Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

The Materials

Let's begin with the essential materials you're going to need. Below are my favorite tools for beginners, which I give to our workshop students. There's a whole world of different tools out there, which I encourage you to explore, but some are more difficult to use than others, so start with the easiest materials!

BEGINNERS' KIT LIST

• Nikko G nib

• Higgins Eternal ink

• Speedball straight penholder

• Rhodia dotPad

As your confidence and experience grow, you'll want to branch out and experiment with different tools. Here are some additional materials you might want to add to your modern calligraphy armory:

• Oblique penholder

• Sumi ink

• Dr Ph Martin's Bleedproof White ink

• Finetec metallic inks

• Tombow brush pens

• A range of nibs, such as Brause Steno, Gillott 404, Leonardt Principal

• Layout paper

• Bristol board

• Watercolor paper

• A pipette

• Gouache paints in primary colors

• Gum arabic in liquid form

• Canford black paper

• Blackwing pencils

• Faber-Castell dust-free white eraser

THE NIB

In modern calligraphy we use dip pens rather than fountain pens. The advantage with dip pens is that they can be used with a much wider variety of inks, many of which would destroy a fountain pen by clogging it up. Pointed dip pen nibs are designed to be flexible, responding to pressure to create a variety of line widths on the page — they can make a finer line than any fountain pen.

Modern calligraphy requires nibs that come to a sharp point, rather than nibs that have a broad-edged tip. The good news is that it means modern calligraphy is just as easy for lefties as righties. Nikko G nibs are excellent. They are sturdy, flexible and reliable. Made in their native Japan (but widely stocked all over the world), they are commonly used for the Japanese "manga" comic illustrations.

PREPARING YOUR NIB

New nibs have an oily coating on them, residual from the manufacturing process, which prevents them from rusting or sticking together. You'll need to remove this before using your brand new nib for the first time. There are several ways to do this, and you'll find your favorite method, but passing the writing end of the nib quickly through a flame (from a match or lighter) or cleaning it with toothpaste both work — you can even try leaving it sticking into the flesh of a potato for ten minutes or so!

Once you've gained confidence with the Nikko G nib, there is a plethora of pointed nibs that you can experiment with (the name is minutely etched into the nib's shank; you have to look closely!). Choose a nib according to what you're looking to achieve on the page. Different nibs suit different inks, penholders and paper types. As with anything new, it's trial and error, but here is a quick crib sheet for some other pointed nibs that I'd recommend experimenting with. Each nib has its own personality and requires a unique approach, from the level of pressure required to how much ink it can take.

THE PENHOLDER

To keep things simple, I recommend starting with a straight penholder and moving on to an oblique penholder (the one that has a funny-looking attachment on the side of it) after you have got the hang of the letterforms. If you've come to this book already using an oblique penholder, and it's working for you, do continue with it. The oblique holder generally helps you to write at more of an angle, but the slant of your writing is not something you need to worry too much about as you start out. There are other important things to get right first!

The Speedball straight penholder is not particularly glamorous-looking in black plastic but it's inexpensive, fits the Nikko G nib perfectly, and is ergonomically designed to help you grip it in the correct place.

Most other basic straight penholders have a metal claw in the end. The advantage of these is that they will universally fit pretty much all sizes and shapes of nib.

Tachikawa is a Japanese brand that makes a rather nifty straight penholder that comes with a clear lid, to protect your nib. It's not as widely available but a very good idea, I think.

The weight, style of grip and comfort of your penholder comes down to personal preference that will develop over time. I like the cushioning of my cork-tipped penholder.

THE OBLIQUE PENHOLDER

When you're more confident with your lettering, you might like to branch out and try some new tools. The oblique holder is designed to enable you to write consistently at a slant. A good-quality oblique penholder with an adjustable metal flange would be preferable, but they can be an investment buy. You could start with an inexpensive Speedball oblique holder instead. Once you get the hang of the oblique holder you may prefer it to the straight penholder. My current favorite is my Tom's Studio oblique penholder (illustrated on page 15).

When using an oblique penholder, the long part of the pen should remain in a similar position to your straight holder, because you are allowing the angle of the flange to help you achieve your desired slant. When in this position, the angle of your downstroke should be in line with your nib. It can take a little while to get used to, but do persevere.

INK

Finding an ink you love is a very personal choice and everyone has their own favorite for everyday practice. When weighing up the merits of a particular ink, you might like to consider the following:

Viscosity: Some inks can be thicker than others. To thin down ink, add a drop of water and keep testing it. To thicken, leave the pot open for a few hours or overnight (depending on the volume of ink) and the water content will reduce.

