My Top Tools for Lettering Beginners

Start Simple

If you're completely new to calligraphy, you may be surprised to hear when I tell you you do not need to buy any fancy tools to begin with. I know they look exciting and who doesn't love to experiment with new pens and stationery (I know I do!) but, when you are just getting started they can feel overwhelming. Sometimes keeping it simple can be one of the best ways to build a strong foundation.

My Top Pick for Beginners: Pencil + Everyday Copy Paper

• Why I love it: A soft pencil (like 3B or number 1 in the US) lets you practice your pressure for thick and thin strokes just like a brush pen or nib — but with zero mess and total control. 

• Best for: Absolute beginners focusing on letter shapes, pressure control, and movement.

• Tip: Use smooth printer paper or any plain copy paper you have at home. No special paper needed at this stage!

Once you feel confident you have mastered the pressure, the foundation strokes and how the letters are formed, then it’s the perfect time to move into other tools such as brush pens or nib and ink. You'll already have muscle memory on your side — and your hands will thank you for it!

Brush Pens

If you're unfamiliar with brush pens, these look a lot like felt tip pens, but with a flexible nib that can create the thick and thin strokes with changes in pressure. Finding the right brush pen for you does take some experimentation, and there are many different ones out there to try, but below I have covered the 3 most common choices.

 

#3: Tombow Dual Brush Pens

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These are probably one of the most popular choices for brush pens, and what you see most on social media. They have a large flexible nib which gives a much larger writing style suited to brush calligraphy than my other recommendations. 

• • The Pros: They come in a huge amount of colours, and are very easily accessible. 
  • The Cons: The larger tip in my opinion gives them a much bigger learning curve, especially for beginners. 

#2: Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens

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Unlike the Tombow dual brush pens, these are much more beginner friendly with a much smaller firmer nib that is easier to control. They come in both a hard and soft tip (often sold in a set of 2). 

• • The Pros: The small nib is much easier to control and very beginner friendly.
  • The Cons: There are less colour options available for this pen than the others, and personally I find they dry out too quickly making them quite expensive long-term.  

#1: My Top Pick: Pentel Fude Brush Sign Pen

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The Pentel fude brush sign pen is always my go-to choice for brush lettering - and what you see me use in most of my videos on social media and in workshops. It's small firm nib is easy to control making them a great choice for beginners. 

• • The Pros: The pentel fude brush sign pen is extremely beginner friendly. It is incredibly durable and lasts a long time. There is also a great choice of colours available, as well as multi-packs for different colour palettes.

  • The Cons: They are sadly less easy to find in physical stores (however very accessible online).

Nib & Ink

If using a traditional nib and ink is more you're thing, then choosing the right tools can be overwhelming as a beginner.

Pen Holders

The first thing you will need is a pen holder. There are 2 different types on penholders; straight and oblique. A straight pen holder is, as it sounds, a straight pen holder with a groove at the top to insert your nib. An oblique pen holder has a curved metal attachment at the top, called a flange, which holds your nib at an angle. Typically, oblique pen holders are recommended to help you achieve a slanted style calligraphy, however I personally think they're down to personal preference. I find a straight pen holder to be more natural for me.

Nibs

Next you need a nib, and choosing the right nib for you can feel very overwhelming. Whilst many look similar, they can all behave in very different ways. For beginners, my go-to choice will always be the Nikko G nib. This nib is incredibly durable, holds a lot of ink and has a good amount of flex for thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes.

Inks

Like nibs, there's a huge choice of inks on the market and ultimately they can come down to personal choice and budget. A great low cost choice for beginners is the Winsor & Newton calligraphy inks which are fairy inexpensive and easily accessible when getting started. Alternatively I would recommend the Higgins Eternal ink which is available online and flows wonderfully and dries quickly.

Paper

The paper you will need is all dependent on what tools you are using. If you are just getting started with a pencil then any paper will do, whether that be basic copy printer paper, or a dotted notepad. If however you are practicing with nib and ink, you need a smooth paper that the nib can't catch on and the ink won't bleed through. Rhodia paper is an excellent choice and I always have a couple of their pads lying around for projects. Rhodia paper also works well for brush pens, which also need a smooth paper to avoid fraying the brush nib and helping them last longer. 

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Lastly..

The below items are also handy items to have around when you are getting started, and typically things you will have around your house which helps.     

• Pencil + Eraser: If not using the trusty pencil for mastering pressure and strokes, using it to lightly sketch guidelines will save you tons of frustration.

• Ruler: Helps you create your lettering in a straight line. You can also use a laser level if you have one which saves time drawing out lines.

• Water Cup + Kitchen Paper: For rinsing nibs between uses (super important to prevent rust!). It's important to use kitchen paper not tissue paper for drying them so you avoid any pesky fibres getting stuck to your nib.

• Calligraphy Practice Guidelines: (You can grab free ones when you sign up to my free lettering newsletter!)

• Optional - Calligraphy Lettering Worksheets: (You can check out my own downloadable worksheets in my shop)

I hope this post has been useful and helped reduce any overwhelm you may have when choosing what tools to buy at the start of your lettering journey. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out and ask. For now, happy lettering!