60+ Beautiful Calligraphy Examples (FREE Worksheets)
Beautiful calligraphy is all around us. Take a look around your life and you'll be able to spot calligraphy everywhere, from the Coke can on your desk (the Coca-Cola logo) to a diploma on the wall and even the printed event invitations hanging on your fridge.
It's inspired us to round up beautiful calligraphy examples worthy of admiration. Whether you're brand new to the art of calligraphy or a seasoned calligrapher looking for some new inspiration, you're in the right place.
Calligraphy has a rich history, but it's still a modern craft - and it's GAINING popularity.
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People learn calligraphy for many different reasons:
Fun and creativity!
Create handwritten event invitations
Make beautiful wedding or party place cards
Turn poems, words or quotes into framed artwork
Create and sell custom projects as a calligraphy business
Whatever reason you're interested in calligraphy, we're SO glad that you're here today.
We're Jordan (left) and Jillian (right), the calligraphy teachers (and twin sisters!) behind Loveleigh Loops. We've taught 40,000+ students in more than 150 countries and we couldn't be more thrilled that you're here with us today.
We’re so glad that you’re here! -J&J
The following calligraphy samples are from us and our incredibly talented students. These works were all submitted by our community and are shared with permission and attribution. Ready to get inspired?!
Table of Contents
Beautiful Traditional Calligraphy Examples
Calligraphy is an art form with deep roots: it's as old as the written word itself and has been practiced in essentially every culture. So let's start the inspiration with traditional samples showing how timeless these styles really are.
1. Copperplate And Chinese Hybrid
Tools: Hunt 101 for the Copperplate script and Chinese brush for the Chinese characters.
From the artist: "I think that Copperplate (with flourishing) matches the Chinese calligraphy style 'thin-golden-style' just right because they are elegant and graceful."
What can we say about the elegance, balance and breathtaking beauty of this piece by Tsung-Yi Nina Chin?! We're in awe of the level of detail put into this composition on every level. It's a work of art.
2. Copperplate Script
Tools: Nikko G Nib with Tom's Studio Carrot Pen.
The shapes that you see at the top of this page are the basic calligraphy strokes. These are the elements that every letter of the lowercase alphabet is written using! This makes learning calligraphy much easier - instead of learning 26 unique letters, you only have to learn a handful of shapes.
Anissa Lye generously shared this encouragement with other students: "This piece shows the amount of effort and time that goes into mastering a new script! An encouragement for all who are also learning - practice makes perfect!"
You can learn the basic calligraphy strokes with our free practice sheet:
3. Copperplate Alphabet Flourished
By Jordan from Loveleigh Loops
Tools: iPad, Procreate App and Spencerian Brush
This alphabet exemplar is proof that the fundamentals never have to be boring. These letters are written in the Copperplate style, but you may notice that they feel fancier than the normal alphabet.
Each letter is embellished with calligraphy flourishes. Flourishing is one of our specialties and we teach it to beginners in a free online course:
4. Modern-Traditional Hybrid Style
Tools: Pointed pen with the Leonardt Principal Nib and Walnut ink.
A pointed pen is a traditional tool and these letters have roots in Copperplate calligraphy, but you may notice that they're different from the past examples. Celine Chew created a hybrid style that combines traditional letterforms with modern flair (plus flourishes!).
We love how light and airy these letters feel and how the flourishes perfectly balance out the composition.
5. Wedding Calligraphy
Tools: Carrot pen holder
This beautiful wedding collection by Angenise Rawls is written in the Copperplate style with flourishes and uses a variety of inks. The calligraphy is matched in elegance and thoughtfulness by the composition - we love the textured backdrop that Angenise created. This is begging to be saved to a Pinterest board!
Calligraphy services for weddings are in demand! It's just one of many ways that calligraphers can make money with their skills. If you want help writing wedding decorations or invitations, use our free stylized “Mr. and Mrs.” calligraphy worksheet:
6. Italic Wedding Invitation
By Dale Morrison
Tools: Pelikan fountain pen.
If you're looking for a practical application for your calligraphy, there's no better place to look than event invitations. We love how beautifully balanced and consistent this invitation by Dale Morrison is.
This is a great example of Italic calligraphy written with a broad-edged writing utensil (a fountain pen) versus a flexible tip (a pointed pen). We dive deeper into the differences in this guide.
7. Uncial Quote
Tools: Speedball C2 flat nib.
Here we have another example of broad-edge calligraphy, this time with a circular form and accompanied by an illustration. If you feel like you've seen this style before, you may be right. Artist Carl Gwyn described this as a "Lord of the Rings-style" uncial alphabet.
