How to Make and Use Calligraphy Guidelines

Calligraphy guidelines are the ruler of any script — essential for ensuring that letters are consistently spaced and proportioned. 

That’s why every calligrapher studies and practises with guidelines.  

And the beautiful pieces of art that you see seasoned calligraphers create? They’re written with guidelines too — just erased after so you don’t see them! 

This blogpost will go through what are calligraphy guidelines, the different terms used, how to draw them easily, and tips for using guidelines in your projects or commissioned work. We’ll focus on pointed pen calligraphy guidelines, specifically for Copperplate. 

What are Calligraphy Guidelines?

Calligraphy guidelines are one of the first calligraphy rules that beginners learn, as they determine letters’ height, proportion and slant.

Each set of guidelines includes the baseline, waistline, ascender line, descender line and slant line. I’ll explain these in greater detail further down.

Why Should I Use Guidelines for My Copperplate Practice?

Using calligraphy guidelines is the key to consistency. You want your script to be neat and elegant, not messy and sloppy.

This is especially the case with traditional calligraphy scripts that have standard rules on letter ratios and slants. It’ll be hard to follow these rules if you don’t use guidelines! 

With practice over time, you may be able to write quite consistently without guidelines. Even then, it’s still a good idea to use calligraphy practice sheets with guidelines regularly. 

Understanding Each Set of Calligraphy Guidelines

Let’s start by understanding how letters sit within each set of guidelines.

• X-height space: Occupied by short lowercase letters like a / x (that’s why it’s called x-height) 

• Ascender space: Occupied by letters with ascender loops like h / k 

• Descender space: Occupied by letters with descender loops like g / j

The x-height space can be indicated with an “X” or a small rectangle, so we can quickly identify it. 

A quick note on capital letters — all capital letters occupy the ascender space. Only capital letters J and Z occupy both the ascender and descender spaces. 

Ratio in calligraphy guidelines 

Copperplate script is written with a 2:1:2 ratio, which is the ratio of ascender space : x-height space : descender space. 

Start by choosing an x-height — I recommend beginners start with an x-height of 5mm or 6mm. With a 2:1:2 ratio, a 5mm x-height means the ascender and descender spaces are 10mm each. 

Horizontal lines in calligraphy guidelines 

The horizontal lines in each set of calligraphy guidelines are (from top to bottom): 

Slant lines in calligraphy guidelines

Copperplate is written at the 55° slant, so letters appear forward slanting. 

Slant lines are a guide to ensure that letters are at the correct angle. So all basic strokes of Copperplate script are parallel to the slant line. 

There isn’t any fixed rule on how far apart the slant lines should be — the nearer they are, the more slant lines you’ll have to help ensure consistency.

Variations in calligraphy guidelines

As we’ve gone through, Copperplate is written with a 2:1:2 ratio at the 55° slant. Another common ratio for standard Copperplate is 3:2:3. 

However, you can break the rules! 

Ratios like 1:1:1, 1:2:1 and 1:4:1 (or any other combination you can think of) are not considered standard Copperplate. But these can add an element of fun and curiosity in your calligraphy practice. 

What if you try writing Copperplate at a 90° slant (straight letters) or 35° slant (slanting backwards)? I encourage you to have fun and play with your letters! 

Grid sheet guidelines

In my own practice, I use a grid sheet most frequently. It has equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines, and slant lines. 

This makes it easy to adapt to a 2:1:2 or 1:1:1 ratio (or any other ratio with multiples of 2). The vertical lines are useful for aligning text when drafting layouts of longer pieces. 

You can get a copy in my free guidesheets package here! 

Now that we understand what calligraphy guidelines are, let’s see how to make guidelines for your practice. 

How to Make Calligraphy Guidelines for Copperplate

Draw calligraphy guidelines

You can simply draw calligraphy guidelines using a pencil, ruler and protractor (to measure slant lines). 

Some tips: 

• Use a rolling ruler, which makes it easier to draw parallel lines. Some have protractors built in to measure angles. 

• Get a rolling ruler with an aluminium / metal roller bar. These glide more smoothly than those with plastic roller bars. 

• Make sure to use a sharp pencil. A blunt pencil makes a huge difference since we’re measuring guidelines in millimetres. 

Print calligraphy guidesheets 

Drawing guidelines by hand can be a hassle if you want to make pages for practice. 

An easier way is to print ready-made PDF calligraphy guidelines. Make sure to print on calligraphy-friendly paper and you can start writing immediately. 

I’ve created a set of Copperplate calligraphy guidesheets with 2:1:2 and 3:2:3 letter ratios at x-heights of 4mm, 5mm and 6mm. You can get a free copy here! 

If you want to customise or create guidelines for other scripts, here’s a great guidesheet generator with lots of options.

How to Use Calligraphy Guidelines for Gifts or Commissioned Work

Calligraphy on white / light-coloured paper

When drawing guidelines on paper, remember to draw lightly. You don’t want to leave a physical mark on the paper. 

Always make sure the ink is dry before erasing the guidelines! Thicker inks like gouache or Bleedproof White can appear dry on the surface, but smudge once you apply pressure to erase. I like to leave it overnight (or two) to make sure the ink has dried fully. 

You can use a light pad (also called light box) so you don’t have to draw guidelines directly on the paper. A light pad is a thin tablet that emits light and is usually USB-powered. Place guidelines on the light pad, then place the actual paper above the guidelines. The guidelines will show through when the light pad is turned on. 

A light pad also works great if you want to trace a draft that was done on another piece of paper, whether it’s calligraphy or ornamental designs. 

Calligraphy on dark-coloured paper

A light pad doesn’t work with dark-coloured paper, so you have to draw guidelines directly on paper. A white pencil will show up better — just make sure it’s erasable! 

Using a laser level to estimate guidelines 

A laser level will only give you the baseline, so this method is best left to more seasoned calligraphers or bouncy modern scripts which may not require as much precision. 

To use a laser level, place a sheet of guidelines below the paper you’re writing on. Align the laser to the guidelines, and make sure everything is straight before you start writing. 

Wrapping Up

You should now understand what are calligraphy guidelines, what the different lines indicate, how to create calligraphy guidelines, and how to use them in your own practice or projects. 

Drawing calligraphy guidelines isn’t as fun as writing calligraphy, but remember they’re essential for a consistent script. 

Leave a comment below if you have any questions or more tips on making calligraphy guidelines!