Similar to my brush calligraphy tutorial, this dip pen tutorial comes with a free guide. If you are interested in the brush calligraphy tutorial and guide, you can find it here.
In this tutorial I will explain a few basics of dip pen calligraphy, including: supplies needed, how to prepare your tools and a simple introduction to stroke, angle and spacing. If you just want the guide, get it here.
Supplies
· Dip pen nib holder
· Calligraphy nib (Nikko G or Tachikawa G are great for beginners)
· Ink (I like Dr. Ph. Martin’s Star India ink because it is waterproof, but Sumi is a nice affordable option too)
· Guide printed onto 32 lb printer paper (ink doesn’t bleed or feather and it’s less expensive than calligraphy paper)
· Water jar (to clean ink from nib)
· Lint-free cloth
· Potato (for initial nib preparation)
Preparation
New nibs come with a special coating, which, while it protects again rust prior to purchase, it also prevents ink from adhering to the nib and collecting in the reservoir for writing. The first picture below shows a nib with the protective coating. Notice how it slid off and left just a small amount of ink, not enough to write anything. The second picture shows a nib that has been cleaned. Notice how the ink covers the entire point of the nib. This nib is ready for writing.
In order to remove this coating, you can use a few different methods, but my favorite is to simply use a potato. Yes, an average grocery store produce-section potato. Insert the point of the nib into the potato and leave it there for a few minutes. Once you have removed the nib from the potato, rinse it in your water jar and wipe with the lint-free cloth.
Now, it’s time to insert the nib into the pen holder. The opening in the pen holder has prongs shaped like the petals of a flower. These help to hold the nib in place. The nib needs to be inserted between the petals and the outer edge of the nib insert opening. If the nib feels too loose in the pen, gently pull the petal open like the pen at the top of the picture.
Take care not to insert the nib too far into the holder. If you need to adjust a nib that has been inserted too far and cannot grasp it easily, a pair of needle-nose pliers will do the trick. A gentle touch is needed as nibs can be quite delicate.
Strokes
Calligraphy nibs are designed to flex their tines open and closed depending on the degree of pressure being applied. The left picture shows the tines unflexed (light pressure) and the right picture shows tines flexed (firm pressure).
The basics of calligraphy with a pointed pen are similar to brush pen in that more pressure is required for downstrokes and less pressure for upstrokes. When pressure is applied, the tines open, allowing more ink to flow onto the paper, causing a thicker stroke. With less pressure, the tines close and less ink flows onto the paper, causing a thinner stroke.
Cleaning
If you find that your writing is getting thicker than you want, it may be that your nib is getting clotted with ink. Before this happens, it's definitely a good idea to clean it with a swish in a jar of water. Any jar will do. I use a jelly jar, but I've also saved relish jars from the recycling bin. Anything that will hold water and you don't mind having ink stains. I do find that glass washes pretty clean without any ink residue though.
When washing your nib of ink, remember to only dip the nib portion of your pen into the water. If you dip the holder into the water, the ink and water will go into the opening and will be more difficult to clean.
There will still be remnants of ink left on your nib and this you will wipe clean with the lint-free towel. I use cloth napkins from rummage sales and cut-up, old t-shirts. As long as it doesn't leave lint on your nib, it's fine. The last thing you want is for some of that lint to transfer to your project.
After your nibs and holders are completely dry, you can store them in a lovely jar or cup. There is no need to remove the nibs each time you use them.
Guide
I created a guide similar to my brush lettering guide that provides details of workspace, warm up exercises, the anatomy of a nib and tips on caring for your tools. It also contains stroke guidelines and practice pages to print as often as you like. Subscribe below to download your free guide!
As always, please comment below or send me a message if you have any questions or if you’d like to share your work!
Comments