Today I want you to go through a quick guide on using Glass Dip Pens. Now I've been getting a lot of questions about using glass pens. What the writing experience is like and, more importantly, tips on how to use a glass dip pen.
Then, I thought about writing a post about it, which I will try to keep as brief as possible.
So first about glass pens, obviously they are made completely of glass. Because of that, they are inflexible. You do not want to apply too much pressure when you use them. Just normal writing pressure is expected.
Why write with glass pens? Well, you know, they are beautiful, and they give you a completely different experience when writing. In addition, you can do more with a glass dip pen than anything with.
One more thing before we get into the topic. This is not a traditional guideline. I have simply discussed what I have done, and you would do.
So, let's get right into the topic!
What is a glass dip pen?
A glass dip pen is essentially a pen that you can dip into liquid inks or watercolors. They write extremely smooth, and they are similar to a juicy fountain pen. The ink is trapped in the chamber, and it flows down with gravity as you write.
They are super elegant and beautiful. And you will love the way that the ink flows, and you can change colors as much as you want. They are super delicate, obviously. So you have to be extremely careful. If you don't, the tip can easily be broken. And if the tip is broken, guess what? The pen is almost broken because you need the tip in order to write.
So you don't want any flaws in the bubbled area or the nib.
How to use a glass dip pen
So first of all, you need some sort of ink or liquid watercolor. It must be in liquid form. So first, you are going to dip your pen in ink. You can do it either halfway all the way up to the full way of the bubbled edges. And then you want to make sure that the ink isn't going to drip first before you take it out. So you can give it a swipe on the edge of the jar.
And then you can just go ahead and start writing!
A good glass dip pen can enough ink so that you don't need to go and refill frequently. Some people think it is better to dip the pen frequently, but this is not the case actually. Rather it can break your concentration, thus your drawings.
If you want to change color, then rinse your pen into water. And you should dry it off to make sure that you don't have any excess moisture. And then, just re-dip it in a different color. That's how you can use multiple colors. Simple!
All the dip pens are the same? The answer is NO. There are tons of companies that made glass dip pens. And some of them are not good at all. I owned a dip pen a few years ago, and the ink wasn't just flowing. So I got some blocks and whatever. So it is really important that the ink flows consistently and smoothly. It also depends on your designs.
The design and the pen can make a difference. I have had a lot of people tell me they can't get their ink flow. And sometimes, it has to do with how the pen is made because some are not made well, so the ink doesn't flow down the bubbled area.
So be careful and check some reviews and buying guide before you purchase a glass dip pen. I don't want you to purchase a bad dip pen what I have done at my first purchase.
1. Choosing the right ink
This is extremely important to make a good use of your glass dip pen. The ink type will determine the way you need to handle your dip pen. You can use several inks with a glass dip pen. The first one I highly recommend is the Royal Challenge Ecoline liquid watercolor. It is very smooth, and the ink that comes with it also works well. You shouldn't have any issue with it.
Now you can also use Dr.Ph.Martins ink. But make sure it works well for you.
Glitter inks are unpredictable. You need to be extremely careful using glitter ink because it sometimes doesn't flow smoothly down of the pen. And anyone who uses glitter ink with a glass dip pen, let me know down below in the comments how you make it work with a dip pen because I never used it with my glass dip pen.
So overall, I recommend the Royal Challenge Ecoline color again. I didn't have any issue with it. Moreover, they have a variety of colors. So it will help you to draw with multiple colors as well.
For every kind of inks that you decide to try out, make sure you test it and write quite a bit with your glass dip pen. It is just to make sure that you won't have to face any issues in the future. You know this is extremely frustrating when you have an ink issue and have to start all over again.
And always remember that one might work for me but doesn't work for your and vice versa. So, test it with your own glass dip pen because it needs to work for you.
Okay, there is another product that you would like to use is the sparkling metallic watercolors. When you use these watercolors, you have to make sure you add enough water because you need to give it a liquidy water texture. And mix it with a paintbrush and paint your dip pen nib.
Now when you are doing this, you want to make sure that you swipe it on the edge of a jar or on the edge of something to make sure it doesn't drip all of your paper before you write on paper.
And importantly, you have to have the ideal consistency. More water is better because it dilutes the color better. But you have to have a watery texture; otherwise, it won't be going to work for you.
2. Re-dipping pen into the ink
This is probably the most common question regarding glass dip pen. Well, you can write a ton before you re-dip your pen. But it is certainly a difficult task to say exactly how many words you can write. Approximately, you can write the entire alphabet and numbers up to 50.
And obviously, as you get closer to 50, it will start getting a lot lighter. So, I think it gives a good idea about how much you can write before re-dipping your glass dip pen.
And I really love pens with a good ink holding capacity. You know, it is not a good experience to experience- you refill your ink tons of times throughout your writing period. So, it is nice that you can write as long as you want and change the color if you want. Thus, it just makes it convenient to have really beautiful writing.
3. Cleaning glass dip pens
Keep a cup of water nearby. Glass dip pens are easy to clean. After drawing or writing, dip it into the water and rinse off the ink. And then, wipe out with a clean cloth or a piece of tissue paper.
So when you use glass pens, have a little cup of water and some tissue as well.
They are great for testing out inks and just changing inks. In case you want to mix things up. While you're writing, again they're very beautiful.
4. Switching colors
This is all-important to make your writings more beautiful. So I will go more in-depth on this topic. First, you start with a color whatever you like.
For example, you start with a blue color. After writing with the blue color, you want to switch to the green color. So now, you have to swirl your pen into the water and just swipe it on a cloth. And then you can dip it into the next color. And you really just have to repeat this. So this is not a big deal.
You do want to make sure to rinse off your brush before dipping it into the next color ink because you can absolutely change the color of ink in your bottle. So just make sure you clean off the color unless you aim for mixing colors. Haha.
5. Finding the sweet spot
Now, it's really important for you to find the sweet spot out. That's because of the shape of the nibs. You can't really see where the proper place is to touch the paper - so this is actually a good way to practice your angles.
6. Storing glass dip pens
And the last tip is about storing your glass pens well. However, there is no fancy way of storing this. If your pen comes with a padded case and plastic protector, put the protector back on. And the nest it in container comes in.
You just have to be careful and make sure you take care of it because if you break any part of it is going to affect the way the pen writes.
Another thing you need to remember is that this is not a brush pen, and it doesn't work on pressure sensitivity. So just as an FYI, people want to make you do that, but you have to do it on your own.
Final words
Everything takes time. It takes its time too. You are not going to be a Pro artist overnight. You need to have 3P- passion, practice, and patience.
I have shared some procedures that will help you elevate your level. But again, it is all that you have to do by yourself. Don't get disheartened or frustrated; remember, it takes time. Good Luck! Also Read: Get A Good Quality Top Fisher Space Pen From Our List Which FJ Cruiser Lift Kit Perfect For You? Answered Step By Step Nose Shaper Choosing Tips