Calligraphy Tutorial | Getting Started, Calligraphy Supplies

Are you as OBSESSED with calligraphy and hand-lettering as we are?

Yeah..we thought so.

That's why we're excited to share our knowledge (and extreme love) for this not-so-dying art with you, right HERE on the Antiquaria blog.

HOORAY!!

Spearheaded by our resident expert calligrapher (and Antiquaria partner), Bailey Amon Rivera, we've created a weekly series of simple instructions and helpful hints to get you started or add some polish to your current penmanship practice.

Lets jump right in...today, we're focusing on the supplies. You need those to start, right?

If you've never done calligraphy before, you may find it all a little daunting. No lies...we did too. Simply speaking, calligraphy materials are not common anymore (because they are not at all necessary to daily life).  Most of the tools that are being made now, are sub-par and you will never, EVER succeed with them, especially if you are a beginner. 

Bailey learned this the hard way (even though she was told as much by her very first teacher). It was only a day after her first class when she sought out the nearest art shop and bought hundreds of dollars worth of "calligraphy" supplies. How much of that has she used over the years? Not a darn thing. What did she use? What her teacher gave her. 

Consider lesson learned.

The basic supplies that you need to get started in calligraphy are pretty simple and inexpensive.

You'll need:

a pen (otherwise called a pen holder); this is what you insert your nib into and hold while writing

nibs; those little pointy metal things that flex to create gorgeous letters

paper; the key is that it's well sized (so that ink doesn't bleed), arches, rhodia and canson make great papers. DO NOT BUY THAT ART-STORE CALLIGRAPHY PAPER. It's bad news bears. Just because it says "calligraphy" on it does not mean it's good for it.

sumi ink; many things work for black ink and many don't, we like sumi ink best for practice (and reproduction)

white ink; it not necessary but it's super fun to use, we like Dr. Martin's Bleedproof white

ruler; for making lines, duh

pencil; great for practicing letter shapes, making lines, marking corrections, taking notes (just have one, ok?)

storage box; it's not crucial but definitely helps keep your nibs together so they don't get lost (or eaten by the cat)

We decided to make sourcing your supplies super easy by putting together our own, adorable, Calligraphy Starter Kit! (P.S- It also makes a fabulous gift for a lettering enthusiast)!

Packaged in one neat little box, is everything you need to learn lettering. It includes all of our time-tested favorites, a peerless pen holder, 2 Nikko G nibs, Sumi Ink, exemplars of Bailey's signature calligraphy style for both Upper and Lower case alphabets as well as an adorable graph paper notebook to use for practice!

We'll leave you with a little video inspiration!

See ya'll back here tomorrow when we'll get started on the Lower Case alphabet!

Til then...

Peace, Love and Letters,

Emma & Bailey