Dip Pen Flex Nib For Calligraphy

[dannyc1105]

Hi there, I am an avid user of fountain pens and I also love to write with an italic or stub nib for calligraphy. However, I'd like to venture into copperplate and Spencerian script so I'm looking for dip pen nibs. I want to be able to write small letters so that I can write things like letters without running out of space. I'm new to this area so I don't know if it's possible or even desired to have writing that would fit onto the lines of standard lined paper, but that is what I'm looking for.

Any suggestions for nibs? Also, is it necessary to have an oblique holder for calligraphy?

 

Thanks,

Danny

[rwilsonedn]

Yes, what you describe is certainly possible. I think many teachers encourage you to write large when you are beginning with new letter forms so that you can get the details of the strokes right. But one of the joys is that with the tiny hairlines that good dip pens can draw, you can write beautiful, very small script too. If you look at samples of 18th and 19th-century personal letters on the Web, you may find some examples.

There are many dip pens that will probably work for you. You can pick up a crow-quill (not a real quill but a steel pen) or a Zebra G on-line or at a local hobby store, for instance. You can also explore vintage dip pens, but be aware that especially in vintage, not all pens were intended for Spencerian--there were many kinds, including very broad nibs and nibs with no line variation to speak of.

And no, you don't need an oblique holder. Some people find them convenient, and some teachers insist on them, but they are a choice, not a requirement. Styles like Spencerian existed a long time before oblique holders were developed. (It's really hard to find a goose with oblique feathers, for instance.)

Try some pens, a holder or two, and some dip-pen ink, and have fun!

ron

[ac12]

Try a G nib. Easy to find (it is currently manufactured), and NOT expensive.

I use the G nib to write letters on US WIDE ruled paper.

I can probably use it on the narrower US College ruled paper, but have not tried.

 

I use an oblique dip pen holder. I find it easier to write with than a straight holder, for cursive style writing.

[inkstainedruth]

One caveat, especially with a Zebra G nib -- dip pen nibs are not tipped. So if you're used to fountain pens it might be a bit of a learning curve to use a nib without tipping. I have a prototype Desiderata Dedalus with a Zebra G nib, and it tore up nearly every paper I tried the pen on (I have since gotten to try some of Pierre's pens from his table at the 2015 DCSS and it was clear that I had a bad nib -- but having the nib dig into and actually scratch and rip really good paper like Tomoe River and Rhodia was a shocker.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Wolverine1]

Check out the website for John Neal Booksellers, they stock a wide variety of dip-pen nibs and holders. For dip-pens, check out the website of our fellow FPN member, Steve Engen, who manufactures dip-pens, that are very reasonably priced.

 

John Neal Booksellers: https://www.johnnealbooks.com/

 

Steve Engen's dip-pens: https://www.dippens.net/

[Rednaxela]

With Spencerian, extended letters like l, k, etc., are three to four times the x-height. With the right technique, you will certainly be able to make hairlines thin enough to fit this between two lines of normal ruled paper. However the end result will be really tiny, and may not be what you want after all. Try it out for yourself and see how you like it.

[Bo Bo Olson]

There are free templates on line that allow you to print the width of line you wish. Wide for B nibs, middle for M nibs or collage for F-EF nibs.

Then you are not forced to scribble tiny.