The Hand Lettering Gift Guide – 40+ Best Ideas For Calligraphers (2024)
Articles may contain affiliate links.
Struggling to find the perfect gifts for the calligrapher in your life? This gift guide for a lettering lover will help you find the perfect calligraphy gifts!
The Ultimate Hand Lettering Gift Guide
One of the hottest trends in the creative communities online right now is hand lettering. From classic calligraphy to modern brush lettering, hand lettering has evolved into a massive hobby. But this growth can make it hard to find gifts for the calligrapher in your life. This hand lettering gift guide will walk you through the basics for a beginner set and some more advanced goodies for the intermediate calligrapher, too!
Basic Hand Lettering & Calligraphy Gifts
These are gifts that will work for anyone who has not yet taken the plunge. The pens and materials listed here will be wonderful first steps for the hand lettering learning process.
Calligraphy & Lettering Learning Materials
If you or a loved one are first starting out in your lettering artist journey and wanting to learn more about hand lettering, then the following may be great gift options!
A Skillshare Membership
Skillshare is an online learning platform that provides access to thousands of online courses and is perfect for the aspiring letterer in your life. There are tons of calligraphy and lettering courses available on Skillshare.
Here are a few of my favorite:
- Calligraphy Essentials: From First Script to Final Flourish By Seb Lester
- Introduction to Modern Script Calligraphy By Bryn Chernoff
- Introduction to Modern Brush Calligraphy By Kimberly Shrack
All of these courses and so much more are included in your Skillshare membership, making it the perfect gift for calligraphers and creatives. But it gets even better, you can get your first 2 months for free using my link, or you can grab a full year-long membership for 30% off.
Creative Lettering and Beyond
- Walter Foster creative lettering and beyond book
- Walter Foster creative lettering and beyond book- combine the artistic talents, inspirational tips and tutorials of four professional handle letterers and calligraphers for interactive learning
- Master the art of handle lettering and typography with easy-to-follow, projects, prompts and exercises
- Includes basic shapes and form of letters, cursive script, spacing and alignment
This is the perfect way to jump right into the hand lettering hobby. This book will walk you through all the basics of the lettering journey and help you get a grasp of the elements needed for beautiful lettering.
Spencerian Copybooks
- Platt R. Spencer (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 100 Pages - 02/01/1985 (Publication Date) - Mott Media (Publisher)
These drill books will get you up to snuff in the art of Spencerian penmanship (aka fancy old vintage handwriting).
Dip Pen & Fountain Pen Calligraphy Gifts
Dip pens and fountain pens might seem intimidating, but they aren’t difficult to use. Like I mentioned earlier, you can brush watercolor onto the tip of your dip pen and use it as an ink! And fountain pens add a touch of class and a vintage feel to whatever you are writing. I use my Pilot Metropolitan for my Morning Pages each day, and I can’t go back!
Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen
- PILOT MR: This refillable modern fountain pen delivers refined style & an exceptionally smooth writing experience. Premium brass barrel with stainless accents, packaged in an elegant gift box. Fine or...
- USE WITH CONVERTER OR CARTRIDGE: The versatile Pilot MR Fountain Pen is compatible with the Pilot Con-70 converter (included)& it can also be used with convenient Pilot IC-100 ink cartridges.
- PILOT MR COLLECTION: The expressive MR Fountain, Ball Point, & Gel Roller pens are available in a variety of options, including the refined Metropolitan, eclectic Retro Pop, & exotic Animal...
- TRUSTED QUALITY: We've been making pens for over 100 years. Whether you're taking notes, stocking up on school or office supplies, or writing in a bullet journal, Pilot has the perfect pen for you!
The Pilot Metropolitan is an excellent first fountain pen for any stationery addict. They write incredibly smoothly, feel wonderful in the hand, and are extremely well priced.
Dip Nib Set for Copperplate Calligraphy
- 5020180272146
- Brand New Item / Unopened Product
- Manuscript Pen Company Ltd
The Leonardt nibs are a great beginner set for anyone wanting to dip their toes into traditional calligraphy! These nibs flex, which means you can get thick and thin strokes with a bit of pressure.
Oblique Point Holder
- Oblique pen holder
- Holds 101 and 103 pen points
- Perfect for drawing and lettering
- Designed for Copperplate and Spencerian script
This odd-looking nib holder is preferred for dip calligraphy, as you can better see the thing you are writing.
