Calligraphiti

I just want to write a quick little blurb while my tinies are napping.
just so you're all aware, words that are not in white are either links to the products I bought or links to things I think are relevant. That way you can also buy the things or see the things I have also seen. Enjoy


I've taken up calligraphy as of two months and four days ago. it's pretty great. I thought it was going to be awful so I threw a fit my two year old would have been impressed by when I got my first nib and ink. (Kyle got mine at Hobby Lobby but they're cheaper on Amazon)
I started off with youtube videos and it quickly overtook my pinterest feed as well as my instagram.

I started out with a dip pen. Which is kind of what you think of when you think of the declaration of independence. or harry potter. I guess it depends on what kind of person you are.
So you can get different nibs (or tips) for different styles.
and of course, I ordered a calligraphy set.
and I experimented and played around with those for a while until I got a little better at handling the nibs and the flow of ink.
then I ordered a ink pallette.
I don't know if it's what ink does in general or if it's just speedball, but the speedball inks I have have crazy differing consistencies, and I don't really like that about them. Black seems super watery and thin and it bleeds through everything so easily. But my metallics are super thick and chunky almost, I find myself needing to dip multiple times just to get through one word. The flow from my nib is always different and it's making me crazy. I think I'm going to try out Winsor & Newton inks next.

dip pen mischief from me. let's all keep in mind that I'm new and not great. Stop judging me.

but more recently, like last week, I ordered and received my first brush pen set made by Tombow USA. I'M IN LOVE. Basically these pens are equivalent to a paintbrush that never runs out of ink. This fixes a lot of things. I can control the width of my lines by easy pressure, and I don't have to worry about when to best pick up to get more ink. Plus it flows so much easier. Bonus, the other end is like a fine tip marker so you can always touch up your letters a bit more. Best part? They don't bleed through paper very easily. Which means I can also use them in my adult coloring book that by love Rhonda got me to get bolder pictures.
I love that there are tons of different palettes to choose from with Tombow USA as well. I ordered the Soda Shop pallette too, but it's backordered, so I'll be waiting rather impatiently for those to arrive.

and here's my more recent exploits with my Tombow USA dual brush pens. (it comes with a blending pen, and that's how I got that magical rainbow thing happening with Selena Gomez's Lyrics that have been stuck in my head for a couple weeks)

I honestly use all of my calligraphy stuff on regular old sketchbook paper. I have a packet of parchment I got recently on sale at Barnes and Noble that I love but it's super thin and nearly see through so I'm not sure how often I'll use it.

However, I stumbled upon a hashtag on instagram that said #crayoligraphy.
which is where people have disvoered that regular crayola (and other brands I'm sure) MARKERS can be used similarly to a brush pen (so writing super light on upstrokes and then pressing down pretty hard on down strokes) so I tried it out... AND IT WORKS. Here I am spending money on pro brush pens and I could be using markers. what.

I'd like to take this paragraph to explain that there are tons of different brands out there for both dip pens and brush pens. I have only discovered a few due to lack of funds. I'm sure I'll be experimenting with different brands of both types. I don't foresee my love of hand lettering and modern calligraphy dying out any time soon.
So, that should answer quite a few questions that I've been asked. If you have any more, please comment and I'll try to answer them. I'm still pretty new.

That's all folks :)