Arabic Calligraphy Styles

 

Now that we have overviewed the history of Arabic calligraphy and learned that each script, or group of scripts, has been developed during a specific period, let us move on and learn about the most common styles of Arabic calligraphy scripts that many calligraphers and designers are still using today. Here are some examples of the most commonly known standard Arabic Calligraphy Styles:

1-Kufi
One of the oldest Arabic Calligraphy Styles that has been developed within the third or fourth century A.D. Its name refers to one of Iraq’s cities, it is called Kufa, and it’s troublesome to use for writing long texts, however, it’s still utilized in titles and architecture these days.

2-Thuluth
Its name refers to the size of the pen used for writing this type of Arabic script. Unlike the Kufi, this script is readable and you can use it to write either a title or paragraphs. Its glyphs are distinguished by their curves and harmony between each other, which make them appealing to be used by many modern designers in contemporary designs. It first appeared in the 10th century.

Thuluth Arabic Calligraphy Style is a beautiful and elegant style of Islamic script that has been used for centuries in Arabic calligraphy. Here are the steps to draw Thuluth Arabic Calligraphy Style :

Materials:

• A calligraphy pen or a fine-tipped marker
• A piece of paper
• A ruler (optional)

Steps:

1. Begin by drawing the baseline, which is the line on which the letters will rest. You can use a ruler to draw a straight line across the paper or freehand it.
2. Draw the vertical stem of the first letter. The stem should be thick and bold. It should be placed at the beginning of the baseline, slightly to the right.
3. Draw the horizontal stroke that connects to the stem. This stroke should be thin and delicate. It should be angled downward to the left.
4. Draw the second stem of the letter, which should be slightly curved and thinner than the first stem. It should be angled downward to the right.
5. Draw the loop of the letter, which should be large and round. It should be placed above the first stem and should connect to the second stem.
6. Draw the dots or diacritic marks on the letter, if necessary.
7. Continue to draw the other letters, making sure to keep them consistent in size and style.
8. Once you have finished writing the word, you can go back and make any necessary adjustments, such as thickening or thinning certain strokes to create contrast and balance.

Thuluth Arabic Calligraphy Style requires practice and patience to master. You can find tutorials online or consider taking a calligraphy class to improve your skills.

3-Naskh
The word “Naskh” means “copy”. As you might guess from the name it is used for writing long texts, such as books, because it is readable and comfortable for the eyes, unlike the old Kufi. In the digital world it is preferred in printing due to the simple shapes of its glyphs.

Naskh Arabic Calligraphy Style is a popular and widely used style of Arabic Calligraphy Styles. Here are the steps to draw Naskh calligraphy:

Materials:

• A calligraphy pen or a fine-tipped marker
• A piece of paper
• A ruler (optional)

Steps:

1. Begin by drawing the baseline, which is the line on which the letters will rest. You can use a ruler to draw a straight line across the paper or freehand it.
2. Draw the vertical stem of the first letter. The stem should be thin and delicate. It should be placed at the beginning of the baseline, slightly to the right.
3. Draw the horizontal stroke that connects to the stem. This stroke should be thin and delicate as well. It should be angled downward to the left.
4. Draw the second stem of the letter, which should be slightly curved and thinner than the first stem. It should be angled downward to the right.
5. Draw the loop of the letter, which should be small and compact. It should be placed above the first stem and should connect to the second stem.
6. Draw the dots or diacritic marks on the letter, if necessary.
7. Continue to draw the other letters, making sure to keep them consistent in size and style.
8. Once you have finished writing the word, you can go back and make any necessary adjustments, such as thickening or thinning certain strokes to create contrast and balance.

Naskh Arabic Calligraphy Style is known for its clean and legible appearance. It is important to keep the letters uniform in size and spacing to create a professional look. With practice and patience, you can improve your Naskh calligraphy skills. You can find tutorials online or consider taking a calligraphy class to learn more.

4-Thuluth and Naskh Combination:

Thuluth and Naskh combination is an Arabic Calligraphy Style that incorporates elements of both Thuluth and Naskh calligraphy. This style is characterized by its legibility and decorative appearance, making it ideal for copying religious texts and decorative applications.

5-Riqa’a
Its name refers to the Arabic word “ruqa’a”, which means “piece of paper”, and it is used for writing small content, such as correspondence. It is still used nowadays both in handwriting and computer writing. The Ottoman developed it into a new script called Ijaza.

