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Happy Friday!

I recently received a message asking me how much sketching and planning I really do for my own calligraphy designs – not when I’m teaching, but just when I’m making art by myself.  So today you can watch a totally uncut time lapse of a start-to-finish, flourished layout design. For the record, this detailed pencil sketching process is the same one I use for ink on paper layouts, it’s just that on the iPad I can tap undo rather than having to pick up my eraser!

 

I genuinely think some of you may be surprised to see how many versions I sketch in pencil first, how much I undo and redo letters, and how meticulously I refine my inked strokes. I hope this helps anyone out there who is feeling discouraged looking at the work of professional calligraphers, thinking that because so many of us may make it look easy, it must be easy. That is absolutely not the case, and I hope this time lapse proves that to you.

 

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Molly Suber Thorpe

Molly is a calligrapher, teacher, and author. Her book, Modern Calligraphy, has reached tens of thousands of budding calligraphers, and has been released in Spanish and Chinese translations. After spending nearly a decade in Los Angeles, Molly currently lives in Athens, Greece, where she works with clients all over the world.

http://mollysuberthorpe.com
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I Have A New Book!

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Thin and Thick Calligraphy Strokes in Procreate: My Top 3 Tips