Let me know which nibs you have tried and how you liked them so far

Boy, for your first KZfaq post, very good! Succinct, examples, suggestions, no fluff or wasted time rambling -- very well done! Keep it up, and thanks for the many helpful points!

I’ve been using dip pens on and off for years but found them unreliable. There’s info in this video that I had no idea about and will undoubtedly make my experience better! And I work in an art supplies store, so I’m going to recommend your video to my customers.

Well done! I'm 85 & have been using these pens since my teens. Ink pen drawing is a wonderful way to explore one's inner Being. There ARE amazing things inside us, just Waiting to dribble out our Pens!

Hello Chloe not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but using a dip pen is kinder to the environment as no plastic being dumped. Also I saw somewhere to keep those little silicone things that draw moisture, like in pill bottles etc. put one in with your nibs to prevent rust. Great video, love your work. Thank you.

EXCELLENT video-you are a natural teacher. I haven't tried dip pens in a long time. When I did, I was disappointed-I now realize they have to be cleaned befor 1rst use!

I love dip pens. I have a large collection of vintage nibs and about 30 pens. Love them so much I've made my own inks, some with soot and an iron gal ink from oak gals I found while going through Oklahoma. I have to disagree with them not being travel friendly since I keep some with a couple of inks and cleaner in my truck. I'm an over the road truck driver and always bring LOTS of art supplies. Also love fountain pens too. Also, a great way to clean nibs and fountain pens is with an ultrasonic cleaner for jewelry. Best investment ever!!!

Loved your video. I am an 83 yr old mostly retired illustrator, designer, artist who has used dip pens for almost 60 years. I love the sensual quality of line. Love speedball 102 and 101 nibs. Still have a little cache of them that I hoard. Would love to hear your take on inks. That was always a problem for me as I was pretty isolated. I was always looking for a good, glob free, permanent sepia ink. Videos now make the networking available that we could only dream of.

They’re actually very travel friendly. There’s loads of cases you can get for them - even standard pencil cases and even toothbrush travel holders that fit in your pocket or bag and are stab proof 😂 Same with inks. There’s lots of ways to travel with different inks. I actually have my quick travel inks inside those tiny and cheap paint wells (the kinds you typically get in kids art kits from crayola or paint by number kits) and they don’t leak (unless I accidentally sit on them 😂) but I also keep them in a sandwich bag just incase (if accidental sittings 😂).

Great tips for newbies! I haven't used nibs in years, but I used to use them all the time. I would use them to do illustrations and to ink comic book pages, so I'd go through a single 102 per page! I always bought them by the box. I used 108, 107 and 102s, primarily. I switched to inking with Raphael Kolinsky Red Sable #3 and #2 brushes in the late '90s, and I honestly prefer it to nibs for doing the kind of work that I do. Like the nib, a brush is capable of producing a wide variety of lines from thin to thick, and lines that are short, long, curved or tapered. Also just like with nib, control is a major factor in success. I find that control comes down to also having confidence and familiarity with your inking tools. The more you use something like a brush or nib, the more comfortable you become with it, and you can start to draw with it. A mistake I often see is people slowly dragging nibs and brushes to try to match a pencil like. Slow movements often produce duller lines, and can lead to wobbles and so forth. With comic book type work, you don't want a dead, dull line, nor a mechanical line when it comes to inking organic things like people, trees, animals, etc. For buildings and cars, mechanical lines are appropriate, but for living things it's better to vary the line weights and have a more energetic line approach. A spontaneous line with energy in it is desired. Varied line weights also helps to with creating depth, dimension and weight. Traditionally inkers inked with either nib or with a brush, or some inkers used a combination of brush and nib together. This type of inking by-hand is still being done. I do it. However, in the industry of comics and illustration work, you see things changing. Many artists who do things by-hand today use disposable pens like Microns and Pitt Artist pens on most everything. I'm not a fan of this as a lot of the art now seems rather lifeless as a result. You do see the occasional brushpen being used every now and then. Nibs and brush inking, I don't see as often anymore. The learning curve seems to scare a lot of artists away, and they seem to prefer to like taking the shortcut way of doing things. Thus enter the Micron pen. Don't get me wrong. In the hands of an artist who's really accomplished, any tool will work just fine, but it's sad to see that so many artists are producing mechanical, dead figures in comics today. Digital inking is another commonplace method being used today. I've seen good and bad digital inks, and while I like a lot of it, the downside is that you don't have original art to keep or sell. The world is changing, and artists are changing too. I'm glad that a few of us who are still doing work by-hand are willing to share information with others. Thank you so very much for this video. I know it's going to be helpful to many artists who are at a crossroads in regards to inking.

