5 Tips for Left Handed Calligraphy and Brush Lettering
It is estimated that roughly 12% of the world and about 13% of the US population are left handed. Until recently, being left handed was frowned upon in many countries and throughout history after having been labeled as “evil”. Luckily that way of thinking is now considered outdated, and there has been a steady rise of left handed individuals throughout the world. One thing that hasn’t changed, is the reality that we live in a world that has been optimized for a right handed experience.
Now what does that mean for aspiring Calligraphers who also happen to be left handed? Are they just doomed to smudged ink and poor penmanship forever?
Absolutely not!
As a lefty myself, I have spent many years testing out different tips and tricks to be able to improve my work and even turn it into a full time business as a Calligrapher and Engraver in the Los Angeles area. Lucky for you, I’m about to share 5 of my best tips!
1.Hand Placement
- don’t hold your brush pen straight up and down
- aim for that 45° angle to be able to lay that flat side of your brush pen against the paper
- this creates more control of the amount of pressure you are able to use
- you can also place a wrist rest or folded towel underneath your wrist to match the angle of whatever surface you are working on
2. Turn the Paper
- our hand naturally rests at a certain angle
- turn the paper to match that angle
- this gives you the ability to not only see what you’re writing but also be able to write in straight lines
3.Scratch Paper
- As lefties, we drag the pen forward along our page, while our right handed counterparts are pulling the pen along the page
- this means that our hand is at risk of smudging that fresh ink as we are writing
- by placing a piece of scratch paper under our hand, this acts as a barrier between the oils on your hand and the freshly applied ink, therefore reducing that smudging
4. Pinky
- because our hand is hovering over our work at all times, it is important to place that pinky down like a stand, in order to keep our hand elevated off the page at all times
- it is important to be aware of this placement at all times
5. Sand Eraser
- when in doubt, the sand eraser is our best friend
- essentially acts as sand paper to lightly buff the ink off the surface of the page
- not always appropriate for some surfaces, but small mistakes can usually be removed successfully
(sand eraser can be purchased on Amazon, note that this is an affiliate link and I will receive a small commission with each purchase, however all items linked are things I use frequently)
As time goes on you will start to find the things that work best for you. I hope that these tips give you a better place to start than I did. If you’re ready to take your lettering to the next level check out my Beginners Brush Lettering Workbook, created to provide step by step instruction for every aspiring calligrapher.
