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2 Bouncy FREE Basic Strokes Kelly Creates 1

This document provides tips for practicing brush calligraphy using large brush pens. It recommends specific brush pens and paper to use, and gives 15 helpful hints for practicing basic strokes through tracing worksheets. The hints emphasize holding the pen at a low angle, varying thick and thin strokes, slowing down, and practicing daily to develop muscle memory over time. The overall goal is to have fun and enjoy the process of improving one's brush lettering skills.

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rajdeep verma
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383 views5 pages

2 Bouncy FREE Basic Strokes Kelly Creates 1

This document provides tips for practicing brush calligraphy using large brush pens. It recommends specific brush pens and paper to use, and gives 15 helpful hints for practicing basic strokes through tracing worksheets. The hints emphasize holding the pen at a low angle, varying thick and thin strokes, slowing down, and practicing daily to develop muscle memory over time. The overall goal is to have fun and enjoy the process of improving one's brush lettering skills.

Uploaded by

rajdeep verma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Bouncy Basic Strokes for Large Brush Tip Pens

If you would like to learn brush calligraphy, then I am here to help you. You can watch my daily
lettering videos on Instagram @kellycreates or on my YouTube channel “Kelly Creates” and also on
my Facebook page (Kelly Creates Studio). I invite you to join my Facebook group “Kelly Creates Art
& Calligraphy” where I will be sharing lots of tips & tutorials, and where you can share your work,
your progress and enjoy the company of other like-minded creatives who love letters as much as
we do!
I think you will have a lot of fun with this set of worksheets…a more relaxed ‘bouncy’ style with
playful letter forms that you can modify as you like. Some calligraphy rules are broken, angles are
changed, and loops are bigger. If you would like a more classic, linear style, try the other alphabet
worksheets for large or small brush pens. They’re wonderful too! www.kellycreates.ca/shop.

15 HELPFUL HINTS
1. These worksheets are intended for use with large brush pens, such as the Kelly
Creates Dream pens, Tombow Dual Tip ABT, Sakura Koi Coloring Brush pens,
Kuretake Fudebiyori or Brushables brush pens, and more. You will find which pens
and papers I recommend under the “Products I Use” tab on my website. You can find
all my Kelly Creates brand brush pens in my online shop www.kellycreatesstore.com

2. Print only on very smooth paper, such as a heavy weight laser jet paper. I use HP
Premium laser jet 32 lbs from Staples or Amazon. You don’t need a laser jet printer to
use this paper.

3. OR print on regular copy paper and use tracing paper on top. I secure the tracing
paper with removable tape, such as washi tape.

4. Save paper and print on both sides, which is possible with the heavy weight HP
Laserjet paper. Trace over the letters many times before printing off more sheets.
Let’s try to keep hand lettering environmentally friendly by recycling our used
worksheets.

5. Remember to hold the brush pen HIGH on the barrel at a low angle to the paper, not
upright. For helpful tutorials, please watch my YouTube videos. Here is a link to my
YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/kellycreates

6. Trace the grey strokes every day to warm up and practice your skills. The small
arrows show where you begin.

7. Remember: all downstrokes are thick with heavy pressure on the brush tips. All
upstrokes are thin with lightest pressure on the brush tips. Yes, everyone has shaky
upstrokes when beginning. That’s normal and you will get better. You are used
to writing smaller, so the larger size brush strokes will take longer to master.

8. Use a pencil to practice and save your brush tips. You can still apply the same pressure
and release with the exact technique to help build muscle memory.

9. Even the ‘pros’ do drills every day and practice. Why? Because doing drills and basic
strokes develops and maintains muscle memory. Warming up with drills before
practicing letters and words is an excellent lifelong lettering habit.

10. Slow down. And then slow down some more. It’s easy to go fast when tracing, but then
you will not be developing muscle memory. Each stroke should take you at least 3-5
seconds from start to finish.

11. This is not handwriting. You are drawing basic strokes that will form letters. You will
pause and lift your pen between the separate strokes. Be deliberate and focused. And
BREATHE. Holding your breath will work against you, and you will tighten up your grip
and tense your shoulders instead of relaxing and drawing the shapes.

12. The thin upstrokes do not have to be hairlines (super skinny). Instead focus on being
steady and even. Your goal is to have a contrast of thin and thick strokes, not hairlines.
First goal: consistent thin and thick lines. Second goal: clean transitions (changing
pressure smoothly) MOST IMPORTANT GOAL: Enjoyment!

13. After practicing with the worksheets, you will eventually develop your own style, which
might be similar to mine or not. I encourage you to explore and play with different
styles. There are many styles of uppercase letters.

14. These tracing worksheets will improve your brush lettering skills, but it takes time. Even
for myself, I see improvement and style changes every week. Avoid comparing yourself
to someone else’s progress. When I was learning, I saw improvement after 4 months of
daily practice!

15. Be a student of brush lettering by studying hand lettering styles out in the real world and
online. Look at signage and print all around you. Just check Instagram and Pinterest.
You will find hundreds of hand lettering examples to inspire you.

Breathe. Write. Relax.

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