Invitation To Show Off Your Stuff...

[MusinkMan]

To Zemof....

 

Zemof = Femoz? Is that you?

[Estefa]

Hi there, beautiful stuff here in the last weeks ! Zemof, I like these ink tests, isn't the Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün a beautiful colour?? And mvarela, small Copperplate is sooo difficult, isn't? Anything smaller than 4mm, starts looking quite crappy when I try it. Nice!

 

Here is a poster I did last December for a neighbourhood theater event (a fairytale – it's "Puss in Boots" or "Master Cat" according to Wikipedia). It was fun but also quite more work than I thought in the beginning (like most times). I am still not happy with some details (the flourishes, especially the one on the bottom is somehow off) – it was a great learning experience. And it was nice to put all this practice in a piece that I still like even though I know its flaws.

 

It is a Photoshop job obviously, the original is written / drawn black on white. I would have loved to do this as a multicoloured screen printing, but there was no budget at all! So I had to fake it …

 

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/11358723033_610922fee9_o.jpg

Der gestiefelte Kater by Estefa1317, on Flickr

[Pterodactylus]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7434/11358723033_610922fee9_o.jpg

Der gestiefelte Kater by Estefa1317, on Flickr

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/839/pcwn.jpg

 

(Serwex MB - flex EMF ..... ESS Registrars Blue/Black)

[Estefa]

That's so kind of you to say, danke!! And welcome. I like your writing also very much! This Serwex – is it a fountain pen? The only "flex" pen I have is an Ahab and I have to admit I am not very impressed (and I don't have the patience or the knowledge to tinker with it).

 

My original was written with a vintage Brause Rose nib and iron gall ink from Mr. Schenk in Switzerland

 

http://www.kalligraphie.ch/store/index.php/language/en/XTCsid/qg6m9onvlafe154t5i6els5ql1/cat/c55_Eisengallustinte.html/?xe85e3=c7isf4j1iav87f7ttn45a773a7

 

(just a happy customer ).

Edited February 6, 2014 by Estefa

[Pterodactylus]

Yes its a cheap Indian FP, which is also sold with a (semi) flex nib by FPR (fountainpenrevolution).

The FPR "flex" nib is even a bit stiffer than the Noodler's nib (which is way too stiff for a flex FP).

I increased the flexibility of the nib with a Mod I call EMF (Ease My Flex), so now it is a very nice full flex nib.

If you are interested, there is a thread regarding EMF in the FP review forum where the mod on the Ahab as well as for the Serwex is discussed:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/240492-noodlers-ahab-ease-my-flex-mod/?p=2607667

Edited February 6, 2014 by Pterodactylus

[Estefa]

Oh thank you very much! I am going to check that out!

[Apprenti]

I am in awe of the beautiful calligraphy and penmanship in this thread. Here is my humble contribution; I tried my hand at italic, roundhand, foundational, and Hebrew. Materials used: two Noodler's Konrads, one with the standard flex nib and one with the Goulet Pens 1.1mm stub italic nib. I used Parker Quink Blue-Black on a Maruman 6mm ruled report pad (the ruling didn't show up in the scan).

 

DOC091313-page-001.jpg

What sort of pen are you using for Hebrew? I'm interested in grinding a Hebrew nib as I'm attempting to learn it at the moment

 

EDIT: Should have read closer. Just a plain ol' stub? I'll give it a try

Edited February 9, 2014 by Apprenti

[zemof]

To Zemof....

 

Zemof = Femoz? Is that you?

 

hahaa yes Brian, it’s ME.

femoz is being used for work (website and instagram) so to isolate the private life from work i use ‘zemof’ instead hehe~

 

 

Hi there, beautiful stuff here in the last weeks ! Zemof, I like these ink tests, isn't the Rohrer & Klingner Alt Goldgrün a beautiful colour?? And mvarela, small Copperplate is sooo difficult, isn't? Anything smaller than 4mm, starts looking quite crappy when I try it. Nice!

 

Here is a poster I did last December…

 

Yes, I absolutely love Alt Goldgrün! One issue though, I stray away from buying darker inks because occasionally I enjoy the surprises of contamination from insufficient flushing, so I tend to get that shade very often in one of my pen…! And the poster looks good, not just screen print, if it could be linocut it would look fab too!

