How to Use a Glass Dip Pen

As some of you know, I've made this the year I will actually use some of the beautiful journaling, stationery, and art supplies that I've hoarded  collected.  One of these beautiful items is my glass pen (glass dip pen.)

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Have you seen these pretty glass dip pens yet?  I got  mine on Amazon a while back, and it is currently unavailable, but this one seems to be very similar. I fell in love with glass pens the first time I saw them (probably at Barnes and Noble.)  If you love pens, you  might fall in love with these, too.

These glass pens are absolutely beautiful. Made of glass (obviously!), they are all one piece, so there is nothing else to buy, other than ink, to get started. Some have a tip like the one above, and some have more of a teardrop shape.  This one, from Scrapbook.com, is all white, so it's not as pretty to me, but it comes with a couple of inks, and there is a video there to see it in use.

I have read that most of the thinner calligraphy inks made for dip pens will work with these, but I have only used the Ecoline Liquid Watercolors with mine. I have heard that the metallic watercolors can be a little bit difficult, as well as the thicker calligraphy inks.  The Ecoline watercolors work beautifully. They come in many colors, and the bottle is convenient for dipping.

Not all of them do, but mine came with a little heart shaped pen-rest.

Tips for using a glass dip pen:

• Dip the pen in the ink, and watch as the ink climbs up into the grooves.  Let any excess ink drip off.

• Hold the pen at a slight slant.

• You don't have to know any particular kind of lettering to use these.  Your own handwriting will be just as fun, if you haven't learned any different lettering styles.

• The pen writes in a monoline (single line), with no thick and thin variations.  You can, however, thicken your down strokes with a few extra lines, to creat "faux calligraphy," if you like.

• I have read that you may have to rotate the pen to find a sweet spot.  Mine, though, writes the same, no matter which way I rotate it. These are all made individually, so they vary.

• To clean, simply dip the pen in clean water, and wipe with a paper towel.

Papers

I've used my glass pen with Ecoline watercolors on HP Premium32 paper and my Strathmore Mixed media notebook, with beautiful results, and I think it would perform well on most papers.  A rough textured paper would be difficult though.

The beauty of these, over a simple pen, is that if you already have different inks or watercolors, it's like having many pens in one.  Plus, the simple joy of writing with a lovely pen is so satisfying.

 If you love fountain pens or just writing with a beautiful pen, I think you'll love a glass pen!

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