by Christina Schneider
If calligraphy’s lovely lettering has captured your attention, you’re in luck. Calligraphy is more accessible today than at any other point in history. You don’t have to join a monastery or apprentice yourself to a scribe to pick up calligraphy. All you need is a pen or quill, paper, and a lettering guide to start creating beautiful writing.
You can practice calligraphy with a regular pen or pencil, but your final product won’t look very nice because these writing instruments can’t create the angles necessary for calligraphy. You need a quill or pen with a special nib designed for calligraphy. You can purchase a quill, but pens will be easier to start with since you’re used to writing with them. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy pen. You can purchase a kit with several nibs and ink vials for less than $20. Make sure your kit’s nibs come in multiple widths so you can practice writing different-sized letters.
Once you have your pen or quill, you’ll need calligraphy paper. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of holding an
