2020 in Review: 75+ Resources for Calligraphers
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With 2020 behind us, it’s time for a big roundup of the resources I published throughout the year. Many were 100% free – videos, written tutorials, downloadable practice sheets – and others were premium content like new Procreate brush packs and Skillshare classes.
When the pandemic hit in February, I took a close look at the New Year’s resolutions I’d written for my business just a month before. I realized that I didn’t have to pivot much to fulfill those goals, while at the same time meeting the new needs of my audience. My list was focused on making practice sheets and tutorials and digital tools. In other words, my resolutions already centered around creating new resources for learning and making calligraphy.
I knew that I wanted to focus a lot of my time on tools that were either free or very affordable. It was clear from the start that at-home activities would rule the year, so I also wanted to focus on resources that would be available to anyone on Earth with an internet connection. In place of preparing the in-person calligraphy workshops I usually offer every summer and winter, I turned my attention to online learning content.
I installed an overhead camera arm above my desk and started my YouTube channel, filming analog and iPad calligraphy tutorials from the edge of my desk. Publishing a new video every Friday was certainly a challenge, but turned out to be one of the year’s most rewarding endeavors. As my channel has grown, my subscribers’ feedback continues to inform the new content I produce, whether that’s an overview of my favorite Procreate 5X shortcuts or a quiet demonstration of a calligraphy layout.
Whenever I sit down to produce a learning resource or tool, whether that’s a book or a brush pack, I start with a couple simple questions: What tools did I wish existed when I was learning calligraphy? What tools do I still wish I could find for making my own art? The answers to these questions inform every resource I create. So when I created my six premium Procreate brush packs for lettering artists, I made sure each one filled a gap that I had in my own toolkit. I plan to expand my digital tool collection in 2021, producing even more kits for iPad calligraphers.
This year also saw the launch of Molly’s Lettering Toolkit! Another of my most rewarding endeavors, my library of free downloads started with just four resources, but grew each month for a total of sixteen by the end of the year!
Below, you can find links to all 75+ resources I published in 2020, from tutorials to typefaces!
Most Popular Procreate Tutorials:
Most Popular Analog Calligraphy Tutorials:
Most Popular Product Releases:
Most Popular Articles:
2020 Complete Roundup: 75+ Resources for Learning Calligraphy
Here’s the complete list of every video tutorial, calligraphy demonstration, online class, blog article, and live event I released in 2020
Procreate Tutorials & Demonstrations:
- Procreate 5X Hacks for Artists
- Procreate Letter Guide Hack
- Typographic Repeating Pattern Design in Procreate (Skillshare class)
- “Neither Snow” Flourished Calligraphy Layout with Flourished Border
- Make a Flourished Calligraphy Layout Design in Procreate
- “Freedom” Flourished Calligraphy Layout in Real Time
- Animate Lettering in Procreate
- “Ink & Nib” Illustrated Flourished Border Design
- Practice Calligraphy with Me: Everlasting Monoline
- “Written on Waves” Modern Calligraphy Watercolor Layout
- Flourished Calligraphy Circles
- Calligraphy Mandalas and Radial Art
- Draw a Symmetrical Flourished Border
- Christmas Calligraphy & Wreath
- Use My Calligraphy Books with Procreate
- Quiet Calligraphy: French Song Lyrics Layout
- Draw A Fauxsaic in Procreate
- Practice Calligraphy with the Procreate Reference Window
Analog Calligraphy Tutorials & Demonstrations:
- Transform Your Modern Calligraphy One Step at A Time (Skillshare class)
- Envelope Addressing in Modern Calligraphy and Silver Ink
- Place Cards in Gold Ink on Cotton Paper
- “C’est la vie” from Sketch to iPad
- “Neither Snow” Layout in Gray Ink
- Monoline Calligraphy with Glass Dip Pen
- Folded Pen Calligraphy Demonstration
- Halloween Calligraphy & Ink Wash Cards
- Calligraphy ASMR Compilation
- Look Inside My New Book: Mastering Modern Calligraphy
Procreate Brush Packs & Corresponding Tutorials
Fonts & Vector Packs
- Lempicka Font Duo and Vector Pack
- Outside Voice: A Font for A Cause
- Wiley Decorative Typeface
- Merry Christmas Calligraphy Vector Pack
My Favorite Things:
- Favorite Calligraphy Supplies for Beginners
- Favorite Calligraphy Inks
- Favorite Calligraphy Practice Paper
- Favorite Handmade Calligraphy Supplies
- Exquisite Calligraphy Tools
- Favorite Calligraphy Tools & Books from July 2020
- Favorite iPad Tools & Apps for Lettering Artists
- Favorite Places to Find Inspiration
Article:
Live Event Replays:
- How to Draw Ombré Watercolor Calligraphy in Procreate
- How to Create a Flourished Calligraphy Composition in Procreate
- How to Draw Radial Calligraphy Art in Procreate
- How to Design a Calligraphic Logotype: My Process
- Q&A Session: Lettering Business Mentoring
- Procreate Calligraphy Practicing Hack: Tips ‘n’ Tricks Friday
Molly’s Lettering Toolkit
Free downloadable resources
This year I launched Molly’s Lettering Toolkit, the free hand lettering bundle that’s always growing. My newsletter subscribers gain lifetime access to all the free downloads, so if you’re not already on my list, sign up for access to all the downloads listed below, then get more free products straight to your inbox when I release them!
- Whimsy Script Practice Sheets
- Vienna Script Practice Sheets
- Madrid Script Practice Sheets
- Everlasting Monoline Practice Sheets
- Gusto Script Practice Sheets
- Brooklyn Script Practice Sheets
- Flourishing Practice Sheets Vol 1: Pangrams
- Flourishing Practice Sheets Vol 2: “Neither Snow” Layout
- Flourishing Practice Sheets Vol 3: Circular Calligraphy
- Calligraphy Stroke Drill Practice Sheets
- 12 Lettering Guides & Grids
- Alphabet Exemplar Coloring Pages
- Molly’s Favorite Procreate Flourishing Brush
- Ombré Smoothie Procreate Brush
- Chalk Calligraphy Procreate Brush
- Letter Guide Stamp Procreate Brush
Calligrafile.com: The Resource Archive for Modern Calligraphers
Calligrafile is a curated library of 500+ trusted supplies, online shops, learning resources, interviews, and business tools compiled by professional lettering artists from around the globe. I founded Calligrafile back in 2016, as a way to organize all my own favorite links, learning resources, and freelancing tools that I’d bookmarked over the years. I brought on a panel of more than a dozen contributors – professional lettering artists from many different backgrounds – who contributed their own favorites. The result was a resource library that compiled over 500 recommended resources, organized into 20 in-depth archives and galleries.
Little by little, Calligrafile has grown over the years. But in 2020, I gave it the biggest update yet, with a site design overhaul, 100+ new links, and the addition of iPad Lettering, Font Design, and Handmade Tools archives. If you’ve been a Calligrafile fan, the first major change you'll notice (apart from our new logo!) is that we reorganized the site to make searching more intuitive. You'll now see three main menus that organize all our archives: Products, Learning, and Business.
Calligrafile is 100% free, and I’ve always worked hard to recommend tools that are:
- very highly-rated,
- affordable or free,
- available worldwide, and
- supporting independent artists and artisans.
Oh, and follow @calligrafile on Instagram and tag your work with #imacalligrafile for a chance to be featured!
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