Ultimate Hand Lettering Gift Guide: For Beginners and Pros
Explore the ultimate hand lettering gift guide with 60+ beginner-friendly brush pens and supplies to help you find the right creative supplies. There are 12 categories to help you stay organized! You’ll see my favorite brush pens, acrylic markers, fine tip pens, pen cases, journals and notebooks, and the basic supplies you need to learn hand lettering.
Sometimes you’re shopping for yourself and want to choose tools you won’t regret. Other times, you need a hand lettering gift that feels fun, thoughtful, and worth the money. I’ve also included hand lettering gifts for kids, because giving creative tools to little artists is one of my favorite things.
This guide has 12 categories and 60+ ideas, making it one of the most comprehensive hand lettering gift guides you’ll find. It’s big, so there’s a table of contents to help you jump where you need.
Hand lettering is a relaxing, confidence-building hobby anyone can learn. With the right tools, it becomes even more fun. Let’s find the gift that works best for you!
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (aka this post contains affiliate links).
table of contents:
- Hand Lettering Gifts for Beginners
- Lettering Gifts for Kids
- Acrylic Markers
- Small Brush Pens
- Large Brush Pens
- Fine Tip and Bullet Tip Pens
- Journals and Notebooks
- Unique Brush Pens
- Pen Cases
- Basic Tools (not pens)
- Tech Stuff
- Watercolor Lettering
Beginner Hand Lettering Supplies: Gifts for Adults
This is the list for people who are learning lettering and are serious about practicing and tracing and really want the hand lettering tools that will help them level up. If you’re starting to learn lettering, these are the brush pens and supplies you should get. These are the most basic hand lettering tools in this hand lettering gift guide for someone starting out.
Hand Lettering for Beginners (my book) – This has everything you need to learn the basics of hand lettering and lots of practice sheets and multiple lettering styles and projects. Get Hand Lettering for Beginners on Amazon.
Pentel Brush Pens – These are great small brush pens for practice. This set is inexpensive and works well with the worksheets in my book. Get Pentel Brush Pens on Amazon.
Tracing Paper – You will want this if you are tracing worksheets and don’t want to letter directly on them. I have tried a few brands and haven’t noticed a huge difference. This one is a good price. Get tracing paper on Amazon.
Rhodia notepad – Rhodia has the smoothest paper! These notepads are so great for practice. They’re inexpensive and have lots of options of binding. This is a great starter journal too. Get Rhodia on Amazon.
Strathmore Visual Journal – If you’re ready to start a journal that has thick paper that doesn’t bleed through and you can blend on, this is the journal for you. Get Strathmore Visual Journal on Amazon.
If you are a hand lettering beginner, check out this post: 7 Easy Steps to Learn Hand Lettering
Hand Lettering Gifts for Kids: Fun, Beginner Supplies
If you are looking for hand lettering supplies for kids, this is what I would give them. The younger kids don’t want serious hand lettering supplies. They just want fun ones they can play with. Kids probably aren’t going to be doing as much tracing as an adult. They mostly just want to create.
Everything from the adult list would also work for mature kids who are ready to dive in and be serious about practicing lettering. These make great hand lettering gifts!
Crayola Broadline – These may not seem exciting as a hand lettering gift because they’re so common. But these are so great to learn hand lettering and they’re so inexpensive and you don’t have to worry about your kids ruining them. Get Crayola Broadline to Amazon.
Crayola Supertips – I’m getting a pastel set of Crayola supertips for my 5 year old. It’s fun to have a marker set of your very own even if you are still learning to write the alphabet. I will enjoy using these with her to hand letter and I know she’ll try to trace with them and mostly color. Get Crayola Supertips on Amazon.
Artline Stix – These are brush pens AND legos. What better marker set gift is there for creative kids? Get Artline Stix on Amazon.
Bic Magic Marker – These don’t dry out if you leave the cap off for like a month! I tested it in this video. These have a great brush tip and of course they’re great for kids! Get Bic Magic Markers on Amazon.
Ohuhu Pupe Markers (Paper Friendly) – This comes in a lot of colors and a fun case so it looks like a big gift and they’re inexpensive. The brush tip is not the most bouncy so they may not be great for someone who is serious about lettering. But it’s great for who want to dabble and create more than just calligraphy. They’re paper friendly meaning you are supposed to be able to do multiple layers without tearing the paper or any pilling. Get Ohuhu Markers on Amazon.
