In the search for the best writing materials for me, I’ve search through high and low for calligraphy pads and tools. Here are my thoughts and experiences. I hope this would be of help to you as well.

Calligraphy Pads

Various calligraphy pads are already out in the market. Newbies to the craft may find a hard time in choosing which one to buy and eventually use. When I started this creative journey, the kit I got from The Craft Central had already a calligraphy pad in it which was quite convenient.

It was easier that way since I’m new to the craft. The friends I have met have been already practicing for quite a while. Pursuing a new craft will yield good in the long run. In this case, I have met the most amazing people.

Random shopping will always be your greatest enemy especially if you are trying to save. In this craft, everything is almost expensive but if you know where to buy, you’ll be in good hands.

These are the pads I have coming from different stores and brands. The purple one is by Craft Doodle; it is also the brand of my water brush pens. On its right is the scribble pad I got from the scribble kit by The Craft Central. The yellow one is by Alexis of Ink Scribbler. The one on its right is a dotted pad from The Craft Central.

You can buy this from National Bookstore, Scribe Writing Essentials, The Craft Central. You may purchase the others online.

Different types exist depending on what you need and what do you want to do. Some are plain, others are dotted and the rest have guidelines. With that, I have only utilized dotted pads and those with guidelines.

Thoughts and Experiences

For this part, I will be now sharing my thoughts and experiences in using these calligraphy pads. These may vary from what you have experiences.

Calligraphy Pad by Craft Doodle

I bought this from Scribe Writing Essentials at Glorietta 5 for around Php 180. I’m not sure if it’s still the price. The pad has a cute cover. Anyone who loves this color will surely be enticed to buy one! I chose the white one instead of the cream.

How it looks inside:

The pad possess two sheets of guidelines and it itself is a plain pad. Before unpacking, I really thought that the lines were printed on the pad itself not a detachable sheet. The pad is plain and truly, it belongs to the strongest pads.

Pros:

• If you opt to you brush pens or brushes, the paper can withstand watercolor and inks. It does not bleed easily.
• It costs less than Php 200. Prices are subject to change.
• You may use it as a normal pad since the guidelines are on a separate sheet.

Cons:

• You may eventually lose the guide sheets since it is not attached in any way.
• It may be tiresome to continuously remove the sheet and move onto the next one. Remember, you’ll be placing it underneath!
• It may smudge on some inks. Exercise more caution when dealing with a dip pen; hardships may occur if you are a leftie.

The black and sepia strokes are written through the use of a dip pen. The blue ones were written through the use of ZIG Cocoiro Letter Pen with extra fine nib.

Calligraphy Practice Pad

I got this from National Bookstore in Glorietta when I was there. This costs less than Php 200 per pad. There is also another version wherein the cover is blue and is not ruled. It has a flowery cover which entices people to buy one.

It has guidelines in the pad printed so it won’t be much of a hassle inserting. Now, all you have to do is practice scribbling and the drills on it.

Pros:

• It has guidelines like the ascender and descender.
• The lines are visible enough to help you practice. It doesn’t fade that easily.
• The paper is thick as it has 100 GSM and smooth (super friendly to the nibs).

Cons:

• Since it’s smooth, there will be times that it might smudge a bit; especially if you’re a leftie.
• If you use the colored ink from The Craft Central, it may not dry quickly and may cause blotches.

Dotted Pad

This is a dotted pad from The Craft Central. This is used to practice calligraphy as well. It costs around Php 180. It’s not the typical pad where in you see guidelines (e.g. ascender or descender). Instead it has dots which I find quite accurate.

During my practice with this, I used mostly watercolor as my ink with dip pen. It was tricky at first but through perseverance, it went well. I got intrigued and experimented with this pad to see if it could hold the watercolor. Apparently, yes!

Personally, I haven’t experienced any bleeding with this one!

Pros:

• The paper of the pad is thick enough to hold ink and watercolor.
• It’s friendly to both nibs and pens. It does not have a rough surface so it’s smooth and good for the nibs.
• I doesn’t allow bleeding through and blotches (even if I’m a leftie).
• The ink and/or watercolor pigment dries quick enough not to create smudges.

Cons:

• The dots may be hard to find if the room is not well-lighted. It is best to work with this pad in a well-lighted area.
• The dots may seem to be lightly printed for some.

Scribble Pad from The Scribble Kit

This particular scribble pad came in with the scribble kit (a hobby kit) from The Craft Central. I received this when I bought the kit back in 2015. It has been a roller coaster of feelings when I first tried this. At first, there’s the challenge on how to use the pen and how to write the first strokes.

This pad is very sentimental with me since it witnessed my first struggles with calligraphy. It seemed so hard at first but once you get the hang of it and learn to love it, it surely goes with the flow.

Pros:

• It’s affordable also if buy it without the package. It may cost less than Php 200.
• It has guidelines on it (meaning, printed on the pages).
• Its paper is thick enough to hold ink and watercolor.
• It does not allow bleeding and blotches.

Cons:

• The glue binding the paper is somehow not durable. The paper is easily torn away from the pad.
• Even if it does not bleed easily, you may see what you wrote on the other side. It is somehow translucent.

These pads helped me progress with my practice of calligraphy. These have seen my ups and downs through my strokes and has been helping me relax myself whenever it’s called for. This is to share my experiences with the calligraphy pads that I’ve encountered. This post aims to help others out there trying to figure what kind of pad should they use. 😊

In life, stress never leaves. It stays to balance all the positivity that we have been experiencing. We may not notice it.

Thing is, I wonder that,

Kung ikaw magkakaroon ng papel sa mundong ito, ano ito at bakit?

Loosely translates to:

If you were give a role in this world, what would it be and why?

P.S. Papel is a Filipino word which literally means paper. All photos are mine.