Meri calligraphy ki journey ek chhote se birthday gift se shuru hui. Meri best friend ne mujhe ek blank journal diya tha, cover pe likha tha: “Fill me with your chaos”. Journal bilkul khali tha, par mera chaos to ekdum non-aesthetic tha—chhoti chhoti capital letters, tedhi-medhi lines aur har page pe do-teen coffee stains. Matlab ekdum “before Pinterest” vibes.
Ek raat, 2:12 a.m. pe mujhe neend nahi aayi aur maine YouTube khola. Search bar me type kiya: “modern calligraphy for beginners”. Us raat se lekar aaj tak mera blue spiral notebook mera sabse bada teacher ban gaya. Do saal baad, wahi notebook ab meri before file hai—jo dikhata hai ki shuruwaat kaisi thi, aur kitna change ho chuka hai.
Aur sabse important baat: calligraphy shuru karne ke liye na art school ki degree chahiye, na ₹3000 ke fancy pen sets. Sirf thoda patience, kuch paper, ek pen, aur bahut saare “yaar, yeh ‘o’ fir se lollipop kyun lag raha hai?” waale moments.
Chalo shuru karte hain — yeh hai meri 12 darwazon wali calligraphy journey.
Pehla Darwaza: Faux Calligraphy
Mera pehla weapon tha ek ₹10 ka gel pen. Brush pen afford karne se pehle hi maine ek trick seekhi—faux calligraphy. Simple funda: jo word likhna hai, likho normal handwriting me. Fir downstrokes (neeche ki lines) ko double line se bold kar do. Ho gaya calligraphy ka jugaad!
Mujhe pehle laga yeh “thoda cheat” hai, lekin jab maine ek “Happy Birthday” envelope is style me likha, meri didi ne genuinely poocha: “Yeh kis print shop se karaya?” Us din samajh aaya ki calligraphy ka asli secret tools nahi, practice hai.
Pro-tip: Ek purane receipt ya newspaper ke khali corner pe apna naam likho, upar se downstrokes bold karo. Instant neatness + thoda dopamine ka dose.
Dusra Darwaza: Brush Pen
Phir maine ₹45 ka brush pen khareeda—local stationery se. Us bechare ki bristles already split the. Aur mere strokes? Disaster. Mera ‘m’ hamesha “nn” lagta tha aur mera ‘s’ ekdum sev jaisa.
Lekin yahaan ek golden rule samajh aaya: upstroke halka, downstroke heavy. Matlab pen ko neeche le jaate waqt zyada pressure, upar le jaate waqt bas halka sa touch.
Shuruat me maine ek page bhar vertical lines kheechi. Har line likhne ke saath brain ko train karna hota hai ki “upar = halka, neeche = shoulder se push”. Ek hafta me hi wrist ne automatic signal bhejna shuru kar diya: “bhai, ab main jaanti hoon.”
Teesra Darwaza: Drills
Calligraphy drills dekhkar mujhe pehle laga yeh sab ECG machine ki copy hai. Straight lines, loops, ovals—boring!
Par maine apne drills thoda fun banaye. Circles banaye aur unke andar smiley daal diye, vertical lines ko railway track naam diya, cones ko ice-cream cone. Subah-subah kettle on karne ke baad, chai aane tak maine ek page drills kar liya. Sirf 8–10 minute, par roz ka ek dose.
Aur sabse bada rule: ek din skip ho jaye to guilt trip mat lena. Kal se fir se shuru karo. Calligraphy marathon nahi, ek long walk hai.
Chautha Darwaza: Letters, One by One
Main woh banda nahi tha jo ek din me saare 26 alphabets likh le. Maine apne dost ka naam likha—5 letters, manageable aur emotional. Phir “momos” likha, kyunki wahi comfort food hai.
Favourite words likhne se ek alag hi maza aata hai. Muscle memory ko lagta hai: “haan yeh word toh hum jaante hain”. Ek pro word hai “minimum”—har letter me up-down strokes. Practice ke liye best hack.
Pro-tip: Apna naam likhna shuru karo. Whatsapp status pe daal do, apni hi tareef sunne ka confidence boost milega.
Paanchva Darwaza: Joining Letters
Sabse bada struggle tha—letters ko jodna. ‘Love’ ka ‘l’ aur ‘o’ do hafte tak ladte rahe. ‘l’ ka exit stroke ‘o’ ke pet pe chadh jaata tha.