Opacity: Test an ink to see how it dries — does it fade into the paper as it dries? Absorbent papers may encourage the ink to sink in and therefore lose the strength of color, but that can also be a lovely look!

Finish: Do you want a matte or shiny finish when it's dry? India ink tends to dry shiny, and Sumi ink can have a silk-like finish to it. The shiny finish is often produced by shellac in the ink. Shellac is a resin extracted from a particular beetle, so vegans should avoid this.

Acid content: Some inks have a higher acid content, which means that they will not be suitable for archival work and can also corrode your nibs with long-term use.

Lightfastness: Will the ink fade in sunlight? Check the manufacturer's advice.

Waterproofness: Do you need the ink to be waterproof when dry? This is important if you plan to apply a secondary layer, for example a watercolor wash, over your writing. Always make sure to test this first if so.

MY FAVORITE INKS

Higgins Eternal ink is great for beginners and I highly recommend it. It's fairly thin, which makes it easy to use, but therefore has a tendency to "bleed" on thin paper like cheap copy paper. But it's acid-free and shellac-free, and works perfectly with the Nikko G nib.

India ink, also known as China ink, is thicker, and historically made with a fine soot pigment called lampblack. It dries with a sheen due to its shellac content, and is waterproof once dry.

Iron gall ink (also called nut ink or oak gall ink) is commonly found in manuscripts from the Middle Ages. It's traditionally made from gall nuts, the bobbly growths found on oak trees. The ink is naturally acidic and dries slightly translucent.

If you have inks at home that haven't seen the light of day since art school, why not get them out and try them? They may need reviving, or adjusting to the right consistency, with a drop or so of water but it's well worth a try before you go out and spend money.

PAPER

Once you've enjoyed filling the practice sheets in this book, paper pads from a brand called Rhodia are excellent; they do not bleed easily and are gorgeously smooth to write on. The paper is also just about thin enough that you can put guides underneath it when practicing. I particularly love Rhodia's dotPads, which have a faint grid of dots on each page to help you stay on a straight line but without being too prescriptive.

In general you want to choose paper that is smooth but not shiny. Coated, shiny papers are less likely to hold the ink — it will form puddles and won't be absorbed.

Recommending standard printer paper can be challenging as there are so many different ones out there. I'd forgo cheap inkjet printer paper as it will almost certainly give you trouble. Most inks will "bleed" on lower-quality paper (this is the furry effect that appears around the edges of your calligraphy.) But you could also try good-quality laser printer paper. Be sure to test it before stocking up.

Bristol board is a smooth white card that's great for calligraphy — but it's not cheap so keep it for your final pieces rather than for everyday practice.

Watercolor paper is by nature not very absorbent, so thinner inks shouldn't bleed. But it is fibrous so you'll need to be careful of your nib catching as you write. Avoid using very sharp nibs.

Layout paper is a kind of tracing paper that's not essential when you're starting out but handy to have as you start to create artwork.

CARING FOR YOUR TOOLS

Keep your nibs clean and dry. Once you've cleaned off that oily layer on your new nib, it is susceptible to rust. Even the moisture in the air could rust your nibs over time, so store them in an airtight container if possible and try not to leave them in water for any length of time.

Have a pot of water and a lint-free cloth (paper cocktail napkins also work well as they're not too fibrous) on hand to remove dried-on ink or the paper fibers that sometimes become caught in the nib. A good-quality soft pencil like the Blackwing pencil and a dust-free eraser will also be handy to have in your toolkit.

Getting Started

PUTTING YOUR PEN TOGETHER

Once your new nib is prepared, the body of the nib slots into the penholder. If you're using a Speedball straight penholder, it will slot in anywhere around the ring-shaped opening at the top. If you are using a penholder with a metal claw inside one end, then your nib will need to sit between the rim and the claw (not within the grip of the claw itself). Push in the nib until it feels snug. Roughly ¾ in. of nib should poke out.

To assemble the Speedball oblique penholder, the nib slots into the ring at the end of the flange, so that it leans to the right.

HOW TO HOLD THE PEN

In order for your nib to operate efficiently and avoid any scratchiness, you'll need to make sure you're holding the pen in a certain way:

• Hold the pen in a firm but relaxed grip between your thumb, index and third fingers, with your wrist and forearm resting gently on the table. Your thumb shouldn't tuck over your fingers. Your fingers should be relaxed and neither tightly curled up, nor completely straight.

• When using a straight penholder, the nib should always point straight up to the top of the page, with the length of the pen in line with your arm, i.e. perpendicular to your line of writing. Feel free to position your practice paper at an angle that's comfortable for you. As a right-hander, I tilt my paper a little to the left.

