My All Time Favorite Calligraphy Pen for Lettering Beginners

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If you’ve listened to me talk about calligraphy for even one minute, I guarantee you’ve heard me talk about this pen! This blog post is a love-letter to my all time favorite beginner lettering pen, perfect for those just starting out in the world of calligraphy.

The Tombow Fudenosuke Hard-Tipped Pen

Click the link above to purchase from our shop! You can also find a set with the hard and soft tip on Amazon at this link,  although sometimes they are difficult to find as they go out of stock often.

Let me tell you why I’m totally, completely, head over heels in love with this pen.

  1. There is no mess! You get the look of pointed pen calligraphy, without the constant danger of ruining all carpet and light colored upholstery in your home. That’s a win in my book.
  2. It’s a one-and-done product. Let’s be honest, you don’t want a shopping list to get started in calligraphy. That’s why I started recommending this pen – you don’t need to buy ink or any special supplies to get started on your journey to learning calligraphy.

  3. The tip never wears out. It is made of a special elastomer substance that holds up to heavy pressure (which all beginners have, in my experience) and won’t fray unlike natural fiber tips.
  4. The tip is stiff. That means that you’ll be able to achieve those thin hairlines in your lettering without having to work too hard – something that most beginners struggle with. Read my post about the most common beginner calligraphy mistakes here.
  5. This pen lasts forever.  I mean it, y’all. When people ask me how long the pen lasts, I never know how to answer them. I have literally never used one until it ran out – I usually misplace mine first!
  6. It creates bold consistent strokes that are fantastic for digitizing. You may not be prepared to start digitizing your lettering yet – but let me tell you, this is a major plus! Lettering that has bold color is fantastic for turning into vectorized work. We’ll talk about this in a future blog post!

Now, a few downsides (I can’t bear to say cons!)

  1. This pen only comes in black. If you want another color, you will have to pick an alternate pen, like the Pentel Sign Touch Fude Pens.
  2. This is better for small lettering – for large lettering you’ll need a pen with a larger tip.

I’d love to hear what you think about this pen, or if you have a different all-time favorite lettering pen. Let me know in the comments!

Until then, happy lettering!