Many beginning calligraphy books will give you detailed instructions on the tools you “must” have before beginning calligraphy.  These tools, such as a ruler, a calligraphy pen with three or four different nibs, black india ink, powdered colored ink, heavy paper, etc., are certainly important if you want to pursue the interesting aspects of calligraphy.

However, if you are a true beginner to calligraphy, just beginning to learn the strokes, not even sure if this is really something you´re interested in pursuing, how much sense does it make to invest in expensive pens, inks, and paper?  None at all.  This article looks at sensible and cheap tools that will allow you to practice the basic strokes and learn enough calligraphy to decide whether this is something you want to pursue before you invest in the “proper” equipment.  Be aware that these tools won´t allow you to create elegant invitations and placecards.  For that, you do need the right tools.  But for practicing your strokes, these work just as well.

First, you need paper.  Ideally, it should be lined.  You can create lined paper on your computer in either Publisher or Excel.  Just make sure that all the lines are even.  Don´t use ruled notebook filler; it´s too thin.

Paper with calligraphy lines—two dark lines to mark the bottom and top of each line, and a fainter one to mark the middle—is always useful.  But it isn´t necessary.  You can always use a ruler and a pencil and pencil in the middle line yourself.  Remember, we want the cheapest, most basic equipment possible.

Next, let´s look at pens.  Calligraphy pens can be expensive.  Calligraphy ink can be even more expensive.  But all you really need for practicing the basic strokes of calligraphy is a chisel-tipped pen or marker.  That´s it.  You need to be able to draw a thick or thin line with the same pen.  But you don´t need an expensive calligraphy pen to do that.

Chisel-tipped pens or markers come in all different colors, so if you want, you can buy a four-pack and play around with different colors.  But even that isn´t necessary.  A plain black works just fine.  Almost all major brands offer chisel-tipped pens for under $5.  (Many sell them for under $3.)

You also need a book that can show you the basic strokes of calligraphy.  However, at this point, the basic strokes are all you need.  Don´t spend extra money on a book that will show you twenty different alphabets if you can find one that will teach you just the strokes.

Finally, unless you can print calligraphy paper from your computer, you need a ruler for marking that elusive middle line.  You can pick up a good wooden ruler for under a dollar in most office supply stores, superstores, or school supply stores.

Getting started in calligraphy need not cost an arm and a leg.  As you advance, you will, no doubt, want to invest in pens and inks and papers.  For now, however, those things simply aren´t necessary.  Especially if you have children who think they want to learn calligraphy, buy the cheap practice tools first.  If your child wants to learn calligraphy badly enough to practice page after page of a single stroke for weeks on end, then you should probably go ahead and invest in the more expensive tools.  But use the cheap ones to see if he or she will stick with it.

At heart, calligraphy is nothing more than a collection of particular strokes.  In order to get good at calligraphy, you must write page after page of a single stroke, then page after page of another, and so on.  It is a tedious and time consuming process, and most people give up after a few dozen practice pages.  Be smart.  Start cheap.  If you hang in there, you can buy the fancy equipment.  Otherwise, you would only be throwing money away.

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