It’s no secret that to someone who hasn’t tried it, pointed pen calligraphy looks to be very intimidating. Let’s break this down.
Apart from the #1 question I’m asked most about calligraphy: How do you find the time to do it? The next most popular question: what supplies do I need to buy?
With so many different pen holders, nibs, inks and papers out there, it’s no wonder people have a hard time figuring out what they need. And quite honestly, I wish I had known before purchasing pointed pen supplies that supplies do matter!
Purchasing the right supplies can make or break a pointed pen practice for any aspiring calligrapher. I learned this the hard way!
You may take a trip to a big box craft store & pick something off the shelf. If you’re adventurous like me, you’ll bring the supplies home, sit down, watch a few youtube videos and try it out on your own.
You pat yourself on the back because you manage to properly place the nib into the holder (or at least you think you have). Then you dip the nib into the ink & attempt to make a mark on a piece of paper. In your mind, you’re picturing that the ink will flow just as it does for Syeds Calligraphy on Instagram. 😜 Check him out!
What usually happens next is far from anything Insta worthy. Either you won’t make any marks on the page at all OR you’ll get a nice big BLOB because the ink runs right off of the nib with no control whatsoever.
You take a couple of deep breaths and try again. You adjust the nib in the holder, you dip it into the ink once more, but the same thing happens again.
Now you’ve got ink all over your hands, smudge marks all over your page, and ink spilled onto your carpet! You are now officially frustrated with the whole process.
But wait, didn’t someone say calligraphy was calming? That lady must be nuts!
The next thing that happens is the saddest thing of all. You clean the ink off your hands, rip up the paper & shove the supplies into a box. You tell yourself you’ll try again tomorrow when you have time. But you never pick up the pen again.
Friend, I have a fantastic resource for you. It’s my Beginner Calligraphy Supply List, and you can get it HERE. Stop trying to guess what you need, stop spending time, money and frustration on the wrong supplies.
My resource will tell you exactly what you need to purchase. There are even different options at different price points available.
Purchasing the proper supplies is one of the most important things you can do to set yourself up for a successful pointed pen practice.
Stay tuned for my future blog post where I drop the next important piece to the pointed pen puzzle. Hint: It has something to do with a potato!
