You can make your everyday writing feel more special with a calligraphy pen.
Calligraphy is the art of decorative handwriting. While it may seem like an old fashioned practice, it actually has a lot of practical and everyday uses. From decorating your planner pages to adding pretty flourishes to a thank you card or journal entry, calligraphy can make your routine writing stand out.
And thanks to calligraphy brush pens, you can incorporate calligraphy into your daily writing, with ease.
Why use calligraphy pens?
Calligraphy pens aren’t just for special occasions and wedding invitations. You can use calligraphy pens for just about any occasion and to make your writing experience that much more fun.
Here are just some of the ways that you can use calligraphy pens to make your writing look pretty and unique.
Handwritten cards. A calligraphy pen is an excellent way to personalize a thank you card or handwritten note. You can letter your recipient’s name on the envelope or decoratively write your message inside. Not only will your recipient be blown away by the beautiful lettering, but they’ll be so touched knowing that this message was crafted with such thought and care.
Gift tags. A beautifully wrapped gift makes the gift experience so dynamic and sensorial. And a pretty little gift tag is like the cherry on top of a wonderful gift. Taking the time to personally decorate the gift tag will definitely let your recipient know just how much you care.
Bullet journals and notebooks. Make the journal-writing experience even more pleasurable with the use of a calligraphy pen. With a calligraphy pen, you can take a blank journal page and turn it into a creative activity. Decorate calendar pages, celebrate milestones, track your goals and habits, and more.
Organization. If you’re struggling to rouse enthusiasm for organizing and decluttering, then use calligraphy pens to add a little more whimsy to everyday chores. Decorate file folders. Create pretty labels. Make signs for your garage and workspace. Your home will look tidy and put together, and best of all, you’ll actually look forward to house cleaning projects.
Art projects. A calligraphy pen can also add vibrant colors and lettering to any arts and craft projects. You can make stylish collages, vision boards, and more.
Special events. Last but not least, you can always use calligraphy pens to add decorative flourishes to a special event or occasion. Have a milestone birthday or special event coming up? Now’s the time to pull out all the stops. Decorate invitations, place settings, menus, and signs. You’ll definitely wow your guests with your creativity.
How to learn calligraphy
These days, you can find tons of calligraphy tutorials online and on social media.
But if you’re looking to disconnect from digital devices, and want some quiet time, use a calligraphy workbook to practice your lettering. The Modern Calligraphy workbook is a great entry point into this craft. It introduces you to the basics of calligraphy and has drills and exercises to help you develop your technique. You can slip this workbook in your bag and bring it along with you on trips or anywhere you want to practice your new hobby.
Best calligraphy pens
When we think of calligraphy, we imagine the classic nib and pot of black ink. But if you’re new to calligraphy, you probably want to start off with a brush pen so that you can get some practice in, feel comfortable with the grip, and see how the ink flows on the page.
A brush pen is like having calligraphy “training wheels.” Your lettering will still look fancy and special, but you’ll be able to control the pen much more easily. Plus, you won’t have to worry about getting ink all over your hands or desk!
And the best part? Calligraphy brush pens are very affordable. This is great news if you’re a beginner and don’t want to break the bank.
If you consider yourself a calligraphy expert, you’ll still get tons of use out of calligraphy brush pens. You can use these pens to elevate your everyday writing and experiment with different techniques and colors.
Here is a round up of calligraphy pens that are perfect for beginners and experts alike.
The Kuretake Fudegokochi Brush Pen
This brush pen is perfect for beginners. With its firm and fine tip, the Fudegokochi brush pen ensures a smooth, clean line. You can use it to vary the thickness of your lines and for a variety of writing and illustration purposes. The rich, dark blank ink means that it will stand out in contrast to the white pages of a planner or card. Your lettering will look tidy and crisp on cards, planners, journals, and more.
This is another high quality and easy-to-use brush pen. Known in Japan as the “Fude Pen Hoso-Taku,” this brush pen will let you play with the thickness and thinness of your lines, and practice your calligraphy with ease.
With its durable, flexible rubberized tip, Le Pen is the perfect starter tool for practicing your lettering. The flexible tip easily steers you into the curves of the letter, allowing you to create those pretty swirls like a pro. The touch of curve to your letters will make your lettering look so sophisticated.
Bonus: these pens act much like a watercolor, so you can have fun blending colors and adding different hues and shades to your work.
The pastel set has all the great benefits of Le Pen’s primary pack and they come in a variety of pretty pastels. The pastel tones add a tender touch to your lettering, while still looking vibrant on the page.
You can have fun decorating your journal pages, adding events to your calendars, and writing in your yearly planner.
Imagine how much more excited you'll be about everyday tasks and assignments, when you see the colorful lettering pop up in your planner pages.
Calligraphy is a relaxing hobby and one that will give you enormous pleasure. With a calligraphy brush pen in tow, you’ll be able to start your new hobby right away and with confidence.
Written by JiJi Lee