Ooly Erasable Markers – Color changing markers are so fun for kids! Some markers change colors and you don’t know what colors they’ll be. This marker set changes to white which I prefer. Get Ooly Erasable Markers on Amazon.
Acrylic Markers for Hand Lettering Gifts
Acrylic markers are really popular right now and for good reason! They work on almost anything and they are really satisfying because the paint can layer on top of other colors. I remember when the first acrylic markers came out and they weren’t very good and I couldn’t really see a use for them. Well, fast forward several years and now they’re popular and trending and I love them! My family loves them too! My niece has been using my acrylic markers and she asked for her own set for Christmas. So this will be her hand lettering gift this year!
There are lots of brands out there. These are the ones that I’ve tried and love but other brands might work too. Go with what works for your budget.
Sharpie Creative Markers – These are great! They come in a brush tip, bullet tip, and fine tip. These are the most unique acrylic markers because the bullet tip and fine tip can be use for calligraphy. The tip is squishy so you can get thick downstrokes and thin upstrokes. Get Sharpie Creative Markers on Amazon. (This is a list from my Amazon favorites since there are a few Sharpie Creative sets).
Arrtx Acrylic Markers – I’ve made a few videos about these. No pumping and no shaking! My kids love these, my nieces and nephews love these, and even my husband loves these (he’s not usually into creative things but he always asks to use these ones when coloring with our kids). Get the Arrtx Acrylic Markers on Amazon. Also, this liquid acrylic set is the one I save for myself because it feels a little fancier. You do have to shake, but still no pumping.
GuangNa Acrylic Markers – These ones have a bullet tip and a brush tip! Dual ended! The brush tip is really soft so the winning feature is that they have that bullet tip side. Get GuangNa acrylic markers on Amazon.
Languo Acrylic Paint Gel Pen – These are so unique! They’re a gel pen but they’re acrylic pens. They are so smooth! You do have to push the pen ball down to get the paint to come out so if you don’t like writing slow and pushing hard, these are not for you. Get Languo Acrylic Gel Pens on Amazon. I recently tried these again and found that they were a little more difficult to use and I compared them to my Gelly Roll Gel pens in the Moonlight and Metallic which are my top gel pen recommendation!
Canvas Set – If you are gifting acrylic markers, you might consider getting a pack of canvases to make beautiful things with! Canvas pack on Amazon.
Check out my Acrylic Marker videos in this playlist.
Small Brush Pens Gift Guide
These are the best small brush pens to learn calligraphy. If you like small lettering, you will like these. Also, they’re best for practicing and learning lettering because they’re small so they’re easier to control. If someone doesn’t have a whole set of small brush pens, these would make a great hand lettering gift.
Pentel Touch Brush Pens – These are my favorite small brush pens! I recommend these to start lettering because small brush pens are easier to learn. The brush tip is smaller so it’s easier to control. Get Pentel Touch Brush Pens on Amazon.
Tombow Fudenosuke – The reason I like this two pack set is because it has a hard tip and a soft tip. You can explore which one you like better. It’s just a personal preference. The soft tip is similar to the Pentel Brush Pens. Get Tombow Fudenosuke on Amazon.
Writech Sign Brush Pen – These are a great price and come in a few different color sets. These feel very similar to Pentel Touch to me, so it’s another option. Get Writech Brush Pens on Amazon.
Monami Plus Pen 3000 – These are technically fine tip pens but the tiny tip is slightly flexible so you can get a calligraphy look with them. They are best if you like very small lettering, even smaller than with Pentel. Get Monami Plus Pen 3000 on Amazon.
Pentel Brush Sign Pen Twin – This brush pen set is cool because there is a large brush tip on one side and a small brush pen on the other side. The small brush pen feels similar to the Pentel Touch. This set is good for someone who is just going to buy one marker set but wants multiple types of pens. Get the Pentel Brush Sign Pen Twin on Amazon.
Large Brush Pens Gift Guide
These are the best large brush pens for brush lettering. These can be used to practice, for large lettering, or for watercolor. These are some of my favorites in all price ranges. These make a great hand lettering gift because getting a set of new brush pens is always exciting.
