daily times // the brushes I swear by

I'm asked quite regularly about what pens/brushes/other tools I use for lettering, so I thought it was about time I jotted down what I swear by. I keep a very, very simple brush kit as my style is quite minimal and just that, simple. I don't need a huge kit because it just wouldn't be me.

When I started lettering 4/5 years ago, I just used a pencil, a brush and paint. Although it's how I learned how to hold the brush and use different pressures, I wouldn't recommend paint for lettering. It's sticky and a bit too thick for dainty letters. I then moved onto what I use now, and I haven't changed since! Below are examples of letterings done with the relevant brush, they are completely unedited (as all my IG letterings are) so you can see the real result.

Winsor & Newton Black Indian Ink

There are plenty of Indian Ink's on the market, but I always come back to this one. It's a great consistency and gives a superb deep black.


Pentel Aquash Water Brush

This one has been my buddy since LH design began. I fill it with water (rather than ink, as I know others do) and dip it into ink so I can increase or decrease coverage, depending on what I'm writing. I use this one for the majority of my work; prints, greeting cards + custom work. 

Pentel Pocket Pen

This one is a newbie, but so far, I'm very impressed. No ink dipping required, you get four cartridges in the pack and they seem to last for a little while. I was worried I was going to ruin the soft bristles by having to apply a lot of pressure to get ink out, but it's surprisingly easy to dispense, and you don't need to waste any on practise goes. I tend to use this one for my Instagram letterings as it's quick to dry and easy to get a piece lettered, scanned and formatted in less than 2 minutes (great for an unorganised IG-er like this girl).    

Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen (in small)

I tend to use this one when I want a gritty style, especially for capitalised pieces. It's quite a dry nib, taking a while to get a good flow of ink, but it's one of the best fineliners I've used. It gives a great black as well, whereas others I've tried in the past can have a navy or grey tinge to them. 

What else would you like to see in the 'daily times' series? Anything you fancy seeing behind-the-scenes?