Calligraphy is becoming more popular by the day and as a modern calligraphy teacher I've seen so many students struggle with not knowing where to start, which supplies to buy and what’s actually worth it, so I decided to put together a “short” list of the items I swear by + a few recommendations.

If you want to book my calligraphy services for your next event or activation, please complete this form or email me at hello@ahandfulofletters.com - you can also check out my upcoming calligraphy classes in the Orlando area.

Please feel free to contact me via Instagram or email, hello@ahandfulofletters.com if you have additional questions, I’ve also listed additional resources at the bottom of this blog post.

Tips for Success: 

• Breath and lift! If you’ve taken of my calligraphy workshops in Orlando, you know I keep repeating those words, everyone laughs BUT it’s extremely important and guarantees your nib works properly and that you don't end up overworking your hand/body.

• Keep a scrap piece of paper and some water next to you (but make sure that little water cup is far far away from any other drinks you have with you — you’ll thank me later)

• Don’t stress over the perfect shapes, they will come with time and PLEASE stop thinking of your letters as letters (lol). You’re drawing and the nib will do ALL the work for you if you hold it correctly, so just practice! I promise you it’ll easier with time.

• Trace, trace, trace! Most instructors will tell you not to, since it may result in you “copying” someone else’s style, but the reality is that you’re teaching your hand how to write all over again and getting used to those shapes (or strokes as we like to call them) will help you tremendously + will eventually result in you creating your very own alphabet. Win-win! Access Sip & Script’s free word guides here

Now, onto the good stuff! You’ll find all my favorite calligraphy supplies below, these are the items I use and swear by:

• Pen holders

  PRO TIP! If your hand hurts after a good calligraphy session, it probably means you need a carrot pen.

  • My Beloved Calligraphy (custom carrot pens, super comfortable and easy to use) these are perfect for beginners and can be customized for your specific needs. I have the carrot and free pen in lilac + mauve and they’re becoming my new favs!

  • Moblique (first penholder I ever had and still one of my faves) *beginner friendly, beautiful colors and design, works as oblique and straight pen + it’s under $12

  • Feather Park Lettering Pen Holders (my go-to lilac iridescent oblique pen holder that I use for all on-site gigs and commissions) *limited availability, carrot pens, custom colors available!

• Nibs (my favorite options) – make sure they fit nicely on your penholder, you might have to adjust the flange if using an oblique pen.

  • Hunt 101 (my favorite, I use it for all my commissions) *if you took one of my classes, this is the copper nib — super flexible.

  • Nikko G or Zebra G (second favorite, less flexible) the two nibs are virtually identical, they’re very sturdy and flexible enough to get nice thick strokes.

  • Blue Pumpkin - Huge, blue, very flexible. Hold tons of ink and very popular in the calligraphy world, not my favorite but works great in most papers.

  • Keep in mind there’s hundreds of nibs and these are just my favorite/most popular ones. You need to find one that works well for your pen + hand.

• Ink – you can also mix your own ink with gouache or PearlEx powder. I will create a tutorial soon!

  • Copperplate Gold water resistant + my go to

  • Ferris Wheel Press - these are technically for fountain pens, BUT work incredible well for calligraphy and have the most incredible colors. *You can get 10% off your purchase with code HANDFUL

  • Bleed Proof White not waterproof, most opaque white out there

  • Black India Ink waterproof

  • Sumi Ink - water-based + great for practicing, not waterproof

  • Gouache (to mix your own ink, water resistant on certain surfaces) - learn how to mix your own here

  • PearlEx Powder (iridescent colors to mix your own ink, not waterproof) - learn how to mix your own here

  • Gum Arabic - for mixing your own ink, comes in liquid and powder

  • Finetec Watercolor Discs - super pigmented perfect for light and dark papers alike, gold is my favorite

• Paper – you can use anything BUT copy paper!

  • Rhodia Pads - perfect for pointed pen calligraphy and brush markers, comes with graph, dots or black pages

  • Premium Copy Paper - inexpensive, great for practicing

  • Layout Paper - absolute best for practicing, responds really well to all sorts of inks. Opaque enough for personal projects, but you’re also able to place guidelines/word guides underneath as it is a bit “see-through.

  • Cardstock

  • Tracing Paper I love the brand bienfang, but any brand will do as long as the sheets are soft to the touch and on the thicker side.

  • Mixed Media

  • Vellum

  • Handmade Paper

  • Place Cards cardsandpockets.com or lcipaper.com

  • Envelopes you can also use cardsandpockets.com for larger orders!

  • Paper cutter and replacement blades

• Kneaded eraser

• Sharpie oil and water based markers (these are what you’d use for acrylic sheets, windows, etc) - oil based markers are a great waterproof option

• Fine Sakura Oil Pens - what I use for marble tiles and acrylic place cards

• Chalk markers

• Posca Pens great for wood, acrylic and paper, super pigmented — just not waterproof

• X-Acto Knife (to fix mistakes, blog post coming soon!)

• Blotter (it always helps to have some cushion under your paper, the nibs runs wayyy smoother) - this is the one I use for on-site calligraphy events, but you can find more inexpensive options on amazon such as this one

• Fudenosuke brush pen - perfect for on the go calligraphy, comes in a bunch of colors and the results are pretty similar to those you’d get with a nib

• Pentel Aquash Brush

Additional supplies I recommend (not essential, but make your life so much easier!)

• Light Pad (to trace your designs, only works for light paper)

• Level Laser (keep those light straight, perfect for darker papers)

• Gelly Roll Stardust Pen

• Non Slip Ruler

• Sealing Wax

• Wax Gun

• Fray Edge Ribbon

• Wax Stamps

• Acrylic Sheets

• Marble Tiles

• Metal Leaf Adhesive and leaf foil

• Ipad, apple pen and my favorite calligraphy brush for procreate

*Disclaimer* These are items I use everyday and a few of the links above are affiliate links. If you take action (i.e. make a purchase), I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you!

My favorite calligraphy shops are: Paper Ink Arts, John Neal Books, Sam Flax Orlando (not a huge selection, but you can buy the essentials) and amazon. The best place to purchase gouache or semi ink is Blick

If you want to add calligraphy to your offerings but don’t know where to start, email me at hello@ahandfulofletters.com to book one-on-one lessons (in person or online). You can also check out my schedule here

Wanting to take things to the next level and learn how to price + sell your calligraphy creations? Check out Panic Free Pricing by The Happy Ever Crafter (this is the course I took when I first started offering calligraphy services)

Happy lettering!

XO,

Valentina