How to Hand Engrave Calligraphy on Glass, Wine & Champagne Bottles - Full Process, Tools & Tips

Part of my calligraphy services includes engraving for corporate and personal customisation orders. And I've been asked several times on socials about my process.

So I decided to take this opportunity to film a process video on hand-engraving on glass.

And also to show you the difference between 2 engravers:

1. Dremel Stylo + (which was what I used before upgrading to...)

2. The Brushless Engraver from @ingkstudio.

Tools / Products Mentioned

• Stabilo All Pencil or Glass Marking Pencil (White)

• Rub ‘N Buff

• Dremel Stylo +

• Brushless Engraver by @ingkstudio

Step 1: Safety’s first!

Always make sure that you prioritize safety first - always have a mask on because the glass dust particles are really bad for health and always have some form of eye goggles or protection on as well.

Step 2: Draft out your calligraphy design

I’m using the Stabilo All Pencil and this has a soft and waxy lead which helps you write on the glass surface. It is water-soluble so if you have not decided on your final design, you can edit it in a certain way. If you do not have the Stabilo All Pencil or Glass Marking Pencil (White), you can definitely go with any other water-soluble markers e.g. Posca Markers as well because after you engrave your design, you can use a damp cloth to wipe away any of the marks.

Step 3: Engrave using a thicker bur e.g. 1.2mm

Here I’m using the Brushless Engraver by @ingkstudio! Laura’s a friend I know through Instagram and it’s so cool to see her flourish through these years and coming up with this really good product! This engraver is very quiet and easy to use. It also turns on really fast and goes up all the way to 35,000 rpm. Not to mention, it’s cordless too, which is great for live calligraphy events.

Alternatively, you can also go for the Dremel Stylo +. This is a more budget-friendly option which is what I started out with and I think if you're just starting out, this is a really good option regardless, compared to the other Dremel tools which are chunkier in size. The Dremel Stylo+ is so much easier to hold, kinda like holding a thicker pen.

But definitely, if you're in the market for something better, then the brushless engraver is the way to go! Previously when I was using the Dremel Stylo +, it kind of bounces off the glass. And if you really want to fine-tune the shade or swell for a stroke ie. how thick it is and whether or not you can do like a smooth stroke for the thick downstrokes - It's so much easier with the brushless engraver. The difference is really considerably noticeable.

Anyway, regardless of any engraver that you're using, you just want to make sure that you are letting the tool work for you so don't do not apply a heavy amount of pressure, lightweight pressure will do. That is what the rotation of the rotary tool itself does by kind of like chipping into the glass in a very controlled way.

Here I’m using the 1.2mm bur, tracing over my draft design to create a monoline script first.

Step 4: Engrave using a thinner bur e.g. 0.5mm to create a faux calligraphy look

Next, switch out to a thinner bur e.g. 0.5mm to have more control while creating a faux calligraphy look. What you want to do, is to add a shade / swell to all downstrokes of your script and keeping all upstrokes thin (monoline). This creates visual contrast, which makes your script look really pretty and elegant!

While you’re on step 3 and 4 engraving as you go, do wipe off the glass dust particles occasionally using a brush or your hand (optional: with gloves on).

P.S. If you're wondering on how to do the calligraphy side of things, I have a blog article linked here that goes into the details of how to keep like the calligraphy straight, centered, balanced - things like that and some hot tips and tricks where you know maybe if you have written the word a little bit too far out on the left-hand side, how do you fix that and make it centered again!

Step 5: Apply Amaco Rub ‘N Buff

Next, you want to apply the gold filling or any other color that you prefer so here I'm using the Amaco Rub ‘N Buff (gold leaf colour) to do the gold fill. Just use a q-tip and apply it all over your engraved design. Make sure to have an even coverage all over but at the same time, there's no need to put like a huge amount. A little bit goes a long way so just smear it all around and try your best to avoid the wine label in case it stains it.

Step 6: Buff out the residue to achieve an even polished surface

And here comes the most dreaded part that I hate the most! And that is buffing out the residue so that you have an even polished surface. Get that arm workout in!

Step 7: Wipe down and it’s ready to be delivered!

But it's okay it's all worth it in the end, just make sure you take your time so here's the final result of the wine bottle and it's ready to be shipped out and delivered. I hope you enjoyed learning about my process and if you have any questions just leave them down below and I'll be happy to answer them!

