(quietly sobbing)
I swear...
I know I have... 10 bottles of blue black ink.
My wallet slipped... (sighs) I slipped...
I just need all the ink.
(defiantly) I'm not sorry!
Can I write you a confession in ink?
"To whom it may concern..."
"I, Stephanie, am using up my inks."
"Here is a letter to prove to you."
"Signed, Stephanie."
"P.S. You don't know me."
﻿If you’re anything like us, you probably have a larger fountain pen ink collection
than you’re proud of. When you buy your first bottle of ink, you might not realize
just how long that bottle can last! Whether you have a few extra bottles on your shelf or a minor
hoarding problem, we’ll show you a few ways to use up your fountain pen inks in this video.
Try broadening your horizons—and your nib sizes.
Broader nibs put more ink on the page with every stroke of the pen.
You could even try italic or stub nibs to add extra flair to your writing! As an added bonus,
many ink characteristics like shading or sheen show up best in broader nibs.
If your fountain pen collection consists mostly of fine or medium nib sizes,
you may be surprised to find that an ink you’ve had for a long time actually shades or sheens.
Fountain pens like the TWSBI Diamond 580 and LAMY Safari are available with nibs
that are easy to swap. You can use a broad or 1.1 millimeter nib to write journal entries or doodle,
then switch to your preferred nib size for writing notes or filling out documents.
If you’ve ever wanted to improve your handwriting,
use your fountain pens to give you a head start! Fountain pens
tend to be more ergonomic than other writing instruments, so you can write more comfortably.
They write with little pressure, so you don’t have to press down hard to get the ink flowing.
Fill a fountain pen with your favorite ink and start a habit of practicing
your penmanship every day. You can set a small goal to make this easier to achieve:
try practicing for fifteen minutes a day!
If you’re ready to take your handwriting to the next level, why not try calligraphy? You can copy
beautiful cursive and italic calligraphy that you find online. A pen like the Pilot
Parallel is compatible with converters so you can fill it with your favorite fountain pen ink.
They come in tip sizes as large as 6.0 millimeters that will definitely help you use up your inks!
If you’re more interested in modern calligraphy, you’ll want to get dip pen nibs which work best
with calligraphy inks. You can actually create your own using fountain pen ink! Just thicken it
with a small amount of gum arabic. A good ratio to aim for is four parts ink to one part gum arabic.
You can perfect the consistency by thinning with more ink or thickening with more gum arabic.
Be sure not to use the thickened ink in your fountain pens! Gum arabic will clog the feeds.
Always make your calligraphy inks in a separate container so you don’t feel tempted to fill your
fountain pens with the wrong mixture.
Artists can try using fountain pen inks in their works.
Water-soluble inks can be used like watercolors. Undiluted inks add bold pops of color,
or you can mix ink with a little bit of water and use the resulting solution like a color
wash. You can watch us use fountain pen ink and a glass dip pen to sketch a tree in our video.
Fountain pen inks also come in waterproof varieties that work well for lineart.
Try water-resistant inks that blend out with a touch of water to easily add shading to sketches.
Check the Specifications tab on the JetPens website to see if your ink is considered
waterproof or not, but we always recommend testing your inks before you use them in
your next art piece. Swatch your inks on the paper you plan to use and let the inks dry completely.
Then, use a brush to apply water to the swatches.
If art isn’t your forte, don’t worry: you can create abstract art with your fountain pen inks
too! Use a pipette or syringe to randomly place drops of ink on a sheet of paper.
Then, use a clean syringe, bulb cleaner, or camera dust cleaner to push the ink around! Experiment
with different colors and the height you drip ink from: the further away from the paper you are,
the more dramatically the ink spreads.
As your ink collection grows, it can get harder to remember what you own.
You can organize swatches of your inks to make it easier to manage your stash.
Create swatches with cotton swabs and your favorite fountain pen friendly paper.
Dip the cotton swab into the ink until it’s fully saturated, then swipe the swab over the paper.
Let the ink dry completely and label the swatch with the name of the ink. Creating
swatches doesn’t actually use up that much ink, but we promise there are some benefits.
First, it’s hard to tell what an ink looks like inside the bottle,
and labels aren’t always helpful. Swatches are easy to refer to and
useful if you like to match the color of your pen to the color of the ink!
Second, it can keep you from accidentally buying a dupe of something you already own.
If you’re tempted to buy a new ink, check your swatch book first.
Using your fountain pens regularly is one of the easiest ways to start making a dent in your inks.
But if you need help thinking of things to write about, writing challenges are easy to find online.
These can be as simple as writing a gratitude list or
answering open-ended questions in your journal.
Artists can participate in challenges too—and you don’t have to restrict yourself to the
month of October! Art challenges like MerMay or Sketchtember have plenty of fun prompts to follow.
You can find other low-key challenges that provide that little
push to your creativity on social media.
Writing letters with your fountain pens is another method to boost your ink usage.
It’s also a more personal way to stay connected with friends.
After all, who doesn’t want to see a handwritten letter in the mailbox instead of ads and bills?
If you have plenty of stickers and washi tapes, you can share them too. And if your pen pal takes
interest in what writing instrument you’re using…
Why not share your fountain pen passion with your friends? Use ink vials or small bottles
to portion out a few millimeters of your favorite inks. Don’t forget to label them so your pen pal
knows which ink is which! If you plan to mail your inks, put them in a plastic zipper bag
to prevent them from leaking. And while you’re at it,
consider gifting a fountain pen too! A Platinum Preppy with a converter costs
less than $20 and is a great way to jumpstart the interest of a new fountain pen enthusiast.
What are your favorite ways to use up fountain pen inks? Let us know in the comments below.
Drop a like and subscribe to this channel if you liked this video.
If ART isn't your FOR-TAY. Sorry.
If art isn't your forte, don't worry!
You can create abstract art with your fountain pen inks too.
Wow...
Really... (laughs)
"Oh, you're bad at art?"
"Have you tried abstract?"
It's like yeah we're really just like...
kickin' dirt... (laughs)
in the face... (laughs)
If you're tempted to buy a new ink, check your swatch book first.
And your wallet.
Well... (snickers) that'll be an afterthought, you know.
It's worth it, right?
It's also a more personal way to stay connected with friends.
(liltingly) After all, who doesn't want to see a hand...
Ok, that was a little... (chuckles)
That was a little... sounds sarcastic.
Who DOESN'T want to...
Hold on.
How do I do this unsarcastically? (rehearses line)
A Platinum Preppy with a converter costs less than $20.
And is a great... way...
Is $20 okay?
20 BUCKS!
31 CAD...
10000 VND!
Thanks for... swatching! Ha. Ha. Ha.