Best Calligraphy Pens

What is calligraphy? It is not difficult to understand what the art is considering the name is derived from the Greek words, kallos meaning beauty and graphe meaning writing. It is often defined as a visual art that allows the writer to give beautiful form to expressions in a harmonious and skillful writing. White traditionally, a calligrapher could include typography in his works, it was not considered classical calligraphy. In contemporary times, calligraphy is used for a variety of things, from embellishing wedding cards and invitations to creating calligraphic art. Till a few hundred years ago, most official documents were written by calligraphers and these are some of the best works of the art of calligraphy. To be a good calligrapher, it is important to use the best pens that you can use. But how do you choose these calligraphy pens? We tell you how you can pick out the calligraphy pens for your purpose.

Choosing the Best Calligraphy Pens

In order to indulge in calligraphy, there are very few tools that you need. The basic things that you require are calligraphy pens and ink, and paper. It is very important for you to understand what are the constituent features of a good calligraphy pen. First and foremost, you need to understand that with calligraphy pens, the nib is of extreme important. Wider nibs means larger letters, and narrower nibs allow for more delicate work. The handle of the pen is also an important factor and the calligrapher needs to pay attention to this, so that he gets the grip that he needs. There are many different types of calligraphy pens and you can choose the ones that you want depending on your preference.

Calligraphy Markers
Markers can be great for calligraphy work and you can try different calligraphy styles with these pens easily. Also these are perfect for beginners as there is no fuss involved with using these markers. You do not have to go through the process of filling ink in the pen. There is a wide variety of colors that these markers are available in. While choosing calligraphy markers, remember to choose one with a firm nib. The problem with calligraphy pens is that there is a limit to the size of nibs available. So, if you have a specific type of calligraphy in mind, then you may be at loss with markers.

Cartridge Pens
Another great option amongst calligraphy pens is to opt for cartridge pens. These are perfect for people who have some experience with calligraphy as there is more scope for customizing. You can change nibs of these pens, and with the wide variety of colors in which ink cartridges are available, there is also the possibility of writing in any color that you fancy. Attaching the cartridges to the nib assembly is a relatively simple process and is not very complicated.

Dip Pens
Sure, if you are looking for pens that you can carry around with you, then these may not be the best option but these are probably the least expensive pens of the lot. You can fill ink in these pens by dipping them in an ink pot. While with some nibs you will have a built in ink source, others may need you to attach some sort of a cartridge, to reduce the need of constantly dipping the pen in ink. With dip pens, you have the added advantage of being able to use paints which has been thinned.

While these are a few of the options that you can choose from, when looking for the best pens to use, other more traditional options are brushes and quills. It is possible to use most brushes as a calligraphy pen. All you need is a little practice. With quills too, you will need to give it time and practice to allow your hand to set to using one. You can opt to buy one of those quills that come with a metal nib holder as they are easier to use. If you want to learn calligraphy, then you need to understand which are the best calligraphy pens to use, as without the proper pens, it can be difficult to create an artistic piece of writing.