You know, many years ago I spent a lot of time drawing with dip pens. After many years not drawing I have started again. And the first use cleaning prep is news to me! Every day is a school day! Well done, Chloe! Thanks for sharing, and congrats on the KZfaq channel!

Excellent video. I often use toothpaste and an old toothbrush to clean nibs. As for writing/drawing, try licking the nib before dipping in the ink- the protein in the saliva improves the ink flow. And I also tend to apply the ink onto the pen with a brush (refillable brush pen), this way I have more control over the amount of ink and avoid the dreaded ink drops.

I love your video (and the kitty!), learned a lot. I'm more into watercolor and gouache but started with nib pens recently, and haven't been able to stop. I bought the same Speedball, is an excellent recommendation. I can't wait for your next videos 😊

This is first class in every way! Thorough, crystal clear, 'real'/authentic - and no background music to keep our attention focused on details shared by an excellent 'tutor' / guide. Thank you so much!

Thanks! This is one of the best tutorials I’ve ever watched! As an instructional designer, I really admire your approach.

Wow!!! You actually answered all my questions in one video. So much information, well presented and thought out. Thank you! 💗

Very much appreciate the advice Chloe. You’re a gem to the writing and drawing community.

This was an excellent introduction to dip pens. I would think there will be a few more pens sold every time this video is viewed.

Thank you so much for this. It has been decades since using nibs and I've become reliant on pens, yet feel something is missing as I dive back into creative work. Your clarity and pracitcality has inspired me to replace old nibs, be disciplined about maintaining the toos in practice, and get moving again. Thx from Canada!

I'm so relieved to find this, thank you so much!😮

So glad i found this gold mine of a channel, very informative and relaxing.

Really good to see an old person do such good art and just enjoying

Thank you for sharing and guiding!!

Thank you for the very informative video! I've never really tried these kinds of pens, but would like to try it at some point in the future. It looks like you can make very fine lines with these kinds of pens, where fineliner markers are easy the break and become unusable. I look forward to you making more videos!

I’ve seen hundreds of videos on nibs and dip pens, yours is the best .👍🏼

Thank you for this informative video. I look forward to more videos by you about your art process using dip pens. I subbed you so as to see that process.

Thanks, Chloe! Great intro to dip pens. Looking forward to future vids!!

Thank you SO much. I have wanted to use these for years and have struggled, now I know why. Thank you again. 😊

A simple and lovely video filled with knowledge, thankyou.

Enjoyed this immensely! Thanks for sharing your skills!🙏

Thanks for this short and very comprehensive video ❤

Valuable information here for beginners Chloe. Maybe this year I won’t feel as intimidated and just jump into it and try!🤗 congratulations on your channel!🤗

Brilliant, your presentation and explanation is Spot On. I've been using dip pens for many years now.

I've been thinking about trying pen and ink and your video has helped answer a lot of questions for me. Thank you.

I need to try these!

Wow! What an excellent video. All the important things covered clearly and quickly. Thanks!

Wonderfully clear advice. And that hatching - wow!

This is the very best 'How-to' video that I have ever watched! It's additionally helpful for me since I'm very keen to become proficient with dip pens in life drawings from photographs. Very many thanks!

Super useful tips ! Thank you for sharing your experience ! Your art style is dope, looking forward to your next video !

This was a fantastically helpful video with many practical tips that I was unaware of. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

Thank you! Your tips and introduction to dip pens got me excited and ready to trod off to the art store to try it out.

Great video. Thanks for sharing your experience.

What a helpful video you've made! Rarely these days I find such a gems on youtube! Thank you! (And your artworks are very cool! 🙂)

Thank you for your sharing Chloe 🙏

You are the best! Definitely, I will check more of your videos!

this is really insightful, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!!

Fabulous! Thank you. I love to return to your video for reminders on how to take care of my nibs!

Very informative for me as a beginner. Thank u so much.

Coming out of a dwib dwab, so I grabbed one of the dips in the jar, and started anything, and I appreciate the info you gave me, thank you!

Sorry for being late to the party but YT algorithm didn't recommend your video earlier. I'm drawing and painting with ink since childhood and for me, it was the other way around. I'm 57 in a couple of days and back in my youths nip and handle was the normal tool if you want to draw illustrations, comics and stuff like that. I was in my early twentieth purchasing my first ink pen with an ink cartridge. It was a pen made for technical drawings and it had two advantages over the classical nip. First, the ink was available in a waterproof version and second, the pen wasn't leaking or spilling ink all over my artworks. Until I bought this Pen's the risk of ruin the whole thing because I accidentally took to much ink on the nip was unavoidable. Nowadays I work with a graphics tablet and a program named Krita. My hand isn't as sturdy as is used to be and I'm very great full for this little gismos like stroke stabilizer. But sometimes I grab me some paper, ink and a ink pen like the ones you showed in the video and do some scribblings. I always liked the smell of ink and paper. Greetings from Germany.

