Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Handlettering Beginners
Posted by Sarah @ PIA on Nov 20th 2024
Ready to start your handlettering journey? Whether you’re a total newbie or shopping for someone who’s eager to explore the world of calligraphy, this guide is packed with perfect gifts to spark creativity and build skills. From brush lettering to broad edge calligraphy and pointed pen essentials, we’ve gathered the best tools and resources to help beginners get started.
Write Your First Flourish
Our Tachikawa and Nikko Pen Nib Sets are perfect for beginners, offering everything needed to dive into the world of dip pens. Each set features a versatile selection of five nibs, including flexible G nibs, crowquill nibs for fine details, and more. Both include a 5mL bottle of richly pigmented ink, ensuring your first strokes are as bold as your artistic aspirations.
What sets these kits apart are the thoughtful extras: a wooden holder in the Tachikawa set and a sparkly translucent holder in the Nikko set, as well as practice pages to guide your journey. Whether you're treating yourself or gifting someone eager to learn, these beautifully boxed kits make calligraphy approachable, fun, and oh-so-giftable. Click here to watch an unboxing video!
Turney’s Calligraphy Toolbox
Discover Copperplate calligraphy with Christen Turney’s Copperplate Calligraphy Practice Book. This thoughtfully designed guide is perfect for beginners and seasoned calligraphers alike, featuring step-by-step exercises that take you from foundational strokes to beautifully crafted letters. With perforated pages for easy use and insider tips sprinkled throughout, this practice book turns learning into a rewarding and creative experience.
Pair the book with our exclusive supply kit for everything you need to dive in! From premium nibs and a versatile Moblique penholder to rich Moon Palace Sumi Ink, this kit ensures a seamless start to your Copperplate journey. Neatly packaged in a convenient tool pouch, it’s the perfect gift for anyone ready to embrace the art of pointed pen.
Brush Lettering Essentials
The Tombow Beginner Lettering Set is the perfect introduction to the world of hand lettering! Whether you’re new to lettering or gifting this to a creative loved one, this set includes all the essentials to get started. With two Tombow Dual Brush Pens for bold lines, a Fudenosuke Calligraphy Pen for delicate, precise strokes, and the versatile MONO Twin Permanent Marker, this kit offers everything you need for a variety of lettering styles. Plus, it comes with a MONO Drawing Pencil and Eraser to keep your work clean and professional. To guide you through the process, the set also includes an instructional booklet packed with helpful tips and tricks. Let’s get started!
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Eco-Friendly Lettering Fun
Perfect your brush lettering skills with the Reusable Brush Lettering Workbook by @ZiziCalligraphy and @Luis.Creations! This innovative workbook lets you practice your strokes endlessly—without wasting paper. Simply use the included refillable brush pen with water to trace over the workbook’s pages, and watch your lettering gradually disappear, ready for your next session.
With 26 pages for mastering upper and lowercase letters, 6 pages of inspirational quotes to practice, and 2 blank pages for your own designs, this hardcover, spiral-bound workbook is both versatile and durable. This sustainable tool is the perfect beginning to your brush lettering journey!
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Start Strong with Sheila
Now available in a beautifully updated 2023 edition, Sheila Waters’ Foundations of Calligraphy is perfect for those interested in broad-edge! This masterwork demystifies the intricacies of historical and modern letterforms with insightful analysis and step-by-step guidance. Sheila Waters, a globally celebrated scribe and educator, poured decades of expertise into this essential resource, empowering beginner calligraphers to elevate their skills.
With 134 pages of instruction and inspiration, plus a 16-page color gallery showcasing Sheila's breathtaking creations, this book is a treasure trove for anyone eager to explore calligraphy. Click here to watch us flip through this wonderful book!
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Broad Edge Made Simple
A collection of Pilot Parallel Pens is the first step to creating a broad-edge calligraphy arsenal! These innovative pens feature a unique double-plate nib design, ensuring a smooth, reliable ink flow that delivers crisp edges and sharp hairlines with every stroke. Say goodbye to skipping and hello to flawless letters!
This comprehensive kit includes four pen sizes, a multicolored 12-pack of cartridges, and handy cleaning tools. The best part though? Parallel Pen Wizardry by Brenda Broadbent, a stunning guide filled with tips, techniques, and creative inspiration to help you master your new pens. This kit equips you with everything you need to dive into gothic scripts, elegant Italic, and more!
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Master Color, Master Calligraphy
These two vibrant, hands-on guides will help handlettering beginners and artists explore color in new and exciting ways! Lisa Solomon's A Field Guide to Color is filled with playful prompts and meditative exercises to guide you through the process of creating your personal color palette, mastering color mixing, and experimenting with watercolor, gouache, or any water-based medium.
Julie Collins’ Colour Demystified takes a highly visual approach to color theory, featuring helpful charts, practical exercises, and watercolor studies that break down complex color concepts like transparency, opacity, and granulation.
These books will help you unlock the full potential of color in your creative practice, whether you’re exploring brush lettering or tackling broad-edge.
Graphite Greatness
The most underrated calligraphy tool for beginners? A solid pencil! Give the gift of smooth, flawless writing with the Blackwing Pencil Essentials Set. It includes four iconic Blackwing pencils—Matte, Pearl, 602, and Natural—each offering a different graphite hardness to suit any style or project, from soft and smooth to firm and precise.
This lovely bundle also includes a Blackwing One-Step Long Point Sharpener for a perfect point every time and a sleek Point Guard to keep pencils protected on the go. All beautifully packaged in an embossed gift box, this set is a must-have for any budding artist.