How To Do Calligraphy With A Regular Pen – Faux Calligraphy (Free Worksheets Included)

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to do calligraphy with any writing tool that you have. This technique is also known as Faux Calligraphy.

This is a fun and easy way to get started with calligraphy, and to help you out, I even created free downloadable PDF practice sheets.

You’ll find this tutorial—and many more like it—inside the Calligraphy Hub, where I’ve organized everything to support your calligraphy journey.

What is faux (fake) calligraphy? 

Faux calligraphy, also known as fake calligraphy, is a technique used to imitate the look of calligraphy by using any kind of writing tool—hence the name. The effect is created by adding an additional stroke to the downstrokes. 

Essentially we’re trying to imitate the look of letters written with a brush pen. In case you’re not familiar, with brush pens we apply pressure on the downstrokes to get thicker lines and we release pressure to get thinner lines

The 3 Core Rules for Faux Calligraphy

Rule #1: Work with basic strokes

Writing calligraphy is essentially a combination of upstroke and downstroke motions. The most important rule to remember is:

• Upstrokes are thin
• Downstrokes are thick

Like so:

The best way to learn and practice is by mastering the basic calligraphy strokes. There are eight fundamental strokes that you can combine to form nearly every letter of the lowercase (minuscule) alphabet. By using these basic strokes, you will achieve a much cleaner and more consistent look in your lettering.

Below is an example of the basic strokes and how to combine them to create different letterforms.

Rule #2: Where to add the thick downstrokes

One of the biggest struggles with faux calligraphy is knowing exactly where to add the thick downstroke. While you can add it to either side, being inconsistent will quickly lead to spacing issues—especially when you start connecting letters into words.

My recommendation is to always add the thickness to the inside of your letterforms.

On certain letters, you may want to leave a slight gap (like the letter “p” in the example below), but this is a personal preference rather than a strict rule.

By consistently adding the thick stroke to the inside of the letters, you ensure that the spacing between your letters remains uniform.

• Note: If you prefer to add them to the outside, that is perfectly fine as well. The most important thing is that you remain aware of your spacing and maintain consistency throughout your work.

Rule #3: Consistency in your letterforms

Consistency is a crucial element of calligraphy. In short, it is what makes the difference between professional-looking letters and beginner work.

The first thing to focus on is the consistency of your downstrokes. You want to maintain the same thickness across all downstrokes; otherwise, you will end up with wonky, uneven letterforms. While you don’t need to aim for mathematical precision, you should try to get them as close as possible.

The second factor is consistency in your proportions, particularly regarding height and angle. The best way to achieve this is by practicing with guidelines. 

You can draw your own guidelines with a ruler. If you aren’t sure how to set them up, check out my tutorial on how to use calligraphy guidelines.

Free Faux Calligraphy Alphabet Worksheets

I created free printable worksheets so you can practice faux calligraphy on your own. These sheets include:

• Faux calligraphy capitals
• Faux calligraphy minuscules (lowercase)
• A blank practice sheet with guidelines for writing words

Drop your email below to get instant access to the Lettering Crate, where you’ll find these free worksheets and many other resources to help you improve your lettering.

Write out your first word in 5 simple steps

Now it’s time to put everything together and write your first word. I’ll guide you through the entire process, step by step.

Step 1: Draw your guidelines

Grab a ruler and draw your guidelines to keep your letters nice and consistent. If you’re feeling lazy, even a simple straight baseline is better than nothing at all.

Step 2: Write your word

Using a pencil, write out your word. Focus on using the basic calligraphy strokes we mentioned earlier. If you’re feeling confident, you can go straight in with a pen or fineliner.

Step 3: Identify your downstrokes

Remember to keep your downstroke placement consistent—either on the inside or the outside of your letterforms. Also, ensure your downstrokes maintain the same weight.

Step 4: Outline and fill it in

The way I usually do it is by outlining the entire shape first and then filling it in.

Step 5: Erase the pencil marks

Give the ink plenty of time to dry completely, then erase your pencil marks to reveal your finished piece!

Bonus tip – You can have some fun with the fill: try a solid black color, lines, or a circular “messy” fill for a nice texture. You can even try using different colors!

Next Steps

Are you ready to move on to real brush calligraphy? Check out my tutorial for Modern Calligraphy.

Or, if you want a complete breakdown with no guesswork, check out my in-depth workbook: From Strokes to Style. It includes over 50 pages of theory along with 50+ pages of practice worksheets.