Zebra Mildliner Brush Pens – The brush tip on these is so good! It’s long, but really easy to control because it has a nice bounce back. I also love that they are dual ended brush pens so they have a fine tip on the other side. They are a little transparent so you can layer them and get different colors. They come in 25 colors but the ones I use most often come in this 10 pack set.
Tombow Dual Brush Pens – I need to mention these because they are probably the most popular and they are one of the first! The brush tip is longer so it’s a little more tricky to control. They do bounce back though. The bullet tip is really nice, it’s a little thicker than other fine tips. I like it a lot. I mostly use Tombow dual brush pens when I’m doing galaxy lettering. These aren’t the first large brush pens I would recommend to beginners. They have tons of colors and sets! My favorite set is this bright set.
Doms Pastel Brush Pens – I tried the original colors of Doms brush pens a few years ago and they were nice. The brush tip is really soft but bounces back well. But I rarely used them because the colors weren’t ones I reached for. But this year I saw the new pastel Doms and they are amazing! The colors are exactly what I want to use all the time. I’ve been using them non stop. And these are inexpensive. I love these so much! Get pastel Doms brush pens here. Ok I just saw that they were out of stock… But here is the 26 pack and it looks like it has most of the pastel colors and all of the original colors.
Stabilo Pen 68 Brush Pens – These brush pens have such a nice bounce! The tip is shorter so they are easy to control. They are seriously amazing. I just wish they came in more colors. Get the Stabilo Pen 68 Brush Pens here. You can also get the larger set here.
Pentel Brush Sign Pen Twin – These are another dual ended brush pen. What I love about these is that one side is a large brush tip and the other side is a small brush tip. This would be so great to start practicing lettering because you can practice with small and large. The large brush tip is a little soft but I still like it. Get the Pentel Brush Sign Pen Twin here.
Sailor Shikiori Twin – I’ve had these ones for a while but I haven’t reviewed them yet. The brush tip is really nice! And they’re dual ended so it has a fine tip on the other side. These are more expensive so they are a little more of a specialty item for someone who already has a lot of other pens. Before you buy, check that the colors are ones you like as they are limited. Get the Sailor Shikiori Twin brush pens here.
Karin Markers – The brush tip of Karin Markers is my number one favorite. It’s firm and bounces back well and holds it’s shape. These are really juicy so you do need to use them on thick paper! I love my Strathmore Bristol journal. It’s a great price, you can blend, and nothing bleeds through. I like to use them as watercolor as well and they don’t bleed through watercolor paper. The big box is more expensive so you might want to start with a small set. If I was only going to get a small set of Karin Markers, I would get the Neon Brush Markers! I LOVE the neon set and I’m not usually a fan of neon or fluorescent. They also have a metallic set if you are a fan of Metallic colors.
Kuretake Fudebiyori – These have such a nice brush tip. They’re really basic for if you’re learning hand lettering. The brush tip is easy to control which makes them a good choice. I don’t use them often in my journal, so I think they’re mostly for lettering practice. Get Kuretake Fudebiyori here. If you like metallic colors, they have this great metallic set.
PaperMate Flair Brush Pen – This was a fun surprise because they are the PaperMate Flair fine tip on one side and a brush tip on the other side. So these are great if you already know you like the fine tip. The brush tip is longer, but has a good flexibility. Get the PaperMate Flair Brush Pen here.
Staedtler Pigment Arts Brush Pen – These are new to me and I still want to do a full review about them but I’ve been loving them! They have a shorter brush tip and it has a nice bounce. The pigment based ink means they won’t fade. They are waterproof which is rare for brush pens. The downside Is that they are more expensive, but they would be a fun addition if you want premium brush pens. Get Staedtler Pigment Arts Brush Pens.
For my full list of pens in each category, see this post: 5 Types of Brush Pens for Hand Lettering Beginners
Fine Tip and Bullet Tip Pens
I use bullet tip pens with my hand lettering to add details or embellishments. I also use these for faux calligraphy. Gel pens are really fun to use and quite nostalgic for me. I would be excited to receive any of these as a hand lettering gift.
