by Walking into the world of calligraphy and hand lettering can be a bewildering experience at first. There are several forms of calligraphy and letter art, each with its unique collection of supplies and techniques, making knowing where to begin challenging at times. That’s where calligraphy sets come in! A good calligraphy kit takes the guesswork out of getting started with the craft and provides you with a base set of supplies to build your skills right away. Check out the following best calligraphy kit for beginners.
Best Calligraphy Kit for Beginners
| Brand Name | Image | Rating | Price |
| Plotube Calligraphy Pen Kit |   |
9.3 | View on Amazon |
| NKGI Beginners Calligraphy Kit |   |
9.3 | View on Amazon |
| The Lettering Tribe Beginners Calligraphy Set |   |
9.2 | View on Amazon |
| Trustela Beginners Calligraphy Set |   |
9.0 | View on Amazon |
| Hethrone Beginners Calligraphy Pens Set |    |
9.0 | View on Amazon |
1. Plotube Calligraphy Pen Kit
The first thing that you will immediately notice is that this starter calligraphy set comes with a lot of calligraphy nibs, 11 different ones to be exact. Most of them are specialty nibs that only experienced scribes usually use. However, that does not mean you will not have fun trying them all.
Aside from the nibs, you will also be getting 7 bottles of ink of different colors. Having different colors to choose from right out of the box will make you want to start working on your calligraphy immediately. Also, the inks have passable quality. They have nice opaqueness and consistency.
I also like the pen nib holder quite a lot. The weight is just right. It is not too heavy and not too light either. The shape is also quite ergonomic. It sits nicely in my hand, making it comfortable to hold. The best part is that it holds all 11 of the nibs securely. Nothing is loose.
Another nice touch is the beginner’s manual included with the kit. Since this kit is for absolute beginners, it is nice that it has an instruction booklet to help them get started immediately. However, the instructions are all for the basics. If you want to learn advanced techniques, you can go online for them.
As mentioned, the included manual only contains basic instructions. You will not get any information on how to use the specialty nibs. Another issue that I have is that some of the nibs scratch the paper. I had to sand the tips of the nibs to make them work properly.
2. NKGI Beginners Calligraphy Kit
I was quite surprised when I first opened the box because it contained 11 different nibs. The box was so small that I thought it would only come with three to five nibs, and not 11. Unlike the other beginner’s kits that I have tested, these nibs have different tip sizes.
I also liked the wooden nib holder included in the set. The wood is nice and dense. It also has an ergonomic shape, making it comfortable to use. It was also easy to insert and remove all the nibs included in the kit. They are not too tight and not loose at all.
I liked using the duckbill nibs. Not only do they write smoothly but they also have rather large ink reservoirs. The lines that these nibs make are very uniform and varying the pressure on the tip creates nice variations in the thickness.
Another nice thing included in this kit is the hefty metal pen holder. This helps me a lot because I do not need to lay down the pen on a dirty paper towel. Having a pen holder also keeps the ink on the nib and not on the pen body. This makes cleanup much easier.
Thankfully, you can find lots of calligraphy tutorials online because the included instructional booklet is not much help. It only teaches the very basics, like how to hold the pen and the basic strokes. Also, the ink that came with the set is a bit too watery and bleeds easily.
3. The Lettering Tribe Beginners Calligraphy Set
This calligraphy writing set for beginners contains all the tools and materials that you will need to get started immediately. Aside from getting decent nibs and pen holders, you will also obtain other neat stuff, like several bottles of ink, a couple of small pads of paper, and around ten different writing nibs.
Speaking of the freebies, this set comes with a link to a free instructional ebook that is easy to understand. Not only will you be getting all the materials needed to practice calligraphy, but you will also gain access to useful instructions. This means you can immediately start practicing right after you open the box.
Another nice thing about this modern calligraphy set for beginners is that it comes with ten different calligraphy nibs. Expect to get fine-tipped nibs and those that have duckbill tips for wider lines. I know that it can be tempting to use each one of the nibs, but you should pick just one for the moment to practice with.
Now, if you are thinking of giving this best beginner calligraphy pen as a gift, the box itself looks nice enough even without wrapping paper. I like giving these to my nieces and nephews who show an interest in calligraphy. The carrying case is beautiful enough as is that all I needed to do was to put a ribbon and a card on it.
4. Trustela Beginners Calligraphy Set
This is one of the most common calligraphy kits for beginners because it comes with 20 different pen nibs. These nibs range from very fine to wide, duckbill tips. With all these nibs at your disposal, you can do everything from calligraphy to ink drawings. The downside here is that it can be overwhelming.
Another nice touch is the included metal pen holder. I liked this inclusion a lot, mainly because I no longer need to use a paper towel. Having a pen holder is a lot more convenient. Aside from that, it makes cleanup afterward much easier.
You will also be getting four bottles of different-colored inks. In addition to the usual black, you will also be getting blue, green, and red. In my experience, it is much more enjoyable to practice calligraphy when using different colors from time to time.
You will also be getting three different nib holders. All three are made of wood and in different colors. The nice thing about having several pens at the ready is that it promotes ease in switching between nib sizes, without having to remove them from the holder.
This would have been a great beginner’s set for calligraphy if only the inks were a bit translucent. They are fine for practice, but if you want to take your hobby a bit more seriously, it should be better in terms of being opaque. Another thing, there should be an instructional manual, even just a basic one, included in the set, but there is none.
5. Hethrone Beginners Calligraphy Pens Set
And finally, this is the best calligraphy kit for beginners among the things that I liked the most about this set are the beautifully made nibs. Although they do not add much to their functionality, they work well as decorative pieces when you are not using them. However, some have a lot of creases for holding more ink.
If you are planning to give this set as a gift, you do not need to wrap it up as the box itself looks nice as is. I have given a couple of these sets to some friends, and all I needed to add was a card.
As I said earlier, the decorative designs of the nibs did not add too much in terms of the way they function. However, they are not too shabby either. I have tested all of them and they all wrote smoothly. Some nibs did work better than the others but none of them were bad.
Also, the wooden nib holder was quite nice to use. The pen has a nice heft to it. It has a nice shape that makes it very comfortable to hold. This is unlike the other cheap nib pens I have used that were so light and felt really cheap.
I do have a bit of an issue with the ink that came with the set, though. In my opinion, it is a bit too watery. If you will be practicing on cheap copy paper, expect the ink to bleed through the paper. So, I suggest that you place another sheet underneath your paper to prevent it from staining your work surface.