Dip pen writing
Creating calligraphy writing strokes with a dip pen can be challenging, but it's well worth the time and effort to attain the desired results. This is an art form. A dip pen is dipped into an ink well, and ink collects in a reservoir on the "nib." Quill pens once were used as writing tools, and they had to be chiseled periodically to maintain sharp points. Today, there are metal nibs in different widths and sizes to use.
Instructions
1. Insert one of the metal writing nibs into the wood dip pen holder. Push in until it feels secure.
2. Open the bottle of walnut drawing ink. Holding the bottle with one hand and the dip pen and holder in the other, dip the nib into the ink deep enough to collect some ink from the reservoir. Gently tap any excess ink on the inside of the bottle.
3. Hold the pen in your hand so the flat nib is slanted at about a 45-degree angle. Keep it rigid in your hand at all times while writing, and do not twist or turn it between your fingers. If you do, you will lose the angle to write properly.
4. Place the nib of the dip pen flat on white card stock (a good, smooth, heavy paper). Write short practice strokes by moving your entire hand on the paper, holding the dip pen and holder rigid. You can rest your palm on the paper if it helps. Practice developing crisp, uniform, sharp images that are equidistant apart.
5. Write lowercase italic letters "A" through "Z." Make sure each letter is the same height and width and has equal distance between them. The aim is to write letters with wide and thin dimensions.
6. Write words on white card stock such as "elephant," "cucumbers," flowerpot" or "gymnasium." This is an exercise in spacing, sizing and using angles.
7. Dip the pen into the ink well and tap off excess whenever the reservoir is empty. This is evident when you can no longer write because of a lack of ink on the pen. Filling the pen properly takes a little practice.
