Gold Ink

Gold Ink & Calligraphy Pens

My interest in calligraphy was reawakened recently when a took a three hour calligraphy course at our local college www.cotr.bc.ca/creston. Many years ago, I practiced writing italics for hours by a kerosene lamp in a log cabin, nestled beside a stream, and surrounded by towering cedar trees. What a magical setting that was and all that practice is helpful to me even now. 

When practicing with the ink sketching and watercolour painting, I couldn't resist trying some gold ink in this dog's beard.

Fine Tec Pearlescent Colours

This set arrived in the mail two days ago. Thank you to the people who posted about these Fine Tec colours online. They are working well with a calligraphy dip pen. The watercolour brush is used to add a little water to the compressed metallic colour disc and is then mixed. Using the brush, a bit of pigment is added to the back of the calligraphy nib for use. 

Copper colored Fine Tec pigment Practice

Pear and bird drawn with a straight nib. The leaf is drawn with a watercolour brush and the bottom irregular bit is 'scumbling' with a watercolour brush.

Arabic Gold, Fine Tec Pearlescent Colour

Trying the different colours with a dip pen and straight nib. The straight nib worked the best for me. I did not have success using a broad tipped nib (C series) for lettering. The metallic flakes showed thick and thin in a single stroke.

Practicing for 'My Life with My Human' series

More pen and ink practice with watercolour

Drawing with Speedball Super black India ink and a dip calligraphy pen. Allow to dry completely before adding the watercolour.

Combining watercolour and calligraphy on mottled card stock.

When trying a new medium, I often combine it with mediums I am already familiar with. Note in this photo and in the illustration below, I used masking tape to cover up the area to be used for the printing while painting with watercolour. After removing the tape, the lettering was added.

Practice

Combining sketching in ink, watercolour painting and calligraphy lettering. The slightly mottled coloured paper worked well for this illustrative style of painting.

Brush work 4" in height

Italics numbering using a flat 1/2" watercolour brush and thalo blue which brushes on smoothly. Being able to print this large with a brush really surprised me! I wondered about trying a house painting brush.

Illustration about Habitat for the Birds

Combining calligraphy lettering, sketching in ink and watercolour painting in an illustration.