Staedtler Calligraphy Pen Set
- Calligraphy pen set in convenient, travel ready metal storage tin! Develop your calligraphy skills in order to express your creativity through a wide range of lettering styles
- Interchangeable nibs in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Extra Broad, can be used with any of the 4 fountain pen bodies included!
- Add color to your page with 20 assorted cartridges to choose from! Colors include: 5ea blue and black, 2ea yellow, orange, pink, green, brown
- Perfect for practicing and developing your own calligraphy style! Hold the pen so that the nib is at an angle, between 30° and 45° to the horizontal line of writing & explore all line variations
This is a great kit for any calligraphy beginner!
Staedtler Calligraphy Duo Markers
- Caligraphy duo markers in 5 colors
- Permanent odorless pigmented ink
- 2 chisel points fine and broad
- Quick drying & lightfast ink
I actually grew up using these, and I loved them. The chisel tip allows you to create crisp lines and broad strokes, which is perfect for traditional calligraphy and modern lettering alike!
Don’t Forget The Ink
Here are a few of my favorite inks for both dip pens and fountain pens:
Brush Lettering and Modern Calligraphy Gifts
Tombow Dual Brush Pens – Bright Set
- Water-based pens ideal for coloring, fine art, illustrations, doodling, journaling, hand lettering and more.
- Set of 10 Tombow Dual Brush Pens
- Flexible brush tip and fine tip in one marker.
- Brush tip works like a paintbrush to create fine, medium or bold strokes, fine tip gives consistent lines.
Tombows are great because you can blend the colors seamlessly without ruining the lighter colors. The bright set is one of the most popular among hand lettering enthusiasts, and it’s a great set for beginners.
Tombow Dual Brush Pens – Grayscale
- Updated color palette now includes N79 Warm Gray 2
- Ideal for hand lettering, watercolor, fine art, illustrations, doodling, journaling, coloring and more
- Water-based
- Blendable
The grayscale set is great for lettering shadows and adding that extra something to a hand lettered piece. Also, it has black, which the bright set does not.
Tombow Dual Brush Pens – 96 Set with Stand
- Water-based pens ideal for coloring, fine art, illustrations, doodling, journaling, hand lettering and more!
- Includes 96 colors, including a colorless blender, and a desk stand
- Flexible brush tip and fine tip in one marker! Brush tip works like a paintbrush to create fine, medium or bold strokes; fine tip gives consistent lines
- Included colorless blender pen softens and blends colors, creating a watercolor effect
If you’re going to get your loved one a gift, might as well go big with the full set of markers! Tombows are some of the easiest markers to work within this hand lettering gift guide, so don’t be shy about getting a lot of them!
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen – Hard and Soft Tips
- Contains both the soft and hard tip Fudenosuke Brush Pens
- Features a flexible brush tip for different lettering and drawing techniques
- Create extra fine, fine or medium strokes by a change in brush pressure
- Great for calligraphy and art drawings
The Dual Brush Pens are excellent for medium to large work, but the Fudenosuke pens are ideal for smaller writing. This set offers both the stiff tip pen and the more flexible tip pen for an excellent range of motion.
Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens – Assorted Tips 8 Pack
- PITT artist pens contain pigmented India ink that is both archival and acid free
- Perfect for drawing on the go!
- Convenient wallet keeps all your drawing tools together
- Pigmented India ink that is both acid free and pH Neutral
This excellent brand offers a lovely sample set with multiple types of pens for hand lettering, all in black ink.
Faber Castell PITT Artist Pens – Big Brush Set
- Large brush nib is great for large format work.
- Ideal for graphic artists, illustrators, architects, designers, and urban sketchers.
- These pens offer light-fastness and waterproof ink that is acid free.
- Won't bleed through paper.
These gorgeous, bold brush pens have rich colors and a wonderful feel. The size makes this pen set perfect for large projects!
Micron 6-Piece Classic Set
- Durable, Smooth Nib: Black and colored Micron pens offer a durable, cushy nib for everyday writing; smooth, skip-free writing
- Assorted Ink Colors: Contains a plastic nib Micron ink pen in black, red, blue/black, blue, sepia, rose, burgundy, and purple
- Archival Quality: Sakura Micron Pen ink is waterproof, fade resistant, bleed free, quick drying, and pH neutral
- Create Freely: Pigma Micron pens use color from single pigments for color consistency, every time
Similar to the set above, Micron offers an 8-piece pen set with several types of nibs. I prefer Micron over Faber Castell, but Faber Castell has a wider variety of pen types in its sampler set.
