My ten-year-old and I have been taking calligraphy classes from an incredible calligrapher, Johanna Brame.  This week’s project: valentine calligraphy!

This is the valentine my son made for his grandma. Here’s how he did it:

• First, he drew a large heart in pencil on an 8 x 10 sheet of computer paper.
• This valentine has the names of all the family members. So he wouldn’t get confused, he made the list of names he wanted to include.
• He then decided where to place the names within the heart. He wrote each name in pencil.
• Because there were only nine names and a lot of space left, he filled in the extra space with swirls, flowers, hearts, etc.
• The paper was looking a little rough, since it was only lightweight computer paper and he had done a lot of erasing. But that was okay. We had some heavier card stock and a light box, so he used the light box to trace his design in pen.  If we didn’t have a light box, there are a couple of other ways he could have transferred his drawing onto fresh paper.

Though it isn’t formal calligraphy, it is beautiful writing! I know his grandma is going to love it!