#Manuscript nib practice sheets how to

It’s all about how quickly the moisture evaporates from the ink on the nib. Runny inks won’t require you to clean as much, while thicker, more paint-like inks (for example: white ink, gouache) will need to be cleaned off more often. Clean Off Your Nib Regularly During and After UseĪs I mentioned above, it’s important to clean off your nib every so often as you write. If it does, then your pen almost certainly will rust, which can make for difficult nib insertion. To do that, you’ll swish your nib around in water, but only up to the red line shown in the photo above! Water should never get up in the pen. When you dip your nib in ink, try to dip to the vent hole or just a tad higher.Īs you write, you’ll want to clean off your nib every minute or two (or as you notice that ink drying on the nib is affecting ink flow). If you want your nibs to stay usable for months to come, try to avoid rust and caked-on ink. The trick is to prevent water or ink from going any higher than the red lines shown below. The Nikko G nib is stronger, and will remain resilient as you experiment with pressure exertion. Again, if you’re a beginner, I recommend starting with a Nikko G. The video shows a Brause EF66 nib, which is a more flexible nib. Pressure exertion can be a tough concept to explain, so I made a video to show you (you can watch it below, or see it on YouTube by clicking here).

If there is a gap between them, then too much pressure was applied and the nib is no longer fit for use. If you apply too much pressure to your nib, however, the tines won’t spring back together.

Notice how close together they are … this nib is definitely capable of writing delicate, thin strokes! Once you finish writing, the tines of your nib should look like the photo below. If you feel like you’re struggling to write because you are applying so much pressure, then ease up a little bit. While calligraphy nibs can handle quite a bit of pressure, they have a breaking point. When you apply pressure to your nib, you’ll want to make sure that the tines of the nib comfortably splay apart. This causes the tines to splay apart, allowing the pen to write a thick stroke. (You can find more information on how stroke variation works in The Beginner’s Guide to Modern Calligraphy, under point #7). As you drag the pen down, you apply pressure to the nib. The basic idea is this: when you push the pen up, you don’t much apply pressure to the nib, which helps you to write a thin stroke. Stroke variation is an integral part of dip pen calligraphy. Don’t Apply Excessive Force on Downstrokes Note that the nib used in the video is a Nikko G, which is the nib that I use in all my calligraphy workshops and recommend to beginners! 2. You can watch the video below, or find it on YouTube by clicking here.

#Manuscript nib practice sheets how to

I know that the concept of sticking a calligraphy nib into a potato is a bit odd, so I made a video showing you exactly how to do it.

Wipe it off, and it’s ready to write! As a side note, I don’t recommend leaving the nib in the potato for longer than 15 minutes. Once you take out the nib, use a bit of water to get rid of the potato starch on the nib. Simply stick your nib in a potato, wait fifteen minutes, and take the nib out. When you try to use a new nib, however, you will find that the oily nibs and ink don’t mix! That can cause ink flow issues that are particularly perplexing to beginners. Luckily, it’s easy to get rid of nib oils. Remove the Manufacturer’s Oils from New Calligraphy NibsĬalligraphy nib manufacturers put oily substances on nibs to ensure that the nibs stay nice in pre-sale storage. I remember being very confused about which nib to use, how to use it, and what to do with it when I wasn’t using it! If you have the same questions, this post will be helpful. When I first began learning how to use a dip pen, calligraphy nibs were a mystery to me.