Flysea Acrylic Painter Pens – These are my favorite fine tip pens to add black and white details. I used white gel pens for details for a while until I found these and now these are my favorite! They’re so opaque! Get the Flysea Acrylic Paint pens on Amazon here.
Kuretake Zig Writer – I love that this pen is dual ended. It has a bullet tip and a fine tip. The ink is waterproof so I can write with it first and do watercolor over it. It writes really smoothly. It’s a great basic black pen. Get the Kuretake Zig Writer pen here.
Sakura Micron – Everyone needs a black fine tip pen they love. It’s great for details. Micron has all different sizes so you can try the one you like best. These are waterproof and pigment based. I’ve been loving the Micron PN. I find the tip to be a little smoother for what I do. Get the Micron PN here.
Staedtler Pigment Liner – These are other great fine tip pens. I’ve been loving the 1.2 mm size lately because it’s nice and bold! It writes so smooth. These are waterproof and pigment based. The set I’ve linked has all the sizes including the 1.2 mm size. Get the Staedtler Pigment Liners here.
Marvy DecoColor Gold – This is the BEST gold pen! Hands down! Trust me. If you like gold, you will be so happy with this pen. It’s waterproof so I can draw first and use watercolor over it. Or you can use it for details on top. It’s so shiny and bright! Get the Marvy DecoColor gold pen here.
Uniball Signo Gold and White Gel Pens – If you are really set on having a good gold and white gel pen, these are the best. The white is all I used to use until I found the acrylic fine tip pens above. These are still good though if it has to be a gel pen for you. Get the Uniball Signo here.
Sakura Gelly Roll Gel Pens – My two favorite sets are the Moonlight and Metallic. The colors are so vibrant and they write so smooth and they’re inexpensive! Get the Moonlight gel pens here. Or get the Metallic gel pens here.
Karin DecoGel Pens – These are so good! I have three sets, Star Sparks, Metallic, and Milky Way. They are a little more expensive than Gelly Roll but they also come in more colors. They’re both good! Just depends on if you want something fancier. I just saw the price of these on Amazon and it’s not great! I actually don’t know if they are worth that Amazon price.
Languo Acrylic Paint Gel Pens – I’m mentioning these again because they are gel pens. They are the smoothest and best ink flowing! But remember, you do have to push hard as you write to get the ink to come out. Get Languo Acrylic Gel Pens on Amazon.
Monami Plus Pen 3000 – I’m mentioning these again because they are technically a fine tip pen! If you like a fine tip pen with a lot of colors, these are great. Get Monami Plus Pen 3000 on Amazon.
Journals and Notebooks to Gift
You can use just regular practice paper, but when I started using journals and notebooks, it changed my hand lettering practice. I started taking my practice seriously. I had a journal that I could take with me to always have something to practice with. And I love that I can flip through past journals and get ideas like my own personal Pinterest. When I would make things before, I’d either just throw it away or give it away. And now I can flip through like a sketchbook and see how much I’ve grown and still get inspired from the things I’ve made. When choosing a journal, you want to think about what you want on the pages, does it lay flat, what is the binding, and what tools will you be using. Because you may need really thick textured paper or maybe you only need smooth practice paper.
These make great hand lettering gifts because they feel fancy and it feels like a fresh start!
These are my favorite journals for hand lettering:
Archer & Olive Journals – I love these journals! The person who owns the company is amazing and the journal quality is amazing. The cover designs are so pretty. There are all kinds of sizes so you can get what works for you. I usually do the A5 size but lately I have been loving the pocket size! These are a little more expensive so they are more of a splurge. If you like dotted paper that’s thick and won’t bleed through with a fancy cover design, these are for you. Get them on their website here (this is my affiliate link, use code “ensigninsights” to save!).
Yop and Tom Dotted Notebook – I had a subscriber tell me about these and they’re great! They’re a little more inexpensive than Archer & Olive, but still with the great quality. They just don’t have as many options. But it might be a good one to try out to see if you like the dotted notebook style! Get the Yop and Tom notebook on Amazon.
Rhodia Notepads – These are the most inexpensive notebooks with incredibly smooth paper! The paper is a little thinner so I usually fill it one sided. These have so many options of binding and sizes so find what works for you. I currently like this one with the spiral binding on top.
