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Mrs. Donut Mrs. Donut, Singapore/Natchez, MS Age and Occupation: 31, Classical Singer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Attorney Engagement Date: January 28, 2007 Wedding Date: May, 2008 Blogging Since: November 27, 2006 Venue: St. Mary Basilica & the historic Eola Hotel, Natchez About Me: I am a displaced Southern belle trying to orchestrate our big day with my sweetie while living in a land far far away. When not planning for our classic Southern celebration, I love to read, travel, explore my artistic side, and bake brownies for Mr. Donut, who happens to love eating them. It works out well.
 
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Mrs. Donut, Singapore/Natchez, MS Age and Occupation: 31, Classical Singer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Attorney Engagement Date: January 28, 2007 Wedding Date: May, 2008 Blogging Since: November 27, 2006 Venue: St. Mary Basilica & the historic Eola Hotel, Natchez About Me: I am a displaced Southern belle trying to orchestrate our big day with my sweetie while living in a land far far away. When not planning for our classic Southern celebration, I love to read, travel, explore my artistic side, and bake brownies for Mr. Donut, who happens to love eating them. It works out well.
About Mrs. Donut

DIY Mission: Calligraphy

January 26th, 2008 @ 4:39 pm by Mrs. Donut

Look what arrived today, all the way from the U.S. of A.!


OK, so it isn’t the EXACT invitation. It’s a mock up I whipped up in about 5 minutes, but it’s pretty close. Our invitation is The Jane invitation in ecru linen from My Gatsby and I have to say, I couldn’t be more pleased. They have a nifty interactive tool and I basically got to design my invitation the way I wanted it. Considering all the time issues we’re having and last minute ordering, I think it turned out very well. I ordered these on January 9. They arrived at my parents’ house one week later and my dad sent them to me the next day. That’s two and a half weeks turnaround WITH overseas travel, ladies and gents! And I needed them as soon as possible so I can get to work on the (insert deep breath here)… address calligraphy.

{from Tracy Joe Calligraphy}

That’s right. I’m taking on the task of doing all the calligraphy myself. I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I have nice handwriting, and I’ve spent the last several months practicing “fancy-ing it up” a bit. I feel pretty confident that they will turn out nicely. I even went out and bought a cheap fountain pen to learn how to use. Now I’m thinking this might be a good excuse to buy that Campo Marzio pen I’ve been lusting after.


{The Minny Fountain pen in classic black}

So, any tips out there for a calligraphy virgin? What kind of pen would you recommend? How do you make sure to write in a straight line and not on a slant? (I hate it when I do that.) Any and all advice would be very much appreciated.Thank you.

18 Responses to “DIY Mission: Calligraphy”

1.
kandaceandjason says:

I’m not sure how see-through your envelopes are, so this may not work for you.

We hand-addressed all our invitations and to keep from slanting, we printed a piece of cardstock (more sturdy than paper) with thick bold lines similar to notebook paper. Then we cut the template down to envelope size and used it each time we addressed an envelope - we put it inside like the invitation, and the dark lines showed through to the front so we could have a guideline when writing.

HTH!

2.
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Mrs. Snow Pea says:

I did my own as well. I just used one of those marker calligraphy pens because I was afraid to deal with the ink of a real pen. To keep the lines straight, I just used a ruler to guide me and then I went back and did all the fancy squiggles.

3.
Kate says:

I was going to suggest a light box and a ruled guide under the envelope, but poster #1’s suggestion of just slipping it inside the envelope totally makes more sense.

If that doesn’t work, though, maybe you can rig up a light box of sorts — got a glass-topped table that can fit a small lamp under it?

4.
reilabird says:

agree with the calligraphy marker pens

5.
GetMarried4Less says:

the invisible ink and black light trick comes to mind. but you may go blind after sitting there with the black light on for so long…

you could trace the line in the invisible ink. Do your calligraphy under a black lamp, and in regular lighting no one can see the lines.

though i like the first suggestion better myself, lol.

6.
ChicagoSarah says:

Will your invitation really say, “in the merry month of May”? Too cute! :)

7.
Kate says:

Are you thinking of using a regular fountain pen or one specifically for calligraphy? Calligraphy pens have a wider tip - holding that tip at a 45 degree angle results in the widening and narrowing in flourishes.

