My Favorite Lettering Supplies

I recently taught a hand lettering class and was asked what supplies I recommended for lettering. I put together a list for my students, and thought I could share it here as well! I have it broken into the following categories if you’d like to scroll the medium you’re most interested in: general/sketches, brush pen lettering, calligraphy, and chalkboard lettering.

None of these are affiliate links or anything, just what I regularly use for my business! I feel like I’ve found some affordable but hard-working options over the years. So let’s get to it…

General/Sketches

Pencil & Eraser - Nothing fancy, just whatever pencil is closest to me at the moment.

Light Pad - I created guideline pages for myself and use them for almost every project. I remember when I got it, there were some reviews that said the charging port easily came loose. I try to be careful with it and have been using it over a year now without any problems.

Practice Paper - Brush pens and calligraphy ink feather out and bleed on regular computer paper. I found this paper recommendation once and use it for brush pens as well as calligraphy pens for practice.

Project Paper - Most of my finished projects are done on this 110 lb. card stock or paper supplies from Paper Source.

Brush Pen lettering

Fudenosuke Brush Pen (hard tip) - The soft tip version is much more sensitive to pressure and harder to control, so I prefer and recommend the hard tip version. They also come in a variety of colors which is fun, and you can find them on Amazon, Blick Art, etc. as well as Tombow’s website. The only downside is that they do smudge on slick surfaces.

Calligraphy

Calligraphy Pen - Calligraphy pens usually come in either straight or oblique. I started with a straight pen (the metal nib sticks straight out like a regular pen would), but now I prefer an oblique style (the nib is set out at an angle). This pen is neat because can be used either way. I have the gray version and use it for almost everything I do!

Calligraphy Nibs - I usually use the Nikko G style nib, but you can also get a sample packet if you want to try several different ones.

Calligraphy Ink - I have used calligraphy inks in the past, but honestly what I use most of the time is gouache mixed with water. I like the consistency of it better and I can easily mix custom colors. This is the brand of gouache I use. I mix enough water that it is the consistency of heavy whipping cream and either mix a large amount in a tiny jar to dip into or mix a small amount on a plastic palette and use a brush to put it on the nib.

Chalkboard lettering

Chalkboard - I’m not sure if I have this exact one, but it’s something very similar!

Chalk - Just plain, tiny sticks of colored chalk. If you look at my chalkboards, you’ll see I often combine chalk paint markers with regular chalk. I think the juxtaposition of textures is really neat and I love the way it looks.

Chalk paint markers - These wipe off with water, but otherwise won’t budge. I’ve most recently been using VersaChalk markers and they have lots of great colors. I also like how the tips are reversible and can be set as chisel or rounded. I’ve also used these white markers in the past and have no complaints!