Let's define "mistake" as pigment that doesn't belong where it is on the page. There are several ways to handle a calligraphy mistake.
First do no harm. I can't emphasize this enough; don't make the situation worse by over-reacting. Spend 10 minutes to assess the error, relax, remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes.
Assess the limits of your materials: What kind of ink: is it made of pigment or dye? What kind of paper: soft and spongey or coated to keep the ink from soaking into the fiber?
Level of scrutiny vs magnitude of error: is this a small glitch or something fundamental to the whole piece? how close will the reader be to the page? Is this original art or is it for a print?
Hold the paper against a mailing tube or... |
... roll the paper around itself. |
In my recent mistake--the extra comma after the word "glance"--several factors were working for me: the paper had a hard surface already, called hot press, plate finish; it was made harder by a thin coat of sizing; the ink had dried to a thick layer on top, scarcely soaking into the paper fibers; the comma was sitting in white space, all by itself. These allowed me to put a fresh blade* in the X-acto knife, curve the paper over a cylinder, and shave the ink off.
*either curved #10 or pointed #11
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