Words and ink, ink and words: I live in the land of inksplatters and keystrokes, and wouldn’t have it any other way! I got my mama Laura Hooper’s beginning calligraphy set for Mother’s Day, and I know so many people out there are picking up on the ancient art form.

Additionally, there are so many of us pen nerds out there who just want to amp up our Emily Ley Simplified Planner pages.

Today, I wanted to share my money-maker (literally) tools. Here are my 15 favorite writing instruments for calligraphy and hand-lettering — inks and nibs will come another day, but these are the actual letter-forming tools I wrap my hand around.

From L to R:

1. Speedball Oblique Holder: Classic, hard plastic. I go through these like I go through AirHeads on a road trip. Great for starting out calligraphy, and it holds most nibs I like.
2. Tombow ABT N15: Are you a doodler? This inky black, brush-like writing tool rocks. This is my very favorite pen to use when I’m drafting a piece to import and vectorize — the quality of the black on white is super-easy to edit.
3. Pentel GraphGear 500 Mechanical Pencil: There are pencils, then there’s this guy. If you do a lot of sketching, I highly recommend this tool. Something about having the weight of this feels SO fantastic in hand. My first calligraphy teacher Anne Elser showed me this, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
4. PaperMate Eraser: Easier on handlettered lines than a thick, pink block. Which I have like 4 of. When my dogs haven’t eaten them.
5. Red and Black Paint Thing: Well, this is fun. This is one of my favorite tools, and I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT IS!? It’s all written in a foreign language. Does anyone know what this is?
6. Copic Sketch Marker: Not my FAVORITE, but fun just the same: one end is brushy, one end is a flat oblique cut. Great for doodling.
7. Zig Calligraphy Pen: Now these, these suckers will get you through some envelopes. There are 2 super-useful ends, and they stay pretty sharp and crisp. I love this velvety gray, and have used it on kraft paper before — glorious!
8. Pentel Slicci.25 mm Pen: The Stuart Little of pens. Thinnest line you’ll EVER see.
9. Pentel Slicci .8 mm Pen: ‘Lil bit bigger, and a lurvely gold. Save this one for your Christmas card addressing!
10. Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll Pens: Use if you want some of you art to look like a fairy traced the edges. I hardly ever write in it soley, but it’s on of my favorite accent pens.
11. Pentel Sign Pen Brush-tip Marker: This puppy can do Copperplate and Spencerian, but feels like a nice pen you’d grab from your mom’s purse when you were little. High and low. 🙂
12. Copic Multi-liner: For the whispy doodler. You know what? Maybe this guy can do some envelopes. I mostly create original art and quotes with him, because he rolls a bit breezier than most pens. But now it has me wondering …
13. Speedball Oblique Pen Holder in Garnet: THE BEST pen holder. The best. *Slightly* cushioned, feels like velvet, holds my Hunt 101s like she’ll never let go. This is the dreamboat of pen holders for me. I usually only find it from johnnealbooks.com.
14. Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll, part 2. I told you I love them.
15. Copic Multiliner .005 SP – Stuart Little style, back. Itty bitty pigmented lines come out of this guy, making it perfect for miniscule line-drawing.

Whew! My top tip if you’re thinking about learning calligraphy? Don’t learn modern calligraphy first. Learn roundhand, or copperplate, and break the rules from there. Besides that, get in there and get your hands inky!