We then scribed whole alphabet phrases. Almost everyone in the class was guilty of having too heavy a touch.  Elaine told us to relax, lighten our touch and to move the paper around. Some had difficulty with ink which was too thick for the small nibs were had chosen, some had nibs which needed encouragement. For those struggling with paper, Elaine suggested a new Canson product called “Marker” XL.  A 70gsm, satin feel, bleedproof, semi-transparent, layout paper suitable for pen, markers and pencil.
 
 After lunch we tackled the capital letters and for these we needed a bigger nib. Many letters resembled Gothic script and some were especially complex and almost illegible.   Elaine told us to ‘mix and match’ and choose our favourites, just as David had done.  It was clear that the letters in his exemplar were far more controlled and rigid than those he used in his text. Elaine reminded us that the complex capitals which require a larger nib, often need several more pen strokes compared to the lower case letters.
 
We played with the capitals, writing names and phrases. When we struggled with complexity and spacing Elaine reminded us to think about where we wanted our letters and words to finish, to take the time to plan.
 
The afternoon finished with a fun project.  Each person designed their own personal monogram and after scribing this onto a disc of good quality paper we placed it into the lid of a Moccona coffee jar to create a unique personal paperweight.   
 
Day 2
 
On this second day of the workshop the group got down to some serious work as we were introduced to the function and use of pointed nibs.
 
Briefly, pointed nibs came into their own when printing replaced the making of books by hand.  This occurred at the end of the Renaissance period in the 17th century.
 
The pointed nib differs from the edged nib in that the latter produces a modulated line varying in thickness, with variations made by the direction in which the strokes are made.  The pointed nib makes a thin fine line of constant thickness, referred to as a monoline.  If a thicker stroke is required then it is necessary to push gently down on the nib in the process of writing, the ends of the pointed nib will gently open, producing a thicker stroke.
 
It is harder to control the flow of ink in a pointed nib and some people used a paint brush to apply the ink or gouache.  This took a lot of concentration from the workshop participants and they probably hold the record for the longest quite period of any workshop, so absorbed were people that morning coffee was almost missed! 
 
Pointed nibs recommended were:
 
Braus 66EF, a particularly flexible nib and the one most used in the workshop;
Zebra G;
Mitchell Elbow; and
Nikko G.
 
Pointed nibs are easy to recognise as they have an elegant appearance and a slot or slots on the sides or top. It is the slots which give the nib its flexibility to draw fine lines.  Oblique penholders are normally used with pointed nibs, but straight ones can also be used.
 
Elaine said the best paper to be used with pointed nibs should be bleed proof and “smoothish”, but if too smooth the nib will slide. 
 
Having mastered the pressure required to use the pointed nib, the group settled down and rose to the challenge of producing interesting work.
 
The first project involved using a compass to draw a half circle of 12 cm radius and drawing three lines within it.  Each of the three lines had to start from one of the edges of the half circle and could end at an edge of the half circle or on one of the lines already drawn.  Two colours were to be used, one had to be black.  Words were then written along the lines, the half circle and the bottom line of the half circle. People were free to draw the lines in any shape or style they wished provided they met the above requirements.
 
For the second project, each member of the workshop was given a piece of paper that was actually a piece of a jigsaw made by Elaine.  Each person had to draw lines to divide their piece of the jigsaw into three sections and write botanical descriptions of Australian native plants or trees in each section.  The final jigsaw had a path running through it and, if any of the group had a piece with a path running through it, this had to be left clear.  A different sized nib and colour had to be used for each section.
 
At the end of the workshop, all the jigsaw pieces were placed on a table and the group set to the hard part of the day, putting the jigsaw together!  The completed jigsaw will be sealed, laminated and displayed at Canberra Calligraphy Society’s future exhibitions and events.
 
The group’s thanks go to Elaine for a challenging and interesting workshop.  For many participants it was their first introduction to the pointed nib and for some it will become one of their preferred pens. One person swore she would never use a pointed pen again!  Its inclusion of the Gothic style in its letters made it an interesting script, without the formal and heavier appearance of the Gothic style.   
 ​

Day two of the weekend workshop saw us exploring Folded Pens.  Olive had very generously made four pens for each of us, donating Frank Bull’s bamboo garden stakes for one of them.  Thanks Frank!
Many of the participants’ heads were still buzzing from the Ruling Pen’s workshop of the previous day where most of us had learnt many new skills.  Surely, we thought, Olive would agree that we had all worked very hard and allow us a quiet, easy day.  But NO! This day was just as full on, with Olive cajoling, encouraging and spurring us on.  Thank you, Olive, for being so generous with your time, resources and equipment including the very precious Brody pen.
We started the day making marks with the four pens Olive had made us.  These included a bottle top pen, a clarinet reed pen and two pens that rival the Luthis pens.  There was a general agreement that the best marks were made on the layout paper and couldn’t be reproduced on ‘proper” paper.  Isn’t that always the way? 
Next was using our folding pen of choice and scribing a word (taken from a quote) in large letters in the middle of a page.  This word was then surrounded by the rest of the quote in smaller letters.  This David and Goliath layout was very effective for showcasing expressive folded pen lettering. 
We moved on to developing our very own alphabet.  This is a challenging exercise and I think that I unintentionally ‘made up’ an alphabet that looked suspiciously like some other alphabets I have seen.  We then used these letters to write a quote of our choice to see how the letters fitted together or if some adjustments needed to be made to the letterforms.
Just when I thought we might have a lull we were actively encouraged to experiment with either the ruling pens or the folded pens or both together to produce pieces and patterns with or without colour.
Then it was “clear the decks!” and time to turn all these examples into a Japanese style book.
To Olive’s credit all but one person finished their book for the final display.  What an achievement!  And how lovely to have a resource that can be used and referred to as well as potentially being added to in the future.
Thank you, Olive, for another memorable workshop.