[Estefa]

Yes, I absolutely love Alt Goldgrün! One issue though, I stray away from buying darker inks because occasionally I enjoy the surprises of contamination from insufficient flushing, so I tend to get that shade very often in one of my pen…! And the poster looks good, not just screen print, if it could be linocut it would look fab too!

 

You did this with a fountain pen? It seems I really need to look out for a flex fountain pen … or use this mod on my Ahab which Pterodactylos suggested! – I use it with dip nibs though it tends to bleed on some papers. I put some gum arabic in to make it behave a bit better! Because I like the colour so much.

 

Abou the linocut, nice idea, though I wouldn't want to actually cut it! I allways ended up with blisters on my hands – not really my medium

Edited February 10, 2014 by Estefa

[zemof]

 

You did this with a fountain pen? It seems I really need to look out for a flex fountain pen … or use this mod on my Ahab which Pterodactylos suggested! – I use it with dip nibs though it tends to bleed on some papers. I put some gum arabic in to make it behave a bit better! Because I like the colour so much.

 

Abou the linocut, nice idea, though I wouldn't want to actually cut it! I allways ended up with blisters on my hands – not really my medium

 

Yes, both that page and my dp are done with a vintage fountain pen with flexible nib. I use the holders and dip nibs in the comfort of my home where cleaning up is less of a hassle…

 

the Konrad is a tad softer than the Ahab, and my friend modified the Konrad drastically to make it as soft as possible for me…!

 

 

You can always mix gouache to the exact shade you wish too. does gum arabic alone makes your fountain pen ink suitable for flex dip nibs? anyway, you can be sure that pigment fp inks are great for dip nibs too, eg. Sailor Kiwa-guro, Platinum Carbon Black

[hzsimms]

 

Yes, both that page and my dp are done with a vintage fountain pen with flexible nib. I use the holders and dip nibs in the comfort of my home where cleaning up is less of a hassle…

 

the Konrad is a tad softer than the Ahab, and my friend modified the Konrad drastically to make it as soft as possible for me…!

 

1506495_10152488212024338_448307255_n.jpg

 

You can always mix gouache to the exact shade you wish too. does gum arabic alone makes your fountain pen ink suitable for flex dip nibs? anyway, you can be sure that pigment fp inks are great for dip nibs too, eg. Sailor Kiwa-guro, Platinum Carbon Black

 

That is really nice work! The mod on your Konrad, were the sides of the nib ground so as to make sort of "wing" thingies? I've done something like that with an Ahab but haven't done it on a Konrad.

[Phoenix93]

I've always written primarily cursive, but just recently got my first fountain pens. Can't believe what I've been missing. Starting to try to improve my handwriting. Here's a little quote from Hamlet by Shakespeare, nothing compared to the rest of the posts on this thread. Written with a Namiki Falcon and I attempted some line variation with it, although I haven't gotten used to it yet. I notice I lose any most of my slant when I'm trying to flex a bit.

 

 

http://i1364.photobucket.com/albums/r740/Rdevo93/Writings/d71b2308-ebcf-4022-9943-6f38657104bd_zpsa7a4296b.jpg?t=1392767953

[mvarela]

Something I did today...

 

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/12633522544_4478a1d69a_h.jpg

[hzsimms]

Something I did today...

 

 

That is terrific, Martin! What ink are you using? The hairlines are really, really good. That's where I always have problems with white ink.

 

Howard

[Estefa]

 

Yes, both that page and my dp are done with a vintage fountain pen with flexible nib. I use the holders and dip nibs in the comfort of my home where cleaning up is less of a hassle…

 

the Konrad is a tad softer than the Ahab, and my friend modified the Konrad drastically to make it as soft as possible for me…!

 

1506495_10152488212024338_448307255_n.jpg

 

You can always mix gouache to the exact shade you wish too. does gum arabic alone makes your fountain pen ink suitable for flex dip nibs? anyway, you can be sure that pigment fp inks are great for dip nibs too, eg. Sailor Kiwa-guro, Platinum Carbon Black

 

Thank you for that info! That looks really great!