Uncial scripts date all the way back to the 4th century AD, and their continued use speaks to the enduring prominence of calligraphy.
8. Fraktur Style Quote
Tools: Brause pen nibs and Rapidograph pens.
This sample is a bible verse lettered in the Fraktur style, and is balancing many colors (black, red, gold, blue, and green) effortlessly without feeling over-busy.
Artist Keith Neds shared that the Lombardic capital is similar to capitals used in illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages. The border surrounding John 3:16 is Romans 5:7,8 lettered in light green on a dark green gouache background.
9. Blackletter Letter Close-Up
Tamer Ghoneim's take on the humble "a" makes this little letter feel like a special occasion. Tamer is a Blackletter master - we're students in his Blackletter Masterclass and had so much fun learning this style from him.
Blackletter isn't a style that we practiced often, so we were real novices going through Tamer's lessons. There's nothing quite like trying a new style to make you appreciate once again how much depth, creativity and fun there is to the art of calligraphy.
10. Black And White Quote Illustration
Tools: Nikko G nib on a oblique wooden holder.
So much artistry is on display in this composition example. This is an entire original work by Carl Gwyn, with the illustration drawn in charcoal and the quote written in ink.
It can be challenging to create enough contrast in black-and-white compositions, but this was done masterfully in this piece. We love how charcoal was gently removed from the sky the make space for the calligraphy.
11. Loveleigh Loops Flourished
By Jordan from Loveleigh Loops
Tools: Copperplate style created digitally with the iPad, Procreate App and Loveleigh Brush
This sample was written digitally using the Procreate App but it's producing the traditional Copperplate script. This example shows how big of a difference flourishes make!
Flourishes have such a unique presence and you're never fully done learning how to flourish your calligraphy.
12. White Ink Copperplate Composition
Tools: Oblique pen holder with LPEF Nib.
Unity and contrast are masterfully balanced in this piece. The bold white ink on the rich background unifies the letters and the delicate florals.
Shweta Tembre also subtly contrasted the quote and the attribution by changing from the Copperplate script to sans-serif capital letters. Shweta shared that this artwork was created to celebrate World Art Day.
13. Advanced Copperplate Flourishes
Tools: Oblique Holder with LPEF Nib.
Here we have another incredibly delicate and elegant Copperplate work from Shweta Tembre, this time taking our breath away with its floral flourishes. The ornamental letter F has an incredible amount of detail and balances out perfectly with the two lines of text.
The choice of ink color once again creates contrast and unity that transforms this from a normal quote into a work of art worthy of a frame.
14. Uncial and Beneventan Styles
Tools: Automatic Pen.
Who says traditional calligraphy needs to follow a single tradition? Here we have a beautiful example of blending two styles into something unique. Adrienne Abbott describes her styles as a mashup of Uncial and Beneventan styles with some modern additions.
We love the contrast that using a dark background creates. The gentle ink splatters bring a really "finished" feeling to this composition (we think it looks like a starry sky!) without becoming overpowering.
Bonus points for the word choice - the word "shenanigans" just makes you smile, doesn't it?!
15. Ornamental Flourishing
By Dawn LaLiberté
Tools: Pointed pen.
Here is another fabulous example of ornamental Copperplate flourishes. There's a lot of contrast and emphasis at play in this composition. Simple use of color and a masterful control over thick and think strokes really guide the eye between elements.
When looking at work this intricate, it's easy for beginners to think that they'd never be able to create something at this level. We're here to share a friendly reminder that long before Dawn could create works of art like this, she was learning her basic strokes and writing the alphabet for the first time. All calligraphers started as beginners - use beautiful examples like this as inspiration to keep practicing!
16. Glass Pen Copperplate
Tools: Glass pen.
So far, we've seen calligraphy created by a pointed pen, a broad edge pen and a fountain pen. Here's a new utensil: a glass pen.
We were so excited to see this flourished sample by Ruta Kanade because it reminds us of how many exciting tools a calligrapher has to try while on their calligraphy journey.
We can't stop staring at that flourished letter "G" (a tricky letter to write!). The white ink makes this composition extra mesmerizing.
17. Happy Birthday Flourished
Tools: Pointed Pen.
Notice the flourishing details on the descenders? The p, p and y of "happy" all beautifully intertwine. The word "birthday" also has some really thoughtful flourishes. We love the creativity with the "B" flourish turning into a balloon. A great example of how to combine traditional letter shapes with a modern idea and make something truly unique.
Also, what a beautiful pointed pen! That blue-white pen body is a work of art.