Solution? Thoda stroke ko right nikalo, aur ‘o’ ka entry thoda loose rakho. Yehi calligraphy ka asli “relationship counselling” hai. Pehle do-letter joins karo, fir word likhne ki practice.
Chhatha Darwaza: Bounce Lettering
Instagram pe bounce lettering dekh ke mujhe laga—bas upar neeche random kardo. Galat! Bounce ka ek rule hai: x-height se 1.5x upar aur baseline se 0.5x neeche. Aur sab strokes ek rhythm me hone chahiye.
Maine ek poora page “birthday” likha tha. Har ‘t’ alag height pe. Result? Earthquake vibes. Fir ruler se light pencil lines kheench ke practice ki. Thoda boring tha, par results ne worth bana diya.
Saatvaan Darwaza: Paper Matters
Ek bada lesson: pen se zyada paper matter karta hai. Normal ₹40 waale copy ke paper pe ink smudge aur bleed hota hai. Brush pen ka tip bhi kharab ho jaata hai.
Mujhe best budget option mila—JK Copier 100 gsm, ₹160 me 500 sheets. Smooth, affordable aur guilt-free. Agar aap water-brush ya dip pen use kar rahe ho, toh 140 gsm drawing sheet lo.
Aathvaan Darwaza: Instagram vs Reality
Maine socha tha ek hafte me 1000 followers aa jaayenge. Reality? 43 followers, usme se 12 mere cousins.
Phir samajh aaya—Instagram numbers kaam nahi aate. Calligraphy sabse pehle khud ke liye hai. Jab maine apna “before/after” collage banaya, tab real engagement aayi.
Rule: Apni growth ko apne hi past se compare karo, na ki kisi 12-year-old prodigy se.
Ninth Darwaza: Freebies aur Kits
YouTube pe free worksheets milti hain, bas print karni hoti hai. Maine cyber cafe wale ko 20 rupaye diye aur grayscale prints le aaya—kaam chal gaya.
Starter ke liye ₹200 ka brush pen, ₹40 ka gel pen aur ₹160 ka paper enough hai. Jo beginner ₹3000 ki kit khareedte hain, unka samaan waise hi padha reh jaata hai, jaise meri dumbbells—sirf dust collect karte hain.
Tenth Darwaza: Guru Kaun?
Mere online teachers do log bane: The Postman’s Knock (English, free resources) aur Hindi Lettering by Shilpa (Indian context). Dono se seekha, lekin apne strokes ko tweak karke apna style develop kiya.
Copy-paste karna easy hai, lekin apne hand, pen grip aur paper tilt ko samajhna aur adjust karna zaroori hai. Style evolve hota hai—time lagta hai, but worth it.
Eleventh Darwaza: Projects
Mera pehla “client” meri bua thi. Kitty party ke name tags banane the. Dar to tha ki galat ho gaya toh family me embarrassment ho jaayega. Maine 10 extra tags banaye, best 6 unko diye.
Bua ne ₹500 diye, maine mana kiya, par unhone zabardasti de diya. Us din samajh aaya—hobby ek din side-income bhi ban sakti hai. Lekin pehle 100 free projects practice ke liye banao, fir paisa apne aap aayega.
Twelfth Darwaza: Breaks Bhi Zaroori Hain
Maine do mahine daily 2 ghante practice ki, aur fir ek hafte pen ko touch nahi kiya. Wapas aane par strokes aur smooth lage. Yehi sabse bada secret hai—muscle memory + brain rest.
Agar koi din likhne ke baad bhi “yeh bakwas hai” lage, toh pen band karo, chai banao aur kal fresh mind se likho.
Kuch Honest Disclaimers
- Mera ‘z’ aaj bhi thoda tilted hai—perfect kabhi nahi hoga.
- Nib-and-ink calligraphy abhi explore kar raha hoon, expert nahi.
- Left-handers ko alag angle chahiye—meri tips limited hain, lefty creators best guide hain.
The End? Bas Intermission
Mera agla project hai—Rahim ke dohe, brush pen ke saath, beige paper aur coffee tint edges. Fridge pe magnet ke saath chipkaunga, taaki roz dekh ke smile aa sake.
Aur tum? Tum apna ek favourite word lo, usko brush pen se likho, aur #ModernCalligraphyBeginner tag ke saath Instagram pe daalo. Main like karne aa jaaunga, 100%.
Yaad rakho: upar halki line, neeche heavy stroke. Baaki sab waqt ke saath apne aap ho jaayega.
Happy Scribbling! ✍️