 

About the colour, yes, I know, but I like that it looks like ink – gets a bit transparent etc. – and by the way I am not yet very comfortable with gouache. Not because of the mixing, I am also an illustrator so I know how to get the shade I want, but I find it difficult to get the consistency right! I also orderded some time ago the Ziller inks, they are opaque and can be used nearly out of the bottle (a bit too fat maybe, I add a bit distilled water), and can also be mixed greatly – they seem to have very pure pigments. (And they are waterproof, acrylic).

 

The gum arabic helps with some fountain pen inks in my experience. But some shades – for example from Rohrer & Klingner the orange (Helianthus) and light red (Fernambuk) bleed quite terribly no matter what paper or how much gum arabic I use. So it's unfortunately not a recipe that works always!

 

I have not heard about the other inks you mentioned – I will look them up to, thanks for suggesting them!

[mvarela]

 

That is terrific, Martin! What ink are you using? The hairlines are really, really good. That's where I always have problems with white ink.

 

Howard

 

Thanks Howard! It's Dr. Ph. Martin's Bleedproof White. I just got it recently and haven't used it much yet... still testing the waters

I followed Schin's advice for this, and just mix a bit of water on the surface of the ink (in the jar) until I get a decent consistency, and then load the nib with a brush. It sounds harder than it is, it's pretty much the same as preparing gouache, and if feels very similar as well. About the hairlines, they are quite something (although arguably the first one in the 'W' is way too thin).

 

Cheers,

Martín

[mvarela]

Just having some fun with the white ink...

 

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/12652317755_9744ec70a5_h.jpg

[dhnz]

I've always had problems with Dr Martin’s taking ages to dry (like days). I’ve also experienced this with other white inks. My hometown is not known for being humid, so I can’t put it down to the weather. I like the white stick ink made by Boku Undo, because it dries quickly and gives good hairlines, but you have to make sure you grind it long enough or it won’t be opaque.

 

PS. Did you know that it has been claimed that Louis Madarasz did the original Coca-Cola logo?

Edited February 20, 2014 by dhnz

[mvarela]

I've always had problems with Dr Martin’s taking ages to dry (like days). I’ve also experienced this with other white inks. My hometown is not known for being humid, so I can’t put it down to the weather. I like the white stick ink made by Boku Undo, because it dries quickly and gives good hairlines, but you have to make sure you grind it long enough or it won’t be opaque.

 

PS. Did you know that it has been claimed that Louis Madarasz did the original Coca-Cola logo?

 

It does take a while, but here it's so dry, that it's not really a problem. Very strangely, yesterday I had issues with Blot's IG ink smudging from a shade some 20 minutes after I wrote it. Never had that happen before with an IG ink!

 

I haven't tried any stick ink but black... Maybe I'll order a set of colored sticks with my next order from scribblers. They have a 5-pack for some 10 pounds or so.

 

And no, i hadn't heard about the Madarász connection! Now I feel in good company

 

edit: come to think of it, the spiky-shade style on the first 'C' is quite common in Madarász's work (as seen on the Madarász book, anyway)

Edited February 20, 2014 by mvarela

[hzsimms]

PS. Did you know that it has been claimed that Louis Madarasz did the original Coca-Cola logo?

 

 

And no, i hadn't heard about the Madarász connection! Now I feel in good company

 

edit: come to think of it, the spiky-shade style on the first 'C' is quite common in Madarász's work (as seen on the Madarász book, anyway)

 

Martin, I love the Coca-Cola logo, but Dominic's mention of Madarasz's possible creation of it reminded me of a great story from the book An Elegant Hand (one of my favorite penmanship books, by the way, I highly recommend it). There's a section in the book that addresses the Madarasz/Coca-Cola connection and alleges that W.C. Brownfield told Del Tysdal that Madarasz had told him (Brownfield) that he had, in fact, done the logo. An acquaintance of Madarasz's, Harry L. Darner, was asked if he thought the great penman had created the logo. His response was "If I knew, I wouldn't tell it on him. At best, it's an ugly thing." Classic!

 

Howard