Okay, for the past three months I've purchased nearly everything I've read about that will improve my calligraphy. I've tried gouache, several different types of ink, dozens of nibs and a boatload of paper. FINALLY, just today, I've found what I consider the perfect implements! They are:
1) Hiro 41 nib - not only is it beautiful to look at, it writes like a dream! This, in combination with #2 below, have made me one happy letterer!!
http://www.paperinkarts.com/hiro41.html2) Moon Palace Sumi ink - this stuff has the consistency of none of the other inks I've tried. I **think** this is what ink is supposed to look like, unlike the thin Higgins Eternal I've been fighting with. No bleeding, even on lesser grade paper! Yahoo!
http://www.paperinkarts.com/moonpa.html3) the Tachigawa T40 Holder - It has a cushion! I can't seem to get the hang of the oblique pen, but I'll keep trying now that I'm not so frustrated with the nib and ink!!
http://www.paperinkarts.com/tach40.html4) Premium copy paper for practice. I happened to have a Xerox 24# on hand but there are others. Much less expensive than those practice layout tablets!
I hope this saves somebody else some cash. I've spent a lot of money on trial and error trying to get to this point! I purchased everything above from
http://www.paperinkarts.com/ but I'm sure it's available elsewhere.
Ellen