Lettering & Calligraphy Hub- Supplies & Kits for Beginners & Professionals
Welcome to our lettering and calligraphy hub at Under the Rowan Trees — your indie alternative to the big stationery chains. We’ve curated the best brush pens, dip pens, inks, smooth practice paper, and creative tools to help every writer, doodler, or journal-keeper get started. Whether you’re just beginning your brush lettering journey or you’re looking for specialist nibs and refillable calligraphy tools, you’ll find quality supplies we genuinely use and love.
We stock popular brands including Pentel, Toms Studio, Sakura and more, plus eco-friendly refillable pens and inspiring practice pads. Our beginner calligraphy kits make brilliant gifts, while our professional tools help experienced artists experiment with new techniques and styles. Explore guides, learn new skills, and enjoy fast UK shipping from a friendly small business that cares about creativity.
Why Under the Rowan Trees is Different
Curated selection of top brush pens, nibs & ink.
Beginner-friendly starter kits & gift sets.
Expert guides and tutorials to help you learn & grow.
Fast UK shipping, small-business values.
What is Brush Lettering?
Brush lettering is a modern style of calligraphy created with flexible brush tips rather than traditional nibs. The pressure you apply changes the thickness of each stroke: light pressure for thin upstrokes, firm pressure for bold downstrokes. It’s ideal for bullet journals, envelope addressing, planners, scrapbooking and handmade cards. Beginners usually start with medium-firm brush pens before moving to soft, flexible tips.
Recommended beginner tools: Pentel Touch, Tombow Fudenosuke, Sakura Brush Pen.
Best paper: smooth, bleed-resistant practice pads.
Brush Lettering Hub
Everything you need to start brush lettering or to develop your skills!
How to Choose Your First Brush Pen
Pick a pen based on tip softness:
- Soft tip: expressive, dramatic strokes (great for experienced letterers)
- Medium tip: controlled, consistent lines (best for beginners)
- Hard tip: small lettering for planners and journals
Try starting with two different sizes so you can practise headings and tiny notes.
Beginner favourites: Pentel Touch, Tombow Dual Brush, Sakura Brush Pen.
Quick rule: if your pen feels scratchy, change the paper — not the pen.
3 Ways to Level Up Your Calligraphy
Practising your calligraphy drills and using guidelines are SO important when it comes to learning how to create consistent beautiful calligraphy. Once you’ve built up the confidence to easily create letters and words with the drills, it’s time to start having fun. You’re ready to start exploring new forms of modern calligraphy and create your own style!
Brush Lettering Supplies for Beginners
Describe a product, make announcements, or welcome customers to your store.
Dip Pen Calligraphy Explained
Dip pens use a metal nib and a pot of ink rather than a cartridge. They create very precise, elegant lines — perfect for formal calligraphy, wedding stationery, and decorative scripts. Unlike brush pens, dip pens allow you to swap nib shapes to alter style and line width. Clean your nib after every session with water and a soft cloth.
Recommended starter setup: basic nib holder, pointed nib (Nikko G or Zebra G), and a waterproof black calligraphy ink.
Top tip: avoid printer paper — use smooth calligraphy pads.
Calligraphy Hub
Whatever your experience or style, we have the guides and supplies you need for your calligraphy journey!
Best Calligraphy Tools
From beginners to pros, our guide will help you find the pens, nibs and inks you need.
Prepare Your Calligraphy Nib
From potatoes to toothpaste, learn how to look after your nibs for best results.
Dip Pen Beginner Box
With all the supplies you need and an expert guide, our beginner box is the perfect place to start.
Calligraphy Gift Sets
Give the gift of calligraphy to someone who needs to slow down and practise this mindful skill.
Common Calligraphy Mistakes (and Easy Fixes)
- Streaky strokes? ➜ Use smoother paper (look for “marker paper” or “Bristol”).
- Ink blobs? ➜ Reduce pressure on upstrokes and keep nibs clean.
- Frayed pen tips? ➜ Avoid cheap copy paper — choose bleed-proof pads.
- Uneven letters? ➜ Slow down. Calligraphy is about control, not speed.
Pro tip: Keep scrap paper beside you to test each stroke before you commit.
Try Dip Pen & Ink Drawing
Diving into the world of dip pens and ink drawing can be a rewarding experience for artists and calligraphers alike.
Choose the Right Nib
Let Angela from Creative Calligraphy guide you through the nib-choosing process.
Calligraphy Inks, Nibs, Pens
Find all the supplies you need to take your calligraphy to the next level!
Calligraphy Supplies
Testimonials
Tried and tested by beginner calligraphers and expert lettering artists!
An unusual nib to add to my collection, beautiful. I was interested to see the really helpful instructions on the Under the Rowan Trees website on how to prepare a new nib which no-one else on other websites had mentioned at all.
Miss. S
What a lovely dip pen. Pretty colour, I chose gold . This is such a nice nib pen holder to write with. Also delivered in good time too
Gina H
Excellent service and price. I have only recently started calligraphy! So i will definitely be back to purchase more....shhhh don't tell my hubby lol 😂
Ann