We have a traceable worksheet that will help you learn how to write "happy birthday" in calligraphy. Get it here:
18-22. More Traditional Works
We had a problem with this round-up... our students are SO talented that our inbox was overflowing with stunning examples. Now that we've explored the styles in the individual samples above, we're going to share a gallery with more traditional samples from our students.
As you look through these works, see if you can identify the styles and any design choices that the artist made. These examples play beautifully with color, proportion and contrast (just to name a few!).
Use the left/right arrows to scroll through the gallery:
Beautiful Modern Calligraphy
When some people hear "calligraphy," they might picture a nun slapping your knuckles with a ruler and making you write identical words repeatedly on a piece of paper. That could not be further from the truth.
Calligraphy is as dynamic, alive and FUN as any other art form. That's never more apparent than when looking at modern calligraphy. And for the record, learning traditional calligraphy is also painless and full of smiles :)
Let's look at some beautiful examples of modern calligraphy from our students.
23. Flourished Modern Style
Tools: Moblique Oblique Pen holder.
This flourished modern calligraphy composition from Mansimar Kaur is still based on the Copperplate script, but it's personalized to the artist's style, using color and illustrative details to make it unique.
Calligraphy fact: Even if you only want to do modern calligraphy, you still need to start by learning the traditional letterforms. As we always say, learn the rules before you break them!
The non-standard letterforms in "p" and "s" work very well here. The design principle of proportion is also done well in this composition. We love the addition of stars that are bigger but not so big as to overpower or distract from the calligraphy.
24. Handwritten Gift Tag
Tools: Oblique pen holder and Nikko G nib.
Like the last sample, this is another modern calligraphy style that's built on the Copperplate foundation. The ink color used here is beautiful and we love how it matches the contents of the bottle. Writing custom gift tags is a great practical use for calligraphy.
While you never need to make your calligraphy "productive," it's always such a joy when you can use it in a gift and share it with others.
25. Thank You Modern Flourishes
By Jillian from Loveleigh Loops
Tools: iPad, Procreate App and Loveleigh Brush
You've seen a lot of small, delicate flourishes so far, and this is an example of how large flourishes can look with a simple word. The words remain readable despite the large flourishes surrounding the letters. When learning flourishing as a beginner, bigger is better and helps you learn the intricacies.
Like most of these modern samples, this used Copperplate as a base and has modern elements like the unique "Y" shape and the loop on the "o" on top of this foundation.
You can get a free traceable version of this "thank you" in our guide:
26. Brush Lettering Quote
Tools: Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen.
Maria Alejandra Diaz uses contrast and emphasis beautifully in this piece. Our eye is drawn to the pink text and it's balanced really well using the green decorative element on the left.
We also love how the flourish on the word "more" seems to imply a little heart shape! This is a sample of brush lettering, which is perhaps the most popular type of modern calligraphy.
27. Faux Calligraphy
By Jillian from Loveleigh Loops
Tools: Tombow TwinTone
This is actually an example of FAUX calligraphy! These letters were drawn, not written. We know it can be a strange concept but we have an entire deep-dive guide that teaches faux calligraphy:
Faux calligraphy may sound like a lazy version of normal calligraphy, but that's a misconception. This is a really beautiful calligraphy style that many calligraphers (beginners and advanced artists alike) use in their compositions.
28. Fountain Pen Quote
Tools: BlueDew flex fountain pen.
Immediately when looking at this piece, we notice the beautiful use of repetition. We love how using identical flourishes creates a sense of movement; it almost looks like the flourish is blowing in the wind.
This is a modern calligraphy sample written using a fountain pen. If you'd like to learn more about the different types of calligraphy pens, you can learn more in our guide:
29. Family Names
By Jordan and Jillian from Loveleigh Loops
Tools: Paper, Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen
Grandpa's never looked sharper than he does with flourishes. This is a fun excerpt from our family names tutorial (button below). Practical words (like family names, thank you, happy birthday, etc.) come in handy for special occasions, gifts and holidays.
We made our tutorial to help give ideas and offer tips on how to write as a beginner. It comes with a free traceable worksheet that you can download to practice writing like this! Get it here:
30. Ombre Flourishes
Tools: Pentel Sign Touch and sparkle pop pens.
This sample from Jaclyn Drexel displays a flourished ombre blend with a sparkle drop shadow. Fun level: 11/10. Sparkles take anything to the next level, and it's done so subtly here without overpowering the design.
The same can be said about the ombre (the blended colors) on the names. We love how the blend feels so natural and seamlessly continues into the flourish. If you'd like to try this technique, we have a tutorial that teaches how to blend with brush pens:
31. Bounce Lettering Quote
Tools: Tombow Dual brush and Gel roll pen.
