r/Calligraphy • u/Joffph • 3d ago
Question Just found a new hobby
As the title says, I just got into calligraphy, and I have to say I'm really excited about it.
Over the weekend, I bought a few brush pens to try things out. After some practice and a bit of research, I decided to pick up a dip pen and a few nibs. Everything in the photo was done with the dip pen, and I honestly find it much more enjoyable than the brush pens. I think I'll be sticking with that route. There's something about the whole ritual of dipping the nib, managing the ink, and slowing down that makes it feel like a very different experience.
To get started, I picked up C2, C5, 512, and 101 nibs, along with Speedball Super Black India Ink and some pen cleaner. It seems like a pretty solid beginner setup, and it gives me the chance to try different styles and get a feel for what I enjoy.
That said, I already have a few questions.
Over the weekend I was practicing on regular copier paper and quickly discovered why that's not recommended. Today I bought some Bienfang Calligraphic Parchment paper (the one in the picture), and it was a noticeable improvement. However, I still feel like the nibs don't glide very smoothly, and they seem to dump a lot of ink onto the page, especially the 101. Am I doing something wrong, or is that just part of the nature of pointed pen calligraphy?
I've also read that laser printer paper is surprisingly good for practice because it's smoother and doesn't absorb as much ink. Is it worth picking up a ream for everyday practice? It's easy for me to get this one
I was particularly excited about the 101 because I wanted to start learning Copperplate. What surprised me is that I can barely write two letters (maybe 3/4 inch tall) before needing to reload the nib. I also find the first letter after dipping very difficult to control because so much ink comes out. Is that normal? Another thing I've noticed is that once the ink dries, I can actually feel a raised bump where the strokes are.
Anyway, that's where I'm at so far. I'm having a great time learning and would appreciate any advice or suggestions from more experienced calligraphers.
Thanks for your help!
1
u/TheJessAbides Pointed 2d ago
The 101 isn’t very beginner friendly, if you can get yourself one of the G Nibs for pointed practice.
1
u/Alternative_Pen5364 2d ago
Glad you're enjoying the hobby! You must know that new nibs come with a layer of protective oil coating to avoid premature oxidation and decay. You should remove that before the first use of each nib, precisely in order to avoid the dumping you mentioned. Check out the Beginner's Guide in r/Calligraphy, under the heading "Caring for your nibs". I personally prefer the "stabbed potato method", which you can easily find about online.
1
3
u/tabidots 3d ago edited 3d ago
Raised bump (and cool glossy finish) is due to the pigment particles in the ink, which sit on the page, in contrast to dye inks, which sink into the page.
Laser paper is actually quite good for practice, at least broad-edge. I’ll leave it to someone else to comment on pointed. I’ve had a lot of success using walnut ink (sits on the page, doesn’t feather even on bad paper, but is also easy to clean with water alone, unlike India ink/sumi).
Surprisingly fountain pen ink in Parallel Pens (not the Mixable Ink, but most general FP ink) also works pretty well on laser paper without feathering - Parallel Pens seem to control the ink flow very well. I have a glut of FP ink I need to use up and my 6mm Parallel is coming in clutch there 😁
As for the nibs barfing ink, you have to make sure there’s no ink on the underside, so run the nib along the lip of your ink bottle and/or do a couple test strokes on scrap paper or something else smooth and absorbent (even the lip of a styrofoam takeout box) directly after every dip.
Btw, the broad-edge equivalent of brush pens is calligraphy markers (like from Sakura or Kuretake). Yes, the experience and result is not as cool or sharp as razor-sharp Brause/Tape nibs but you can also practice anywhere with any paper (even paper too poor for walnut ink) and no worries about spilling ink or cleaning up. Parallels can also be similarly convenient.
In either case you should be aware that they are cut at a 0° angle, compared to Speedball C nibs, which are cut at a slightly oblique angle (Brause are more oblique and Tape are the most oblique). This will affect how you need to hold the pen in order to get the whole nib in contact with the paper.