My top hand lettering tools for beginners
For hand lettering and calligraphy fans, it’s such an exciting time to explore this skill and craft. There are many different lettering tools available on the market now to help you with your lettering projects. Far more than when I first started out for sure!!
Calligraphy and lettering is a large part of what makes up the design end of my business. I’ve even started teaching other the craft through workshops and classes.
I often get questions about which class to start with, or which tool to use, so I thought I’d share with you a quick video that I made demonstrating my top hand lettering tools for beginners!
To help you get a better understanding for all the lettering tools available, I’ve narrowed down my top hand lettering tools for beginners
To begin, let’s start with my favourite calligraphy tool, the dip pen and nib!
Using a dip pen and ink for drawing as well as calligraphy can be a great creative practice.
When I started writing in modern calligraphy style lettering, my go-to tool was a straight pen and nib. That’s it! I was so in love with the process of writing with a dip pen that I didn’t ever look to another tool. To this day, I find that it’s still my favourite tool to reach for. It’s so very primitive in it’s function, there’s nothing automatic about it, and it really forces you to slow down and focus on the task at hand. Not to mention the look and finish that if offers!
A close second is the waterbrush pen.
Look for a tapered brush tip so you can achieve thin strokes as well as thick strokes in your lettering.
If I had to choose my next favourite, it would have to be the good old fashioned paint brush or a waterbrush pen! You can have a lot of fun with texture and size of lettering using these lettering tools. Not to mention, the variety of mediums you can play around with. I’ve used everything from watercolor, to inks, to guache and even acrylics! The sky’s the limit and you can really get a wide variety of lettering styles using brushes.
A distant third is the small brush pen
Practicing often is the key with learning modern calligraphy lettering. A small brush pen offers portability with ink ready to go!
Last on my list, but one that I go to for ease and portability are small brush pens! They are felt tip brush pen markers that already have ink in them and can be used on a variety of papers. The one big con that I find with these brush pens is that the lettering created with these pens lack character. I don’t like the finish of them but that’s just my opinion!
Watch this quick video that I recorded demonstrating each tool as I show you my top tools for calligraphy and lettering and how they differ from one another!
If you are interested in learning modern calligraphy or waterbrush lettering with me through online classes, check out www.lifeidesignonline.com! I’ll be adding more classes this year with a focus being placed on creative skill classes with some creative business classes thrown in the mix too!
I lettered this quote using guache paint that I mixed to a fluid consistency and drew the letters using a nikko g nib. Check out www.lifeidesignonline,com for modern calligraphy for beginners class!
If there’s anything that you’re curious about with regards to lettering, modern calligraphy or how to start your own creative business from home, please let me know! Comment below or send me an email at nicki@lifeidesign.com. I’d love to hear what you are curious about or are having difficulty with!
