For the thirteenth post of this little series that I have been posting on this blog, I’ll be talking about where to get calligraphy materials and how much would they probably cost.
Calligraphy Materials
Since the start of my calligraphy journey last year, I’ve learned that there are a number of shops that would sell various materials at different price range. If you are a thrift shopper like me, then what I’m about to tell you would be very interesting. The things that I have been posting here are from my personal experience with calligraphy. I’m no expert on this and still currently exploring.
I have been to National Bookstore in Glorietta and so far, they almost have it all! They are the most complete bookstore for the stuff that we all are looking for.
For the watercolor
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| Prang and Simbalion |
For Prang:
- eight (8) colors would be worth Php 250
- sixteen (16) colors would be worth Php 459 – the same price when you check at Powerbooks
Prang is quite tricky to use and I’ve heard that ants come near Prang. Maybe that’s why there are ants near my art materials. Since it’s semi-moist, some of my artist friends have told me to try using it with more water. Using it on watercolor paper makes it very easy to manipulate.
For Simbalion:
- sixteen (16) colors would below Php 100 (I think, I’m guessing already because I can’t seriously remember the exact amount, sorry for that)
- 36 colors would cost around Php 100-200 only!
For Bestbuy:
- It’s very, very affordable!
- It could be used for practice like for brush calligraphy, lettering, mixing.
- The 18 colors is between Php 100-200 (forgot the exact amount)
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| Simbalion, Prang, Bestbuy |
Thoughts
My feedback about Simbalion is that it is very easy to use whether for dip pen or for brush pen. This is my go-to product for practice. It quickly dries so you could easily paint on it easily when you plan on doing layers.
For the other brands, I’ve noticed that using Winsor and Newton gives a faded look when finished. I would want to try other brands as well but resources are somehow limited and I would want to use all my watercolor before exploring other brands. Yet, if you have experience with other brands, please do tell me! I’d highly appreciate it.
For the paper
I’ve been hoarding a lot of paper since paper would change prices very quickly!
Watercolor paper:
- I’ve been using Canson paper with 200gsm.
- Before, its price is Php 44 per pack of 10 sheets. Now, it costs Php 60 per pack of 10 sheets. (The price is quite high from my observation when I was at NBS in Glorietta)
Vellum board paper:
- The one that I’m using costs Php 19.75 per pack of 10 sheets also; from Orange with 200 gsm as well.
- It is ideal if you are going to make cards (postcards, greeting cards) since that’s the only thing I did with it so I still don’t about about other products.
Papemelroti.com paper:
- This product is similar with multi-purpose paper and is made of recycled materials.
- It is very affordable since for Php 50, you have 50 sheets already!
- It may be used for art journal, background paper, embellishment, emboss, paper crafts, paper tearing and calligraphy.
One note with Papemelroti.com paper is that it may cause bleeding when it comes to calligraphy. When using watercolor, I only tried it with Simablion watercolor and it doesn’t get torn apart.
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| Papemelroti.com paper is not yet included |
For brush pens:
Craft Doodle PH waterbrush pens
- Very affordable since for three (3) large waterbrush pens, it would only cost Php 500
- The bundle would include small, medium and large brush pens.
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| Photo originally grabbed from Craft Doodle PH and I just post-processed it. |
This is very easy to use and would really last a while before you have to refill the water cartridge. My first time to use this, I used it with Simbalion watercolor and it was really a great experience!
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| How it looks like |
For inks:
Walnut ink
- From Craft Central, it would depend on the size. For 100ml, Php 200 and 30ml, Php 120
- It’s the first ink I used when I started with calligraphy and it’s very easy to use.
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| Photo credits: Craft Central |
Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleedproof White Ink
- Php 450 from Pens Galore
- At first, it was quite tricky to use since mixing it with water was tough since I had a hard time looking for a tutorial on how to manipulate and use it.
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| Image from Google |
Gum Arabic
- From Craft Central, it costs Php 220 and it’s in the powder form. Other shops sell the liquid form but I have not encountered one here in the Philippines or even in the metro.
- Its purpose is to thicken the pigmentation of the ink.
- The recommended ratio is 1:5 gum arabic to water ratio.
Photos are from The Craft Central.Calligraphy Ink (Red)
- From Craft Central, 30ml costs Php 180
- From experience, using the ink itself directly would cause bleeding and blotting on the paper. My artist friends told me to try experimenting it and diluting it with water to achieve the right combination so as not to have bleeding when writing.
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| From Craft Central |
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| Finished product |
For holders:
Straight holders:
- From NBS in Glorietta (back when they still had stocks), it would only cost for Php 26
- From Craft Central, it would cost Php 100 (Speedball)
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| Photo credits: Craft Central |
Oblique holders:
- From Craft Central, it’s around Php 100-200 (forgot the exact amount)
- For lefties, it may be quite hard to use but for right-handed people, it may be quite easy to use.
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| Photo credits: Craft Central |
That would be all for now, for my next post, I’ll be featuring the nibs that I have been using for the whole duration of my calligraphy journey.
Calligraphy is tough but it’s a happy hobby.
4 Comments
Stella the Travelerette
May 10, 2016 at 9:14 PMThis is a very detailed post! I feel that it would be helpful for anyone who wanted to try calligraphy. I’ve never done any myself, but it looks beautiful. What are some projects you do with calligraphy?
Kristine Redillas
May 10, 2016 at 9:33 PMFor now, I do it as a hobby. But I do get some projects like postcards or custom-made cards. 😀
Aika
May 11, 2016 at 3:37 AMOhhhh. I think i am gonna start reading this series from the start. I always see your posts on instagram. I am not that good but i like writing in scripts on my planner. Do you teach calligraphy 101 ? Naiisip ko talaga magenrol sa ganito. Hahahaha!
Kristine Redillas
May 11, 2016 at 4:12 AMHola! Thank you hihi. For teaching, just little tutorials with friends, not the workshop or private class yet. I feel my skills aren’t ready yet. I have friends who conduct workshops or private classes. I could tell them if you want to 🙂