Tip 2: Properties of the Pointed Pen Nib
In this tip, we will go through the properties of the point pen nib and how it produces what you see,
The pen tool is made up of 2 parts, the pen holder, which can either be a straight pen holder or an oblique pen holder. And the pointed pen nib. Let’s talk a little bit about the nib.
Anatomy of Pointed Pen Nib
I would like to go through the anatomy of the ponied flexible nib. The tip of the nib is made up of two thines. When there is no pressure, they stay closed. And when you put pressure down, the thines will split apart. In the middle of the thines is the slit and it runs from the reservoir to the tip. The reservoir of the nib is where you store ink. You dip the nib into the ink just right past the reservoir, so the ink is stored underneath of the nib and you’ll have enough ink to write. The heel of the nib is where you’ll want to hold onto for handling purpose.
If you want to learn how to prepare the nib before you start writing, I will have a blog post to teach you more about it. In this post, we’ll focus on the mechanism of the nib, which is mainly on the slit and the thines.
If you only remember one things, remember that in order to write properly and get the thick strokes, the angle of the nib must face the angle of your script.
The angle of the nib must face the angle of the script
Remember I talked about the angle of the script in the previous tip? In order for me to write the first quote, I need to point the nib to the 55 degree slant line. And if I’m writing the second quote, I need to point my nib to the 75 degree slant angle. (If you haven’t watched/read my first tip, I highly recommend you go back to it first).
The angle of your nib is determined by the slit between the thines, it runs from the reservoir to the tip of your nib. If the nib angle is not at the angle of the script, it will be very difficult to produce these thick and thin lines. See example in video. I need to point my nib along the 55 degree slant line in order to achieve my thick lines going down.
When I press down and drag down the 55 degree slant line: the bottom thine is being forced upward, and the thine on the top is being dragged along the paper. That’s why you see the jagged lines, and the thickness doesn’t spread well.
This is a very important property of the pointed flexible nib, there is only one way to achieve this result. If there are varying slant angles, I will need to need to physically turn my nib, or rotate my paper, in order to achieve the result you see on paper.
Make sure you look at the nib position before you start writing
So how do you know whether or not your nib is facing the angle of the script? Before you write and before you touch your nib to the paper, take a look at your nib and see whether it is parallel to the angle of the script.
In the next three tips, we will talk about pen hold, sitting position, and paper placement. I hope you find this tip helpful. If you have any questions, please comment below or send me an email. And if you think someone else may find this helpful, please share with them my sign up link, so they can also receive my tips too! Thank you and until next time.
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Tip 1: Properties of Pointed Pen Letters
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