Nice, Wade, You want to speed up and I want to slow down.
Thanks Charlie! If I focus on details, I can spend hours. Those hours end in frustration. I’m seeing how focusing on shapes, angles, etc impact the image first, then if I want, I’ll go back to fill in the details (and spend more time).
That’s actually why I started with the pen drawings rather than pencil.
I like your dip pen. Do you have any recommendations on where to buy or which one? I have a couple of fountain pens, one from Levenger and one from Visconti. Both are broad tip, and I kind of want something thinner. Not sure if that means I need to go to fine or if I need paper that won’t allow as much bleed in the ink?
That dip pen is glass. I picked it up on Amazon. There are a number of places that carry them. It takes getting used to and you have to hold it at just the right angle. For drawing and calligraphy, I'd recommend a set of the speedball nibs and a holder (or two); The
Cartooning set is a good starting point. The "B" style are round tips (number is size - 0 is largest, 6 is smallest - like apertures) and the quill style (artist and bowl) are good for very fine lines. I'd guess I use the B5 or B6 the most. The other Speedball styles ("A" is square, "C" is flat, "CF" is flat left-hand) are more useful in lettering and calligraphy. You can use them with any ink. I did have a bowl nib crack but they're cheap enough.
Paper can be a big problem with bleed. Bonded papers geared towards multimedia or paint are less susceptible, as a is bristol and parchment. I just use Canson 98 lb/160 g multimedia paper (it has a blue cover) for just about anything. Hot press watercolor (smooth) would also be OK. There are a few journals that are FP ink friendly - Rhodia comes to mind. Goulet (listed later) has a decent selection.
You can replace the nibs, often without any special tools. Lamy (the Safari & Vista lines) are real simple as the nib slides off and on the top of the feed (I'll put together some photos). Others can be changed by pulling, or screwing the feed out (the nib sits on top but most of the metal is inside the pen). Others are integral with the pen end and would have to have the whole piece changed (again - photos).
Take a look at
The Goulet Pen Co for pen nibs and videos on how to change them. The nibs (other than the Lamy) are sized by the width of the shank(?) - the part that sits on the feed and is inside the pen body. Most seem to be 5mm or 6mm, but Brian & co can help. They may not have, say, the Levenger nibs, but they should have something that fits. If you're not worried about "keeping it stock," they are a good source. Another cool thing with them, if you buy (at least with pens and inks), they (typically Rachel) will put a hand-signed note in the package, and specify which ink is is. They also give you a lagniappe - a Tootsie Pop. RLC (Really Large Chicken - our oldest) sent me a pen and set of three small ink bottles for my birthday a few years ago. When I opened the outside package, I saw the Tootsie Pop and knew right away, what kind of gift it was.
If you want to play with various color inks, they sell samples. You can order specific brand/colors or pick from one of their preset collections (red, blue, purple, etc.)
If you get to the DC area (and everyone is in phase 3 open), you should make a trip to
Fahrney's. They carry the higher end pens but have some of the mid-range, as well. I got the Delta, Pelikan and the contemporary Shaeffers there, during one of the monthly sales. They are located on F St, NW, across from the National Press Club.
Lamy Safari (color bodies) and Vista (clear "demonstrator" body) are good all-round pens that run between $35 and $40 are one of my favorites - I have 5 of them and a Lamy Joy, which is an italic-nibbed calligraphy pen. The Safaris come in a bunch of candy colors, as well as the usual black, grey and white.
A *fount* of information (see what I did there) and always ready to help us struggling peeps.
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