Micron Assorted Colors Brush Pen Set
- Thorough Ink Delivery: Black and colored brush pens deliver ink to sides and tip of flexible brush
- Assorted Ink Colors: Contains a Micron brush pen in black, red, blue, green, brown, purple, orange and rose
- Archival Quality: Pen ink is waterproof, fade resistant, bleed free, quick drying, and pH neutral
- Precision and Consistency: Pigma pens deliver consistent results with precision
If you want to grab brush pens in lots of colors, Micron is a great set! These pens are smaller than the Tombows, making them ideal for more precise lettering.
Gelly Roll Metallic Pen Set
- Gelly roll blister card assorted colors metallic gel ink pen set
- A roller ball pen that is easy and comfortable to write with
- Archival quality ink chemically stable, waterproof, and fade resistant
- No smears, feathers, or bleed-through on most papers
Gelly Roll pens, particularly the metallic ones, really do write like butter. The sparkle in the ink is simply stunning, and I use these in my bullet journal all the time!
Gelly Roll White Pens
- Bright, Opaque White Ink: Sakura Gelly Roll pens have vibrant white ink that flows creamy smooth onto paper
- Assorted Point Sizes: This white pen pack contains 6 pens; all 6 are 08 Medium point size
- Varied Line Sizes: Gelly Roll comes in three sizes—10 Bold for a solid bold line; 08 medium for a medium bright line; and 05 fine for a finer, lighter white line
- Unlimited Ways to Create: Gelly Roll pens offer unlimited possibilities to create something unique
These white pens are fantastic for lettering on multi-color or black paper. They’re also great for adding highlights and other accents to your hand lettering project. I use them for drawing and art all the time, too!
Pentel Pocket Brush Pen
- Portable, neat and easy-to-use versus traditional paint and brushes: Ideal for painting on Location
- Permanent pigment ink is both fade- and water-resistant
- Durable, Premium bristles help create fine to broad lines in a single Brush stroke
- Refill cartridges make for an easy, no mess ink Replacement
I personally adore this pen. The Pocket Brush Pen has actual bristles to its brush, rather than a flexible nylon tip that you’ll find in most other brush pens. This is a great pen for brush letterers and artists alike, and it’s one of my personal favorites from this hand lettering gift guide.
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
Another fantastic pen from Pentel. The Fude pen has extreme precision, and you can control the amount of ink flowing to the tip.
Staedtler Triplus Fineliners – 42 Set
- Assorted colors
- Perfect for charts, maps, and graphs
- Fiber-tipped
- Water-based ink
Triplus Fineliners are staples in my stationery set. These ultra thin-tipped pens are great for detail work, and you have every color imaginable at your fingertips with this set!
Staedtler Metallic Marker Set
- Five assorted metallic markers (gold, silver, blue, green and pink)
- Suitable for use on light and dark paper
- Suitable for scrapbooking, card making and general crafts
- Rounded tip
These bullet-tip metallic markers are gorgeous. What hand lettering artist doesn’t want to add a pop of metallic to their hand lettered creations?
Sharpie Brush Tip Markers
- Brush tip allows you to draw both fine and broad lines and even try shading
- A bold, smooth, high-quality writing experience
- Quick-drying, fade-resistant ink won't smear
- Permanent on most surfaces including plastic, wood and glass
Did you know Sharpie made brush pens? Neither did I until recently! But they are great pens, and giant – perfect for large projects.
Watercolor Lettering Gifts
Watercolor is a loose medium with tons of potential. You can mix any color you want, create cool splatter effects, and make wicked gradients that you couldn’t dream of with normal brush pens. These gifts are also fantastic if your calligrapher is also into painting because there’s no limit to the possibilities!
Pentel Aquash Water Brush Pens
- Create a watercolor masterpiece with the Aquash Water Brush
- Fill barrel with water and blend powdered pigment, watercolor crayons and pencils, pastels and more.
- Ideal to use with Sign Pen Brush products
- Control the water flow with just a squeeze of the barrel. The durable, nylon tip will give a sensitive response for delicate lines or pools of water
These are some of my absolute favorites. I use them constantly. I wrote a whole post about how to use watercolors in your planner or bullet journal. But for any brush letterer or artist, I cannot recommend the Aquash water brushes enough.
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Hydrus Fine Art Watercolor Set
- Set of 12, 0. 5 oz plastic bottles with droppers and mixing palette
- Fine art quality watercolor with the same brilliance and permanence as traditional tubes
- Brilliant, lightfast, transparent liquid watercolor for use on paper or canvas
- 36 unique colors available across three different sets
Concentrated watercolors in a liquid form like this are extremely easy to work with. Water it down for a softer look, mix with other watercolors, and use as ink in dip pens – you have a ton of flexibility with this gorgeous set.
