It’s a fantastic ink to begin learning calligraphy with! With most sumi inks, you’ll also need to purchase a dip pen-friendly container to store the ink in. Sumi ink is velvety, pitch black, and boasts a smooth viscosity that is very beginner-friendly. Lefties probably don’t need one of these you can more information about that here. For more information about oblique pens, you can read this article. These pens exist to help make our lives easier when it comes to making a consistent right-leaning slant! Oblique pens might look intimidating, but I’ll bet that, eventually, you’ll find the oblique pen easier to use than the straight pen. If you’re right-handed, chances are high that you’ll benefit from using a right oblique pen. For a splurge, you can always go with a cork-tipped pen! One Nikko G Oblique Pen I recommend purchasing this straight pen. If your pen looks like the one on the right, it won’t accommodate your tiny Brause EF66 nib. Ideally, the end of your pen should look like the pen on the left in the photo below. You can start out with virtually any straight pen as long as it can accommodate a variety of nibs. Writing with the Brause EF66 will show you that nibs can differ from each other dramatically, and you’ll develop a preference for one or the other! However, I’ve included it in my list in the hopes that you’ll try it after you master using the Nikko G. To be clear: the Brause EF66 nib is not a great beginner nib! That’s because it’s delicate and flexible. It’s tolerant of a new user putting too much or uneven pressure on it, which is good: you need that kind of leeway when you’re figuring out your pen pressure exertion! Originally developed for manga artists, it’s a medium-flex Japanese nib that can stand up to calligraphy growing pains. I find the Nikko G to be the best beginner calligraphy nib, and I use it in all my beginner calligraphy workshops. The rest of this article will discuss exactly why each item has a spot on the list. It’s important to understand why you’re choosing the materials listed above so you can personalize your starter kit.
If you’re not located in the US, take a look at the purveyors in the Where to Purchase Calligraphy Supplies page! Note that all the links in my list are for US-based merchants (TPK, Amazon). Beginner’s Modern Calligraphy Online Course – Optional but highly recommended.Right oblique pen (fitted for Nikko G nib) – optional make sure your pen has a brass flange.In fact, we have a starter kit at TPK that’s gorgeous - a true treat to receive! But if you’re looking to save some money, you can DIY a kit. If you’re just starting out, you can absolutely invest in a beautiful pre-made starter kit. The DIY Modern Calligraphy Starter Kit List A few months later, though, I found the right materials through experimentation and recommendations, and I fell in love! I’m writing today’s post because I want to make sure you have the proper materials for calligraphy success, too.
I concluded that calligraphy and I simply weren’t meant to be. When I got home, I was so eager to enjoy my new hobby! Instead of loving calligraphy, however, I ran into problems galore: ink that bled, unwieldy nibs, and instructions that didn’t make sense. When I first set out to learn calligraphy in 2012, I grabbed a cheapie Speedball calligraphy starter kit at Michael’s (an art supply store).