Do be careful with fountain pens that you give the ink plenty of time to dry. Have some clear space ready to lay them out while the ink sets. If your envelopes are thick, heavy stock, they’ll soak up the ink, so less chance of smudging. If the envelopes are thin or glossy, I’d go with a calligraphy marker rather than a fountain pen - less chance of smudging or spotting.

With fountain pens, write on a nice surface. I say this because I tend to write things curled up on the couch with a book in my lap to write on. Smooth surfaces prevent skipping, spotting, and smudging. Also, practice on a space envelope for a while - different papers have a different feel under your pen.

For thicker envelopes, you can score your guidelines with a x-acto knife. You’ll be able to see the guidelines under a bright light, but they’ll be subtle on the finished product. Give yourself extra vertical guides for long names, so you don’t run off the envelope.

Hope this helps!

8.
Kate says:

er, spare envelope.

9.
Grace says:

i addressed my own envelopes, too and used the schaffer calligraphy pen set. i did what kandanceandjason did with the lined cardstock inside the envelope and that worked nicely. be sure to give yourself PLENTY of time to get through them all — i found that i couldn’t do more than 8-10 in one sitting without my hand cramping up! :) have fun and good luck!

10.
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Mrs. Spider says:

printed cardstock under the envelope is such a great idea! thanks kandace!

i hope you show us your work Miss Donut! Good luck.

11.
Grace Kim says:

I hand addressed and calligraphed (if that’s a word) my invitations too. I used a calligraphy marker (they sell them at Michael’s) b/c the metal tips and such were too intimidating and all I really needed was one black marker. Had plenty of ink and the best part was it needed almost no time to dry! I kept lines straight by drawing pencil lines across the front with a ruler. Because the calligraphy marker dried so quickly I could erase the pencil lines immediately and did not have to worry at all about smudging ink and didn’t have to lay out the envelopes to dry. I highly recommend doing it yourself - saves so much time/money and general wedding angst.

12.
Hap says:

I recommend using a light box (or jiggering one up with a lamp under a glass-top table.) Make a template, tape it down, and tape your envelopes on top. I did my escort cards myself, and the paper was too thick to see through without the light. I had over 100, so drawing the lines with pencil for each (and then erasing) would have sent me over the edge. Can’t imagine doing that for 3-4 lines for each address!

13.
Darci says:

My Dad has been doing calligraphy for years, and instead of using a light box he uses a ruler to draw VERY light lines in pencil, then erases them after the ink dries. Apparently the key is making the lines as light as possible, and then using a clean eraser to gently remove them. That approach does seem outrageously time consuming for invitations, though. The light box might be the way to go! Good luck!

14.
Sarah says:

I used a calligraphy pen, eyeballed everything, and just used my own handwriting (I print, always), and got lots of compliments on the invitations. But when I have to do stuff for work, certificates and whatnot, I use pencil lines as guides. That extra step of erasing guidelines later is a good time to catch any errors.

15.
Amandine says:

I calligraphied my sister’s 300 invitations, and a friends 100. I used the first suggestion both times, of placing a card with darkly marked lines inside the envelope, and it works very well. As for the pen, they make some pens with the different widths of nibs, that have plastic replaceable “ink wells” filled with the liquid ink. It takes a few strokes on a scrap piece of paper to get the ink flowing, but they work really well. It gives you the appearance of the fountain pen, without the mess; also the ease of the calligraphy marker. Also, if you want to practice the slanted look of more formal calligraphy, they make paper with the slant guides on it, kind of like when you were small and learning to write and had guidelines.

16.
Tberry says:

If the card trick doesn’t work you can use cut out a rectangle in cardstock with the paramaters you want you words to stay in for 2 lines.

17.
KNW says:

My invites came with a card with four dark black lines pre-printed on it. I just slid the card in the envelope, and there you have it - no more slanted lines! I second the calligraphy pen or marker. I used both and they worked well for me. Good luck!

18.
Calligraphy Mission: Accomplished! » Weddingbee says:

[…] to all of you out there who offered so many great suggestions and helpful hints about how to do my calligraphy. I went out and bought all kinds of pens and markers and other tools […]


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