The Top 3 Must-Have Tools for Calligraphy Beginners
Practicing basic strokes is the foundation to learning modern calligraphy.
Whether you’re brand new to lettering or just calligraphy-curious, this post is all about how to get started with confidence, creativity, and ease.
You don’t need a ton of fancy tools to begin your calligraphy journey. In fact, all you really need are three simple, high-quality supplies…plus a few encouraging tips along the way!
1. Start with a Good Brush Pen
A good brush pen makes all the difference when you’re just starting out. My top two recommendations for beginners are:
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen – This pen has a firm tip that gives you great control over your thick and thin strokes. It comes in both hard and soft tip versions—either one is perfect for beginners.
Zebra Brush Pen – Another fantastic beginner-friendly option with a flexible tip that responds beautifully to pressure changes.
These pens are affordable, easy to find online or at your local craft store, and perfect for building your muscle memory.
2. Use the Right Paper
One of the biggest beginner mistakes? Practicing on blank or rough paper. Here’s why that’s a no-no:
Blank paper doesn’t offer the structure you need when learning letter forms and stroke spacing.
Rough paper will eventually fray the tip of your brush pens, making them harder to use over time.
I highly recommend Rhodia graph paper. or dot grid paper. It’s super smooth and offers subtle guidelines to help you develop consistency while keeping your pen tips protected.
HP Premium Smooth 32 Printer paper is a great choice for practicing on printed guide sheets.
3. Practice Sheets + Tracing Paper
This combo is where the magic happens!
Print a set of beginner calligraphy practice sheets (I’ve got a free one for you below!).
Place a sheet of Strathmore tracing paper over it and use your brush pen to trace the strokes.
This allows you to reuse your practice sheets again and again, and helps build confidence, form, and muscle memory.
✨ Pro Tips for Practicing:
Keep it short and sweet: You don’t have to practice for hours. Just 10–15 minutes a day, or 20 minutes a few times a week, is plenty to start seeing progress.
Make it part of your life: I used to write my grocery lists or to-do lists in calligraphy (even just the headers!). It's an easy, low-pressure way to build your skills.
Set the vibe: When I carve out time for intentional practice, I make it a whole self-care experience—comfy clothes, candle lit, calming music, tea in hand. Find what makes it joyful for you!
BONUS: Date your practice sheets!
This simple habit lets you track your growth over time—and trust me, it’s so rewarding to look back and see how far you’ve come. Celebrate the small wins!
Patience Is Part of the Process
Let me clear up a big misconception: Calligraphy is not the same as handwriting.
People often think they can't do calligraphy because they don't love their handwriting. But here's the truth: Calligraphy is an art form built from strokes, not cursive or pretty penmanship. Once you learn the basic pieces, you can create every letter in the alphabet—beautifully.
Give yourself permission to be a beginner. With regular practice and patience, you’ll be creating gorgeous lettering in no time.
Where to Get Your Supplies
Everything I mentioned above is available online or at your favorite local craft store. Here are some helpful links (some are affiliate links):
FREE Download: Basic Strokes & Alphabet Practice Guides
To help you get started, I created FREE beginner practice guides just for you! It includes:
Basic strokes
Lowercase letters
Uppercase letters
Download Your Free Guide Sheets Here
Let’s Stay Connected!
I hope this post gave you a boost of inspiration and clarity for starting your calligraphy journey. If you have any questions or want to learn something specific, drop a comment below. I’d love to hear from you!
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