thefrenchartshop.co.nz
Online ordering: Not easily - you can email but they don’t have a proper ecommerce store
The French Art Shop has a smaller selection of calligraphy supplies and when I was there they were spread over the store rather than being in one main section. They do have a range of different brands than other art stores so that is good for a bit of variety.
INK: They had a very small selection of Winsor & Newton calligraphy ink, but a very large selection of Sennelier Inks.
They also stock a range of Zig calligraphy ink and Sumi ink. Sumi ink is great for practicing. You can water it down if you want it to last longer.
NIBS & NIB HOLDERS: The French Art Shop has a great range of calligraphy nibs including a William Mitchell left handed nib for any lefties out there. The William Mitchell and Brause Nibs are broad nibs for formal calligraphy styles.
The “Drawing Nibs” can be used for pointed pen and copperplate calligraphy. For beginners I would recommend the Hunt 512 or 513. The Gillots or Steno ‘Blue Pumpkin’ Nib are also great to try once you have the hang of using a pointed pen.
The best thing is they have them all laid out on a board so you can clearly see each of the different nibs and their names.
Their range of nib holders was very small, but to get started you only need one.
CALLIGRAPHY PENS: They stock the full range of Pilot Parallel pens plus the ink cartridge sets.
BRUSH PENS: They stock a whole range of Zig brush pens. I find the brush nib on these pens to be very flexible compared to the TomBow brush pens and are much harder for beginners to get the hang of. But if you have got the hang of brush lettering then definitely give these a go.
PAPER: I believe they also stock pads of Zeta paper but couldn’t find it when I was there.
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.