Create your own calligraphy scroll with this simple tutorial! Scrolls are a lovely way to warm up a wall and add a seasonal touch on a budget.
Hello friends! I hope that you all had a restful Labor Day weekend. Although we technically have a few weeks of summer left, Labor Day weekend often feels like a gateway to autumn. Personally I’ve been daydreaming about cozy fall decor for weeks, and I have many ideas to share, so let’s just get started today! Grab a mug of your favorite fall drink and keep reading for some autumn inspiration.
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DIY Calligraphy Scroll Materials
- Kraft paper roll. I used a Plain Kraft Jumbo Roll from Current Catalog, but there are many options on Amazon such as this and this.
- Fine point permanent marker
- Twine or string. Anything sturdy will do!
- Scissors
- Bobby pins or paper clips to hold the bottom roll in place
- A flattened cardboard box, newspapers, or poster board to write on. This is a precaution so you don’t stain your floor/table with marker!
DIY Calligraphy Scroll Directions
Begin by rolling out your Kraft paper to the size you desire; you may need to use a few heavy objects to hold it open. Be sure to leave some excess to create the bottom roll. Using paperclips or bobby pins, secure the bottom roll in place. (You can see my bobby pin in the bottom right corner of the photo above.) You can always adjust the bottom roll after hanging.
*Important: Place your flattened box or other lining under the scroll to prevent your permanent marker from leaching onto your floor or table! I used a Target box, because I always have lots of those 😉
Now comes the fun part, designing your quote! I chose a line from one of my favorite novels, The Great Gatsby. Use a seasonal or inspirational quote that makes you smile. Here are a few other fall quotes I love:
I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. -L.M. Montgomery
Autumn… the year’s last, loveliest smile. -William Cullen Bryant
Once you have chosen your quote, draw it out in pencil, then trace the pencil carefully with your permanent marker. If you haven’t practiced calligraphy in the past, have no fear! Just write in cursive. We will spiff it up in the next step. (If you are having trouble nailing down your writing style or layout, practice on a sheet of paper first!)
Next comes the magical step, where we turn regular handwriting into “calligraphy”! The basic idea is to thicken any line that is a downstroke. Go back through your quote, letter by letter, and thicken any line where your pen moves downward.
Suddenly your writing looks a lot more fancy! This step requires some patience, but try to move slowly and be consistent with the thickness of your downstrokes.
Tada! Erase the pencil and you are just about finished.
The final step is to thread your twine through the top roll so that you can hang your scroll. You may need to tape the end of the twine to a pencil and shimmy it through the top roll, if the hole is a bit small. I doubled my twine up to make it stronger (so I threaded it through the top roll twice). Then I trimmed and tied the twine, and slid the big “loop” of twine so that the knot was hidden inside the top roll.
Hang your scroll with a picture hook or nail appropriate for your wall. Then step back and enjoy!
One of my favorite things about this calligraphy scroll is that you can easily change the quote for a new season or occasion. Just roll up the bottom part of the scroll so that it hides your first quote, clip/pin the bottom roll in place, and start again. I already have two quotes on my scroll; you can see my Ralph Waldo Emerson quote here!
(Update: Book bundle tutorial here!)
Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends! I’m looking forward to sharing more autumn-inspired decor, so check back soon!
Great job! It looks lovely!
Thank you so much for stopping by Morgan! 🙂
Caitlin, this is a great tutorial! I think I’m going to have to give it a try asap because it’s just so pretty. We’ll see how my rookie calligraphy turns out! 😉
Ellen, thank you so much! Yay, yes please try it. Tag me on IG if you do because I would love to see!
Dear Caitlin.
This is great, thank you. I’m not particularly confident with calligraphy, do you know any good vloggers, bloggers or online courses I could follow to learn more?
Blessings Sandie
Hi Sandie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the tutorial. When I was getting started with calligraphy, I used a workbook by Printable Wisdom (https://printablewisdomco.com). Hope that helps!
Thank you for this tutorial. It looks so pretty on your wall. I am going to give it a try myself. 😊
These are great! Thanks for the tutorial. I was fortunate enough to find a roll of paper at Dollar Tree! What a bargain considering we already had the twine and markers! This will be fun way to practice cute lettering styles without spending a lot!
Our church group wants to make a birthday scroll banner for a very special person to have it unrolled by 2 people to announce her surprise party. Any ideas?
Hi Adrienne! You could write the words sideways (so the rolls are on the sides instead of the top and bottom) so that they are oriented properly when two people unroll the scroll! That would be so cute! I would just leave extra blank paper on either side of your message so you have lots of roll to work with!
Hi! I love this!!!!! On the bottom roll. Do I need to secure it with something else other than pin/clip, so the bottom won’t roll back? Or the clip will keep it from rolling back?
Hi Olga!! 🙂 I’m so glad you like the tutorial! The roll probably won’t stay down on its own. I slid a pencil inside the bottom roll to weigh it down!