Ever wondered what a calligrapher uses every day? It’s one of the most common questions I’m asked when I teach a workshop. At the end of all my classes, I have a little pop-up shop for supplies where students can buy spare nibs, packs of paper, pots and palettes of ink as well as luxury calligraphy kits. Everything I sell is a part of my daily calligraphy toolkit. There are a couple of exceptions – more serious bits of kit that I use for specialist calligraphy work – and I will introduce them here, just in case there’s a calligraphy project you’re working on that you’ll need something special for!
My basic, everyday kit for modern calligraphy
When I’m practicing, or writing wedding place cards, or working on a poem calligraphy commission with plenty of space for lettering, I use EXACTLY the same kit as you’ll use in my calligraphy workshops or find in the modern calligraphy gift sets I sell:
- A G nib: either a Nikko G, Zebra G, Tachikawa G or Leonardt general handwriting nib
- A straight penholder – manuscript penholders fit G nibs well
- Kuretake sumi ink, watered down with distilled or tap water
- Designer’s gouache paints by Winsor & Newton or Daler Rowney
- For practice paper I use good quality printer paper, which you can buy online or on the high street. Try to find 120gsm paper, as it’s usually more suitable for pointed calligraphy nibs. As a general rule, I avoid recycled printer paper because it tends to bleed.
Extras, enhancements and alternatives to basic modern calligraphy
There are two key alternatives to the basic calligraphy tools I’ve listed above. These are things I use occasionally, depending on my mood and on the piece I’m writing! Both are suitable for beginners.
- Oblique penholders (for right handers)
I have a gorgeous wooden oblique holder by Chic Oblique which my partner bought for me as a birthday gift. It’s hand turned and beautiful to hold. The point of an oblique penholder is to make it easier to slant letters to the right without twisting your paper or especially your wrist. Lindsey Bugbee from The Postman’s Knock explains it beautifully – and shows how it works – here.
I also have two spare oblique penholders on my desk, with flanges to fit different nibs. Which leads me on to… - Alternative calligraphy nibs (for beginners)
Admittedly I don’t use these nibs as often as I used to, but they deserve a mention. The Blue Pumpkin nib, or Brause 361 nib, is a beautiful thing to pop in the end of a penholder. It’s shiny, curvy and looks fabulous. As far as writing goes, it’s very similar to the G nibs, but aesthetically, it’s a little bit special.
I also use finer nibs and different papers for more specialist calligraphy projects.
My Top 3 calligraphy nibs for fine hairlines
As an experienced calligrapher I’ve learned a few things about nibs, and I have a set Top 3 Nibs list for fine detail work. It’s interesting to see what other calligraphers use, particularly the Master Calligraphers I follow on YouTube and Instagram. Everyone has their preference for pointed nibs, and mine is a Leonardt EF Principal nib. It’s fine and flexible, but not too flexible. I find it easy to control, and it suits my writing style.
Fine calligraphy nibs are sharper, pointier than beginners (G) nibs. When you’re learning, avoid super fine nibs. They’ll catch in the paper (imagine writing with a sharp needle) and pick up fibres. Once you’ve achieved a super light, barely-their upwards stroke, do try these nibs (and more!)
So. Leonardt EF Principal is my personal favourite. Another excellent nib is the Hunt 22B, which ranks highly on Suzanne Cunningham’s list of favourite calligraphy nibs. (Suzanne’s calligraphy is incredible: find her on instagram at @suzcunningham).
A fine nib which doesn’t fit my hand or style quite so well is the Gillott 303. It’s sharp, produces fine hairlines (although not as fine as the Leonardt EF) – and it’s a lovely colour – but I find it catches a little more in the paper than the others I’ve mentioned. I’ve also found there tend to be more dodgy nibs in a box of the Gillotts than there are in the others.
I also need to try two nibs I haven’t really spent much time with: the Hunt 101 for fine work, and the Gillott 404, which I would use for a very specific purpose, following Suzanne’s advice…
Metallic calligraphy inks for modern lettering
Inks have exploded over the last year or two (not literally, or at least not often) – and I’ve loved discovering colour shift inks and ever-improving metallics.
Included in my gift boxed modern calligraphy set is a ‘Moon Gold’ palette by Coliro from Germany. It’s a real favourite for me, one I use to write calligraphy on my gold foil family trees because the shine is fabulous and the contrast on navy paper is out of this world.
Coliro colours are so much fun – I’ll be bringing examples of my work along to calligraphy classes in the run up to Christmas, because they’re best seen in real life! Colours have names like Dragon, Mermaid and Lagoon. They’re fabulous on dark papers and amazing for calligraphy projects with illustration alongside the lettering.
I’ve also explored colour shift inks which I recommend very highly! Try Reneeissance Colours on Etsy – they’re based in London.
My go-to papers for calligraphy practice and projects
I use very different papers for daily practice and workshops, and for calligraphy commissions.
If I’m writing a little commission I will either use:
- Daler-Rowney cartridge paper – it’s smooth, a nice soft / antique white, affordable, acid-free and a satisfying 220gsm weight. Or,
- Colorplan paper – in a range of colours and weights, a little bumpier than cartridge paper, but fibres rarely catch in the pen, and widely available. I use this very often for wedding place cards, bespoke wedding menus and other handwritten on-the-day wedding stationery. I like to buy mine from GF Smith…
- … which is where I buy the specialist papers I use for family tree calligraphy. They have a huge range of papers in all the shades of white you never imagined existed, plus many, many more. Rather than sharing my favourites I will encourage you to visit the GF Smith website because it’s a beautiful little bit of the internet and there to be discovered and enjoyed!
Of course, there are other bits and pieces I use in my calligraphy life: an assortment of rulers, scissors, cutting mats and stamps, more pen holders than anyone could ever need… Then I have a little wooden kitten pen rest which I love! (He’s replaced my ceramic kitten pen rest, which should be on my desk but appears to have wandered off!) And for those of you who’ve been to one of my calligraphy workshops in Cumbria, of course there is kitchen roll with ink blots everywhere (wipe your nib!!!) and a stray potato around every corner. Always called Peter…
Thanks to product photographer Marion Botella for the images of my calligraphy sets, which I adore! And to lovely Zehra Jagani Photography for the header image taken at one of my workshops in Manchester a very long time ago! (I miss bumping into Mahwish, she was fab!)