www.daiso.nz
Online ordering: NO
Daiso is a Japanese store full of all sorts of trinkets. There are two in Auckland and one in Wellington. I visited the St Luke’s store in Auckland. You will find that each one has a stationary section where you can find a range of brush pens, fountain pens, calligraphy supplies and sumi ink.
INK: Daiso stocks bottles of Sumi ink that are usually much cheaper than what you can get at art stores. This ink is perfect for calligraphy practice, I use it in all my workshops and you can water it down to make it last longer.
BRUSH PENS: Daiso usually have a selection of brush pens in their pen and stationary section. The packaging is usually all in Japanese so it can be hard to tell what you are buying but they often have brands like Zebra, Tombow or Pental for quite cheap. I recommend buying a couple and experimenting with them.
PAPER: The calligraphy paper is generally for practicing Japanese calligraphy so is much thinner than regular paper. But you can use it with sumi ink and a pointed brush to practice your brush lettering.
Want to know more about calligraphy supplies in New Zealand? I have put together an overview of four physical Auckland stores – two of which you can easily order online:
- Gordon Harris (There are 4 Auckland stores, plus stores in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Online ordering available)
- Takapuna Art Supplies (Online ordering available)
- Daiso (2 Auckland stores, 1 in Wellington)
And two other online platforms for those not in Auckland:
- Inkt (there is a physical store in Whanganui)
If you have some information about supplies at a calligraphy store in your town please do send them through and I can add to this list.
PS. Some of these may be affiliate links which means I may get a tiny commission when you purchase through them. This doesn’t affect any of the recommendations though :)
PPS. Photos and products are from June/July 2020. Current instore stock may differ.