I want to preface this post by saying that the Brause Rose nib is probably not the most beginner-friendly calligraphy tool in the world. It’s certainly the “fairest of them all” with its embossed rose and beautiful contours, but its flex can prove difficult if you’re new to calligraphy! If you’ve been practicing for a few months and you feel up for a challenge, however, I encourage you to give the Brause Rose a go. This post includes a few tips for using it, as well as a realistic idea of what to expect!
Availability and Nib Preparation
First of all, I haven’t seen any Brause Rose nibs available locally (Denver/Boulder, CO area), so I generally order mine from Paper & Ink Arts. As soon as I receive them, I prepare the nibs for use by washing off the manufacturer’s oils. Nib preparation is of paramount importance with the Brause Rose because doing so helps to prevent ink flow issues.
Why Use the Brause Rose Nib?
The Brause Rose nib is beloved by many due to its amazing flex. Whenever you exert pressure on the nib, the tines immediately split far apart! That characteristic renders the Brause Rose more than capable of creating dramatic contrast between its upstrokes and downstrokes. You can easily see in the Kaitlin Style comparison photo below that the Brause Rose creates downstrokes that are sumptuously thick. In fact, Brause Rose downstrokes make Brause EF66 and Nikko G downstrokes look a bit thin!
So: why the fantastic downstrokes? Well, when the tines of the Brause Rose splay apart, they make a stroke of ink that corresponds with the width of the splay.
Let’s compare that splay to the Nikko G. In the photo below, I am applying just as much pressure as in the photo of the Brause Rose above! The Nikko G’s splay here would make a stroke that is approximately half as wide as a stroke made by the Rose.
In short, this nib is lovely if you want to add dramatic stroke contrast to your lettering project. That said, it comes with a bit of a learning curve, which you’ll want to prepare yourself for!
Brause Rose Nib Troubleshooting
With great nib flexibility comes great nib headaches. The Brause Rose has been throwing users for a loop for years, but there is a lot you can do to make it work for you! In the video below, you’ll learn more about the Brause Rose, as well as troubleshooting techniques to ameliorate your experience using it:
(If you can’t see the video, you can watch it on Vimeo by clicking here.)
As I say in the video, it’s important to make sure you have a good ink to write with! I have used Walker’s Copperplate with great success, but any other iron gall ink would work just as well. You may find that thicker inks are difficult to work with; the nib tends to dump its supply of viscous inks down on the paper. To fix that, you can just dilute your ink with water — no big deal. 🙂 The other vital detail is angle: try not to hold your nib at an upright angle to the paper. The more upright you write, the more chance your (highly flexible) tines will catch in the fibers of the paper!
Best Brause Rose Nib Projects
Like all other calligraphy nibs, you can use the Rose for virtually any calligraphy-focused project. Personally, though, I love using it to make gorgeous formal envelopes! This nib paired with Janet Style calligraphy is just magnificent. The highly flexible Brause Rose nib is especially well-suited to adding a few flourishes!
It’s difficult not to admire the stroke contrast of calligraphy created with a Brause Rose nib. That renders the Rose a fantastic choice for wedding and event invitation envelopes! If there’s not a big event in your future, then you can just enjoy using this nib for mail art — that’s what I do!
I hope that this blog post serves as a helpful introduction to what may be a fun new calligraphy toy for you! If you have any questions about the nib or how to use it, please feel free to ask in the comments. Otherwise, thanks very much for reading TPK, and have a wonderful weekend!
Warmly,
(PS – The registration for the Tampa, Florida, TPK calligraphy workshops is live as of yesterday! You can register for workshops taking place on December 3rd or December 4th. Both will be located at The Paper Seahorse, which is Tampa’s premiere awesome little paperie. Hopefully I will see you there — yay for warm weather in the winter!)
Hi Lindsey!
I’ve been having a hard time with the Brause Rose! In the upstroke, my nib keeps scratching the paper! I’m using Strathmore paper, do you think it may be too rough? Or my angle is wrong?
I would say that the paper is probably a bit rough! You could also try thickening up your ink … I always have much, much better luck using the Rose when I use viscous inks versus more watery ones. Just remember: this is a tough nib! It takes a lot of practice to use it comfortably, and I still have trouble with it at times. With some practice and patience, you’ll get there! However, if the nib provides more frustration than joy, you don’t have to force a good relationship with it.
Hi Lindsey,I’ve been working with a Brause EF66 nib and I really want to try out the Brause Rose.I have oblique holders adjusted to the Nikko G nib and the Brause EF 66 nib.Do you think I would have to purchase a separate oblique fitted for a Brause Rose or do you think I could get away with my Nikko G oblique holder.Thanks so much:)
PS: For those living in Singapore I highly recommend Straits Art (near Bras Basah Complex) if you’re looking for nibs.They have a really wide variety.
