Perfect Your Masterstroke With The Best Calligraphy Pens For Newbies & Experts
byIleana Morales Valentine
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Whether you’re a newbie to lettering or a more experienced calligrapher, the right pens make all the difference. The best calligraphy pens will be ones that suit your specific skill level and task, whether it's a brush pen for signs or a dip pen for detailed work.
To help you navigate pen terminology, consider the following:
Brush pens: These pens are a good first calligraphy pen for beginners since they’re easy to use. Though they come in many color options, they’re generally too big for detailed or fine calligraphy work.
Standard pen: A quality regular writing pen like fineliners, gel rollers, and bullet nibs can be used by beginners who want to experiment with so-called faux calligraphy. Keep in mind you’ll be limited in terms of how many lettering styles you can achieve with this type of pen.
Straight dip pen: Now let's talk dip pens, which will require accessories like nibs and ink for modern or traditional calligraphy and require more advanced skills. A straight dip pen is where you’d want to begin with dip pens, since they’re affordable, but it will take some practice to learn how to write with the proper pressure with this one. This pen type is best for offhand flourishing and writing that requires very little slant.
Oblique dip pen: Oblique dip pens avoid smudging entirely by letting you write with your hand out of the way; these pens do have the biggest learning curve of calligraphy pens and are most suitable for right-handed people. They're great for completing projects that require heavily slanted calligraphy like classic Copperplate and Spencerian.
You can practice lettering with any of these pens, but the best calligraphy pen will be the one you're most comfortable holding and enjoy using for writing. Below are calligraphy pens to suit any style, whether you're doodling or addressing wedding invitations, plus ink and paper to get you started.
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