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleedproof White
- Bleed proof White in a 1.0 oz glass jar
- Covers dye, marker colors, or pigment color
- Excellent for correcting on all paper-based surfaces
- Great for watercolor work for building layers
If you want to have a bold, opaque white to add another layer to your beautiful work, then look no further. This white ink looks gorgeous on colored paper and black and can be used in countless ways.
Finetec Mica Watercolors – 12 Color Set
- Ideal for creating special effects and highlighting.
- Can be blended and can be dissolved with water and applied with a brush
- Colors adhere to all absorbent surfaces such as paper wood gypsum etc.
- Set includes: Silver Pearl, Fine Gold, Shining Pink, Red, Fine Lilac, Red Violet, Blue Pearl, Blue Silver, Green Pearl, Blue-Green, Bronze, and Red-Brown.
I am in love with Finetecs, and I think it’s easy to see why. These paints have mica powder in them, which is commonly used in eyeshadow for a metallic or glimmery look. They apply beautifully and come in a wide variety of colors. And if you apply them to a dip pen nib, you can write with them like ink!
Finetec Mica Watercolors – Gold Palette
- Set of 6 Pearl Colors
- Pearl Colors are opaque colors
- Ideally suited for calligraphy
- Manufactured using only Mica-Pigments and Gum Arabic
I use this beautiful gold set on everything I possibly can – on my bullet journal, in my artwork, and my hand lettering. If you get this for your calligraphy fanatic, they will love you forever. Seriously, it’s one of the most beautiful things to behold on this whole hand lettering gift guide.
Paint Tray Palette
- Very sturdy designed with Six Round Wells, Four Rectangular Wells and a Thumb Hole. A Nice Partner for your painting.
- Made of molded white plastic, very durable and easy to clean. Different size and design wells for mixing colors.You can creating a variety of colors by using it.
- Suitable for all water based media. Different size and design wells for mixing colors. Works for oils and especially for acrylic or watercolor paints.
- Ideal for amateur painters, art classes / lessons, small paint projects, kid's painting projects / parties, and a great gift for friends / kids.
If you get any watercolor paint for your lucky loved one, don’t forget to complete the set with a plastic palette for mixing!
Heat Embossing Gifts
Gold paints are pretty, but embossing is a whole new level. This craft used to only be for professional printers and high-level crafters, but it is now available at a very reasonable price. Once you have the necessary materials, you can sustain this impressive looking craft for a very long time with minimal new costs. And it’s super easy to use, especially in a bullet journal or planner!
Grab The Starter Kit
Ranger recently released a starter kit that includes absolutely everything someone needs to start heat embossing, making it the perfect gift idea for anyone crafty in your life!
Embossing Pens
- Pens contain a specially formulated ink that stays wet on paper, providing the tack needed to attract and retain embossing powders until they are cured with heat
- Perfect for scrapbooking, rubber stamping, paper crafting, and even altered arts
- package weight : 1.0lbs
- Made in USA
These embossing pens have a special ink that grabs the embossing powder and stays wet for a long time, unlike most inks.
Gold Embossing Powder
- Results achieved in the past only by professional printers are now easily attained in a vast array of colors
- Embellish any paper craft with elegance
- This package contains one 1oz jar of embossing powder
- Comes in a variety of colors.Each sold separately
There are tons of embossing powders, but gold is a great starter powder. The effect is just too magical with gold, and who doesn’t love gold anyway?
Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder
- Results achieved in the past only by professional printers are now easily attained in a vast array of colors
- Embellish any paper craft with the elegance of this line
- This package contains one 0.6oz jar of embossing powder
- Comes in a variety of colors
If you want something else to add to the gold powder, liquid platinum is a great choice. The color is very unique – not quite silver, not quite champagne, not quite copper… you have to see it in the light to see the full effect!
Embossing Heat Tool
- ▶ Variable Speed & Heat: Our heat gun for crafts has dual temperature and speed settings - low speed & heat for delicate or detail work and high speed & heat for heavy duty or high volume work....
- ▶ Hobby heating gun for crafts: Small craft heat gun for resin, embossing powders, shrink wrap, vinyl wrap, decals, jewelry making, candle making, sublimation tumblers, ceramics, bubble busting, or...
