What's in my Calligraphy Travel Kit?
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As much as I would love to have an office/studio space designed for my calligraphy projects, I am not yet there. Therefore, I basically practice calligraphy anywhere there is a chair and a table, which includes the breakroom at work, my boyfriend's living room (where C'est Calligraphy was born), and cute cafes. However, lugging around my large ArtBin to these places became a hassle so it was time for me to find a smaller ArtBin. When I went to my local art shop, I found the perfect ArtBin that was lightweight, compact, but big enough to carry all my necessary supplies. Now let's dig into my new calligraphy travel kit!
The first row holds all of my nib holders. These are just the basic nib holders you’ll find at any local art stores. I have both straight and oblique nib holders and so far they seem to hold a variety of nibs fairly. I recently purchased this grey oblique holder from Laura Hopper Calligraphy and it’s so lightweight and thin I’m obsessed with it. However, it doesn’t hold my Hunt 101 nib or any nib smaller than that. I am really interested in investing in a fancier nib holder, but I have yet to do the research on it so if you have any recommendations I would love to hear from you!
The second row is where I place all of my most used inks! I transferred them into their own mini paint jars. These mini jars fit perfectly in the ArtBin, hold a decent amount of ink, and closes well enough to prevent any ink spill. For iridescent inks and gouache inks I give them a shake before opening because pigment particles tend to collect at the bottom. Along with my inks, I also carry a pen cleaner to remove all the dried ink off my nibs, which is important for the longeivity of the nib.
Order of ink (left to right)
1. Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay White Ink
2. Higgins Black Calligraphy Ink
3. Grey Gouache Ink
4. Dr. Ph. Martin's Iridescent Copper Plate Gold Ink
The last row is where I hold my watercolor brushes and nib container. Since I am constantly practicing and improving my watercolor calligraphy, I tend to carry my calligraphy brushes everywhere I go. My watercolor brushes are a collection of the Sakura watercolor brushes in medium, and large, Winston and Newton Round 2 and 6, and Princeton Elite Round 3/0, 0, 1. Finding the right brushes for watercolor calligraphy is still an ongoing trial. So far I am loving the Princeton Elite Round 0 brush because it gives an amazing thick downward stroke and a very fine upward stroke. However, the Sakura watercolor brushes are a bit sturdier and are great for beginners who needs to learn how to manipulate the brush tip. Besides the brushes, I also have a compact watercolor paint kit from Koi as well that travels with me, but in case I forget my watercolor kit, I can always use my gouache ink to practice watercolor calligraphy.
Last, but not least, are my nibs. My nib container came with a of set of D. Leondart nibs and I absolutely love this container. It’s cute, compact, and sturdy. I try my best to clean my nibs and place them back into the nib container to prevent them from rusting. My nibs are a collection of Hunt 101, D. Leondart nibs, Nikko G, and Brause Steno 360, and Brause Rose. I will provide a full nib collection in the next post, but for now, let me know what you carry in your calligraphy travel kit!
