Review: The "Best" Nib for a Modern Calligraphy Beginner - Testing Out 5 Different Nib Types

Hello! Welcome back to the blog. Today I'll be talking about my thoughts on 5 very popular nibs and which ones I think are best for modern calligraphy beginners.  To be honest, this is probably the only calligraphy related post I'm qualified to write about, since I actually am a beginner at modern calligraphy.

I tested out 5 nibs that I seemed to read about everywhere - calligraphy blogs, art supply websites, instagram, the list goes on and on... well, actually the list stops with those three, but still! That's a lot of places for the same nibs to show up.  One of my favorite calligraphy/illustration blogs, The Postman's Knock (if you want to learn anything and everything about calligraphy or see awesome tutorials, you need to go there!) discussed these five nibs in a blog post so I had to try them out for myself.

Here are the nibs I will be reviewing (listed left to right):

1. Nikko G
2. Brause Steno or "Blue Pumpkin"
3. Brause Rose
4. Brause Extra Fine 66
5. Leonardt Extra Fine Principal

I tested all the nibs on HP 32lb Laserjet Paper and used Yasutomo Liquid Sumi Ink. For the Nikko G and Brause Steno nib, I used an oblique holder. For the Brause Rose, Brause Extra Fine 66 and Leonardt Extra Fine Principle, I used a straight holder.

The Results!

1. Nikko G
Nikko G was the first calligraphy nib I have ever used, and the one I'm most familiar with out of the five.  It's recommended for modern calligraphy beginners because it's very strong and stiff - the tines of the nib don't spread out very much.  I can definitely see why this one is good for beginners, it's what I learned to do modern calligraphy with! Because the tines of the nib are stiff, beginners are able to control the ink flow easily because you have to press down somewhat firmly to achieve a thick downstroke

I also like that because of how strong this nib is, it's hard to damage it.  As a beginner, I was constantly pulling the nib in and out of different holders to see where it would fit or clean it because it was the only nib I purchased.  Despite my lack of care, the Nikko G has held up well!  The nib isn't too large or small either, so you can have good control of it.  It writes block fonts nicely, as well as smaller fonts too.  Two con's are: 1. Not a lot of contrast between upstrokes and downstrokes and 2. The nib is pointy, so I really have to be careful that I'm holding it at the correct angle to the paper.  If my nib becomes too vertical, the sharp tip will scratch up my paper.  The is less of an issue when writing on thicker papers (like cardstock or watercolor paper).  This nib holds a fair amount of ink, so  I have to make sure I shake off any excess before writing - in the 'B' of the world block, I didn't do this, thus creating the ink blob you see.

2. Brause Steno or "Blue Pumpkin"
So I understand why this nib has blue in the name, but I'm not sure where the pumpkin is coming from.  Something about the shape of the nib resembling a pumpkin? I'm not seeing it...
This nib is one of my newer nib additions so I haven't tested it quite as long as some of the others, but  I've really enjoyed using it for far. You know the saying "love at first sight"? well this nib was "love at first write"! Ha-ha, that was lame, I know.

Compared to the sharp pointy scratchiness of the Nikko G, the Brause Steno nib is sooo smooth to write with because its not as sharp. There is slightly more stroke variation than the nikko g, and it's a little bit more sensitive to pressure (easier to make downstrokes and fluid calligraphy).  One major con is the size.  This nib is the biggest out of the bunch, making it a little difficult to control.  You can see where I write BLOCK FONT that the letters are pretty wiggly because my hand was shaking slightly.  The Nikko G is much smaller in size, making that nib easier to control.

Regardless, I cannot get over the smoothness and the ease of writing with this nib.  In my opinion, the size is only an issue when you are trying to write smaller fonts.  For loopy, fluid, calligraphy, it's great!

3. Brause Rose
The Brause Rose definitely has some thorns (ba dum tsss!).  This nib is super sensitive to pressure and I really would not recommend it for a complete modern calligraphy beginner.  I had a lot of trouble controlling the ink flow of this nib.  Sometimes, the ink would flow smoothly and deposit the right amount, other times, in a too thick line (see the 'e' of rose). It also sometimes will just deposit a large, unfixable blob of ink if I'm not careful and extremely frustrating when it happens.  When I do use this nib, I have to be really diligent about shaking the excess ink off each time I dip the pen.  It's not as a smooth as the blue pumpkin but not as scratchy as the Nikko G, so writing with this nib is somewhat fluid.

One great thing about this nib is the stroke variation.  You can see that this nib can create incredibly  thick strokes, but also thin strokes, creating a nice contrast. It's not very good for block fonts or smaller fonts though.

4. Brause Extra Fine 66
A super tiny, arrow shaped nib.  I like this nib because of stroke variation you can achieve.  The down strokes are average sized, but the upstrokes are thin and fine, just as the name has advertised.  It's super small size has both advantages and disadvantages.  I love the control I have over the nib and feel like it's easier to keep my hand steady.  You can see this with the block font and small font writing samples.  It's definitely a great nib for smaller scale calligraphy or super fine details.

Conversely, the small size means you have to dip it in ink often, which can be frustrating for me as a beginner since I just want to keep writing and make my calligraphy look as smooth as possible.  Another downside is how delicate this nib is.  The tines of this nib are teeny tiny and for me, kind of easy to damage.  I've applied too much pressure to the nib while writing and damaged the tines, so I definitely need to be careful with this.  I've also struggled to find a nib holder that accommodates this nib well, where as the Nikko G and Brause steno are more universally sized.

5. Leonardt Extra Fine Principal
This one is a recent(ish) addition to my collection, so I can only offer first impression thoughts.  I would say its very comparable to the Brause EF 66 in terms of stroke variability.  It makes even finer lines than the Brause EF 66 and is a little pointier in my opinion, with a greater risk of catching on paper and being scratchy.

I do like the ink flow of this nib - I feel like it deposits ink very smoothly when writing once I have shaken off any excess ink.  Though, this is a habit I feel like I should be doing with all nibs! It's larger than the Brause EF 66, so I like that I don't have to re-dip it into ink as often. Control and hand steadiness for this nib is pretty good for me, and I think it would be good for block/print fonts as well as smaller fonts because of how finely it writes.  I would use this super smaller scale calligraphy, fine details or illustration.

***

There you have it! My thoughts on 5 popular nibs! My favorites out of the bunch for a modern calligraphy beginner are the Nikko G and Brause Steno! They have both been fairly easy for me to use as a beginner and I would absolutely recommend them to others starting out with modern calligraphy.  The base of these two nibs are similarly size, so if a nib holder fits one of these, it most likely will fit the other.

Just for fun, here's a list of "A Few of My Favorite Things", writing with watercolor as ink using the Nikko G nib.

Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear any thoughts or questions in the comments.
-N