what you will need and where to find them...
SUPPLIES BLOG
If you're interested in my workbooks, then you're going to need this page in order to know what to order to be able to complete the books.
If you want to go straight to the workbooks to buy click here and click on 'teaching'.
On this page I’m going to talk you through some of my favourites and where you can buy them!
PEN HOLDERS
Pen holders, are what you insert the nib into to create your calligraphy.There are various pen holders on the market and sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming! Predominantly there are two types, oblique pen holders and straight pen holders. You can use whichever you like, mostly straight pen holders are used by left handed people, as they find them easier to use. Honestly its all down to preference. I find that if you are using a straight pen holder, you will have to turn your page more in order to achieve a straight downstroke line, whereas with an oblique holder, you don’t have to turn it as much.
Below I’m going to talk you through all of my supplies for beginners and why I love them.
OBLIQUE PEN HOLDER
Personally I prefer to use an oblique pen holder, I find that this suits my style better, as they are more flexible, allowing me to get more of a bounce on my lettering. I don’t like anything too thick to hold, I have quite small hands so any pen holder that’s too thick, I find, after a while it hurts to hold it.
This is my favourite oblique holder, its also the one I started nib and ink calligraphy with, so maybe it is a case of what you’re used too! I think this is a fab bit of kit if you’re just starting out, its affordable, and easy to use, honestly its my go to!
https://scribblers.co.uk/product/plastic-oblique-pen-holder-with-metal-flange/
STRAIGHT PEN HOLDER
Again, this is down to preference, but this is such a nice one to start off with. Its a regular sized pen holder, which means it will be the best for beginners as its not too big to hold.
Like I’ve said before, once you familiarise yourself with calligraphy, become more relaxed and know the technique, you will be able to buy other pen holders to see if you like any others or find them any easier to use!
I’ve linked the one I use below:
https://scribblers.co.uk/product/standard-round-penholder-gold-marble/
NIBS
Having the right nib for the work you are doing is an integral part of modern calligraphy. Each and every type of nib is slightly different, each of them will hold a certain amount of ink, each will have a certain amount of flexibility. Nibs are very delicate things and you have to be super careful with them, they are easily broken if too much pressure is put onto them at the wrong angle. So for a beginner it’s important to get one that has just the right amount of flexibility, but is also very durable.
This is why I love the Nikko G nib, this is the nib I learnt with, and honestly I use it all the time. Its so flexible and durable, holds many different types of inks really well and is just a good all rounder.
You can buy one here:
https://scribblers.co.uk/product/nikko-g-nib/
I would suggest buying more than one if you’re looking to really get into my workbooks and keep practicing, just in case the worst happened and you accidentally broke one!
INKS
There are so many different calligraphy inks out there it honestly is a bit of a minefield. The best beginners ink I have found is Japanese Sumi ink. It flows really nicely off your nib and is very pigmented. It dries with a matte finish, and doesn’t bleed as much as other inks. I also find that it sits on your nib nicely too and doesn’t run off too fast, with other water based inks, they tend to flow off the nib too quickly for a beginner.
This is my go to ink and I use it ALL of the time! In fact its very rare that I use other black inks. Again its probably down to preference and a lot of the time with calligraphy you need to experiment with what you like and prefer for your personal choice, but to start off with this ink is super easy to use.
https://scribblers.co.uk/product/kuretake-sumi-ink-60ml/
BRUSH PEN
There are various different types of brush pens you can get on the internet, and also various different sizes!
Small brush pens are perfect for writing inside of cards and small lettering. The Tombow Fudenosuke Brush pen is my favourite for this, the flexibility the tip has is amazing and its so nice and smooth to use. Perfect for any small brush lettering.
https://www.tombow.co.uk/fudenosuke-calligraphy-brush-pen-black-soft-tip/
MEDIUM - LARGE BRUSH PENS
For a beginner I would suggest buying a brush pen that has slight flexibility but not lots because the more flexibility you have in your pen, the more control you need. Control is learnt after practice, and so if you start off with a very flexible pen, you might find it more difficult and give up easier!
If you are wanting to download my Brush Lettering for beginners workbook, I highly recommend this lettering set by Tombow. It has everything you need to get started. The Tombow dual brush pens are a great flexibility for beginners because they allow you to add pressure, while still having control.
https://www.tombow.co.uk/lettering-set-beginners/
Here is the link to a Tombow Dual Brush Pen if you just want to buy the one!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tombow-ABT-Dual-Brush-Pen/dp/B005D6Q9VK
If you are looking for something more flexible, I can’t recommend the Ecoline Brush Pen. I absolutely adore these pens, they’re so juicy and flexible, the ink is very pigmented which means you don’t need a lot of pressure at all to get the ink flowing.
I use these all of the time now for my brush lettering, but again, it is all down to personal preference. With these pens you will be able to get a thicker downstroke than the Tombow ones because they are more flexible, giving you a wider surface area when you put pressure on them.
I find the flexibility helps give my lettering more motion and personality!
You can buy all the ecocline brush pens here, either individually or as packs:
https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/TA54984/royal-talens-ecoline-brush-pen
Cult Pens are also another website I swear buy! I buy a lot of my inks and brush pen supplies from here.
WATERCOLOUR BRUSH PEN
A watercolour brush pen is a way you can create brush lettering with different inks. I find these easier to use than a paintbrush sometimes with brush lettering, maybe it’s because they are thicker to hold, so I feel l can get more control over my lettering. Its also brilliant for blending colours with inks!
https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/SK21009/sakura-koi-waterbrush
INK
If you want to buy a watercolour brush pen and need some inks to use with it, I can’t recommend these enough! Gorgeously pigmented and super easy to use, they blend amazingly together too! Also, if you dip your brush into water and then into the ink, its lasts for forever, also gives you an amazing fading effect too!
https://www.cultpens.com/i/q/TA59862/royal-talens-ecoline-liquid-watercolour-30ml
I hope these have been informative for you guys and you’ll be able to get what you need for your workbooks!
I plan to do little videos on my Instagram to show you guys how to use these in the future, but for now, my workbooks will explain everything!
If there is anything you’re unsure of and would like my help, please don’t ever hesitate to drop me a message or an email on echoartuk@gmail.com.
Thanks so much
Ash xx
