Blog

The Hiro 41 nib is made by Manuscript Pen Company, a family-owned business based in Shropshire, England that branched off from D. Leonardt & Co. in the mid-1900s. Founded in 1856 in Birmingham, England, Leonardt is one of the oldest manufacturers of dip pens. The company expanded rapidly after its opening, exporting writing instruments throughout South America and Europe. Eventually, Leonardt’s products were considered such high quality… Read more

Molly Suber Thorpe is a renowned calligraphy artist whose work combines elements of modern lettering, pointed pen calligraphy, and digital lettering. Thorpe has been pivotal in stimulating interest in modern calligraphy; she teaches workshops both in-person and online, and is the author of three calligraphy books. Molly graduated from UCLA in 2009 with a concentration in typography and layout design, and since then she has received commissions fr… Read more

Gouache is an opaque watercolor that dries matte and can be used along with typical watercolors. Although designed for traditional painting, gouache has become popular for calligraphy due to its smooth, vibrant colors, opacity on dark papers, and the ease with which you can mix custom colors.We're starting today's tutorial with Winsor & Newton's Designers Gouache in Winsor Red, which is one of our favorite shades. The first step is to sq… Read more

In an perfect world, all nibs would be exactly the same size and glide smoothy into the brass flanges of any oblique penholder. However, with crowquills, tiny nibs, and large nibs like the Hunt 513EF on the market, this is not the case. There are few things more frustrating than ordering a new nib and getting excited about the prospect of trying it out, only to find that it won’t fit into any of your favorite penholders. Thankfully, adj… Read more