Strathmore Visual Journal Bristol – This is the Bristol paper that I had been using to blend brush pens because it’s so smooth and you can actually blend on it. And then I found out they have it in the journal version and I love it! Get the Strathmore Bristol Journal here.
Canson Watercolor Notebook – This is my favorite for watercolor paper. It’s actually good quality and it’s inexpensive. I used to use loose sheets of watercolor paper and didn’t know what to do with my paintings. Now I love that I can keep them all in a notebook. Get the Canson Watercolor Notebook here.
Black Paper Notebook – I have an Archer & Olive journal with black paper but they don’t always have them in stock. I found some spiral bound black paper notebooks that work great. It’s fun to have black paper to use with gel pens and acrylic markers. Get the spiral bound black paper journal here.
HP Premium 32 Paper – If you want to practice on loose sheets of paper, this paper is the best! It’s super smooth and your pens will glide across! This is also the paper I use to print out worksheets to practice on. Get HP Premium 32 paper here.
Unique Brush Pens For Creatives
These pens are cool because they’re not technically brush pens but you can get the calligraphy look with them. They won’t fray because it’s just a squishy tip. They are some of my favorites! Some of these would make a great hand lettering gift for someone who already has lots of pens.
Crayola Markers – I’ve mentioned these a few times. They’re great. Maybe not a super exciting gift if you already have a bunch of these lying around. But they do work for calligraphy. Get Crayola Broadline to Amazon.
Monami Plus Pen 3000 – Once again, these are on the list! They’re just so fun that they’re supposed to be a fine tip but can be used for calligraphy. Remember, these are good if you like really tiny lettering. Get them here.
Staedtler Triplus Highlighter – These pens brought me out of a difficult time! I love these ones so much! They’re highlighters but you can use them as brush pens. The colors are pastel and so pretty. They are a little transparent so you can layer on each other to get new colors. Get the Staedtler Triplus Highlighters here.
Kuretake Zig Dot Markers – These markers are so fun! I love them so much! The dot tip can get different sizes of dots. It can also do hand lettering because it’s a squishy tip. All of the edges will be really rounded. They are dual ended with a fine point on the other side. I love the colors! Get the Zig Dot Markers here.
Ohuhu Dot Markers – These were a fun surprise to me! The dot side is similar to the Zig, but maybe a little more firm so you can’t get as big of a contrast in your thick and thin strokes in lettering. But I do love that the other end is a small brush pen! So it’s another pen that’s really nice to serve two purposes in one! Get the Ohuhu Dot Markers here.
Pen Cases and Pencil Pouches for Hand Lettering Gifts
These pen cases are the best! And so important for organization! I like pen cases that are practical and keep my drawers organized but also are easy to grab and go. These make a great hand lettering gift because I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love pen cases!
Standing Pencil Pouch – These are like the telescopic pencil pouch but you can see through at the bottom. You flip the sides open instead of slide them down. I found the Five Star one at Five Below and then I found this Mr. Pen one from Amazon and I like both!
Telescopic Pencil Pouch – These are the best! I love that I can have my pens on a desk like in a jar but I can zip it up and take it on the go. I’ve been collecting these over the years and they keep coming out with more cute designs. I have purchased this one and this one and this one but there are tons of other cute ones too.
Clear Pencil Pouch – These are amazing! I love that I can see what pens are inside and they squish together nicely. I used to have plastic trays to organize my pens in my drawers, but then I found these and I can fit so many more. And it’s easier to grab and go when I need to bring my pens with me. Get the Clear Pencil pouches that I use right here.
Animal Pencil Pouch – These are a little more expensive and not as practical because it’s smaller so just a small set will fit. But this is a fun, cute gift if you know someone who loves a certain animal. Get an animal pencil pouch here.
All of my favorite pen cases are in this video.
Basic Hand Lettering Tools (Not Pens)
There are some lettering tools that make my life easier but they’re not things that we think of when talking about brush pens. Like the right kind of erasers or a laser level! These are fun hand lettering gifts that you may not have thought of.
Pencil – Use any pencil that you feel comfortable with! I have a Pentel mechanical pencil that I like. I haven’t compared a bunch of pencils so I don’t know if it’s better than others. But I’m happy with it. Get the Pentel Graph Gear 500 pencil here.
