Paper Peony Press vs Loopinky: Which Calligraphy Workbook Is Right for You?

If you've been shopping for calligraphy workbooks on Amazon, you've almost certainly come across Paper Peony Press. With bestsellers like Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide (2017) and Whitney Farnsworth's Pretty Simple Lettering: A Step-by-Step Hand Lettering and Modern Calligraphy Workbook for Beginners (2023), they've become one of the most trusted names in beginner calligraphy education.

Loopinky takes a different approach entirely. Rather than teaching one modern calligraphy style from scratch, Loopinky workbooks offer multiple creative lettering styles — from comics lettering to Western scripts to ocean-inspired calligraphy. The result? Two brands that complement each other perfectly.

Paper Peony Press: The Beginner's Best Friend

Paper Peony Press has earned its reputation for good reason. Their workbooks are clean, well-structured, and genuinely helpful for anyone picking up a brush pen for the first time.

Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide was one of the earliest quality calligraphy workbooks on Amazon. Published in 2017, it introduced thousands of people to modern calligraphy with clear instructions and progressive exercises. It covers basic strokes, lowercase and uppercase alphabets, and simple word practice.

Whitney Farnsworth's Pretty Simple Lettering (2023) raised the bar with a premium spiral-bound hardcover format, making it easier to lay flat while practicing. The step-by-step approach is thorough and the production quality is impressive.

Both books excel at the same thing: teaching you one elegant modern calligraphy style from absolute zero. If you've never touched a brush pen, Paper Peony Press is an excellent starting point.

Loopinky: Creative Diversity Beyond the Basics

Loopinky workbooks are built on a different philosophy. Instead of one style taught from scratch, each book offers multiple distinct lettering styles with complete alphabets, numbers and punctuation for each. The assumption is that you already know the fundamentals of holding a pen and forming basic strokes.

Where Paper Peony Press teaches you how to write beautifully, Loopinky teaches you how to write in many different styles. Comics Lettering Vol.1 alone contains 10 completely different lettering styles across 210 pages — that's more variety than most calligraphers encounter in a year of practice.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Paper Peony Press	Loopinky
Best for	Complete beginners	Post-beginner & creative exploration
Style variety	1 modern calligraphy style	5-10 styles per book
Teaches basics?	Yes, from scratch	Assumes basic pen skills
Page count	~120-160 pages	108-210 pages
Style direction	Elegant, modern calligraphy	Comics, Western, ocean, themed
Price range	$8-$16	$9.99-$14.99
Complete alphabets	1 per book	5-10 per book

Which Should You Buy?

The answer depends entirely on where you are in your lettering journey:

• Never held a brush pen? Start with Paper Peony Press. Their beginner-focused approach will build your foundational skills properly. Whitney Farnsworth's Pretty Simple Lettering is particularly good for its step-by-step structure.
• Comfortable with basic calligraphy? Loopinky will challenge you with styles you've never tried. Comics lettering, Western scripts and ocean-inspired calligraphy are completely different creative territories.
• Want maximum value? Get both. Use Paper Peony Press to build your foundation, then use Loopinky to expand your repertoire. They're the perfect one-two combination.

Better Together: The Complementary Approach

We genuinely believe these brands work best as a pair. Paper Peony Press gives you the solid technical foundation every calligrapher needs. Loopinky gives you the creative range that makes calligraphy endlessly interesting.

Think of it like learning music: Paper Peony Press teaches you scales and basic songs. Loopinky teaches you jazz, rock, blues and classical — all the genres that make music exciting. You need both the foundation and the exploration.

The calligraphy world is big enough for elegant modern scripts and bold comics lettering. For flowing ocean calligraphy and rugged Western styles. The most versatile artists are those who embrace all of it.

There's no competition between learning the fundamentals and exploring creative styles. They're two chapters of the same story — and the best calligraphers read both.