www.gordonharris.co.nz
Online ordering: YES
Gordon Harris is one of New Zealand’s biggest art stores. There are 4 stores in Auckland, plus stores in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.
I visited the Newmarket store in Auckland which has been one of my go-to’s for many years. Not all their stock is listed online and not everything online is in each store. But have a look at both and give them a call if you have any queries, the staff are very helpful.
INKS: Gordon Harris Newmarket has a dedicated section for calligraphy supplies and inks. They have a large selection of Winsor & Newton Calligraphy inks and Magic Color acrylic inks.
NIBS + HOLDERS: Gordon Harris have a selection of calligraphy nibs in-store, though they are hard to find online. I think the Speedball Hunt nibs are good beginner nibs for pointed pen and copperplate calligraphy. I regularly use the Speedball 512 or 513 in my beginners classes. The Cretacolor poster nib is great to use as a larger broad nib and the Cretacolor Ornamental has a flat circle at the end which you use to create monoline lettering.
They have a small selection of nib holders - the classic plastic speedball holder is great for beginners. They also have wooden and marbled nib holders. These can be used with any of the nibs on sale.
CALLIGRAPHY PENS: There is a selection of Artline and Manuscript calligraphy felt pens or ‘italic markers’ as they are sometimes called – these are broad nib pens that are used for formal calligraphy styles such as foundational, italic and gothic.
Gordon Harris also stocks the range of Pilot Parallel Pens which are great for formal calligraphy, and perfect for learning because you don’t have to worry about dipping into an ink pot.
CALLIGRAPHY SETS: Gordon Harris have a selection of calligraphy sets in-store, some are harder to find online.
The Speedball set comes with 6 broad tip nibs in a range of sizes plus a nib holder. This would be great for getting started in formal calligraphy. Another Speedball set has 3 nibs, a holder, some ink and instructions.
The Cretacolor Calligraphy Set is quite a great starter kit – it has 5 nibs that you can use to create a wide range of styles, plus a nib holder and bottle of ink.
BRUSH PENS: Gordon Harris has a huge range of TomBow ABT brush pens in so many lovely colours. These are my favourite brush pens and the ones I use in my beginners brush pen calligraphy workshops.
PAPER: Gordon Harris stocks their own brand of Zeta paper in A4, A3, A2 & A1 sizes. Zeta paper is bleed proof so it is perfect for using with inks, and is also semi transparent so allows you to see your worksheets underneath.
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.