Kneaded Eraser – I love my kneaded eraser! It makes it easy to erase part of my sketch but not all. That’s what I do when I want just a faint sketch so that the pencil sketch doesn’t show through. Get a kneaded eraser here.
Tombow Mono Zero Eraser – I love this one when I’m sketching and I want to erase just a tiny part of it. This makes it so easy. Get the Tombow Mono Zero Eraser here.
Sumo Grip Eraser – This is similar to the Tombow Mono Zero because it’s like a mechanical pencil to click the eraser out, except it’s big! I love that this one is a size of a pen so it doesn’t get lost in my pencil case. The retractable Sumo Grip eraser doesn’t seem to be on Amazon right now but this is what it looks like at JetPens. Mine was from my local art store.
Helix Circle Maker – This circle maker has come in handy so many times. You can easily draw circles and curves. Get a Helix Circle maker here.
Laser Level – This is super helpful in getting straight lines! Get a Laser Level here.
Also see: 10 Hand Lettering Supplies for Beginners (Not Pens)
Tech Stuff for Lettering
If you want to record your lettering or learn more, these are great. These would make a great hand lettering gift for someone who is learning or wanting to start filming their lettering.
Moft Tripod – This tripod is amazing! I’ve tried so many tripods over the years and this one is the best hands down. If you want to record your lettering, this tripod can give you all kinds of angles. It’s also great to hold your phone while watching tutorials or courses. Get the Moft Tripod on Amazon.
Skillshare – If you want to learn hand lettering, watercolor, creative journaling, etc, Skillshare is a great course platform. I have a few classes you can watch! Get a free month trial here.
Watercolor Lettering Gift Guide
If you want to do watercolor lettering, these are the best supplies to get started. I usually use my waterbased brush pens as watercolor but if you have more in your budget, you could get some actual watercolor. I like liquid watercolor for hand lettering because it’s a little easier, but you can get pan watercolors as well and just mix it with water so it’s the right consistency to letter with. These make a great hand lettering gift because it’s something a little different for someone who has a lot of pens.
Canson Watercolor Notebook – I’ve mentioned this one before! I love having my watercolor in a notebook instead of loose sheets. This one is great! Get the Canson Watercolor Notebook here.
Waterbrush – I like the Pentel and Kuretake waterbrushes. Pentel is a bit more firm if you like that and Kuretake is a little more soft. I use both for different things. I like that they come in small, medium, and large because I use each size! Here is the Pentel waterbrushes and here is the Kuretake waterbrushes.
Caran D’Ache Bullet Tip Waterbrush – If you want a thick monoline lettering, this one is great! This is such a unique waterbrush so it would make a great gift for someone who has everything. Get the Caran D’Ache Bullet tip waterbrush here.
King Art Inkline Pen – This inkline pen is really unique! It’s great if you like small monoline lettering. You just add watercolor to the top and it’s like magic! Get the KingArt Inkline Pen here.
Glass Dip Pens – These make me feel so fancy to use! These are great if you like monoline lettering. These make a great hand lettering gift because they’re extra special. I can’t find the exact one that I bought on Amazon but here’s one that looks exactly the same. Get a glass dip pen here.
Ecoline Liquid Watercolor – Liquid watercolor is really easy to learn hand lettering with because you don’t have to worry about getting the right consistency like you do with watercolor pans. Get Ecoline Liquid Watercolor here.
Karin Markers – These have the most amazing brush tip and they also are my favorite to use for watercolor. You just use the marker on a palette to get the ink out. And then use a waterbrush or paintbrush to pick up the ink. Get Karin Markers here.
Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors – This is my favorite gold watercolor! It’s a little more thick so it’s maybe closer to gouache. I love this gold for adding shiny details! Get the Gansai Tambi Starry watercolor here.
Hand Lettering Gift Guide Conclusion
I hope this hand lettering gift guide helped you discover new tools, spark ideas, and maybe even get excited to try something totally new. Whether you’re treating yourself or picking out something special for someone else, the right hand lettering supplies can open the door to so much creativity and confidence. If you want even more guidance as you start (or continue!) your lettering journey, be sure to check out my beginner resources in the Lettering Library. They’ll help you get the most out of whatever tools you choose.
Watch the video with demos of each of these:
