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There's so much to explore in the world of calligraphy! You've started at the right place.
Maybe I've just seen too many TV shows where it's like dripping all over the place
Found a YouTube video. Is this how you guys do it? Does it take a whole minute to let it drip?And this person made a mess!
I just ordered a batch of stuff from backtozero.com. My first time from there so I can't really say what it's like until I receive, but their website is impressively user friendly and modern and their stamp handles come in some great colours! Found them to be much cheaper for custom seals too. Their customer service is good too!
But I didn't see your favourite Hiro 41 on there. Are they still having problems?
-Prasad
Thanks Prasad, Brad, Sue!
Prasad,
I left it off because it can still be hit or miss.
This compares the same word with the various nibs.
Thanks for the comparison! I haven't used some of these nibs, this is very helpful!
Well, I have not think about that very much! Usually I don't mind some creases in the paper to make it fit the envelope, it is kind of essential in postal letters. But it is true that the paper you used is quite thick and creases are a lot more noticeable than in a fine paper. I would recomend you use another paper when you want to mail. Or, search for those big A4 carton envelopes used for sending important documents that can be folded.
What I do is:
- If it is just a short note or a quote: I make it as postcard, the same size as the envelope.
- If it is a long informal letter: I write it in lined rhodia paper and let it dry completely. Next day fold it with care to fit the envelope.
- If it is a long formal letter: I write it in some nice fine paper with black bold guidelines underneath it. I let it dry and fold with extra care.
- If it is a combination of long and short: I only write the long letter on one side of the paper and then put the postcard between the folds, to protect it.
Hope that helps!
One question for you by the way! What ink do you use on that paper (in Spain it is called Vegetal paper or Onion paper, but I don't know if it is the same over there)? I like it very much for some projects, and I even have envelopes made out of it, but I find problems with most inks, as it seems to be zero absorbent!
My favorite place to buy vintage stamps is from http://murphs-stamps.com/ - he is super cool. What I usually do is buy packets of $25 worth of stamps at a time and that lasts awhile. You only pay face value plus .49 cents for shipping (you pay by check after you've received the stamps in the mail). You can even tell him themes you want, like space, nature, etc, and stamp value ranges. I always get a great variety and am never disappointed
Valentine's Exchange 2014. Although I probably won't ever go this elaborate again! LOL!
I thought it would be fun to start a topic where we can "confess" anything that comes to mind regarding our calligraphy adventures! Here's mine:
Many calligraphers seem to have an affinity for cats, but...I'm not a cat person *wince*. I don't really dislike them... I just don't actively like them. Sorry!
Another is that I am. so. clumsy. It is ridiculous. I drop my pen, my fingers often have ink stains, I tear my papers, I forget to line up my nib properly and don't realize until I'm frustrated because my letters are weird, I've dropped the nib in the ink before and the list goes on. The worst of it is that I've spilled my ink in my lap more times than I want to count! I've learned that walnut ink comes out of clothes much easier than sumi, if anyone is curious, haha.
There are so many beautiful fonts based on traditional styles of penmanship. The easiest thing to do is find a font that appeals to you and then use it as your exemplar. Because the fonts are not pure handwriting, some of them have details that do not reflect what you can do with a pen. Something else to consider is what kind of pen you will be using. If you are not using a dip pen and want pretty penmanship using gel pens or ballpoints, you can still use a font that has thicks and things, but your writing will be monoline - meaning there will be no variation -or thicks and thins- in the strokes.
I have a few examples of monoline penmanship on a blog that I use to show brides choices for addressing envelopes. I am happy to address using gel pens and do a monoline variation of whatever font they have chosen on their invitation. If you look through the samples on my blog you can get an idea of how many different choices you have by using fonts as your exemplar.
If you want more detailed instruction on how to use fonts for penmanship, let me know. It's one of my favorite topics.
My samples may be viewed at this blog
weddingenvelopes.blogspot.com
click on the first sample and then it is easier to flip through all of them
the penmanship samples are $ and $$
the $$$ and $$$$ samples are with dip pens - probably not what you are looking for if you want to improve your everyday penmanship.
With a fountain pen, I tend to write with a stub closer to 45 degrees, but with a dip pen, like the one in the original post, I write with the nib parallel to the line. I writes more smoothly and more easily.
A stub is basically like a broad calligraphy nib, it's cut across the tip rather than coming to a point. Stubs are a little more rounded at the corners, while italic or calligraphy nibs have sharper corners for thinner lines and cleaner edges.
For dip nibs, stubs were originally intended to be used for rapid and easy writing where you didn't really care about being ornamental. They are easier to use when you need to write quickly, and are less tiring than flexible nibs, but you don't have the line control as most stub nibs are pretty firm. There are exceptions, and those rare flexible stub nibs, like the Spencerian Congressional, are really fun, and challenging, to write with.
Stubs also come in different sizes. The Esterbrook 442 Jackson Stub used in my text, is a medium stub. Some are smaller, some are broader, some are sharper and some are rounder and smoother. There can actually be a great deal of variation in stubs. I have quite a few different ones in my collection and started to write out a comparison of dip stubs but got bogged down after about 16 different ones with a bunch more to go.
Some stubs also are cut at an angle, so they are not 90-degrees to the slit of the pen, but can slant one way or another to varying degrees. These are called obliques and can be made this way for several reasons. One main reasons you hear about is if you rotate your nib one way or another. Another reason is for certain kinds of writing styles that were more common in Europe, like the more upright broad-nib styles you sometimes see in Italy or France. I'm sure there are styles in Germany that benefitted from these as most I see sold today are German nibs.
With fountain pens, people like stubs because they do give you a variation in line without using a flexible nib. And again, you have a range from sharp italic grinds on the nibs, to a smoother "butter stub" or some such variation. It takes some getting used to if you're used to writing with a monoline fountain pen nibs because the nibs are pickier about being fully on the paper with both tines evenly applied, hence the obliques.
While you cannot get the level of ornamental writing with a stub nib that you get with even a semi-flex nib, stubs are great for writing out drafts of letters, or notes, or journals, or to dash off an informal note. They do lend at least some character to even mediocre writing because they allow for some variation in line.
I like stubs, and the good ones, like the Esterbrook Jackson 442 and the Esterbrook 314 Relief and the Esterbrook 239 Chancellor, as well as the wonderfully flexible Spencerian Congressional, are worth trying and perhaps adding to your collection for the occasional use when you need to dash something off without caring if it is calligraphy or not. Or, perhaps it's best if you just all continue to ignore them as that helps keep the prices for them lower than for even stiff pointed pens. And that's fine with me.
Andrew
