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Most of the Typism Skills Summit workshops can be completed with simple drawing tools you might already have. Even if the technique is demonstrated on an iPad or with specialised tools, you can usually still participate in the workshop with a simple pencil and paper.
However, if you want to explore the techniques demonstrated in the workshops further, we have asked the speakers to put together this handy list of the items they used and where to buy them online.
TIP: if you’re in Australia, most of these can be bought at Officeworks if Amazon doesn't work for you.
PILOT Parallel Pen
Refillable Calligraphy Pen, 3.8 mm
3.8mm gauge laser-cut stainless steel tip. It consists of two parallel plates through which the ink is passed. This allows you to achieve a more beautiful and clear handwriting than conventional calligraphy fountain pens.
It creates a very thin line, even standing at corners. Different colour gradations are possible. For this purpose, two nibs held against each other to transport the ink from one fountain pen to another. Mixing the two ink colours in one tip creates a fantastic multi-colour effect.
Includes accessories: a thin plastic plate for cleaning the tip, a cleaning converter and two cartridges (black/red)
Suggested/Used by Tamer Ghoneim, Delphie Joy, Alma Hoffman and Jacquelyn Ortiz-Nonog in their workshops.
Liquitex Professional Acrylic Ink
Liquitex presents an inter-mixable acrylic paint that blends beautifully with other Liquitex acrylics and mediums, offering versatility in your lettering expression.
This ultra-fluid permanent acrylic, crafted with high-quality pigments, ensures lightfastness and lasting vibrancy in your lettering and artwork.
Specifically designed for watercolour effects, such as colour blocking and underpainting, this fine art ink works very well with calligraphy pens and brushes.
Suggested by Tamer Ghoneim in his calligraphy workshop.
Canson XL Series Marker Paper
These 9x12 inch pads feature semi-translucent white paper, perfect for drawing or designing from rough sketches to finished forms.
These have 100 sheets in each pad; the fold-over bound sheets are acid-free and are a hefty 18 pounds/70 grams, ensuring durability and quality.
The paper works with various mediums, including pen, pencil, and alcohol or solvent markers, without the risk of the ink bleeding through the paper.
Suggested by Tamer Ghoneim in his calligraphy workshop.
LitEnergy A4 LED Copy Board Light Tracing Box
This affordable light tracing box is designed for easy carrying, featuring a super-slim and lightweight profile with a thickness of only 0.2 inches (about 5mm).
Adjusting the brightness is convenient with a touch switch that allows gradual dimming. The eyesight-protective design incorporates energy-efficient, flicker-free LED lamps, providing a uniformly illuminated surface.
Powered by USB, the tracer light board includes a USB power cable, enabling easy connection to any computer, power bank, or USB adaptor.
These light pads are perfect for tracing or using guidelines underneath your marker paper.
Suggested by Tamer Ghoneim but useful in any of the workshops involving downloadable guide sheets or tracing over sketches.
Adjustable Wooden Pencil Extenders
Pencil holders let you extend the life of your short pencils. The round handle design is comfortable and convenient for holding a short pencil for long lettering sessions.
Made of metal and wood, they are lightweight and durable, can be used for a long time and are not easily broken.
Adjustable, they work with most standard-sized hexagonal and round art, craft, and school pencils.
Suggested by Thomas Hoyer in his flourishing workshop.
Atelier Waterproof Drawing Ink
Atelier Waterproof Drawing Ink can be applied directly or thinned with water.
It creates a vivid black colour, transitioning to mid-tone and pale grey washes.
You can use this ink with brushes, balsa wood, metal nibs, and any other mark-making tools you can find.
The generous bottle makes you more likely to experiment and play when creating letters.
Used by Delphie Joy in her experimental play workshop.
Prismacolor Ebony Sketching Pencil
The jet-black drawing pencil boasts a sleek black matte barrel and features a large core diameter that produces jet-black, extra-smooth lines.
Suggested by Alma Hoffman in her lettering workshop.
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
The Pentel brush pen has a nylon brush tip and dye-based inks, making it perfect for calligraphy, painting, and sketching.
Flexible tips allow for the creation of diverse line widths and bold strokes, all in a rich, vivid black colour.
The Pentel Standard brush pens are categorized based on the thickness of their tips, offering versatility for different lettering styles. We recommend you start with a medium.
Suggested by Alma Hoffman in her lettering workshop.
Posca Paint Markers
Reversible bullet tips allow Posca markers to last twice as long as other markers. To reveal the other side of the tips, pull the bullet nib out to reveal one of two sides, from 1.8mm to 2.5mm.
Posca markers are non-toxic, alcohol-free, waterproof, and lightfast.
Remarkably versatile, they've been professionally tested on over 50 surfaces, including canvas, fabric, acrylic, metal, and more. We love using light colours on dark backgrounds.
Suggested by Alma Hoffman in her lettering workshop.
Fineliner Pens
A pack of fineliner pens in different nib sizes are a staple in every lettering artist's toolkit. We recommend you grab a pack for all kinds of lettering practice.
Any black and blue fine-liner pens will work from any brand.
We recommend starting with 0.5mm if you want to try one pen first, but we like this pack of GETHPENs because it’s affordable and you get a brush pen as well as the fineliners.
Fineliners are used by many of the speakers in their workshops.
Uni-Ball UB 150 Eye Roller Pen
These pens offer a fantastic writing experience, ensuring no skipping, smearing, or stuttering, and they won't bleed through your paper.
The fast-drying ink is specifically designed for everyday use.
They are excellent for everyday writing, lettering practice, journaling, note-taking, sketching, and more.
Suggested by Maria Montes in her writing workshop.
Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen
If you are new to brush lettering, finding a good pen to start with can be difficult. The Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen is a great brush pen because the nib is flexible and easy to use, especially for beginners.
Suggested by Maria Montes in her writing workshop
Apple iPad and Apple Pencil
The addition of the Apple Pencil has made the iPad an essential tool for every lettering artist, especially when combined with the Procreate App.
An iPad is an expensive investment if you buy the latest model, but many of the older models can still be used with the pencil and Procreate.
Suggested by many of the speakers, including Aurelie Maron, Nico Ng, Jimbo Bernaus, Liz Volpi, Keli Spanier, Vinitha Mammen and Kelly Moore
Procreate
Procreate is a cutting-edge digital art studio that transforms your iPad into a lettering playground.
Suggested by most of the speakers Aurelie Maron, Nico Ng, Jimbo Bernaus, Liz Volpi, Keli Spanier, Vinitha Mammen and Kelly Moore
Tracing Paper for Drawing
SuFly's Tracing Paper set includes 75 sheets of high-quality 9 x 12-inch translucent vellum paper, weighing 38 lb/60gsm, designed to resist tearing and curling.
Convenient for a range of lettering sketches, SuFly's trace paper provides clear visibility for easy drawing and tracing with a pencil or pen.
These trace papers come in white and transparent varieties, available individually or in pads.
Suggested by Wayne Thompson in his refining letters workshop.
Baking Parchment Paper
You can buy any roll of baking paper at your local supermarket, but if you want to have a large number of flat sheets on hand, Katbite offers a set of 200 white baking parchment paper sheets made from 100% natural unbleached wood pulp.
They are pre-cut in convenient 12x16-inch half sheets for easy use without the hassle of curling like a roll of baking paper and are much more affordable than tracing paper.
Suggested by Wayne Thompson in his refining letters workshop.