Brush Calligraphy for beginners : A Guide to Supply list

This is the material guide to start brush calligraphy for beginners. You want to start learning brush calligraphy but you are confused or don’t know where to start or which pens to buy! I am sharing my favorite supplies you need as a brush calligraphy beginner. These are the exact pens and paper I used when I started learning brush calligraphy. Even if you just want to see first if calligraphy is something that you really enjoy or not, start with these supplies.

Broadly I can divide the materials you need to start learning brush calligraphy in two categories:

a) Brush Pen and b) Paper

Now you will be wondering, What is a brush pen? Here is the simple answer, A brush pen is a pen with a brush tip which is made in such a way that you can achieve both thin strokes and thick strokes depending on the pressure you apply on it. And it is essential in brush calligraphy to achieve that variety in your brush strokes. This is the reason you need a brush pen to do brush calligraphy.

After brush pen, second important thing is the paper. You would want to use a smooth paper because using a rough textured paper can result in fraying the tip of your brush pens. So, for the longevity of brush pen and smooth strokes I recommend using the good quality paper.

Below is the list of brush pens that I have used while starting my journey of calligraphy!

1. Add gel little artist Brush Pen : These are the cheapest brush pen available on Amazon and they are of good quality as well. These brush pens have large tip and are great for writing large. This brush pen is available in a set of 12 colors.
2. Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen : This is a high quality brush pen which comes in two types – soft tip and hard tip. As the name suggest, soft tip is little more flexible as compared to hard tip. These brush pens have smaller tip and great for writing small as opposed to Add gel little artist brush pens.
3. Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pen (Large Tip) : This brush pen has dual tip. One side has normal tip like of a sketch pen and other side has the brush tip. This is a better quality brush pen as compared to Add gel brush pen. However, it writes large like add gel brush pen. These pens are available in 108 different colors.
4. Pentel Fude Touch Sign Brush Pen : This brush pen is good for writing small. It is available in variety of colors as well. It has a flexible tip and easier to control.
5. Rhodia Orange dot pad : Rhodia has the smoothest paper and perfect for doing calligraphy. It comes in 80GSM which is the weight of the paper. It will take care of your brush pen and prevent them from fraying.
6. HP PAPER : This is the laser jet printer paper which comes in 32lb weight and smooth enough for using brush pen. I recommend this for beginners as this won’t affect your pocket as well.
7. Tracing Paper : Highly recommended because its cheap as well as smooth. Tip: You can also use tracing paper over the calligraphy practice sheets and practice the strokes as many times as you want.

Now, I would love to hear from you, what is your favorite pen to do calligraphy! Let me know in comments below. Also, I have created a digital guide to learn brush calligraphy at your own pace. Click here to learn more.