On this sample by Maria Alejandra Diaz, we love the modern letter shapes. They're a little more free-form than some of the others. Can you spot what's different? These letters are using a style called "bounce lettering."
This is a really fun modern technique that we teach in this guide:
We love the creativity shown here. Through a simple dotted pattern, the letters themselves shine bright!
32-48. More Modern Samples
Enjoy 17 more beautiful modern calligraphy samples from our talented students (use the left/right arrows to scroll):
Beautiful Digital Calligraphy Examples
Not all calligraphy requires paper and ink! Digital calligraphy (usually done on and iPad with the Procreate App) is an incredibly popular and convenient way to letter. Here are some special compositions made using digital tools.
49. Mesmerizing Symmetrical Composition
Tools: iPad, Procreate App
At first glance, this looks like a work of art and not handwriting. What you see here is a flourished symmetry piece, and it's a great example of something that's only (reasonably) done digitally.
Of course you could write each word over and over again with pen and paper, but you couldn't achieve identical letters like you can with the Procreate App. Symmetry is a mesmerizing Procreate feature! We teach it in our Procreate beginner's guide:
50. Color-Changing Flourishes
Tools: iPad, Procreate App with Loveleigh Loops brush
We have another delicate and complex piece by Jaclyn Drexel. The flourishes in this composition show a masterful control of balance and proportion.
Do you see the two different colors of this word? It's written using our free color-changing Procreate calligraphy brush. You can get instant access here:
51. iPad Spencerian Script
Tools: iPad, Procreate App and the Loveleigh Loops Spencerian Brush for calligraphy and Design cuts brushes to create the background.
Here's a new style that we haven't seen yet - the Spencerian script! This is a beautiful calligraphy style that has a deep history that still touches our lives today. It was a precursor to cursive writing, which many of us learned in school as children.
We teach Spencerian in our beginner's tutorial:
52. Spencerian/Copperplate Style
By Geneviève Roussel
Tools: iPad and Procreate App
This is a calligraphy sample with both Copperplate and Spencerian styles. You may be thinking... isn't it against the rules to combine scripts?!
Absolutely not! It's helpful for every calligrapher to learn with one specific script (typically Copperplate), that's a foundation for your own unique style development.
This is an incredibly fun and creative era of calligraphy that you enter once you're more experienced. We teach it in our Style Study Bootcamp:
53. Flourished Illustration
Tools: iPad, Procreate App and script brush
This Procreate illustration by Nikki Davis with a lettered quote is an entire finished piece of artwork! We love the natural contrast between the calligraphy and the capital sans serif words. The previous examples have had a lot of loud and proud flourishes, but these ones here are great examples of minimalist embellishments.
Do we sound flourish-obsessed?? It's true! It's one of our specialties and we even have an entire membership dedicated to it:
54. Colorful Modern Quote
Tools: iPad, Procreate App and Loveleigh Brush
Our eyes are feasting on the rainbow blend that Melanie Garber chose for inside her letters. The slight white drop shadow adds a level of elegance while keeping the focus on the letter forms. This a modern script that has a slight bounce to the letters.
Lean in and you'll see the detail Melanie put into these letters - the way descenders and ascenders loop together is such a lovely touch.
55-61. More Digital Compositions
Let's keep the inspiration going! Browse these additional digital calligraphy submissions from students (plus a few compositions from us).
Beautiful Calligraphy Fonts
Instead of handwriting calligraphy yourself, do you want to try typing with a font? We have you covered - we've made our own calligraphy fonts that you can get instant access to today.
Twindigo Calligraphy Font
Twindigo was created by Jillian and is a bouncy, fun brush lettering calligraphy font. This organic script even comes with connective elements that will help your letters look authentically handwritten.
Check it out for yourself in our shop:
Magentica Handwritten Caps Font
This calligraphy font was also written by Jillian by hand using a Sharpie marker. As a bonus, this font purchase also comes with traceable worksheets and other helpful freebies.
Learn more in our Etsy shop:
Create Your Own Calligraphy Fonts
The BEST resource (by far) for creating calligraphy fonts is the Learn Font Making Course by Every Tuesday.
Jillian took the course and used it to create the beautiful calligraphy fonts above. It's an incredible way to create endless custom calligraphy fonts that are completely unique to your style.
Next Steps
Whether you want to get inspiration to practice your lettering or create your own calligraphy font, we hope that you got tons of ideas here today. We're so thrilled that you stopped by Loveleigh Loops and we have SO much more to offer you!
You have instant acces to hundreds of YouTube tutorials, free worksheets and online courses. Make yourself at home here.