Riqa’a calligraphy is a cursive style of Arabic Calligraphy Style that is known for its flowing and elegant appearance. Here are the steps to draw Riqa’a Arabic Calligraphy Style :

Materials:

• A calligraphy pen or a fine-tipped marker
• A piece of paper
• A ruler (optional)

Steps:

1. Begin by drawing the baseline, which is the line on which the letters will rest. You can use a ruler to draw a straight line across the paper or freehand it.
2. Draw the vertical stem of the first letter. The stem should be thick and bold. It should be placed at the beginning of the baseline, slightly to the right.
3. Draw the curved stroke that connects to the stem. This stroke should be thick and should curve to the left.
4. Draw the second stem of the letter, which should be slightly curved and thinner than the first stem. It should be angled downward to the right.
5. Draw the loop of the letter, which should be large and round. It should be placed above the first stem and should connect to the second stem.
6. Draw the dots or diacritic marks on the letter, if necessary.
7. Continue to draw the other letters, making sure to keep them consistent in size and style.
8. Once you have finished writing the word, you can go back and make any necessary adjustments, such as thickening or thinning certain strokes to create contrast and balance.

Riqa’a Arabic Calligraphy Style requires practice and patience to master. You can find tutorials online or consider taking a calligraphy class to improve your skills. Remember to keep the letters fluid and connected to create the signature flowing appearance of this style.

6-Ta’liq

The name means “suspension”. You can easily find out the reason for the name when you look at the font and how the glyphs are connected and hung from each other. It was used for a number of purposes including writing letters, royal messages and literature.

Ta’liq is a beautiful and ornate form of Arabic Calligraphy Style. To draw Ta’liq Arabic Calligraphy Style , follow these steps:

Materials you’ll need:

• A calligraphy pen or a pointed nib
• Black ink or any color of your choice
• A piece of paper
• A ruler
• Pencil and eraser (optional)

Step 1: Write the basic skeleton of the letters with a pencil or light ink. Ta’liq calligraphy uses a cursive script with thick and thin lines. The letters should be slanted and interconnected. Begin with simple letters like Alif, Lam, Meem, and Noon.

Step 2: Use the calligraphy pen to trace the basic skeleton of the letters with thick and thin strokes. Thick strokes are drawn down and thin strokes are drawn up.

Step 3: Once you have completed the basic shape of the letter, add serifs or decorative flourishes at the beginning and end of the letters. These flourishes add elegance and beauty to the letters.

Step 4: Continue to add the rest of the letters, making sure that each letter is connected to the previous one. Pay attention to the spaces between the letters and words.

Step 5: After completing the word, let the ink dry for a few minutes. Then use a ruler to draw a straight line to help guide you in writing the next line of the script.

Step 6: Repeat the same process for the next line, ensuring that the letters are slanted and interconnected.

Step 7: Once you have completed the entire word or phrase, let the ink dry completely. Then, use an eraser to carefully erase any pencil lines or guidelines that are still visible.

Step 8: Your Ta’liq calligraphy is now complete! You can display it as is, or use it to decorate a piece of artwork or calligraphic design.

7-Nasta’liq
As we have mentioned earlier in the history of Arabic calligraphy, this script is a combination of Naskh and Ta’liq that offers a more readable script compared to the Ta’liq version. This script was commonly used in Persia, India, and Pakistan. There is also another, derived version of this script known as Shikaste.

Nasta’liq Arabic Calligraphy Style is a beautiful and complex style of Persian-Arabic script that is known for its elegant and flowing appearance. Here are the steps to draw Nasta’liq Arabic Calligraphy Style:

Materials:

• A calligraphy pen or a fine-tipped marker
• A piece of paper
• A ruler (optional)

Steps:

1. Begin by drawing the baseline, which is the line on which the letters will rest. You can use a ruler to draw a straight line across the paper or freehand it.
2. Draw the vertical stem of the first letter, which should be thick and bold. It should be placed at the beginning of the baseline, slightly to the right.
3. Draw the short horizontal stroke that connects to the stem. This stroke should be angled downward to the left.
4. Draw the second stem of the letter, which should be thinner than the first stem. It should be angled downward to the right.
5. Draw the loop of the letter, which should be large and round. It should be placed above the first stem and should connect to the second stem.
6. Draw the tail of the letter, which should be long and curved. It should extend below the baseline and should curve to the left.
7. Draw the dots or diacritic marks on the letter, if necessary.
8. Continue to draw the other letters, making sure to keep them consistent in size and style.
9. Once you have finished writing the word, you can go back and make any necessary adjustments, such as thickening or thinning certain strokes to create contrast and balance.

