So, my wife has been really interested in calligraphy for a while now. I'm trying to figure out what kind of pen/nib to get for her. I know that calligraphy ink is different than FP ink, so dipping is the way to go. And I saw some calligraphy sets at hobby lobby/ on amazon, but I know virtually nothing about the types of nibs and don't want to buys something she'll grow out of too quickly. Any info would be helpful, Thanks!
Calligraphy dip pens?
- Thread starter dexutter
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I could use some help here too. I just bought my first brush pen last week and I'm not impressed. It's a calligraphy brush pen but it doesn't have as much definition between thick & thin lines as I wanted. I really want to dry a brush dip pen.
Speedball is a good place to start for ink and nibs. There are various other manufacturers out there to try, but I'd start there. Also, Pilot Parallels are a super fun pen to play with, as are brush pens. Check out www.jetpens.com they've always provided me with great service. Good luck
Try some disposable Kuratake, Pilot and Tombow brush pens. They are fantastic and inexpensive to boot. Wrote this with a Pilot medium (the grey one since it's written in Japanese, lol)
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- #5
My wife tried (and likes) brush pens. She's bought a couple. It took some time to get used to the pressure (super light to heavy). She also likes the broader brushes (actual bristle brushes that is) more than the thinner ones...
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- #6
Awesome, thanks
I'm *NO* expert and I only mess around with 2-3 nibs with my dip pen holders, but I love the Tachikawa holders at Jetpens with the little plastic circular nib collar. The traditional calligraphy nib holders that are more ornate look cool, but the metal fittings on them get dried ink in there and the nibs are a pain to remove. The circular design on the Tachikawa makes it a cinch to swap nibs of all sorts (and Jetpens has dozens of nibs).
+1 on Speedball. I have a set I need to take another stab at, but basically you have a holder and relatively inexpensive nibs. There are two ways of inking a Speedball nib. One is to dip and drag the edge of the pen on the inside edge of a bottle to remove the excess and the other is to fill the tiny reservoir on top of the nib with a dropper.
You don't have to use dip pens to get into calligraphy. Sheaffer makes cartridge pens with italic nibs. That's the squared-off nib that's like the Speedball C nibs. My Sheaffer calligraphy pen is why I never put much effort into Speedball. Then again, I was only doing Chancery and Blackletter.
There seems to be other non-dip pens other than the Sheaffer. Don't know much about them, only remember some disposable calligraphy pens and seeing some calligraphic pens for sale on line. One was a "calligraphy pen" with a standard fountain pen nib, so be cautious.
I originally went for a Tombow but they were out so I picked up a Faber-Castell. I should've saved my money but at least I can practice with it & if I damage the tip no real loss.
PM me your addy and I'll send you a few to try ;-)
Thank you sir! It's exactly this kind of generousity that makes B&B the best!
No sweat, I've had the same kindness and generosity shown to me over the years. B&B is the best ;-)
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I have a set of Mitchell nibs and they work pretty well. Some were a little rough to start off. For ink try Higgins Eternal. A fountain pen ink that works pretty well for calligraphy is Pelikan Brilliant Black. All are available at John Neal Bookseller.
You can refer to Plotube calligraphy pen set. This is a good calligraphy kit for beginners if you don’t mind the minor flaws. It’s not perfect but it’s good for its intended purpose. I prefer using the medium and broad nibs because they are easier to control. Still once, you improve on your skills, it should be easier to use the other nibs.