P.S. If you’re looking to start your calligraphy journey or improve your current skills, feel free to check out my online calligraphy course here!

Why your calligraphy letters don't look good... and how you can fix it!

Have you ever found yourself saying or thinking these things while writing?

🖋 "Why do my letters look so clumsy and ugly?"

🖋 "How is it so difficult to move my hand to where I want it to?"

🖋 "Can't my upstrokes be thinner?!"

🖋 "Why does calligraphy look easy for other people but not for me?"

🖋 "I don't know what is wrong!"

If so, I say this with so much love but...

You don't need to practise your letters 1,000 times to get it right.

Sometimes the solution isn't "more practice", it's *clarity before execution*.

Remember, train your eyes before you train your hands!

Let me share on one of the most common mistakes that beginners often face: Pressure control.

Rule #1

Calligraphy looks elegant because of *visual contrast* ie. we've thin strokes and we also have thick strokes.

The next natural question you may ask is: "How do I know when to write a thin stroke and when to write a thick stroke?"

Rule #2

Easy!

If you're writing a downstroke, where you're bringing the pen towards you: apply pressure.

If you're writing an upstroke, where you're bringing the pen away from you: release pressure.

If you're saying... "Hold on, Leah, I know this already but my letters still look bad!"

Gotcha!

Rule #3

Should you try a brush pen and not be able to control the upstrokes and downstrokes well, I highly highly highly recommend scaling back to something even more basic: the pencil!

Remember: form always come first. Once your form is good and ready, you can tackle the brush pen next.

Especially if you're someone who's pretty heavy-handed in nature (aka when you write on paper with a pencil, and the pencil marks can be seen on the other side of the paper), then pressure control and grip are things you want to take note of.

So today's action step: try applying heavy and light pressure on the pencil instead of the brush pen.

If you're not sure what this means, feel free to check out this video below. It's only 1 minute so it won't take too much of your time.

Let me know if this is helpful. Feel free to comment below if you've questions!

Pssst. Interested to learn more about calligraphy? Check out my online course: The Ultimate Calligraphy Course and watch a free preview lesson today!

[NEW] Calligraphy Kits! - The Ultimate Calligraphy Course

I'm excited to share that Calligraphy Kits are now available! 🎉❤️🙌🏻

With Singapore's recent tightened covid measures, I've since cancelled upcoming in-person classes, and those occurring in the later months are on pause until further notice.

It's kinda like a semi-lockdown right now. I hope you're keeping safe wherever you are, and staying sane! 

Coincidentally, my urge to bake is resurfacing again…

*Update: we made brownies and coffee! & nope it isn't dalgona coffee 😂

Anyway, because of this semi-lockdown situation, I've been getting more enquires about my online course recently and some of y'all mentioned that you don't have access to a printer to print out the course worksheets.

So I've decided to put a calligraphy kit together! 🥳️

Essentially, this workbook contains all 200+ pages of worksheets for the entire 6-week course, covering everything from Copperplate basics, minuscules and majuscules, flourishing, modern calligraphy, ligatures, composition and layout, digitization and more. Double-sided print and ring-bounded.

Together with the workbook, this kit will also include:

• 1 Writing Pad or Tracing Pad (depending on stock)

• 1 Pentel Touch Brush Pen (Black), 1 Koi Brush Pen (Colour)

• Several heavy-weight paper in various sizes for you to create your very own calligraphy art masterpieces with

• Custom place card of your name flourished by myself!

Of course, the online course will have the worksheets downloadable when you sign up. But if you'd like me to prepare all the materials for you on my end and mail em' to your doorstep (worldwide shipping), this is a supplementary optional add-on without the hassle. 

And you can get started on learning a new skill straight away! :-)

Sign up for the course here! And for the calligraphy kit, you may purchase it as an add-on here.

I hope that you'll find this addition helpful. If you've any Q's, reach out to me at hello@leahdesign.sg and I'll be there to help!

How to Calligraph on Wine & Champagne Bottles! Sharing all my tips & tricks!

I’ve recently wrapped up a custom calligraphy project with Manulife Singapore, where I was sent 110 bottles of wine and champagne to customise. After sharing images and videos about these, I’ve received several questions about my process, so here’s a list of compiled questions and answers to help you if you ever wanna do something similar!

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Process

1. Before writing, first ensure that the bottles are in room temperature, not chilled. Condensation on the bottle is hard to work with and it’s a definite no go!

