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Hope you all had a good Christmas and will have a Happy New Year!

Just a friendly reminder that this blog has moved to Wordpress, so please visit there and check out what you've been missing!

My 2014 Christmas Card designs

Tons of new Mailbox Mondays

Iron gall ink comparisons

I was a featured artist in Dasherie Magazine

Recommendations of quality tools for the serious beginner

My top 5 calligraphy inks

More Painted Pens

and more, of course. I miss you Tumblr guys! :(

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Is winsor Newton silver ink always runny or is it just mine

Nope, that stuff is like soap water for me, too.

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I was just curious as to how long you have been doing calligraphy? Also, how much does a painted pen usually cost? Thank you for answering, you're a wonderful inspiration to me!

Thank you! I have been writing for only about 3 years.. infantile compared to other calligraphers!The Painted Pens range from $150 to over $200, depending on how intricate the artwork is. These days they get pretty intricate indeed... thanks for asking!

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How do you go about breaking in a new nib? And how do you know when it's broken in? Thanks!

A very common question, which I address at length in Tutorial #2 of my Pointed Pen 101. Hope it helps! :)

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Monogram designs are now available in the art shop. Two or three letters. You can use them for weddings, events, personal branding or business, gifts, announcements, anything you want. They would look great letter pressed!

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A custom dragon pen commissioned by a lady for her calligrapher mother. Since it was a custom pen and personal birthday gift, it was possible to write her name on it. After painting, the pen is sent off to Brian from Unique Obliques for lacquering and shipping, so the final product is much glossier and shinier than my pictures. 

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Hi Schin, just a couple questions :-) First, I'm wondering if you received my letter to initiate the "Annoy a Postman" project? (this is Mark Calhoun). Also, a question about the Crown Mill paper/envelopes; do you only recommend pure cotton or are the Vellum and Laid papers just as good for nib pen and fountain pen use? It seems most of their colored envelopes are "Laid" & I want to have some good material for colored inks. Finally, how do you like using the McCaffrey's white? (it looks great)!

Hello! First off, this is a super old question (it went into drafts instead of queue!) and by now you would have received your Annoy a Postman.. sorry! Anyway, I don’t really have much experience with Crown Mill paper other than the ones I have, which is a ‘cream’ paper. I don’t know much about cotton paper, vellum seems expensive, but I do know laid papers are very pretty, and quite nice to write on. I know that Michael Sull loves laid paper. As for the third question, I don’t particularly care for the Ivory ink, but the Bright White McCaffrey’s is pretty spectacular! My first bottle didn’t do very well and I had to do that frankenink if you remember, but the recent bottles are pretty great right out of the jar. I just wish they sell 4oz bottles of those because I go through em like water! One word of caution though, never shake the bottle or you'll end up with a mess. Just stir it with a coffee stirrer. Bleedproof white is still my most opaque go-to homie, but I gotta say I have been using the former a lot more these days..

Maybe some paper-knowledgable readers can chip in and give us a brief history of various papers?

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A sample of my Fairytale script, for the whimsical and adventurous bride. Perfect for Christmas cards too!

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Hey there! Are you the one behind the OpenInkstandStandCalligraphy youtube channel? If so, I absolutely love your work; I've never seen such nice penmanship. Your recent videos on copperplate have been extremely helpful, thank you so much.

Thank you! Yes that's me :) YouTube.com/Openinkstand I'll have more videos soon

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I have been working on a series of videos called Pointed Pen Calligraphy 101, and it is aimed for complete beginners. There are five so far, and the topics touched are stuff like how to set the nib in an oblique holder, different kinds of paper, working environment, body and arm position, grip, drills etc. It's all very informal and chatty and general and I hope you will enjoy watching them. I am still trying to decide what script to actually demo, as there are so many youtube tutorials already on all kinds of scripts, but I don't want to jump into stuff like flourishing yet. Any ideas?

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Writing a name in a flourished style.

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A ton of regret never makes an ounce of difference. GRENVILLE KLEISER

You can watch me work on it from beginning to end here! The original art is available in the shop.

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Hi Schin,I am a fan of your blog and check it nearly every day. Thank you so much for your hard work that genuinely inspires! I’m looking to start giving simple cards to my friends for their birthday’s and other occasions. Is there a folding card stock with matching envelopes that works for pointed pen that you prefer? I have shopped online, but was not sure there seemed to be so many choices, but pointed pen is rather specialized. Thank you! Kind regards, Jason

Hi Jason, thank you! I'm glad you like the blog.

Yes indeed some papers are not appropriate for pointed pen, and generally a good quality (expensive) paper tends to be okay. Of course I have not tried all the papers in the world, but if I need paper that I know for sure works, I usually buy from these sources: (not a guarantee it will all work!)

Original Crown Mill Paper - I have some of their note cards and letter sets, and it works great.. if I was a millionaire I'd try all their brands!

Crane - It's weird but the quality for Crane seems to differ. Some that I bought from the website are amazing, but then I found some in Barnes and Noble that just suck. There is a great selection of Crane stationery on Papyrus too.

William Arthur - It's basically the same as Crane, but I remember this beautiful set I got from them that is just gorgeous to use.

Paper Source - I haven't really tried their boxed cards, but I like using their envelopes and cards. Not all of them are awesome, though, but most are good. And such cute colors, too.

I hope this helps! Don't be disappointed if a set doesn't work out.. you can always return it or keep it for a non-calligraphy purpose. I have shelves and shelves of paper that didn't turn out right.. but once you find a set that works you hang on to it! Good luck!

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"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I had to do three versions before coming up with one that looks the best. This one was my favorite.

The print is available in the shop.

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Black on white place cards. Multipurpose for any event or occasion.

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A letter to JP, remember she sent me a magic fish envelope? This is my reply, an orange goldfish! Hope she likes it!

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Celebrity chefs! I was so happy to see these stamps, and couldn't wait to use them. I'm not a very good cook myself, even with recipe books, but I looove watching cooking shows and 'learning' their techniques. Then call for take out..

You can buy these lovely stamps in the USPS website.