Sit in a working posture with your forearm and elbow resting on the writing surface. Face the table squarely and place feet flat on the floor. Lean forward slightly.
Place the paper on the table. Keep it straight if the writer is right-handed, or slant the paper toward the right if left-handed. Use the T-square to rule off horizontal lines spaced 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch apart, or use quadrille paper designed for calligraphy. Since italic writing is easiest for beginners, buy a pad with lines slanted at a 10 percent angle for italic letters.
Insert nib C-2 or C-4 into the pen holder. Fill the nib by dipping it only far enough into the ink to fill the reservoir located behind the nib. Give the pen a short, sharp jerk over a paper towel to remove excess ink.
Hold the pen at a 45-degree angle to the base line of writing. Maintain this angle without any variation throughout writing. This angle creates the graceful thick and thin lines of the letters. Different alphabets require different pen angles. Since Chancery cursive is one of the easiest scripts, these directions will be specific to this alphabet.
Get the ink flowing through the nib onto a scrap of paper by moving the pen back and forth at a 45-degree angle. Place the nib end flat on the paper to make smooth, even strokes. Feel the pen in contact with the paper, but do not exert great pressure or the pen will split and the paper will tear.
Write a continuous zigzag horizontally across the paper to practice holding a consistent pen angle. Prove that the angle is correct by keeping the up stroke thin and the down stroke thick. As the pen glides over the paper, move your arm, not your fingers.
Hold the pen in a relaxed grip. Draw vertical lines from the top of the space to the base line. If the top and bottom of each line are pointed, then the pen angle is correct.
Write a horizontal stroke one letter-width to the count of one. Drop a perpendicular line down from the left corner of the first line to the count of two. This second line should be the height of a lowercase letter. Draw a triangle by connecting the two lines from right to left to the count of three. Notice that the horizontal and vertical lines of the triangle are thick while the hypotenuse of the triangle is thin. Repeat similar triangles across the paper to establish a rhythm to the writing.
Loosen up by writing a continuous, connected line of loops, uniform in size, one letterspace high. Cover the paper from left to right. Notice the white space within the shapes and between the shapes.
Download a free copy of the Chancery cursive alphabet from the Internet. Chancery cursive has its roots in the Renaissance and uses an oblique form rather than the traditional square or round form for letters. The ascenders and descenders bend gracefully.
Measure five pen-widths from the base line to determine the height of all the lowercase letters. Measure five pen-widths above these for the height of ascenders like 'f' and 'h'. Measure five pen-widths down for the descenders like 'j' and 'g'. Capital letters are seven pen-widths high.
Practice the letters to achieve fluency. Draw the shape of each letter lightly on the paper and then trace over it with pen and ink. Repeat this with each letter of the alphabet until familiar with the shape and rhythm.
Choose a poem, aphorism or sign as a first sample. Lay out the paper using the T-square and pencil to show the script to its full advantage. Align it right, align it left or center it. Letter it out with your calligraphy set and newly developed skills.