2. Sort all names in alphabetical order and print out the name lists for easy reference. For me, I printed out one name list for Champagne and another name list for Merlot, both lists in alphabetical order with allocated quantity.

3. I’m using Painty Metallic Gold Marker by Zig. Shake well and test on paper first before writing in case of any ink explosion (we definitely don’t want that!).

4. Ensure that your writing surface is clean from any dust. When shipped in boxes, they tend to be quite dusty straight from the box! This step helps to prevent any clogging or y’know those bumpy small areas in your ink when dried? Yeah, nasty stuff. Clean yo’ surfaces for smooth application AND finish!

5. To stay organised, you may also have a separate pen to check off names when you’re done with each bottle. But, I personally skipped this! I think it slows me down a little. (Or, have someone help you out with this step!)

6. Don’t forget to let your ink dry, don’t touch or accidentally smudge it.

7. As I’m writing, I line up the bottles in rows of 5 or 10 so it’s easier to count the quantities in total at the end. Once done, double check spelling and the total number of bottles. We wanna ensure that the Client gets all the bottles with everything spelt right with accuracy! Getting sent back bottles with misspelt names equals double the admin, process and work so let’s strive to get everything right first time round!

8. Don’t forget to photograph your work so that you can add em to your portfolio for future client jobs!

9. Finally, time to pack! Remember to tape all ends of the boxes both top and bottom to secure in case of damage during transport or shipping. I also label each box at the top for the Client’s easy reference. So for example, if a box contains all names from L to W, I’ll write "L-W” at the top of the box.

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You’ve asked some Q’s, here are the A’s! + tips and tricks!

Q1: How do you keep your calligraphy straight?

Thankfully, the Merlot labels are rectangular and that helped to provide a straight reference guide for me. I personally find circle labels or anything curved to be trickier to visualise a straight line!

*Hot tip!* When you’re writing, remember to rotate and tilt the bottle with your non-writing hand in small increments while pivoting the bottom of the bottle against your writing surface. This helps to support your script and writing hand while maintaining good eye-level alignment (ie. no parallax error which causes letters sloping downwards) Here’s a visual example:

Alternatively, you can also use pencils and draw guidelines for yourself prior to writing. Stabilo All Pencil or Glass Marking Pencil (White) would work great for glass surfaces! Or potentially, you may also use a white chalk pencil. If you do go for this step, remember to only rub off the marks with a cloth or tissue only after the initial gold ink has fully dried.

Q2: How do you keep your calligraphy centred?

Great question! This definitely comes with practice and experience. Try to visualise the middle letter to be directly underneath or above the mid-portion of the label. For example, if I’m writing the name “Gabriella”, I can visualise letter “i” as the central letter of the name and this letter should sit at the middle of the bottle. From here, I’ll gauge how far left and right the other letters would go.

*Note: This also depends on the capital letter! For example, a capital G or M is wider in width than a capital I. So do adjust accordingly.

*Hot Tip!*: If you’ve a really long name to write, try air-writing on the bottle first to gauge spacing ie. hover your finger above or on the bottle and practise writing to see if it works first. Once you’ve your eyes fixed on the placement, try it with the marker.

*Hot Tip!*: If you’ve finished writing a name and see that it’s not centred, here are two ways to fix:

1. If the name is flushed towards the right, add additional flourishes to your first capital letter to extend the front part of the name.

2. If the name is flushed towards the left, extend the last stroke of your last letter (also known as an exit stroke) to extend the last part of the name.

And if all else fails, read Q3!

Q3: What happens when you misspell? Does the Client provide you with extras?

Wine and champagne aren’t cheap so the Client didn’t provide extras for me, which I totally understand! Usually, for more budget-friendly product materials such as branded notecards or anything paper, I’d ask for anywhere between 10% to 25% additional quantity. But in this case, I didn’t. Anyway, no worries! If you misspell anything, you can quickly remove the ink using rubbing alcohol since the marker is an oil-based one.

*Note: If you’re doing calligraphy engraving, however, there’s no going back! In this case, I’d recommend perhaps adding marking guidelines with the pencils I’ve mentioned above in Q1. Or you can also use a liquid chalk marker to draft your design and engrave directly thereafter as chalk ink can be easily removed afterwards with a damp cloth, leaving you with only the engraved design. For anyone who’s interested, I use Stylo+ by Dremel for engraving!

