Paper, Pens & Inks

 The other day someone asked what paper I prefer using. A very good question but it set me thinking...

When we first started calligraphy in South Africa about 40 years ago our first 'overseas' teacher was Tom Gourdie who was the gentlest and dearest person you could meet, but he simply loved letters and talking letters and frankly, I have little recollection of the classes except smiling a great deal and wondering what I was doing there. Shortly after that Denys Taipele joined us from the US and turned the calligraphy world on it toes. She introduced us to Fabriano (I think we had to have it imported), Winsor and Newton gouache and most importantly 'Beautiful Writing'. I remember doing Italic flourishes with her and having a few conniptions while attempting a beautiful swirling 'g' for a piece which was part of a series we created for a children's oncology ward. It was a poem about clowns which rather daunting, but as I recall the pictures were more colour than clown faces. But the exercise allowed us to think about patter, design and most importantly letterform.

What has this got to do with paper choices? Well, the choice is wide and bewildering and you have to experiment. Many times and very often. Ask ANY calligrapher what their favourite paper is and each one will give you a few different responses.

I have an array of paper which I love to use and it all depends on what I am going to write, draw, paint which paper I choose. What pens or brushes I am using and whether I will use graphite or not. And yes, the choice is endless - so is the amount of fun you can have exploring.

I use D'Arches paper (very expensive cloth paper. VERY nice to work on). Fabriano is a good 'all rounder'. Amadeo is good for practice. Bockingford and Canson are great standbys. But what weight will I use? 180gsm or 300gsm? Am I using Noodler ink to draw with or will I paint and add ink afterwards? And so on.

The choices are multiple and pretty much endless.

The solution? Order paper, paint or ink sampler packs. Most good stores/makes have such packs so that you can test which works best for your needs.

There was a moment sometime last year when I thought I might run out of paper. Well I hope you didn't hold your breath as I found stacks of paper in the studio with enough ink to float a boat as well. I also discovered 4 full sheets of D'Arches and felt so generous I passed some onto John. I will never be able to use up all the bits and pieces I have in my drawers and cupboards. But what fun I have 'trying' out.

So the short and simple answer is experiment. Buy a few sheets of beautiful paper. Find some paper packs. Make a paper note book (I'm sure some of you have the beginnings of one). Note the materials you use so that you have a reference for future projects. (This does not need to be a dissertation, simply a few pointers).

Most of all ENJOY your experimentations. I certainly do.