pen nibs – SketchWild

The Best Vintage Dip Pen Nibs for Artists

A couple of years a ago I got interested in drawing with dip pen nibs again, specifically the vintage versions. There’s a few of the same ones that are still in production today and I’m sure they’re fine, but the original pre-WW2 nibs were largely hand-produced by women (and that will be a fascinating story […]

by foxstudio

What’s Your Line? Line Quality In Pen & Ink Drawing (Traditional)

Back in the late 19th into almost the middle of the 20th century a dip pen and ink on paper was the standard media for black and white illustration. Every magazine at the time depended on the skill of those artists to bring alive various articles and also many advertisments. Companies needed them for illustrating […]

by foxstudio

My Dip Pen Field Kit (For This Year)

I’m planning to start going out to sketch using dip pens at least part of the time this year. Back before WWII, steel nibs were made in the tens of millions in many countries. They replaced feather quills and after the 1840s were the only option available for writing and drawing with ink. Artists like […]

by foxstudio

Ten Brown Inks- A User Experience

For some months I’ve been thinking about the “perfect” brown/sepia ink . Not too dark, not too red, not too pale, preferably one that can be used in both dip pens and fountain pens, although that last one is negotiable because I’ve found and tested ten different inks and there are plenty to choose from. […]

by foxstudio

Great Pen And Ink Artists, Part 2: William Heath Robinson

William Heath Robinson was one of the most popular and beloved illustrator/artists of late 19th and early 20th century England. He was also a master of pen and ink. He first became known as a book illustrator and I’m posting examples of that from a two-volume set of “The Works of Rabalais” from my own […]

by foxstudio

Testing, Testing…Tiny Nibs

Steel pen nibs were made in a seemingly endless array of sizes and designs for over 100 years. There are a very limited number still being made today. All of them are based on the necessary shape of a barrel that was curved, plain at one end to fit into the holder and the slit […]

by foxstudio

First Look: New Inks From Russia! Yum!

Like, I suspect, most pen and ink artists, I’m always interested in new and interesting inks. And I just found some on Etsy that I tried out yesterday and will be using from now on to supplement the various, more standard black inks I use. NOTE: the seller specifically states that these water-based walnut inks […]

by foxstudio

Getting Started: Seeing Simple Shapes, Part 2

Continuing on from Part 1, which you can read here, I want to show you another way to approach seeing the big shapes and capturing those before you dive into detail. At the top is a finished pen and ink drawing of a white rhino. But you can draw just this… and anyone who has […]

by foxstudio

Testing My Current Inks for Water Resistence

I did this test last week because I’d like to be able to combine dip pen drawings and watercolor for working on location, either drawing first or watercolor first or back and forth, my choice without having to worry about it. The former means that I need ink that can take as wet a wash […]

by foxstudio

Trees And Plants- Nib Try-outs

I’ve spent the last three mornings “test driving” a variety of dip pen nibs. There are quite a few nibs intended for drawing, but most were made just for writing. Some are very fine, some make a heavier line, others are monoline or do both thick and thin lines. Most are not expensive, one to […]