That's too bad about those books. I'd like to see your writing because I just enjoy seeing handwriting in general. I think it's very interesting and even fascinating to see how people approach it. I can write in cursive and often do, but my main handwriting is a basic block printing. Here is my 2022 book-log so you can see an example:There is no false modesty is my saying that my penmanship is abysmal and that I have never cultivated the sort of skill that you display!
Last year, my wife got me a couple of nifty books on comparative historical uncial scripts and such, and I was all kinds of excited to begin to learn these things just recently, when a backed-up sewage pipe led to our basement flooding and these books being destroyed. (A few tobacco jars were also awash! Thankfully they were sealed and decontaminated. The books were not so redeemable.)
Sure, I'd be willing to embarrass myself, but my pens and such are all at home, and for the next few weeks we are living a couple of hours away at my parents' place near the NICU.
Maybe when I get back to all that, I'll post some pics for your critique, Sam the Pen Man!![]()
Found some ink in our stash of office supplies. Not sure if this is the correct stuff to use or not. Here are the first few lines I've ever done with the new dip pens. Great fun! but will take some getting used to in order to get the lines I want. What say you? View attachment 191460
I think it looks great—very rustic, like something one might see in Rohan, home of the horse lords. I say keep at it.I swung back by home today and grabbed my pens.
Motivated by this thread and by your request, Mr. Gamgee, I just now I sat down to scratch out something (for the first time in months).
It's a favorite line from the Book of Common Prayer:
View attachment 191937
I smudged that "ay" -- sorry.
This is the only script that I know when writing with a stub or italic (this was a Medium Italic, by the way) -- and I do it poorly.
I am fascinated by pens and nibs and I derive immense pleasure from viewing great calligraphy -- like I derive from viewing great painting or listening to great choral music -- but I am no painter and no musician, and regrettably I am no calligrapher either.
That association just made my day!very rustic, like something one might see in Rohan
I got into Spencerian writing a few years ago, its something that needs to be done all the time to maintain it, at least that's what I found.I'm a hobby calligrapher and recently started selling some of my work. I've been using Sharpie pens for years, and while I love them and they work well, I have always longed to get the clean, sharp lines only a good fountain pen can give. I've tried various fountain pens in the past but never found one that worked well for me. I had a couple Lamys and some other brands I can't remember.
The thing I disliked about them all were the blunted nibs which made it impossible to get the clean lines I wanted. Someone told me I could file down the nibs and get them the way I wanted, but I wanted to buy a pen ready to use, not fiddle with it. I eventually gave up on fountain pens altogether and just stayed with my beloved Sharpies.
But this Christmas I was given a set of fountain pens as a gift. They aren't very good quality but it was enough to start the itch again. I'd love to find something in the 1.00mm (or maybe slightly larger) with a very sharp chisel tip. I have a set of dip pens but that's just too much work, and it makes it impossible to write when away from home (I do a lot of my calligraphy during down time at my day job).
I'm open to recommendations. I don't care how much the pen costs either. I just want a good one.
Yup.I know a guy who is a master penman (he hates being called a calligrapher) whose work is a joy to behold. He uses a dip pen for his own work. He makes and sells his own pens and inks. You can find his wiki page by looking up Mike Sull Penman. You will find a wiki page on him as well several pages that are dedicated to his work. He used to attend the KC Clubs meetings, but I haven't seen him in a while.
Using good paper is also important, it prevents blotting and seep-through.That association just made my day!
SBC, is that Rhodia paper?
If it was an unbranded notebook from Goulet it was their own notebook, likely. They were made with the infamous Tomoe River paper 68gsm. That paper went away from the market and upset a lot of people.It was included in a small sampler of papers which came with an order from Goulet, about a year ago, but the booklet that this particular paper comes from was not branded ... so, I don't know!
There was another little pad of Rhodia, though, which I have beside me right now -- marked "90g/m2 - 41 lb." I haven't read up on what that means -- but I like the paper!
#2 nibs have been sort of the standard size nib for a long time. Most of the smaller Waterman pens had them. The Pelikan 200 series also take them. Do you have a pen in mind that you want to install one in or are you looking for recommendations for an inexpensive host? If you are looking for the latter, Noodler's Nib Creaper fountain pens are inexpensive and they take number 2 nibs. Creaper nibs and feeds are friction fit, so you have to take care to set your pen up properly with the donor nib. I hope this helps.