Whether you’re going back to school or you’re just nostalgic for a fresh bunch of sharpened pencils and a new backpack, maybe a few of these items will get you into the mood to slam a locker door and complain about fourth period geometry and Mr. Miller.
Foot Traffic Pencil Knee High Socks $9 (via Amazon)
Kaweco Student Fountain Pen in Yellow € 47,50 (via Fontoplumo)
The new Big Idea Design Ti Arto Kickstarter project features the most ambitious Ti pen yet. This one will allow for over 200 different refills without any hacks or tip wiggle. How could I not support a project like this? So, if you, like me have a favorite refill or six, then this is a pen you’ll need to add to your collection. One titanium pen is $65 when backed through Kickstarter and there is still more than 30 days left in the campaign to get in on the project. They have already exceeded their goal about 20 times over so its pretty safe to say this project is a go. Its also the twelfth Big Idea Design Kickstarter project so these guys know what they’re doing in terms of meeting deadlines and shipping requirements.
I had the pleasure of meeting Chadwick Parker (half of the Big Idea Design team) in Chicago this spring and he is as passionate about pens and craftsmanship in person as he appears in the video so I am delighted to back this project myself. That’s right, I’m putting my money where my mouth is.
So I’m looking forward to having one of these pens in hand and putting the 200+ refill claim to the test — and you know I will.
Good luck to Big Idea Design on their newest venture and congrats to them on creating another amazing looking project. I’m so excited to try it out. Will you?
Its time for Episode 11 of Art Supply Posse: Using the A-Word. This week, we nerd out about Harry Potter and KC Comicon and then we tackle the serious topic of, if and when, we call ourselves “artists.”
Hop on over to the website to listen, or you can load us up on your favorite podcast app by searching for Art Supply Posse and clicking SUBSCRIBE so you’ll never miss an episode.
I have never owned a fountain pen before and I want to know which is a good medium priced ($30 or so?) pen that won’t require a lot of maintenance and easy to master.
At the $30 or lower price point, I would probably recommend a Pilot Metropolitan or a Kaweco Sport with an extra fine or fine nib to start with (Jet Pens stocks a wide array of these). The Pilot nibs are going to be finer overall, even with the same marking on them, so if you know you prefer a wider point but would like to try the Pilot Metropolitan, I recommend starting with a medium nib. The Kaweco Sports are smaller, pocket pens but the nibs are statistically excellent for the price point and are screw-in so if you find you like the experience but would like a wider or narrower nib, a replacement nib unit is about $10-$15.
Pilot, Kaweco and Faber-Castell Grip ($20) all use cartridges or converters that make them easy to fill and clean.
Overall, I find that most fountain pens that have smooth grip areas are left-handed compatible. The biggest issues tend to relate to writing hand position and whether you are inclined to smudge ink. These issues can be resolved with quicker drying inks like Noodlers Bernanke line or a finer nib that lays down less ink as you write. Paper stock can affect this as well. Rhodia or Tomoe River is great paper for fountain pens as the ink does not bleed or feather but it can often increase dry time. Leuchtturm1917 paper is a good alternative. Most ink dries fairly quickly on Leuchtturm paper and has minimal show through and bleed through.
I received an email from Anurag asking about left-handed writers and flex nib pens.
I just found your website recently and its great! I notice that your a lefty. Have you tried any flex pens yet? I am hesitant on buying a flex pen due to this being a very new hobby for me. I’m a lefty over-writer( very similar to your style) and would love to hear about your experience. Thanks!
The key to writing with a flex pen is being able to make wide down strokes and thin upstrokes to get the look we are most accustomed to seeing. Unfortunately, if you overwrite, this is not going to work with a flex pen if you are writing left to right. So you have a couple of options. You can learn to flex write from below the baseline, or underwrite. Its hard but this is the technique I’ve learned as its the most natural adaptation and easiest to expand to other types of calligraphy.
Master Penman John DiCollibus demonstrates some various angles for holding a flexible dip pen in this video which might help in showing some options to help you in getting started with flex nibs.
There are lots of other videos on YouTube showing how other left-handed calligraphers overcome our inconveniences of writing in the same direction that the English/Roman languages are written so its definitely worth exploring to see how others tackle the problem.
If you happen to make it to a pen show in the US, Deborah Basel is often teaching calligraphy workshops and is an excellent left-handed calligrapher and a fabulous resource. I highly recommend seeking out her classes.
Matt Vergotis, a left-handed calligrapher, relies more heavily on a brush pen rather than flex nibs that allow him to come at his work from the side rather than the top. Felt-tip brush pens are a bit more forgiving than flex nibs and can give some similar results with thicks and thins. You might want to check out some of his videos on YouTube or on Instagram. You might also consider enrolling in his lettering class on SkillShare where he shares a lot of his left-handed tips.
Happy Lefthanders Day! I thought I’d celebrate this weekend with a few posts specific to left handers that I’ve had queued up for awhile. So, all you lefties out there, this weekend is for you! Whether you hook when you write (also called overwriting like President Obama, pictured below) or write from below the baseline in a more neutral hand position like previous US Presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Yes! Five out of the last seven US Presidents were left-handed! Amazing.
U.S. President Barack Obama signs his first act as president, a proclamation, after being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States during the inauguration ceremony in Washington January 20, 2009. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES)
I confess I spent the better part of what little free time I had in DC (at breakfast, on the train, at the airport, etc) trying to figure out how to post this Fashionable Friday via my iPad. Let’s just say that the technology has not come far enough to allow me to accomplish the task to my satisfaction without being able to use pretty fancy photo editing tools AND then bounce back and forth between typing and copying and pasting copious links in order for all you lovely folks to be able to purchase or at least browse the items shown.
Keeping in mind, I had nothing but an original iPad Mini with no external keyboard (because I couldn’t find mine before I left). So, I know I need to upgrade my iPad soon but according to MacRumors’ Buying Guide, I should wait to upgrade all my Apple gear until after the September announcement. And according to the Trib, there won’t be a new MacBook Pro until 2017. Why do you hate me, Apple?
Sorry, I got way off Fashionable Friday topic there for a moment! Here’s my travel edition of Fashionable Friday, finally. I photographed it with iPhone, with all my favorite travel goodies spread out on the floor of the airport terminal while I waited for my flight, which was delayed by two hours. I would have used my “good camera” but I wanted it included in the shot.
Links of the Week:
