My Favourite Pens for Calligraphy

When I first learnt pointed pen calligraphy, I was introduced to the Nikko G nib. This is a great beginner’s nib since it’s fairly stiff, durable, and not super fine. However, over the years, I’ve come to prefer the Hunt Globe 513EF nib, which has medium flex, large ink capacity, an extra fine tip, and is also long lasting. Everyone (and every surface) has their own preferences though, and I guess the perfect nib for you would depend on the script and your writing style. If you’re just starting out, I would see if you can get your hands on a sample pack of nibs to see what suits your hand the best, while taking into consideration factors, like flex, that would make it easier to write a particular script.

As for pen holders, my favourite is the chunky Ink Me This one (featured in the video) because I tend to be pretty heavy handed and the large barrel helps with the ergonomics of writing for hours at a time.

Brush calligraphy is probably my favourite style because it’s so versatile. For large brush lettering, I love the Tombow Dual Brush Pens. The colour range is great and you can also blend them to create an ombre effect. These are also great for beginners learning calligraphy because they are easier to control than an actual brush.

For smaller projects, such as place cards or luxury correspondence, I use either the Tombow Fudenosuke Soft or Hard Tip pens, or the Pentel Fude Touch Brush Sign Pens. The Pentel brush pens are on the softer side and have a better range of colours than the Tombow Fudenosuke, not to mention I love how saturated the colours are!

When I want more of a ‘brush’ style, with more variation between the thick and thin strokes as well as being able to ‘see’ the fibres of the brush, I like using the Pentel Art Brush. I bought a few of these while honeymooning in Japan and they were such a good investment; I wish I had bought more! They come in lots of colours and are refillable. But if the ink has run out and you don’t have refill cartridges on hand, you can always dip the brush pen into a jar of the same colour ink and keep writing to your heart’s content.

My other go-to is the Pentel Arts Aquash Water Paintbrush (featured in the video). I usually fill the barrel with water and use it with watercolour paints, or simply dip it in a jar of ink without any water in the barrel. This brush pen is easier to control than a normal brush because the bristles are made of nylon.

Broad Edge Calligraphy

I’ve only just started learning gothic calligraphy, but I’m already a huge fan of the Pilot Parallel Pen. It’s easy to clean and refill with ink, and you can easily mix colours to achieve an ombre effect in your calligraphy. It also comes in 6 different size nib-widths. The downside is that you can only use inks that are suitable for fountain pens, otherwise it does get clogged up.

Learning how to use broad nibs is definitely on my list so that I can expand the range of inks at my disposal, especially the highly saturated and metallic inks that aren’t suitable for use in the Pilot Parallel Pens.

I'm always keen to chat about all things stationery and calligraphy; let me know in the comments what your pen of choice is and why!