****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Calligraphy is not hard to learn, and there are guides on the internet. I actually used to teach it to 6th graders when I was an art teacher. The real trick is holding your pen so the nib is at an angle like the "backslash" key on a keyboard so that some parts of the letters turn out thick and others turn out thin. Add to that some other touches and you can create beautiful things in no time at all.This kit actually was a bargain considering the cost of just one pen and ink.It contains:3 pens with nibs of different thicknesses. If you write on something small, use the smaller nib...as you write on larger items, you larger nibs. Otherwise, it's too hard to use a large pen on a small piece no different than writing with a thick marker.The pens all have a clear window in them to show you how much ink you have have left.You can change out the nibs on the pens....like if you are using red ink on the thick pen, you can change out the nib to a small one on the pen.14 ink cartridges and a variety of colors(extra black ink)tracing pad & instruction booklet and that's the great part. You can actually read how to do each letter and then practice on a tracing pad over each letter. Need more practice? Order a tracing pad with your order for this or get one at any arts supply place. And also remember there are a variety of ways to write calligraphy. As long as your letters show that thick and thin look when holding the pen correctly, you don't have to do the strokes exactly like they show any more than any adult still does cursive the exact way they learned in gradeschool. All writing is a little different and the more I practice calligraphy, the more ornate it gets!Incidentally, I do not like calligraphy markers. The ink doesn't flow well enough and the nibs are too thick. I always use ink calligraphy pens.Also: When you have a party and have food out, buy little cards and note what each appetizer laid out on the table is...no one has to seek you down to ask, especially if on a special diet or limited palette, and it looks beautiful. Also great for big feasts like Thanksgiving when not everyone knows what the dish is by sight or what's in it (and, since I don't eat meat, I'm forever asking questions like that myself!)
