ByPooja Bhagwat

March 12, 2022 (IANSlife) Are you the type of person who gets excited about different strokes, flourishes, and beautiful letter forms and can't wait to begin your calligraphy journey??? It's exciting to start something new, but it's easy to be disappointed if you don't have the right supplies or don't know where to get them.

Choose the right tools and begin your journey into this beautiful art with ease!

Holder (Calligraphy Pen)

Straight and oblique holders are the two types. You can certainly begin with a straight holder. For a long time, even for commercial work, I used the Cretacolor straight holder. I use the oblique holder a lot these days, but I still like to use the straight holder for a change of pace.

If you want to go with Oblique holders, you have a lot of options. They are generally more expensive than straight holders, but they are completely worth it. For beginners, we have a selection of Wooden Oblique Holders. They are extremely lightweight, long-lasting, and ideal for beginners.

Of course, as a beginner, you're probably unsure which holder to choose. It's easy to be drawn to fancy and colourful holders, but remember that it's not the straight, oblique, or fancy holder that makes calligraphy more beautiful, but how comfortable you are using it. So, once you've purchased your preferred holder, practise as much as you can to become acquainted with it so that you can determine your own preference.

NIBS

It is critical to choose the right nib for your pen if you want to write beautifully. All nibs may appear similar at first glance, but if you look closely, you will notice that they are distinct, and with the right nib selection, you will end up writing more and more pages. So choose your nibs wisely. The nib should be fine enough to make a hairline and flexible enough to make thick strokes.

I used Nikko G for almost everything when I first started with pointed pen calligraphy. For practise, for small quantity jobs, for larger quantity jobs, and for jobs ranging in size from small to large. Nikko and I made thousands of cards. It was the first nib I could get my hands on, and it's still one of my favourites. It's a medium-flexible nib with a good balance of thin and thick strokes. It will assist you in determining how much pressure to apply while writing. After about a year, I felt the need to change my nib, so I experimented with several different nibs.

Hunt 101 is my current favourite and my go-to nib these days, though I do change it depending on the job. I enjoy the flexibility and hairline of a brand new Hunt 101 nib, but when I need to write smaller (2 mm or 3 mm x height), I prefer Nikko G. Shades and hairlines for smaller x heights become extremely difficult to manage with Hunt 101. Of course, this works with a single letter or in smaller quantities. When I need to write a large number of cards, such as 100 or more, I use Hunt 22. It is less adaptable than Hunt 101 but more adaptable than Nikko G.

As a result, it is ideal for such jobs. There are two more nibs that I tried and enjoyed. The first is principle EF, and the second is Blanzy 2552. Because the Principle EF has a very sharp nib, I only use it on high-quality papers. Blanzy 2552 produces dark shades, and I enjoy writing in larger sizes with it. If you can't wait to try one of them, I recommend getting our 'Nibs with Storage Tin' to try them all. You can always practise with your favourite nib, but when doing commercial work, it's best to use a variety of nibs depending on the project.

Also, good quality paper and ink are just as important as a good pen and nib for a good writing experience. If you want to achieve the best results, you should start by investing in high-quality supplies.

(Pooja Bhagwat, Founder of Ink n Bliss, calligraphy & design studio)

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