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The three project suggestions in today’s article will inspire you to use crowquill nibs to write letters, make sketches, and dive into the world of crosshatching! You’ll also have the chance to win a crowquill nib as part of TPK’s latest giveaway.
In the 19th century, the steel crowquill nib made its debut, offering a low-maintenance replacement for the feathers it’s modeled after. These small, cylindrical nibs are perfect for creating ultra-fine lines that are ideal for various applications. Today, I’m showing you three ways to use a crowquill nib: crafting a letter with a personal touch, making wispy sketches, and producing detailed crosshatched art.
Crowquill nibs are great for writing letters because you can use colored inks, write at nearly the same speed that you would with a regular pen, and feel cool and traditional while doing it. I love using sepia ink on laserjet paper (affiliate link) with a lined piece of notebook paper underneath it. Then, I place both papers on a light box so I have some guidelines in order to write in a pleasingly straight line.
Letters created with a crowquill nib have a unique look. While modern ballpoint and gel pens have a smooth, bold stroke, using a crowquill will produce a thin and spidery script that’s reminiscent of centuries past.
The kicker with using the crow quill to write a letter is you’ll need to work on smooth, non-fibrous paper. Otherwise, your nib will more than likely get caught in the fibers, resulting in ink spatter. You can use fancy papers like those made by the brands Rhodia, Tomoe River, Clairefontaine, etc.; or you can opt for writing on simple 32# premium laserjet paper.
The crowquill nib is fantastic for making wispy watercolor sketches! The nib has the ability to create super-fine lines; and if you add a bit of pressure, it will respond with wider-stroked lines. The built-in variation in stroke width sets it apart from its modern drawing pen cousins. The great thing about the crowquill, too, is its tubular nib holds a lot of ink. You won’t have to re-dip a whole lot, which is convenient when you want to make a quick, no-fuss sketch.
I like to dilute some waterproof ink with water in order to make it easier to write with. (Note that adding water does not compromise the ink’s waterproof properties.) Then, I pull up a reference photo and draw what I see. It’s good to start with a general outline, as shown below.
Then, once your outline is finished, you can add a bit of shading here and there using quick, thin lines.
Once your sketch is finished, you can add a pop of color with watercolor paint.
If you’re making mail art, try using a fun calligraphy style to write an address. I used casual Kaitlin Style calligraphy and red watercolor to finish up the envelope below. Paint spatters make the piece even more playful.
Remember that if you plan to watercolor over your sketch, it’s important to use waterproof ink. Otherwise, use any thin ink you like! Iron gall works beautifully because it’s nice and watery.
Crosshatching is an illustration technique that uses crossed lines to represent shadows. To make this sort of illustration, I generally start off with a photo reference to save time. If you’d like, you can make this illustration with me! Go ahead and print off this reference photo. Then, you can either use it as a reference to freehand draw, or you can use a light box or a bright window to trace its contours.
Once you have drawn your pencil draft, dip your crowquill nib in sumi ink, then draw over the draft. I like to exert medium pressure as I’m doing this so the tines of the nib spread slightly and facilitate a bolder line than if no pressure were exerted.
After you have drawn over all your pencil guidelines, it’s time to start drawing in your shadows. Shadows are the reason I like working off of a photo reference rather than real life; in real life, shadows change, but in a photo, they are static. First, you’ll take a look at your photo to identify your medium-toned shadows. Then, draw parallel lines spaced relatively far apart to represent those shadows.
Now, cross the lines you just made with thin lines that are going the other direction.
Now it’s time to build up the darker shades! To do that, use your crow quill pen to make dense crisscrosses where the darker shadows are.
Continue to compare the reference photo against your artwork in order to see if you’ve missed any shadows. You can also add sparse crosshatching to white areas in your subject like I have done in the tines of the fork below. This is just a stylistic preference, but I personally like the way it fills up the negative space.
The final step is to go through and add very dark lines and values where necessary. For example, you can see that I’ve added shading to the left side of the top three tines and the right side of the bottom tine. I did that because I noticed there were shadows in that area of the photo. That added a lot of dimension. I also added some bold lines to the neck and handle of the fork to make it “pop” a little more.
Crosshatching isn’t a super simple concept, and the technique is subjective depending on what you’re drawing; so if you don’t get it right the first time, don’t worry about it! Just keep trying, be patient with yourself and your quill, and you’ll form an understanding of how to make a beautiful line drawing. (And if you like crosshatching and want to learn more about it, be sure to check out this detailed beginner’s guide.)
If you’re curious about using a crowquill nib, throw your hat in the ring for TPK’s latest giveaway! The winner will receive a pen holder and nib collection that’s worth $95. The giveaway includes a crowquill pen and a cushy T40 holder to use it with.
To enter the giveaway, click below:
As with all TPK giveaways, anyone, anywhere is eligible to win; I’m happy to ship domestically (USA) or internationally! The giveaway will end Tuesday, April 16th, at noon MDT, at which point the winner will receive an email. S/he will be announced in TPK’s April 22nd newsletter.
I hope that you gained some inspiration from today’s article — thanks so much for reading! Enjoy your day, and if you get a chance, try out a crowquill nib in the near future. You can find them in the TPK Supplies Shop here.
Warmly,
*This post contains affiliate links to Amazon
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