A Facetastic Friday Face
- Thread starter Balaji
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Joy
Supporting Member
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You have much more patience and confidence than I. My husband is constantly reminding me that one should enjoy the process, as I get frustrated readily.
Balaji
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Thank you Terri.
I did persevere for a while with the flex pen and got the basic outline and some of the shading done with that pen despite the unreliable ink flow. But after that I switched to a gel pen which gives much darker results. The flow in my gel pen (probably any gel pen) is excellent. and since these are darker lines it draws attention away from the hesitant lighter lines of the flex pen.
I did persevere for a while with the flex pen and got the basic outline and some of the shading done with that pen despite the unreliable ink flow. But after that I switched to a gel pen which gives much darker results. The flow in my gel pen (probably any gel pen) is excellent. and since these are darker lines it draws attention away from the hesitant lighter lines of the flex pen.
Balaji
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Thank you Margaret. I think this was my second sketch using the new pen. Since then I have made four more. The ink flow is much better now. But I am not yet satisfied with the flex. It is a bit stiff and therefore the line variations are still quite limited.
txomsy
Apprentice of amateur
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Maybe you could try the "Ease My Flex" (EMF) modification. There is ample information on it in the Fountain Pen Network (google site:www.fountainpennetwork.com ease my flex).
I have a few pens with modern flex nibs, and in my case that has worked like a charm. Mine are Noodler's Nib Creepers with Noodler's flex nibs and Jinhaos with Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR) USA nibs. I modified all of them in order to be able to do Copperplate calligraphy more easily (I do also have good old faithful dip pen nibs for nib holder, the kind one cannot put in a fountain pen, but that give great line variation, both Zebra G -normal and titanium- and a box of vintage nibs, but a dip pen lacks the convenience of an FP for practicing).
It is better to have a couple of spare nibs to try, just in case. The ones sold by FPR are actually made in India by Kanwrite if I remember well, and -I must say- very good. If you are in India, it may be cheaper for you to get them. FPR also sells hand-tuned flex nibs with the EMF mod. It shows some railroading.
The pic below is a Sanskrit Schloka I copied with a Baoer 79 pen with the nib swapped by a Fountain Pen Revolution USA nib that I modified myself (if you zoom in, you may notice the sides of the nib have been eaten out with a dremmel tool), in an A6 notebook. This is a #5 nib. A #6 gives more variation.
That said, if you are happy with it as it is now, I would leave it as is. No need to break things needlessly.
As for the ink flow, that is typical of new fountain pens: makers use machine oils when producing the pen, and there usually remain some machining oils in the feed when you buy one. As the ink is water-based, this may cause flow issues. This can be solved by flushing the pen first a few times with water (just hold it under the faucet/tap stream). Otherwise it solves itself as you use it and the ink carries remaining oil out.
I have a few pens with modern flex nibs, and in my case that has worked like a charm. Mine are Noodler's Nib Creepers with Noodler's flex nibs and Jinhaos with Fountain Pen Revolution (FPR) USA nibs. I modified all of them in order to be able to do Copperplate calligraphy more easily (I do also have good old faithful dip pen nibs for nib holder, the kind one cannot put in a fountain pen, but that give great line variation, both Zebra G -normal and titanium- and a box of vintage nibs, but a dip pen lacks the convenience of an FP for practicing).
It is better to have a couple of spare nibs to try, just in case. The ones sold by FPR are actually made in India by Kanwrite if I remember well, and -I must say- very good. If you are in India, it may be cheaper for you to get them. FPR also sells hand-tuned flex nibs with the EMF mod. It shows some railroading.
The pic below is a Sanskrit Schloka I copied with a Baoer 79 pen with the nib swapped by a Fountain Pen Revolution USA nib that I modified myself (if you zoom in, you may notice the sides of the nib have been eaten out with a dremmel tool), in an A6 notebook. This is a #5 nib. A #6 gives more variation.
That said, if you are happy with it as it is now, I would leave it as is. No need to break things needlessly.
As for the ink flow, that is typical of new fountain pens: makers use machine oils when producing the pen, and there usually remain some machining oils in the feed when you buy one. As the ink is water-based, this may cause flow issues. This can be solved by flushing the pen first a few times with water (just hold it under the faucet/tap stream). Otherwise it solves itself as you use it and the ink carries remaining oil out.
Balaji
Well-known member
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Thank you txomsy for the detailed and very helpful post.
Your calligraphic record of the sloka is very neat and attractive, as is the meaning of the lines. I also like the range of line weights in that piece of writing.
I do have a calligraphy pen which is my normal writing pen. I sometimes use it to sketch too. But the thinnest line that it delivers is not thin enough for me.
Your calligraphic record of the sloka is very neat and attractive, as is the meaning of the lines. I also like the range of line weights in that piece of writing.
I do have a calligraphy pen which is my normal writing pen. I sometimes use it to sketch too. But the thinnest line that it delivers is not thin enough for me.
Balaji
Well-known member
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I used to strive for precision and details. But now I work hard to simplify and leave out details.I see you are a very exacting person. That's great for Art, but can be bothersome sometimes.