Also, do you think buying leonardt copperplate
Crown Nib will help in traditional calligraphy in the copperplate and engrosser script.
Any and all assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Hi there! I think that the nib doesn’t matter as much as practice does. 🙂 If you’re curious about trying that nib, I would say go for it!
Hey, i just wanted to know, is there an equivalent of brause rose? Maybe manufactured by some other company, like leonardt?
Hi there! I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. 🙂
Hi Lindsey! I’ve just recently started learning calligraphy, and your blog has been a HUGE help to me as I try to figure out which materials to buy. I just recently bought this Brause Rose Nib, and of course, I fell in love with it almost instantly! However, I was a little dismayed that my black ink (I use the Sumi ink) doesn’t work well with this nib, since it tends to dump all of the ink on the paper at once. I tried to dilute the ink, as you suggested, and it worked well as I was writing…but once it dried, it was more of a gray color than black. Since then I’ve just been sticking to using my Finetec Pearl palate with this nib and using other nibs whenever I want to write in black, but I was wondering if you had any advice for how to fix this? Or maybe a suggestion for a thinner black ink I could buy?
Also, I’ve been looking into buying an oblique holder, since I currently only own a straight one. Which oblique pen would you suggest to use with a Brause Rose nib (other than one of Rodger’s pens)?
Thank you!
Hi Abby! Any oblique that fits the Nikko G nib will also work with the Brause Rose — so you may not even need to purchase a new one. 🙂 As far as the black ink issue try holding the nib at a closer angle to the paper. The Rose definitely requires a little bit of extra care, and if it’s held a bit too vertically, it tends to dump the ink as you describe. That said, I generally just use the Brause EF66 with black inks. I love using the Rose for white inks!
I just wanted to address a few of the comments that I read above. If you are using an oblique with a brass flange and you find that your nib is being held too vertical, then it is an easy matter to bend the flange so that the nib is held flatter to the paper with a natural grip on the pen. If you are having issues with the nib catching, then it is very possible that your nib is being held too vertical.
For sure I wouldn’t say that the Brause Rose is a good nib for someone with a heavy hand, but that is my opinion. The Rose can be too flexible in this case and I would think that a Nikko G or another medium flex nib like the Gillott 1068A would be a better choice.
If you are really pressing down hard and spreading the tines of the nib wide, you must be careful that the tines are spreading evenly. If the nib is leaning one way or the other, you risk splaying the tines so that the nib no longer closes evenly and the nib will no longer draw ink properly. If your nib is catching a lot on the upstroke, this may be what has happened (it is also an indication that the nib is worn and it may be time to change the nib out for a new one).
You always have fantastic input — thanks so much for helping me out!
Hi Lindsey. I think yours tips regarding the “dot” of ink on the paper and the angle of the pen were great. I think it will help me get a better handle on this nib. Thanks so much…….Linda E.
WOW…I just order this nib and should be coming in today…I’m taking a class on Cooperplate and another student had this nib and she let me used it and I love it…I was told it was for a heavier hand writer..but the best part was I love how it felt and preform…thank you so much for sharing this with us…l look forward to all your videos…
Thank you for this! I’ve tried using the Rose nib several times over the years to no avail. I’m going to give it a go again with your tips! I know one problem I have also diagnosed when I use the nib is that I have a heavy hand and am used to nibs that don’t flex as much, so I actually put TOO much pressure on the rose nib and the tines spread too much. I have actually bent the tines out of shape by accident before – so others struggling with this nib might want to look out for that too! A little pressure goes a long way with this nib.
Thanks again!
Thank you for this post. I have been struggling with this nib and always find myself going back to the Brause ef66 (my favorite). Knowing the viscosity of the ink and the tilt of the nib matters, I will definitely be giving the rose a try again. It’s such a nice looking nib to just be sitting in my little nib box.
P.S. Can’t wait for the Portland workshop!
Thank you for posting this! I’m about four months into practicing calligraphy and hand lettering, so this nib is part of my future plan. I love the objective praise- it’s so challenging BUT great to use.
Would you mind posting about ink pots? I’m struggling to decide what kinds of pots to use. How do you refill them without too much mess? Do you prefer glass or plastic or other? What size mouth works best with oblique holders?
Thank you!
Sure! I should write a post about ink pots. 🙂 In the meantime, as an FYI, this is the jar I always use. It’s plastic with a screw-on top, and I love it. It’s also easy on the wallet!
I took a Copperplate Calligraphy course several years ago, and the instructor had us prepare the nibs by running them through a match flame.
Hi Lindsey!
I recently found your blog and I’m LOVING it! I just got my first set of supplies (Nikko G nib included) last week and I can’t stress how much I love practicing and writing letters to my friends! It’s such a nice getaway from all of the technology!
Anyway, thanks for another great post! I’m putting the Brause Rose on my Christmas list for sure!
-Paige