Just got my first left-handed student in my last workshop, so here comes a blog post trying to help out as much as I could. And if you’re left handed and you’re hesitant about starting (or continuing) your calligraphy journey, this post is for you.
Which type of lefties are you?
Left-handed writers fall into two general groups: overwriters & underwriters.
Overwriters curl their hand arou
nd the pen while underwriters write with their wrist below the baseline. Underwriting is done when the wrist is not bent. In other words, your hand does not cover as much of what you’re writing.
For pointed-pen calligraphy, it is easiest to write from underneath the baseline, so if you are an overwriter, you will want to try to retrain how you hold the pen for pointed-pen calligraphy. Otherwise, you can try for an adjusted modification and rotate your paper to the right as needed.
The right direction of your nib
The tip of your nib should be pointing towards the top/top-right corner of your paper, so if it is too difficult for you to change the angle of how you write (which many left handed calligraphers have done, and I personally did as well as a right handed learner who didn't
know about oblique pens!), then you can rotate your paper instead.
Turn you paper
I have seen some lefties on Instagram turn their paper completely on its side like 90 degrees. You’ll want to adjust your paper as needed and see what works best for you.
Come join my workshop
One of the benefits of coming to my workshops is working with you individually to work through your natural angle of writing. It's hard to know if you are doing it correctly, and we can make sure you are set up for success in your practice back home.
Find your pen
A left-handed oblique pen or a straight pen. It will depend on the natural angle you are al
ready writing with and where the tip of the nib is pointing. Try out if you prefer an oblique pen or a straight pen in my workshop. Ultimately you should try both out with your natural grip and see which best gets you to point the tip of the tip towards the top/top-right corner of your paper.
Some of my favorites lefty calligraphers
Younghae of @logos_calligraphy creates absolutely breathtaking work that adds so much love into any home.
Julia Broughton a freelance Lettering Artist & Calligrapher from London.
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