Calligraphy Tips

HOW TO: Create Ink Splatters to Embellish Your Calligraphy

Ink-Splatters-for-Calligraphy
Calligraphy+with+ink+splatters

INK SPLATTERS THREE WAYS

Sometimes you finish a calligraphy piece… and it just needs a little something EXTRA.

One of my favorite ways to add a little pizzaz is ink splatters!

See how it adds movement and interest to the piece on the right? And also fills in some of the negative space, too. Huzzah!

So how do you do it? Well, I’m going to show you three different ways!

You can click below to watch the VIDEO TUTORIAL, or keep reading for just the highlights.


Screen Shot 2019-08-21 at 5.50.52 PM.png

TECHNIQUE #1: THE PAINTBRUSH TAP

Use a slightly larger paintbrush (I like a Size #4 Round), so you can get a good amount of ink onto your bristles.

Large ink splatters

Then, position the bristles over the area where you want the ink splatter to go. And then, tap the handle of your paintbrush firmly against another solid item, like a pen or paintbrush handle.

This will result in fat droplets, with a scattering of tinier drops.

This is NOT my favorite technique to use with calligraphy, because the droplets are a little too large and can obscure your lettering. But it’s a good technique to use for art on a larger scale.


Ink splatters for calligraphy with paintbrush

TECHNIQUE #2 : THE BRISTLE BRUSH

This one starts off just like Technique #1.

Ink splatters for calligraphy using paintbrush bristles

But, instead of tapping the handle of your paintbrush against another stick, you brush the BRISTLES of your paintbrush down against the stick.

This results in a fine spray of tiny drops that spread out in a linear pattern.

I like this technique for calligraphy because it’s small scale, but it’s a little hard to control where exactly the drops go and it can get a little messy…



Using+a+pointed+nib+to+create+ink+splatters+for+calligraphy

TECHNIQUE #3: THE POINTED NIB FLICK

This is my favorite way to create ink splatters for calligraphy.

calligraphy ink splatters

Take an OLD, WORN-OUT NIB (this technique will misalign your nib tines) and dip it into your ink. The more ink on your nib, the bigger your splatters will be.

Next, flick the tines down against a hard, non-porous edge (like an old credit card) and you’ll get a lovely, random splatter pattern with tons of movement.


calligraphy+ink+splatter+tips

TIPS AND TRICKS

DO NOT add ink splatters too close to your letters. This might make your calligraphy hard to read!

DO consider the direction that you want your ink splatters to go. The way you brush your bristles or flick your nib will determine where ink splatters land on the page.

DO NOT accidentally drop a huge blob of ink right in the middle of your work [facepalm]


calligraphy-with-ink-splatters

Now go add some beautiful INK SPLATTER to your calligraphy pieces. =)

I hope this helps you on your calligraphy journey!

shinah(calligraphy).png
 

Calligraphy-Toolkit

YOUR FREE CLICKABLE TOOLS GUIDE!

Wanna know exactly where to get all the calligraphy tools I mentioned above?

I put together a detailed list of all my favorite calligraphy supplies, with clickable links so you know where to buy each item.

Click the blue button below and enter your info to join my calligraphy learning email list - as a bonus, you'll get a FREE PDF of all the tools in my Calligraphy Toolkit - so you have all the info you need to get started right.