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My most used and loved tools for lettering

Do all the writing tools available overwhelm you? It can be hard to know where to start, so I have gathered a list of my favorites to help you navigate the wonderful world of lettering! I will introduce you to my favorite pens, pencils, paper and digital tools with a brief explanation of how I like to use them.

Pencils

Pentel GraphGear 500 in sizes .5 and .3

These are great go-to mechanical pencils with a clean profile to leave room in your pencil case for more tools. I have found I use these two sizes most often.

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Staedler Mars Plastic Stick eraser

I always like to have a stick eraser along for the ride. I am not an artist who thinks it’s bad to erase! Embrace your eraser and don’t be shy in your quest for the right line.

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Blackwing Pencil, Black.

I pull this pencil out for finalized work when I want deep black graphite. The lead is smooth and soft and refills are available for the eraser.

Pens

The world of pens is vast. I have found that I like to use felt tip pens for work in sketchbooks, concepts and practice and they are a great place to start if you are a beginner.

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Copic Mulitliners, sizes 0.1 and 0.2

I love these pens for fine lines, outlines, and filling in small black spaces. I especially love that the tips/nibs and ink cartridges are replaceable so you don’t have to buy a whole new pen if the nib breaks or you run out of ink.

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Pentel Pocket Brush Pen

This is a great brush pen with deep black ink cartridges. The bristles bounce back to a point well and it’s very flexible. I love to pull this out if I am working away from home and don’t want the hassle dipping a brush in ink.

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Zebra Disposable Brush pen, superfine

This pen is a great brush pen for beginners. The tip holds its shape well and is sturdy if you are
heavy-handed.

Paper

Midori Travelers Notebook

I love this sketchbook like it was one of my own children (too much?). The paper is high quality and takes ink and pencil well. Refills are available in plain, gridded and lined as well as address book and calendar inserts. I have found the leather cover stands the test of time and looks better the older it is.

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Rhodia Pads, UNI-Blank

For layout and final work I love the Rhodia blank pads. The paper is smooth and bright white. It’s fairly thin so it’s a nice choice for tracing.

Digital

After sketching is complete I often transfer my designs to digital form to use with photography or for reproduction.

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Camera

Most often I find myself transferring my designs to the computer using the camera on my phone. You can’t beat its convenience and the image quality is sufficient for use in other applications or on social media.

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Adobe Creative Cloud, Photoshop and Illustrator.

After creating a finalized design on paper I generally trace it in Illustrator to have a scalable vector image. If I want to place lettering over a photograph, I will transfer the vector image to Photoshop and combine the two there.

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These are the tools I use everyday and couldn’t live without as a letterer. I like to shop at my local art supply store whenever I can, but when an item I want isn’t in stock I usually check the huge selection at jetpens.com. What are your favorite tools? Leave a comment below with your just-can’t-live-without supplies.

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