Former Harvard-trained corporate lawyer turned sweary calligrapher and calligraphy teacher. I help nib newbies become badass calligraphers (and find more purpose and joy along the way!)
[STYLE MONTH] - #1 Flourishing Tip
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β Reader This week, we're focusing on FLOURISHING! Every beginning calligrapher wants to do it... but it's so tough to make it look elegant and not awkward, right? So today, I'm sharing the #1 Tip that I give to all my Modern Calligraphy 201 INTERMEDIATE students when it comes to flourishing... and it might not be what you expect. 𧩠Let's start with a quick mental puzzle (just trust me, ok?): Imagine a simple bridge built out of Legos. But it's a little unstable because one side has THREE support pieces, and the other side has TWO. How would you stabilize the bridge?π
β If your answer is ADD a piece, so there are three on each side... congrats! This was an actual psychological study conducted by researchers and this is the answer most people chose.
β But... why not SUBTRACT a Lego piece so that both sides have two bricks and the bridge is equally as stable?
Turns out, we tend to choose adding something over subtracting something. Even if taking away is the most simple, elegant, obvious choice. It's a bias that we all get from growing up in this "more-more-more" society. Now, here's how all of this applies to calligraphy. . . β My #1 tip for beginning flourishing is to SUBTRACT. Here's a nifty GIF I created to illustrate, using a student example: There's a real tendency to want to ADD MORE when you start flourishing. More curls, more complication, more filler... When actually, SUBTRACTING and simplifying can often lead to much more elegant and confident-looking flourishes. See? And that's great news! That means you can begin your flourishing journey with DOABLE, simple shapes... and build from there. On Wednesday, I'll be sharing a flourishing MINI-LESSON and WORKSHEETS with you, so keep this lesson of SUBTRACTION in mind, ok? COMING LATER THIS WEEK:
β‘οΈ Find everything on the STYLE MONTH MAIN PAGE!β β Be back soon with the Flourishing lesson! ~ Shinah π β P.S. - Modern Calligraphy 201 teaches you how to add flourishes in a SIMPLE but IMPACTFUL way... so you get style, not random spaghetti noodles.
"What really helped me [in MC201] were the details that nobody was teaching in free tutorials... Before, my calligraphy never looked polished. Now, I'm so much more CONFIDENT of my calligraphy - and I know the way forward because now I know how to practice with intent. It was ABSOLUTELY worth the investment!" - Sylvia Chim Modern Calligraphy 201 opens for enrollment in: β P.P.S. - If you found this email helpful, please FORWARD IT to a calligraphy friend! They can sign up for Style Month right here π
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Shinah - Crooked Calligraphy
Former Harvard-trained corporate lawyer turned sweary calligrapher and calligraphy teacher. I help nib newbies become badass calligraphers (and find more purpose and joy along the way!)
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