Q4: Can I use other types of markers?

I’ve tried other markers before finally sticking to Painty Metallic Gold Marker by Zig. I find that this marker gives a really good and bright shine while still being semi-matte. And I love this look! I’m usually very particular with the gold shade too - overly yellow warm gold isn’t my favourite. I prefer a more cool-toned gold. Either way, experiment with other markers and see which you like! I’d definitely stick to oil-based markers instead of any acrylic or water-based markers as oil-based inks are resistant to water and scratches but acrylic or water-based ones may risk smudging or lack in longevity (especially when the customer brings the bottle out after chilling and water condensation hits).

Q5: Do you seal your writing?

I don’t as I’m using oil-based markers! If you’re using acrylic or water-based markers then yes, seal it!

Q6: How long did everything take?

For all 110 bottles, I believe I took 3-4 hours! And 1 hour for packing and unpacking, counting, printing the name list etc. etc. - all the admin things. Oh, btw - 1 painty metallic marker lasted me through the whole thing!

Q7: How did you get this job?

Manulife emailed me via my website! I had other wine engraving and custom inked wine bottles on my website so I believe that’s how they found me. Always remember to photograph your work and share on socials and/or portfolio! If you don’t have any prior bottles to show, don’t let that stop you. Be your own client and buy yourself or a friend one (or some) and treat it like a client job! You can also practise your script in pencil first and once you’re comfortable and confident, try it on the bottle.

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That’s all for now! I hope this helps. If you’ve any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to comment your question below or DM me on Instagram and I’ll be sure to answer and help. Thanks for reading and all the best with your wine writing! 🥳️

P.S. If you’re looking to start your calligraphy journey or improve your current skills, feel free to check out my online calligraphy course here!

5 untold lessons on how to get better results in Calligraphy

Calligraphy isn’t easy but the process shouldn’t be painful. So here’s my top 5 untold lessons on how to get better results in Calligraphy!

A myriad of fun calligraphy styles I drew on Procreate and analogue (paper) and compiled in Adobe Photoshop

1. Master your basics first.

   If your letters don’t look good in pencil, they probably won’t too with a brush pen or pointed pen.
   
   Similarly, if your base script foundation doesn’t look good, piling on flourishes won’t mask the mistakes either.

2. Be legible first, fancy later.

   Imagine: your letters are the base foundation of a cake and flourishes are icing on the cake. If a cake looks good but tastes bad, would you eat it?
   
   So - if the script looks fancy, but it’s hard for someone to read it, would you say it has served its purpose*? Remember, good design serves both visual appeal and practical functional use.
   
   (*Notable exception: abstract art)

3. Know what you’re studying and what you’re practising.

   Traditional script follows consistent rules and guides. Modern calligraphy breaks them.

   
   First off, there are many different types of traditional script. It’s important to focus on one style before moving on to the next as individual scripts would display different traits and features such as slant angles, letter ratios, letter connection, stroke contrast etc. If you’re learning both Copperplate and Spencerian at the same time, it may be confusing! Plus, it’s easier to gain muscle memory focusing on a single script first than multiple scripts.

   
   Pablo Picasso once said — 'Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.' That’s where the fun starts.

4. Observation first, practise later.

   Most would preach “quality is more important than quantity”, but there are also merits in quantity leading to quality over time.
   
   But hey - why not both? Quality AND quantity ie. train your eyes first before training your hand. Now that our eyes are trained to spot the differences between good and bad work, next - let’s put in the practice hours to train our hands, and bring our work from good to great.
   
   Don’t be wasting time practising a stroke 1,000 times incorrectly, this just reinforces bad habits which have to be unlearned later on. 

5. Challenge your mind: question everything, assume nothing.

   When it comes to learning, reignite your child-like curiosity. Challenge your mind: question everything, assume nothing - that’s where we can gain clarity and fully comprehend why things are the way they are.
   
   If not, we’d just think we know when we actually don’t. And even if you can’t find an answer right away, you’ll probably learn way more in your search for an answer than assuming the status quo is right.

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I hope you’d find these lessons helpful! I wish someone told me all these when I first started. If you’re feeling ready to level up your calligraphy, feel free to check out my online course (with a free class available to watch). I’ll share and teach you all I know.

Meanwhile, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’ve any questions - comment below, I’m here to help!

Cheers,
Leah