Drawing Arabic letterforms on a tablet: settings that help

Arabic letters are shaped by the cut edge of a reed pen, which a round digital brush does not have.

Use a flat, angled brush

Most drawing apps let you fix the angle of a brush. Around 70 degrees gives thick and thin strokes close to a cut qalam.

Turn the stabiliser up

A medium stabiliser smooths long strokes, like the tail of a noon or a yaa, without making the dots feel slow.

Rotate the canvas, not your hand

Calligraphers move the paper. Do the same with a two-finger twist and keep your wrist relaxed.

Practise with guides

Draw a column of rhombic dots to measure letter heights, as students do on paper. Once the proportions feel right, the guides can go.