Nasta’liq calligraphy requires a lot of practice and patience to master. It is important to pay attention to the balance and spacing of the letters to create the signature flowing appearance of this style. You can find tutorials online or consider taking a calligraphy class to learn more.

8-Diwani
This script is one of the latest script developments that came into existence during the Ottoman period in the 16th century, and it is still commonly used in today’s designs and art because of its beautiful curves and shapes. Many designers are still using it to construct complex Arabic calligraphy forms.

Diwani Arabic Calligraphy Style is a beautiful and ornate style of Arabic script that is known for its elaborate curves and intricate details. Here are the steps to draw Diwani Arabic Calligraphy Style:

Materials:

• A calligraphy pen or a fine-tipped marker
• A piece of paper
• A ruler (optional)

Steps:

1. Begin by drawing the baseline, which is the line on which the letters will rest. You can use a ruler to draw a straight line across the paper or freehand it.
2. Draw the vertical stem of the first letter, which should be thick and bold. It should be placed at the beginning of the baseline, slightly to the right.
3. Draw the short horizontal stroke that connects to the stem. This stroke should be angled downward to the left.
4. Draw the second stem of the letter, which should be thinner than the first stem. It should be angled downward to the right.
5. Draw the loop of the letter, which should be large and round. It should be placed above the first stem and should connect to the second stem.
6. Draw the tail of the letter, which should be long and curved. It should extend below the baseline and should curve to the left.
7. Add ornamental details to the letter, such as flourishes and curlicues. These should be elaborate and intricate.
8. Continue to draw the other letters, making sure to keep them consistent in size and style.
9. Once you have finished writing the word, you can go back and make any necessary adjustments, such as thickening or thinning certain strokes to create contrast and balance.

Diwani Arabic Calligraphy Style requires a lot of practice and attention to detail to master. It is important to pay close attention to the ornamental details to create the signature intricate appearance of this style. You can find tutorials online or consider taking a calligraphy class to learn more.

9-Maghribi
This script has developed in North Africa and Spain and its name was inspired by the area “Maghrib”, which means west in Arabic, or west of the Middle East. This script is distinguished by its long letters and curves, and it is still used in some countries such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.

Maghribi Arabic Calligraphy Style is known for its elegant curves and decorative flourishes. Here are some steps to help you draw Arabic Calligraphy Styles:

1. Start by drawing a baseline for your calligraphy. This will be the imaginary line on which your letters will sit.
2. Using a pointed pen or a calligraphy pen, draw the first letter of your word. Maghribi calligraphy typically features elongated letters that curve and loop.
3. Continue adding the rest of the letters to your word, making sure to keep them aligned with the baseline.
4. Once you have completed your word, go back and add any decorative flourishes or embellishments. Maghribi calligraphy often features decorative dots, loops, and swashes.
5. Practice, practice, practice! The key to mastering Maghribi calligraphy is to practice regularly and to focus on creating smooth, flowing lines.

Some tips for drawing Maghribi Arabic Calligraphy Style:

• Use a pointed pen or a calligraphy pen to achieve the delicate curves and thin lines that are characteristic of this style.
• Experiment with different nib sizes to achieve different effects.
• Practice writing each letter of the Arabic alphabet in Maghribi calligraphy to develop your skills and build your muscle memory.
• Look for examples of Maghribi calligraphy online or in books to study the different styles and techniques used by different calligraphers.

Remember, mastering Maghribi calligraphy takes time and practice, so don’t be discouraged if your first attempts don’t look perfect. Keep practicing, and you’ll get there!

In addition to the Arabic scripts above, there are a number of other types, such as the Muhaqqaq, Ryhani, and Tawqi’.

Arabic Calligraphy Style

you can also read https://www.calligraphyqalam.com/styles/

Arabic Calligraphy Style

Arabic Calligraphy Styles

Arabic Calligraphy Styles

Arabic Calligraphy Styles