Top 5 Best Nib for Calligraphy - Copperplate Spencerian Script

hey everyone welcome back to my Channel today I'm going to share my top five choices of calligraphy nibs that you can use at each stage from beginner to skill level I remember when I first wanted to try out calligraphy I didn't know which nib to purchase because there were so many types and so many choices researching and choosing the right nib had already become an overwhelming task and I almost gave up the whole calligraphy Journey so in this video I will recommend which nibs are are most suitable for the beginner level and I'll explain the reasons behind why I recommend these particular nibs as your skills improve you may want to try other nibs and I will be recommending those as well with that being said I am not sponsoring or endorsing any of them you could do your research for the ones that I recommend today and others but if you don't want too much hassle or headache especially when you're just starting out your calligraphy Journey then these five choices I recommend today would be one of the best out there for the time being then without further Ado let's get started oh by the way I've got free calligraphy Supply guide book ready for you to download if you're interested in learning about other essential calligraphy supplies like the names that I talk about today then you might want to take a look the link will be in the description below for those who are not familiar with the term nib it's the writing part of the pen used in calligraphy many calligraphers refer to the nib as the heart of calligraphy because it's the part that directly interacts with the paper allowing the calligrapher to create beautiful and expressive letter forms the nib that we'll be looking at is called a pointed nib there are two kinds of nibs pointed and Broad Edge they are used for different calligraphy Styles pointed pen nibs are for calligraphy Styles like copper plate and spencerian if you're purchasing your first nib I don't recommend getting one of those starter kits that include both broad Edge and pointed nips instead I think it's better to get the one you need for the specific calligraphy style you want to learn the number one nib I recommend is the niik g in some countries where getting a niiko g may be difficult then the zebra G can be a very close alternative I'm going to talk a lot about two characteristics that categorize nibs their flexibility and sharpness depending on these two qualities the writing experience of using each nib can vary greatly I recommend starting with the niiko G because the nib isn't overly flexible it strikes a balance making it well suited for beginners some nibs are very flexible While others are stiffer and more sturdy opting for a highly flexible nib initially can make stroke control more challenging even though you'll find it more enjoyable to write with flexible ones as your skill level improves down the road additional in terms of the nib sharpness the niik G's point is not too sharp a sharp pointed nib tends to snag on paper fibers or cause ink flow problems which can be a frustrating experience especially for beginners however the point of Nik G is not too rounded either it has moderate sharpness allowing you to achieve the contrast of writing thick and thin Strokes quite effectively thus selecting a nib with moderate sharpness and flexibility like the e g is advantageous for beginners this not to flexible nib was a lifesaver for me in the beginning stages of my practice I felt disappointed when my attempts at lettering didn't turn out as I had hoped however when I tried the niiko G it was the first time I felt I could control my thick and thin Strokes it was certainly one of those liberating moments realizing the importance of choosing the right supplies for each learning stage now'll be a good time to quickly go over an overview of the terminology used to describe the different components of a pointed nib let's take it from the top so the very top the pointy area is called tip and this tip has been slit into two separate timeses this is called Left time and this is called right time as you go downward where it gets a bit more broader this area is called shoulder of the nib as you can see see there is tiny hole on the nib this hole is called vent hole or eye of a nib and we see that this large area on the bottom is called body this is usually where the manufacturers imprint the specific ID of the nib so if you ever wonder uh what kind of nib is this then this is the area for you to check and of course the very bottom is called tail the second nib that I recommend is the blue pumpkin nib This Tall size nib also has medium flexibility and the point is not too sharp like the niiko G which makes it also a great choice for a beginner calligrapher but it has a little more rounded tip than the Niko G so some calligraphers prefer blue pumpkin to nikoi for this reason the blue pumpkin is also great for writing on textured paper if you wish you can start your practices with the blue pumpkin right away from the beginning however since the blue pumpkin has a longer body than the Nico finding a pen holder that fits well with the blue pumpkin can be a bit harder oh just to heads up there are two nibs that go by the same nickname blue pumpkin one is the Bro 361 steno and the other one is the Leonard hero 40 they look and feel pretty similar I've got a full YouTube video separately where I compare these two blue pumpkin nibs if you're curious you can find the link in the description below so bottom line find blue pumpkin is one of the most try nibs at any point in your calligraphy Journey if you feel like you now have some experience controlling the nibs then it's time to move on to the Gillette 404 this nib has a bit more flexibility than the previous ones I recommended having more flexibility with the nib is kind of like having Advanced power when you can control it it becomes something you can leverage to your advantage however when you can't control it it could potentially lead to failures so when you're ready you'll find that the Gillette 404 offers more versatility in your writing compared to the niiko G and the blue pumpkin nibs the tip of the Gilla 404 is still not to pointed it has a medium sharpness this nib works wonderfully especially when riding with the metallic inks because the metallic ink flows a bit clunkier than other inks and the Gillette 404 has just the right moderate sharpness of the tip so it allows smooth and controlled movements resulting in consistent and beautiful lettering for the metallic GS finally the last two nibs that I recommend are the Leonard principal EF or the hunt 101 these are my all-time favorites once you master how to control the pressure on the nib when writing you'll find great enjoyment in using these flexible and sharp pointed nibs at the beginning of the video I shared my H moment of using a sturdy nib the niiko g at the beginning of my calligraphy Journey that was because it was easier with a sturdy one when I didn't have the appropriate muscle memory required in my hand to write calligraphy letters beautifully at the time but as your skill improves you'll see the magic the flexible nibs can do it feels like you don't need too much pressure when you write allowing the ink to flow more naturally this leads to more controlled Strokes creating beautiful contrast between delicate thin hairlines and bold thick Shades I find the leonar principal EF and the hunt 101 very similar in terms of their flexibility and sharpness as well as their color and size they're both great the hunt 101 is a bit more costeffective but I recommend trying out both and see which suits you better for your Unique Style and projects so these are my top five choices for nibs that you can try out depending on your level of your calligraphy Journey if you have any nibs that you love using and are not included in this video please leave your recommendation in the comments below that's all for today thank you for watching I'll see you in the next one bye

Channel: Flourished Hope

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Id: bBMqFDJdzyc

Length: 8min 46sec (526 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 05 2024