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Speedballers? Sculpey-ters?
Posted by jlg4104 in
20 Apr 2006 — 7:10pm
20 Apr 2006 — 7:10pm
Anyone here use Speedball pens for drawing up drafts? I just got a 24-nib set, new-in-box, off Ebay and am really excited to try 'em out. I was totally in the dark about the Speedball thing, knowing only vaguely about the world of "nibs." No idea about the whole practice of Roman and sans-serif lettering with this funky old ink-pen. Must be my age-- born under the sign of Nixon...
Anyway, I'd also be interested to know what other sorts of hand-drawing or other handicrafts people do when designing type, besides, you know, sketching with a pencil on a pad of paper. (One of my favorite activities in a "document design" class I teach in my department is having students design a letterform with Sculpey.)
- Jay
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20 Apr 2006 — 7:55pm
this PDF may be of interest to you.
20 Apr 2006 — 8:09pm
Yeah! I found an old Speedball booklet with a lot of the same stuff, and that's what prompted me to get the set. Totally cool. Thanks-- didn't know about the speedballart web site.
23 Apr 2006 — 6:21pm
Yeah, I use them (although I prefer William Mitchell nibs). I will sometimes use 'double pencils'or a ruling pen for very much the same thing. From that initial starting point the pencil becomes my prefered tool until I am happy enough to transfer work to the computer.
24 Apr 2006 — 9:50am
John Downer has taught seminars on the use of Speedball pens. See a few images here.
25 Apr 2006 — 10:05am
Thanks-- great pics. I realize I'm a computer-baby. Just found a 1977 edition of a typography textbook. A whole chapter on shaving your drawing pencil to a chisel point, so you can simulate text at the proper x-height in "comps." Never had heard of such a thing!
25 Apr 2006 — 10:45am
I used to use them in the 60s along with the Mitchell nibs. The speedball had large sizes and could hold lots of ink. I would love to gety hold of the oval set which would be the most useful for me in type design. The flats are better for more contrasty faces than I tend to do. Use good ink though, anything too watery will blot and spread too easily.
ChrisL
PS: I was born under the sign of Roosevelt :-)
25 Apr 2006 — 10:47am
I also like the "Steel Brush" which allowed stroke widths of more than half an inch! I wish I could find all that bold stuff of mine :-/
ChrisL
25 Apr 2006 — 10:51am
> William Mitchell nibs...
The ONLY tools we were allowed to use in Paul Standard's lettering/calligraphy classes.
> A whole chapter on shaving your drawing pencil to a chisel point
I no longer shave my pencils, but occasionally I use a razor to form a chiseled nib on marker pens for quickie letters.
> double pencils...
Also a great little old-time tool, double fine-point or even combo fine & medium point markers were great for lettering with an inlined look.
25 Apr 2006 — 10:56am
Double pencils taped on either side of a Stabillo eraser made for nice wide strokes.
ChrisL