Another mindful calligraphy basics exercise. We will practice the compound curve in combination with your breathing. It is meant to get you in a nice and relaxed flow.
The compound curve is a combination of an underturn and an overturn.
When I think of the compound curve, a wave comes to mind and I immediately start thinking about the beach and the sea. The weather here in the Netherlands has been awful and I am desperately waiting for the sun. This exercise will at least help me dream about the beach a little and I can already imagine myself there.
Hopefully, drawing some wavy compound curves will help you get summer vibes as well. Let’s have some fun on the beach with this stroke!
Supplies used:
Smooth dotted bullet journal (Archer & Olive) and brush pens (Tombow fudenosuke hard tip), color: blue.
Alternative supply suggestions:
If you don’t have brush pens, it is still possible to do the exercise. Just grab a regular sheet of paper and some colored pencils. With colored pencils you can make the thin and thick strokes as well. Really, I have tested this. If colored pencils are also not available to you, you can use a regular pencil.
Instructions:
1. Draw a beach with the sea and the sky. You can make this as complicated and detailed as you’d like. You can even draw two horizontal lines on the page to divide it into 3 parts.
2. For the first part of the compound curve go up lightly and breathe in.
3. When you get to the curve, slowly start pressing down on your pen and breathe out. Try to keep the angle the same as your upstroke.
4. As you get to the last curve, slowly release the pressure on your pen and go up lightly again. Try to keep the same angle throughout. Breathe in when you do this.
5. Fill up the entire “sea part” of your drawing with compound strokes. Remember to focus on your breathing. Now you have created a sea full of waves!