When you move to an oblique penholder, the long part of the pen should remain in a similar position to your straight holder, but allow the angle of the flange to help you achieve your desired slant. When in this position, the angle of your downstroke should be in line with your nib. It can take a little while to get used to, but persevere and you'll soon get the hang of it.

• Apply pressure into the center of the nib, rather than pushing the tip down into the paper.

• Avoid writing on one side of the nib – don't roll it inward or outward. Apply equal pressure to both sides of the nib.

• The pen should be at a 45-degree angle to the page. Positioned too upright and the nib will scratch and catch on the paper. Too low and you will find it hard to achieve ultra-fine lines.

• Relax! Your neck, shoulders, arm, wrist and fingers shouldn't hold any tension. If you grip too hard or tense your neck and shoulders, you won't be able to achieve fluid strokes and it will start to hurt very quickly!

HOW THE NIB WORKS

Gently touch the tip of the nib with your finger and you'll feel instantly that it comes to a sharp point. Take your pen in your writing hand and press down on any flat surface in front of you. Observe the tip of the nib and you'll see that the tines split apart under pressure. This is exactly how "pointed pen" calligraphy works: the more pressure you apply to the nib, the wider those tines will split. The width of that split will determine the width of the line you'll make. So, by pressing on the nib you'll see a thick line on the page, and — by hardly applying any pressure at all, you'll make a fine, "hairline" stroke using the closed tines. It's this contrast between TIP // The way you heavy and light lines that you're striving for, and which will create the apply pressure to pointed lovely ribbon-effect you want to see in your writing. nibs to create different line widths is vastly

LOADING YOUR NIB WITH INK

In the center of the nib you'll see there is a hole, called the "vent hole," or "breather hole." You'll need to submerge this in the ink. When you approach the page, the hole should be full of ink. Release any excess ink by dabbing the nib on the rim of the jar. Avoid shaking off the ink as you'll risk flicking it everywhere!

YOUR GUIDELINES

The sketch below shows you how to position your letters on the guidelines in this book.

HOW TO SIT TIP

Sit at a desk-height table so that your paper is flat and close to you, and your wrist and arms are supported, rather than reaching forward over a coffee table or working on your knees. Try to sit up, ideally in a chair with some back support. Keep your shoulders and neck relaxed. I often catch myself hunched over my writing and have to keep reminding myself to sit up straight!

NOTES FOR LEFTIES

As a left-hander, there is no reason that you should be at any disadvantage. You will hold the straight pen in exactly the same position. There are left-handed oblique holders but I know some lefties who also prefer using a right-handed oblique holder. Essentially, you'll have to discover what's most comfortable for you. The Speedball oblique holder is dual-handed so this will be an inexpensive way to find out which you prefer. In fact, when you want to write at more of a slant, lefties shouldn't necessarily need an oblique holder as your hand naturally falls toward the right.

Exercises

UPS & DOWNS

Now you're ready to start making some marks on the page. The movement should come from your wrist and elbow. Your fingers will move a little but largely should remain still, allowing your wrist and elbow to do the work. Practice this movement with a dry nib on the paper's surface until you get the hang of it.

There is one rule you need to observe: apply pressure to the nib only when you're pulling downward on the page. The nib does not like being pushed upward, which means your up lines must be very light.

DOWNSTROKES = HEAVY

UPSTROKES = FINE

Wherever you see a thick line in the exercises below, the examples in the rest of the book or in any other calligraphy examples you look at, it will always be made in a downward direction.

You should see a clear distinction between your downstrokes and upstrokes. The Nikko G nib is sturdy, so you can apply a good amount of pressure without fear of snapping it. However, you'll find that if your upstrokes are as fine as they can be, you don't actually need to work very hard on your downstrokes to create a good contrast between the two. So find your own comfortable level of pressure, and remember to be as light as possible with your hand.

PERFECT LINES

Don't worry too much if your upstrokes are wobbly at first: this is normal! Those wobbles will quickly iron out with time and practice. It's better to aim for a fine, albeit shaky, line rather than try to steady it by pressing harder.

Avoid any V-shaped "tails" that sometimes appear at the ends of your lines, most often at the bottom edge of your downstrokes. Achieving a clean finish adds a finesse to your work that's worth perfecting from the start. Lift your nib cleanly off the page when you finish the line, rather than allowing the tines to close together again as you finish, thereby creating those triangular tails.

Aim for a consistent line weight from start to finish, too.

---

Excerpted from "Modern Calligraphy"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Lucy Edmonds.
Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---