EXERCISE 1 | FINDING THE RIGHT POSITION
The position of your hand and wrist is very important for properly learning and executing brush lettering, as is the position of the felt pen, which must be tilted with respect to the table. The more tilted the pen is, the thicker your brushstroke will be. This position is the same as for classic calligraphy.
RIGHT-HANDER
Position your wrist at a 20-to-30-degree angle to the surface of the page. This is the position you will use for making most of your letters.
There are two possibilities for left-handed people. The method I recommend is to turn the sheet 90 degrees from its original position, so that a landscape-oriented sheet is now in portrait mode. Thus, you will be writing from top to bottom. This requires a certain amount of practice, but it is the most efficient way to approach the various styles of calligraphy. Position your wrist at a 20-to-30-degree angle to the surface of the page.
Another method is to position your wrist above the line you are drawing. This is the more classic position for left-handers, but it makes it difficult to see your work and you risk smudging it. For some kinds of projects this position just doesn’t work—for instance, for Gothic calligraphy, where the 90-degree position is much more practical. The tilt of the wrist is also harder to sustain in this position.
