september 2011 update - John Neal, Bookseller

18 GettinG Started
one of the advantages of assembling a
pen is that you can adjust it to suit your
individual requirements. Dismantling,
cleaning, and reassembling it regularly
will also help you to become well
acquainted with your writing
instrument. The assembled pen here
is the standard wide-nib pen used for
ease the nib into the holder. Avoid
putting pressure on the writing edge.
slide the nib in as far as possible. It should
fit closely to the holder’s neck.
brought together.
in a flame and then cool it in cold water.
that it distorts the writing edge. position
the reservoir about 3 mm from the writing
edge, or further back on smaller nib sizes.
Throughout this book, the nib
sizes quoted refer to Mitchell
roundhand nibs, which are
widely used by calligraphers. If
you are using a different brand,
you will need to convert these
sizes to those of your nib.
A simple way of doing this is
to hold each of your nibs against
the size checker here to
determine which Mitchell size it
most closely matches.
new reservoirs need to be adjusted
to ensure they don’t cause the nib to
“split” and impede the flow of ink. gently
bend the reservoir around the tail of the
pen holder and loosen the side flaps with
slight pressure from your finger and thumb
so that it can slide easily onto the nib.
not supply ink to the writing edge.
size 0
size 1
size 1.5
size 2
size 2.5
size 3
size 3.5
size 4
size 5
size 6
nibs get tired with use and you will
eventually need to sharpen them
to ensure the best results. A nib is
blunt when it is no longer capable
of making sharp hairline strokes.
A small Arkansas stone is used for
sharpening nibs. These sharpening
stones are smooth and good quality
and will not damage nibs. A cheap
alternative is grade number 4 wet
and dry paper. sharpening pointed
nibs is not recommended.
The best calligraphy is written with ink
made from Japanese ink sticks. They
are handmade using a traditional
process and are very high quality. The
required amount of ink should be
freshly prepared as it deteriorates
once exposed to air. grinding stones
come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and
qualities. The smallest size is the most
useful. A lid can also be helpful to
prevent the ink from drying out too
quickly, but is not essential.
disperse as evenly as possible. grinding for
too long or with too much pressure can
result in a grainy texture.
place a sharpening stone on a flat
surface and lubricate it with water. place
the nib at 30 degrees, with the top toward
the stone and the underside of
the nib facing you. Keeping the nib at
30 degrees, move it across the stone
10 to 12 times.
Test a stone by applying a small amount
of liquid to it—the slower
the liquid dries, the better the quality
of the stone.
the ink and making a mark. It should flow
smoothly and appear solid black on paper.
Check the
sloping edge of the nib
under a magnifying glass and
sharpen it with the top of the nib
facing you until it is even.
stone. If more ink is required, more
water can be added later in increments of
two drops. It is far easier to make ink too
thick and dilute it than to thicken ink that
is too thin.
you can load your pen with ink by
either dipping the pen in a full ink
well and wiping the excess ink
on the edge of the pot, or
by feeding the nib with a
brush as shown.
PRSRT STD
US Postage
PAID
Ripon, WI
Permit No. 100
current resident or
© 2011
BOOKBINDING CALLIGRAPHY PAPERCRAFT
❧
❧
Now Available!
B2769. Foundations of
Calligraphy by Sheila Waters.
2006. 126pp. 9"x11.25".
Hardcover,
concealed spiral $35.00
For more info see page 9.
Narrow Foundational: Exemplar alphabet with pen-angle changes for certain letters.
AsseMblIng your pen
teaching the scripts in this book.
1
offer up the reservoir to the nib,
3 taking great care not to damage
the end of the nib when the two are
With a new nib, be sure to remove
6 the protective lacquer coating—
plunge it into hot water, or hold it briefly
The reservoir should make just
4 enough contact to prevent it from
falling off. It must not grip the nib so tightly
CheCking your nib size
2
If the reservoir is too far forward, it
5 will catch the paper and drag ink
across the surface; if too far back, it will
shArpenIng The nIb
MAKIng InK
grind the stick against the stone.
3 The ink stick should be ground slowly
and rhythmically to enable the pigment to
stop when the ink has thickened.
4 you will need to test the ink to assess
when it is ready by dipping the nib into
1 2
1
Add four drops of water to a grinding
2
Dipping the pen
B3360. Calligraphy in 24 Hours by Veiko Kespersaks.
2010. 176pp. Paper $21.99
Presents a carefully structured series
of 24 one-hour lessons (most to be
followed by additional practice before moving to
the next lesson.) The exercises teach letterforms,
develop consistency & speed, and present projects:
greeting cards, invitations, wall hangings, place
settings, and more. The author is from Finland and
currently works in London.
B3360
Sheila Waters
B3246. Sheila Waters Retrospective. Scripsit
Issue. 2010. 48pp. 8.5"x11". $28.00
Here it is. What we have been waiting years
for – 300 full-color images of Sheila’s life’s
work, designed by Julian Waters. This issue of
Scripsit presents Sheila’s Retrospective Show
of 2009. A great companion to her instructional
book Foundations of Calligraphy. Julian
has designed a new typeface to be used for the
first time in this publication. Scripsit is the
quarterly journal of the Washington (DC) Calligraphers
Guild. This is a special double issue.
64
❧
t o l l f r e e: 800-369-9598 v w e b : www.j o h n n e a l b o o k s.com