The Anonymous Hero Behind Every Calligraphy Artist
Where would we calligraphers be without the proper nib, penholder and ink? These three instruments are our magic wands for weaving beautiful strokes across multiple surfaces.
There are now also many digital tools which are fabulous too, but the sensation of setting up your own space for writing, which start by choosing the nib that will best help to achieve the desired strokes, the right penholder for the job, the ink with the consistency you need and then testing these onto the paper or any other surface. It’s without a shadow of a doubt a labour of love for all things handwritten.
And even more precious is that wonderful first moment after dipping the nib into the ink and writing the opening word, to see all your preparation was worthwhile.
The tools in this photo are my beloved ones a ‘Speedball’ oblique penholder that I’ve been using for years and has the footprints of many lovely things I’ve created with it, then it’s the nib in which I trust to accomplish some of the most difficult tasks, even though I change it quite often and use many other ones, I always go back to him my loyal partner the ‘Hiro Leonardt 41’ and last but not least is the ink, this one is my own mix of different acrylic inks, just a personal choice.
If you are an experienced calligrapher I'm sure you have a tool you feel more comfortable with. Now, if you are starting out in the art of handwriting, it can be a little bit overwhelming to decide the proper writing instrument for every job but pretty soon you intuitively will know which one you will get better results.
The most important thing, is to enjoy the journey!
“Check out my Calligraphy Starter Kit with all you need to get yourself started in the fascinating world of calligraphy.”