- ▶ Multi-purpose: This is more than just a crafting heat torch! Our dual speed variable temp heat gun with shield and wire stand is also great for shrink tubing,vinyl wrap, soldering, wire...
- ▶ Insulated - Ergonomic - Light Weight - Quiet: Cheap mini heat guns get too hot to hold. Cordless wireless large gun-style heat guns are too heavy for extended projects. Our pink heat gun for resin...
This little heat gun is what brings it all together. It melts the tiny powder particles and transforms them into the shiny, sparkly raised surface that we all love.
Paper and Writing Surfaces
Rhodia Dot Grid Notebook
- A4+/210 x 318 mm in size
- Paper within the notepad is made from Clairefontaine 80 g Superfine Vellum
- 80 detachable micro-perforated sheets
- Printed with a light grey grid with 5mm intervals between dots
Rhodia puts out some beautiful products that are fantastic for hand lettering. They use a dot grid, which helps the calligrapher write evenly and with proper spacing. The Rhodia is perfect for brush pens and bullet tip pens, such as Tombow, Staedtler, Faber-Castell, Pentel, Micron, Pilot, and Gelly Roll. I would not recommend using a water brush or Sharpies, and I would exercise caution with wet mediums such as dip pens with ink.
Canson Mixed Media Sketchbook
- EXPLORE YOUR WILD SIDE – Embrace worry-free creativity on these resilient 160gsm sheets! Unleash your imagination confidently, exploring dry and wet media like, vibrant paints and bold colored...
- HEAVYWEIGHT & TEXTURED – Unlock artistic possibilities with textured paper that smooth paper can't match. The unique surface gracefully absorbs paint and preserves pigments without warping, allowing...
- PERFECT FOR STUDENTS – Unleash your creativity in art class by easily transitioning between sketching, drawing, painting, calligraphy, illustration, comics, and concept art. This all-in-one pad is...
- SAFE FOR PAINT & PENCIL – Mixed media paper is designed to accommodate a variety of art materials, such as colored pencils, solvent-based markers, charcoal, brush pens, ink pens, watercolor paints,...
The thick paper of this sketchbook is fantastic for just about any media (as I’m sure you could guess from the name). I like to use mine for watercolors, Finetecs, pure inks, and permanent markers like Sharpies.
Pentalic Traveler Sketchbook with Black Paper
- DURABLE COVER - The Black, Italian made cover is water-resistant with a heavy-duty sewn binding
- ACID FREE - the black paper is made by using alkaline paper making technology which prevents papers from fading or discoloring. Acid-free paper addresses the problem of preserving documents or...
- RECYCLED PAPER - Our recycled sketch paper is perfect for sketching, notes or field work
- ALL-IN-ONE SKETCHBOOK -Offering everything someone would want in a journal: an expandable pocket, elastic closure and a ribbon that marks your place
The black paper in this is perfect for all the gel pens, white inks, and metallic markers listed above. This will add a whole new element to the look of a hand lettered design.
Strathmore Toned Tan Sketchbook
- Artist-Recommended Sketch Paper - Loved by artists for decades, Strathmore 400 Series Sketch paper has been the trusted friend of fashion designers, illustrators, architects & painters from the...
- Helps Make Highlights Pop – Toned paper allows for greater contrast between darks and lights so you can tackle a wider range of values and more realistic results; be sure to keep your white pencil...
- General Purpose, Recycled & Heavyweight - Made with 100% recycled & 30% post-consumer fiber! Tackle sketch projects like figure drawing, illustration, and character design without worry of unsightly...
- Use with Multiple Materials - Paper is intended for practicing techniques with graphite, chalk, charcoal, markers, colored pencils, pens
Plain white paper is boring! Grab this unique toned tan sketchbook that is perfect for both rich blacks and bright white tones.
Lettering & Calligraphy Gift Guide Wrap Up
So there you have it! There are enough gift ideas on this list to get your imagination turning. You can either sample from several brands and pen types or grab several items from the same brand. There are just a ton of options, so don’t worry about whether your loved one will appreciate your selection. If you are buying for a true pen addict like myself, literally everything on this hand lettering gift guide will make his or her socks roll up and down. I’ve been receiving perfectly normal plain black pens in my stocking for the last several years, and I am always thrilled. So trust me, you’ll be fine. You can’t go wrong with the gift of creativity! If you’re still at a loss for what to get, make sure to check out my gift guides page for more inspiration!
P.S. If you want to put the new pens to good use, sign up to the Fox Den Resource Library here or sign up for my lettering quickstart guide and start lettering right away!
