height of the line and
others only reach to the dashed line. Some, like the 'f' even reach below the
bottom line. To start, I'm going to show you the direction of each stroke plus how
many stokes make up each letter. When you're writing out the letters yourself,
you can sketch them out using your pencil first. Then you can simply follow the
pencil lines with your pen.

Step 2
Let's start with the 'u' since it's easiest. Place your pen tip on the bottom line.
Make an upward stroke to the dashed line. Then make a downward stroke that
dips to the bottom line and then swings back up again. Next, make another
downward stroke and end with a little curl. Voila! You have a Cursive Script 'u'. It
kind of felt like drawing waves on the sea, right?

Step 3
Repeat making the letter 'u' three times so that you get the feel of it. Many
letters, such as the i, j, m, n, r, v, w, and y are very similar to the 'u'. Once you
have the 'h' down, it's easy to see how other letters are made.

Step 4
Let's try a harder letter: h. The 'h' starts the same as the 'h' but its stroke
reaches all the way up to the top line. You then arc to the left and make a
downward stroke to the bottom line. You'll cross over your previous line right
near the bottom. Now arc up to the dash line and make a downward stroke back
down to the bottom line, curling up at the end.

Step 5
Repeat making the letter 'h' three times so that you get the feel of it. Many
letters, such as the b, f, k, and l are very similar to the 'h'.

Step 6
Slowly make your way through the rest of the curved stroke lowercase letters,
using the guide of the strokes as reference.
4. Curved Stroke Lowercase Letters
Step 1

The letters a, c, d, e, g, o, and q all begin with the curved stroke. To start, I'm
going to show you the direction of each stroke plus how many stokes make up
each letter. You can always sketch out the letters using your pencil first to feel
more comfortable. Then you can simply follow the pencil lines with your pen.

Step 2
Let's start with the 'o' since it's easiest. Place your pen tip just below the dashed
line. Arc down and around to the right, returning to the starting point. Then make
a little curl to the right. Voila! You have a Cursive Script 'o'. Not too hard, was it?

Step 3
Repeat making the letter 'o' three times so that you get the feel of it. Once you
have the 'o' down, it's easy to see how the other downward curve letters are
made.

Step 4
Let's try a harder letter: g. Make the same start to the 'g' as you did the 'o' but
go up past the starting point. Then make a downward stroke and go past the

bottom line. Curl to the left and make an upward, diagonal stroke that goes a bit
above the bottom line. It should intersect the downward stroke of your 'g' right at
the bottom line.

Step 5
Repeat making the letter 'g' three times so that you get the feel of it.

Step 6
Slowly make your way through the rest of the curved stroke lowercase letters,
using the guide of the strokes as reference.
5. Write the Lowercase Alphabet
Step 1
Now that you've written each letter multiple times, it's time to put it all together
and write out the lowercase alphabet.

6. Cursive Script Uppercase Alphabet

The uppercase alphabet always plays by different rules and is generally much
more elaborate. The curved strokes are much bigger and the upward strokes
have more curls and slant to them. Besides that, the uppercase letters are just as
simple to write as the lowercase. You can always sketch out the letters using
your pencil first to feel more comfortable. Then you can simply follow the pencil
lines with your pen. When it comes to uppercase letters, I prefer to pencil mine
out beforehand.
Step 1
Since most of the letters begin with a curved stroke, I didn't divide the alphabet
into groups. Instead, we'll simply work our way through it, using the guide above
to see how many strokes each letter is made of and what direction the strokes
go.
So let's start with an easy letter. We'll start with the letter 'l'. Place your pen tip
on the top line. Arc down and around to the right, coming up to the top line and
making something like a bad 'o' shape. Then make a downward stroke to the
bottom line. Your line will be slanting to the right. When you reach the bottom
line, curl up and around. Finally, sweep your line out to the right, making a nice
gentle curve. Voila! You have a Cursive Script uppercase 'l'. Remember, it's all
about curls and slants. The bigger, the better.

Step 2
Repeat making the letter 'l' three times so that you get the feel of it. Like I said
before, when it comes to uppercase letters, the more flourish, the better so don't

be scared to make some big curls and sweeping lines. Once you have the 'l'
down, it's easy to see how other uppercase letters like the c, e, g, o, and q are
made.

Step 3
Let's try a harder letter: r. Start with your pen tip on the top line. Make a
downward stroke to the bottom line, arcing slightly to the left and ending in a
fancy curl. Then lift up your place and place it on the dashed line. Make a curved
stroke up and around to the left toward the top line. Then curve down to the
dashed line again. You make a lopsided 'o' in the top half of the writing space.
Now make another curved stroke out to the right and down to the bottom line,
again ending in a fancy curl. A bit superfluous but not too hard, right?

Step 4
Repeat making the letter 'r' three times so that you get the feel of it. The letter 'r'
is very similar to the letters b, d, f, i, j, p, and t. So once you have this one down,
you can do the rest!

Step 5

Slowly make your way through the rest of the uppercase letters, using the guide
of the strokes as reference.
7. Uppercase Cursive Script
Step 1
Now that you've written each letter multiple times, it's time to put it all together
and write out the alphabet.

7. Putting it All Together

Step 1
Let's write something a bit more exciting! Most people use Cursive Script for
invitations so let's write out some celebratory phrases.

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You've Mastered the Cursive Script!
This style of calligraphy is the one most often used for wedding invitations and
party announcements. You might also think of Jane Austen when you see it. I
hope that you've discovered it's actually quite a simple font to write, despite
looking very fancy. The more you practice, the easier it will be to ink the letters
and the faster you'll be at writing. In future tutorials, we'll learn a slightly more
complicated script that looks even fancier.