You’ve probably seen colorful ombre calligraphy floating around on Instagram, and it’s got you hooked—I wouldn’t blame you; they’re hypnotizing! So, I put up a short Q&A for those who wanted to venture into the colorful world of painting letters. Read on for my friendly watercolor calligraphy for beginners’ guide. P.S. Check out my modern calligraphy starter guide too!
1. What are those blue brushes with barrels?
You’ve probably seen other artists or me on Instagram post these light blue brushes that contain water. This is called a water brush. It virtually eliminates the need for having a cup of water to slosh around to help you with your lettering/painting.
I LOVE these for lettering, but not so much for painting. I still go back to regular brushes for doing freehand florals and coloring doodles. Other artists also use regular brushes for lettering–try to see if this is something that works for you! I find that synthetic brushes in size 0 work best for this.
2. What paper do you use?
Watercolor paper is something I’ve never heard of before getting into watercolor art. Usually, paper from 170GSM to 300GSM work best. The brands I use are Berkely, Daler Rowney, Strathmore, and Canson. The brand Arches is really good, but it’s also expensive. National Bookstore has tons of watercolor paper options, and a lot of online shops sell handmade paper or loose sheets pre-cut into different sizes.
3. What paint do you use?
I own a Prang, Simbalion, FineTec, Van Gogh, Sennelier, and Holbein.
I use Prang and Simbalion mainly for watercolor lettering. FineTec is used whenever I work with dark paper while Van Gogh and Holbein are for painting and doodling. There are tons of paint sets out there that you can experiment with!
Got any more questions? Just comment below. I hope this helped you out!
Love,
Foti
