Guide Sheets
Guide sheets are a must-have for practicing calligraphy. I’ve created different variations of guide sheets for myself and a lot of people are asking about them, so I am making it available here. Hopefully, you’ll find them helpful. There are 9 pages in the PDF with two slant angles and various type proportions.
Paper
Tracing Paper is a must-have for everyday practice and drafting composition. Its smooth surface keeps your pens from wearing off too soon.
Layout Bond is a semi-translucent paper that is more smooth than tracing paper and can take in more ink. I use it to practice steel nib hands.
Rhodia paper is great for calligraphy writing once you pass the ‘tracing’ stage. The paper is a lot more smooth than your typical notepad, which means writing on this paper keeps your pen tips in shape.
The Art Collection notebooks by Moleskine is great for calligraphy and hand-lettering journal. The heavy paper means your writing and drawing won’t bleed through the pages. I use it for sermon notes.
Pens and Brushes
These brush pens can be used for practice as well as producing the final artwork. They are a must-have.
These brush pens are good for bigger writings. They come in many colors and are blend-able.
These markers have flexible tips so you can produce various stroke widths. They are very fun to write with and very inexpensive.
These markers also have flexible tips and they write similarly as the regular Crayola Markers.
These pens write like the traditional broad edge pen without the fuss. I recommend starting with the 2.4mm nib.
Although the tip is not flexible, these acrylic-based paint markers give you full-coverage on almost any surface.
I’ve tried many chalk marker brands and this is the best. The flow is consistent and the tip size is just right.
A good white pen is unbelievably hard to find, and this is the only one that I would recommend.
Specialty Store
Unfortunately, you can’t find everything on Amazon. These two online shops carry all sorts of calligraphy pens and papers, plus other specialty art supplies. You’d want to bookmark these two stores.
Calligraphy Resources in New York City
This is where it all began, I took a calligraphy class here many years ago and it’s been the best investment I’ve ever made on myself. Type@Cooper is the Typeface Design certificate program at Cooper Union. They have weekend workshops as well as months-long classes in the field of typography ranging from traditional calligraphy, sign painting, to digital font creation. There are also free lectures throughout the semester. Check out their website.
The Society of Scribe is another organization full of resources. They often have workshops and exhibitions by calligraphy masters. Check out their website.
Learn Calligraphy Online
Skillshare is a wonderful learning platform. It is full of creative courses covering art, graphic design, photography, and more. You can check out my classes and get two months of free membership:
Udemy is another platform with many interesting topics. It is run on a pay-per-course format and you can access the purchased course forever.
If you really want to up your skill on the pointed pen, then this website has everything you need! From worksheets to adding flourishes, all taught by long-time masters! Check out their website.