Like Rock, Paper, Scissors, but all you get is paper

[afuna]

Last Saturday, I went National Bookstore and spent an hour looking at all the different kinds of paper. I ended up bringing home almost twenty different kinds to experiment with.

I tried to put them into a google docs spreadsheet, but google drive kept thinking I was offline and not letting me edit anything, which, WTF. I'd literally manage to type in two characters and then get kicked out until I reloaded the page, and then type two characters in again... I gave up pretty soon after and decided it was time to play with a data entry app I had on the iPad :-)

Here is what happened next:



The text is a bit too small to see, but that's the brand/description, GSM, yes/no radio group, price per sheet (derived from input on another screen I didn't bother to screenshot), and paper size. The details have no direct bearing on whether the paper is actually usable for calligraphy practice, but that all gives me an idea of the basic characteristics of each kind of paper before I actually test it.

There's a rudimentary built-in search in the app thing, but no sorting and filtering is very basic. Really I should export as CSV and import it somewhere I can filter/sort easily, but there are too few records to justify the effort -- for now ;-)

I then sat down with a couple nibs (some broad, some pointed), a couple different types of ink, and a lot of different types of paper, and started experimenting.

It was fun! I had nothing specific to write, so I ended up writing down whatever popped into my head. Somewhere in the test sheets is one that says "reach out and touch someone... there can BE ONLY ONE" and then I wandered away to a different page because I was too lazy to write highlander (too many long ascenders)

I accidentally dipped a pen with green ink into a blue ink bottle. Right after I did that, I panicked -- it turned out pretty well, though!



I want to try mixing colors again, but next time I'll use an eye dropper ;-)

My findings:

• GSM is not reliable even as a rough heuristic to choosing paper. But given a particular brand / type, the bigger the GSM value, the more satisfying it feels


• smoothness is also not a reliable indicator for how the paper will absorb the ink. Neither is whether it's a matte or glossy finish! And confusingly enough, two things that were labelled "matt" had surfaces that were smooth and coated in a way that I associate with glossy paper


• in general, parchment paper + anything approaching fountain pen ink consistency is a disaster. Huge blotches. However, indian ink on translucent parchment paper is gorgeous. I can't stop staring at it. Lines of the broad nib were crisp, and the hairlines of the pointed nibs managed to be thin and didn't get lost in the paper


• actually, indian ink feathers a lot less than most other types of inks. It's not fool proof, but it's proven good enough that I plan on testing it even with paper that otherwise seems hopeless


• oslo paper would have been cool if it worked, but it didn't. Surface texture too rough for the ink. Except for indian ink. Indian ink worked okay with oslo paper too


• but the best paper in terms of smoothness / thickness / value is the Paper One branded typewriting paper. I tried the 100 gsm pack; lighter weights may also work but the difference in price is minimal. It doesn't say acid-free, but says something about satisfying some standard for 200 years of permanence which... okay!


• weirdly enough every paper I tried that did say acid-free was also very prone to feathering


• I want to say it's not just about the price, and it isn't, but 0.99 pesos for a sheet of *good* paper, thick, nice feeling, not scratchy, versus mediocre paper that costs 2-3 times as much? Come on now ;-)


• no, but seriously though, it was really interesting trying all the different combinations. I feel like I understand my tools and paper-with-ink and -ink-on-paper more now (naaaks)

Comments

[kerravonsen]

Go you! Very wise to experiment like that.

I want to say it's not just about the price, and it isn't, but 0.99 pesos for a sheet of *good* paper, thick, nice feeling, not scratchy, versus mediocre paper that costs 2-3 times as much? Come on now ;-)

Indeed!

I've been trying to free myself from the assumptions about what is "proper" to use for a given craft. So what if I bought it in a hardware store rather than a craft shop - if it looks pretty, who cares if it was originally intended for a garden shed or a toolbox?

[momijizukamori]

I buy make-up brushes at Michael's, in the fancy paintbrush section. A fifth the price for something that is very nearly identical? Yes please ;)

[afuna]

Heee exactly!

(though I'm somewhat the other way around. I've been finding makeup stuff cheaper than craft stuff, partly because we don't have the same kind of big craft chains, and partly because I've been looking for things like nailbrushes for cleaning nibs instead of soft makeup brushes.

hmmmmm I should probably see whether I can do things the other way around too)

[afuna]

Yes! It's amazing how many tools are suitable cross-craft, isn't it? I spend way too much time in hardware / office supply stores trying to find something that will fit my calligraphy and fibrecraft hobbies :x

[kerravonsen]

Both tools and materials, I find. For example:

* nuts (from nuts-and-bolts in a hardware store) to use as beads
* cotton string (from hardware or office supplies) to use for crochet

[afuna]

Oh huh. That would be a lot cheaper than yarn -- and I wouldn't have thought to do it. I guess I'd have assumed it was painful to use, but string is string!

[kerravonsen]

Jute string would be a bit rough, but cotton string is just cotton and perfectly fine to use.

[afuna]

Excellent. Thank you for the tip.

[surpassingly]

You are the awesomest <3 Let's talk technique and squee about stuff sometime! I think I'll be teaching an online class this coming March :3!

[afuna]

Yes please! And oooooh reserve a slot for me? :3

[momijizukamori]

If the other inks are water-based/fountain-pen inks, that may be why you're seeing more feathering. Any welled pen has to use a water-based ink, or else the inside gets corroded and uncleanable if any of the ink starts to dry (ie, putting india ink in a fountain pen = DISASTER). I've found that these tend to feather a lot on mediocre paper (which is a pity because I love writing with my fountain pen)

[afuna]

Aha yes, that would probably explain what's so special about fountain pen inks. I don't have any welled pens, just dip pens!

Hmmm I have heard scary things about indian inks, but now realize that it's probably in relation to fountain pens (versus dip)

[momijizukamori]

I think india ink can corrode dip pens too some, but mostly only if you let it dry on your pens all the time. It's mostly just a really good way to wreck a fountain pen.

[omgaeula]

This is so helpful! (And must have been so tedious to do, wow.)

The India inks on Deovir though all have shellac in them, and I read that the shellac makes the ink dry very fast so it's hard to work with and may damage your nibs. Not sure how true this is because I've never used them.

I never thought of using makeup brushes for nibs! Ingenious. I have so many makeup brushes I don't use, they just came as part of a set. Yay for repurposing!

[afuna]

I have tried indian inks from Deovir, both the really cheap one that comes only in black, and the fancier Vallejo ones which have really nice colors. I haven't noticed that they dry very fast -- I was using them during the testing above, where I was alternating between pens, which would presumably give it more chance to dry up, and didn't have any difficulty cleaning up afterwards. I wouldn't try it for a pointed pen though; just a bit too thick to work with properly.

But yeah I am a bit scared of indian inks still, and tend to clean them off immediately after a session. Risky eh!

[omgaeula]

Oh I've not tried pens, just nibs on nib holders. Interesting to note that though!

[afuna]

Ah, I meant pens == nibs on nib holders. Sorry for the confusion!