Calligraphy pens are your key to the world of gorgeous hand-lettering.
Whether you’re interested in calligraphy because you’re looking for a new, relaxing hobby or you want to make your thank you cards feel more special, you’ll definitely want to get your hands on some good calligraphy pens.
Calligraphy is the art of writing words in a decorative way. Simply put, calligraphy is all about making words look pretty. :)
In our device-driven world, it’s such a nice change of pace to actually step away from the keyboard and use our hands to help express ourselves. And, fortunately, you don’t have to be an artist or a graphic designer to enjoy doing calligraphy. Plus, calligraphy doesn’t require a ton of supplies. If you’re a beginner, all you’ll really need is a calligraphy pen and a workbook to get started.
Below we’ve rounded up recommendations for calligraphy pens and other simple tools to help you explore this fun and creative activity.
Benefits of calligraphy
With so much of our work and communication being done on devices these days, it seems like we are relying less and less on our hands. This means we’re losing out on a variety of physical and mental benefits.
That’s right. Activities like handwriting and hand lettering are good for our brain and our well-being.
Here are some of the benefits you can experience from simply doing handwriting, hand lettering, or calligraphy:
Improve our memory. Studies have shown that handwriting in cursive triggers the regions in our brain that help us retain and learn new information. So the next time you’re studying for an exam or taking notes at a work meeting, you might want to skip the computer and write down your notes in a notepad instead.
Relieve stress. The act of handwriting itself can be therapeutic. Instead of being on a screen where we’re constantly bombarded with pop-up ads or messages, activities like hand lettering or calligraphy removes all those busy distractions, and gives us a sense of peace and quiet. Calligraphy and handwriting also encourage us to take our time and focus on the task at hand. This act of slowing down can reduce stress and promote mindfulness.
Promote creativity. When we take the time to slow down and remove overwhelming stimuli in our environment, we are able to relax and let down our guard. Being in this relaxed state can open us up to creative thinking.
Express ourselves. When we’re writing on a computer, we have a hard time quieting our editor brain. We get fixated on typos or deleting and rewriting sentences until we get it just perfect. But when you write by hand, you don’t have the luxury of the delete button, you’re forced to focus on the page in front of you. This allows you to quiet the editor/critic side of our brain, which then allows you to let the words flow.
Different ways to use calligraphy
While calligraphy can bring to mind old-timey scribes and scrolls, there are actually lots of simple and pragmatic uses for this art form.
Here are just some of the calligraphy projects that you can do:
- Creating place cards for family dinners or special occasions like birthdays or holiday meals
- Creating gift tags
- Personalizing thank you cards and adding decorative flourishes to greeting cards
- Labeling items in your home or office
- Decorating wedding invitations
- Engaging in a meditative, mindful activity
Calligraphy pens for beginners
The great thing about calligraphy as a creative pursuit is that not only is it relaxing and fulfilling, but it won’t break the bank. You’ll be able to find lots of options for high quality, inexpensive pens, with prices ranging from $12 to $20.
This is great news since calligraphy, like any other art form, will take some time and effort to learn. You’ll be learning how to develop your strokes and technique, and learn how to work with your brush pen, and this requires practice and patience. Luckily, you won’t have to worry about racking up costly expenses. And in the end, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular designs that you can use for yourself or give away to loved ones.
Kuretake Bimoji Fude Brush Pen
The Kuretake Bimoji is a great calligraphy brush for beginners and pros alike. It has high quality black ink and the weight of a calligraphy brush, but with the rubberized grip of a pen—this grip allows you to control each stroke and create beautiful lettering. It’s a wonderful pen for lettering or Japanese calligraphy.
Le Pen Flex Pastel 6 Pack
With a light and flexible tip, the Le Pen Flex is an ideal calligraphy pen for beginners. Its rubberized tip adds a nice curve to your lettering, which will make your cards and letters look like they were designed by a professional. You can also use the Le Pen Flex to decorate your journal entries, planner pages, and hand lettering exercises and projects. The 6 pack comes in an array of pretty pastel colors, which you can use for blending or creating stunning watercolor effects.
Le Pen Flex also comes in a 6-pack of primary colors and jewel-toned colors.
Fudebiyori Brush Pen
The Fudebiyori brush pen is good for coloring small details and large spaces. It comes in an array of bold and striking colors that will be great for making your coloring books pop. The pens use a water based dye so you can also use them to create watercolor effects.
Zebra Metallic Brush Pen
This Zebra brush pen would make your craft projects look so impressive. With a medium tip that feels like a paint brush, you can use the Zebra brush pen to decorate thank you cards, journal pages, bullet journals, calendars, and anything else that could use some visual flair.
Feeling excited about calligraphy? After you choose your pens, you can start working on your designs with this Calligraphy Book. It’s a how-to workbook that is perfect for beginners. It includes easy-to-follow lessons, exercises, and warm-up drills to help you create strokes and flourishes. Not only is this workbook educational and practical, it’s also beautifully designed. And with 30 projects inside, you’ll be a calligraphy master in no time.
