
If your ink becomes too thin, there are two things you can do. Be careful not to smudge it since it'll take longer to dry! Thinner inks work well on less-absorbent paper, where it can sit on top of the surface rather than spreading into it. If your ink is thin and your paper is absorbent, the ink will bleed into the paper.

However, adding too much water will make the ink too thin, which can cause other problems. Try adding more water to the ink and let some drip off after dipping before you write. This could also be caused by too much ink on your nib. You might see a giant blob when you first press down to create a thick stroke. This creates a ratio of approximately 2 parts ink to 1 part water.If your ink is too thick, it won't flow easily and it'll create blobs when you write. In a small container, I add enough ink to fill it about two-thirds of the way up, then use an eyedropper to fill it almost to the top with water. You may not realize that you can adjust the consistency of your ink simply by adding distilled water.īlack Sumi ink is my go-to for practicing. If you’ve been struggling with pointed pen calligraphy because you can’t get the ink to flow smoothly, the next thing to check is the ink consistency. How to Dip a Nibĭip the nib into the ink container so that ink covers the vent hole, but does not reach the flange (the part that holds the nib). Avoid touching the nib with your fingers as the oils will cause the ink to pool up. Or if you have a spare potato handy, you can also poke the nib into the potato carefully and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then rinse. After that, I dip the nib back into my ink and make sure the ink is adhering to the surface.Īnother method is to scrub with either toothpaste or dish soap, then rinse. I usually start by spraying some Windex on the nib and wiping it with a paper towel, then rinse the nib in water and dry it again. The coating is not visible, but it needs to be removed first. There are a few ways of doing this and different calligraphers swear by different methods.

If you notice that your ink is pooling up on your brand-new nib, or not "sticking" to it properly, that's because a nib needs to be prepped first before using.Ī brand new nib has a protective coating on it from the manufacturer so it doesn't rust in storage.