Nice, I started few weeks ago with felt pens and I bought my first dip pen yesterday. Thanks, will follow all your stuffs. Nice seing your cats all around, love it

Great first video Chloe! Looking forward to following along with your journey on KZfaq 🍾

Thank you for sharing this video (and coming to KZfaq)! Very nice first video. I look forward to more! 🎉😊

Oh my goodness; thanks so much for this. I am a fountain pen lover and have considered willy-nilly getting into dip pens and now I see it's quite an undertaking. Thanks!

Lovely insight, thank you. And I love your cat! How adorable! 🥰

Thank you for this video - I have used dip pens in past years mostly for calligraphy but do have one or two very old pen drawings I did - it’s lovely to watch you work and I’m looking forward to re-learning and enjoying creating using pens

I am so glad that I found your channel!

Thank you so much I didn’t imagine they come with protection Happy that I watched you first!!

An art I have never tried. It is beautiful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

This was an excellent presentation and orientation to get pens. Thank you so much for posting!

Thank you so much for so generously sharing your experience with pens. So helpful!

Fantastic, succinct summary! Thank you!

Fantastic advice.

I should have watched this video first before starting out with dip pens. Thanks for the advice.

New way of art, beautiful👌

Wow, I think you answered all of my questions! Thank you so much!

nice presentation of good information; thanks!

Excellent information. Thank you for your tips!

Good overview! Liked the outline of pros/cons and cleaning tips.

Been following you on IG for a while now, love your work and really happy to see you on YT. Thanks for uploading the video very helpful.

Well done Chloe! So nice to see you on the screen. Cheers!

I wish I had seen this video before I started messing around with dip pens but it's still helpful, even now and I can't wait to try out your nib recommendations! To anyone considering trying dip pens for drawing, i HIGHLY recommend it. There's just something about the quality of the lines and the richness of the ink that makes it a really beautiful medium.

Well done and to the point.

Great tips, thank you!

Very very helpful. Thank you for putting this out!

great video!! thank you so much for taking the time to make this :)

Excellent overview. Seems far more organic than normal drawing pens. Thanks so much for your advice. Got me hooked! 👍

What a great video for someone wanting to explore dip pens. I'm ordering some now!

Great video! Informative, consice and peasant to watch! Subscribed and looking forward to watching more! Thank you!

genuinely great video with lots of good information. looking forward to watching some more from you. i started with dip pens and never really found a good reason to use anything else. found i liked speedball for nibs, handles, and ink as it's the best value and has been consistent over many decades. for years, i stuck to crow quill nibs since i was doing a lot of fine stippling and liked the smaller crow quill handle (as i tended to "crab up" my drawing grip); but over time, i fell into using either the imperial or the ball with the simple standard handle (one size fits all). you are so right when you intimated that doing penwork needn't be expensive...

So deeply and well explained all!! Thanks ❤

I love your videos!! Please make more. Beautiful work!

Such a great video and info I aspire to achieve this detail one day .thank you so much

Truly excellent and helpful video!! 🖊

Chloe, thanks for helpful video. Your artwork is GORGEOUS!! Love your beautiful kitty omg!! 🥰❤🎨🐈‍⬛

Very helpful Chloe - I am just starting with dip pen and ink. Thank you! All the best Renate

Excellent video! Thanks for sharing your process, especially how you clean a new nib. The nibs I usually use are G pen, Maru, and blue pumpkin

Thank you Chloe, this video is fantastic and so helpful!

Thank you, that was really helpful!

Really fantastic and practical. Thank you for such an informative video.

Thank you! I've been curious about trying a dip pen, and wouldn't have known where to start without your help. Not sure I'll follow through yet - my hands have a slight tremor - but I now have a good idea of what to look for at my local art store. I appreciate your generosity!

Thank you for the info about the oil on the nib. I didn’t know this for years, and couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. I read that ammonia will clean them, but I’ll try your method. Thanks!

Glad I came across this video! Very helpful. I wish I knew about this when I got my first dip ink pens back in college.

I've just caught the dip pen fever. Ty so much for the video. I want to be as prepared as possible when I can finally afford to gather my tools. Happy Holidays to you and your family. Be safe

This is super helpful, thank you!

Thank you for sharing. I have just ordered my first dip pen set and ink. I hope to use them well.

thank you for teaching me how to put it away

This is the video I was looking for 🤩 Your expert opinion on the subject "ink" helps us make the right choice before buying 👍🏻 Thank you 🙂

Great video thanks for all this info! I only recently found a dip pen in my stuff from a writing course I took many years ago. It’s great.

Thanks, really enjoyed this. Altho I've been using dip pen/ink for a very long time, there's always something new to learn, and your post has some great info I'd not thought of. Cheers!