Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Now I'm going to talk about the materials and the set-up for doing calligraphy. First
of all, of course, you have your pens. Steel pens, I've tried a lot of different brands,
and I've come to like best a brand made in Germany called Brause. They're steel pens
with actually two parts to them. The little reservoir actually comes off for cleaning
and clips back on. The ink I happen to have today is called Higgins Eternal. This is a
permanent ink. In fact, if you're going to be a calligrapher, just accept that you're
going to have fingers that look like this, especially when you're using permanent ink.
But the Higgins is nice because it won't, it won't smear with a little accidental sweatiness
on it, if you happen to brush it with a sweaty hand or a water drop falls on it somehow.
It also holds a good hairline when you're lettering. Then you need a cup of water. I
think I've had this cup for about thirty years, and you can tell. You need a horizontal surface
nearby, but I actually work on a slanted table. It's much more comfortable on your neck, and
you can see what you're doing. I actually had this table custom built, and what I knew
I wanted, and what I'm glad I got it a lip right here to keep my pencil from rolling
off the table. It's a light table actually so there's a sheet of glass, and, two sheets
of glass actually. The bottom one is frosted, so it's not so *** your eyes. And there's
a shelf underneath for paper and such. I recommend a rolling chair because it really is nice
to stay right in front of your work. You want to be at ergonomic as possible. Now these
lovely things are lap cloths. And I also have a little towel on the floor too to protect
my floor because there's this little gap here. Sometimes a drop of ink will fall on the way
to the table.