Dip Pens

The ink I use is Higgins Black Magic. It�s available at most art and office supply stores, is affordable and very opaque. I�ve also found it to dry a bit faster than other inks. The above pen nibs are ones I bought through various dealers. The Esterbrook 048 Falcon is a nice pointed nib but with enough of a round end to not snag on vellum paper. The Esterbrook 988 radio pen is just like using a ball point pen! It gives nice thin and thick lines. The Esterbrook 914 radio pen is a really unique nib. It�ll give you any kind of line you want! It really is a terrific nib!

Lately, the one nib I�ve been using is the Bayard 1298. This pen combines the bowl point of the Esterbrook 988 with the underside flap found on Speedball nibs. It holds lots and lots of ink which means you don�t have to keep dipping. These nibs were made in England over 100 years ago! And there are lots of resources on the web where you can find these and more. One great place to start is Ebay. There are lots of folks selling these antique nibs. Simply do a search for Gillott, Esterbrook or similar.

Most cartoonists use Gillott nibs. These were, and still are, far and away the most popular. If you can find them, the Gillott 170, Gillott 303, Gillott 290 and the Gillott 1290 have been used by pro cartoonists for years. But, truth be told, many have migrated to modern pens and graphics tablets. There are still some cartoonists who use these nibs and I�ve played with them in the past. They are worth seeking them out and having them in cartoon tool box.

cartoonists had one choice and one choice only...dip nib pens. As you can see from the illustration, the pen consists of a holder and a nib that inserts in the end. It is the flexibility of the metal nib that gives the cartoonist the ability to make thin and thick lines. I LOVE these old metal nib pens. You can buy new nibs, made today, under the Speedball brand name. (The Speedball B6 is the most popular for cartooning) But if you can, get some of the older nibs. They�re made better and are wonderful to draw with. Below are the main nibs I like to use when drawing George. (I switch off between dip pens and markers when drawing George. It depends on how far behind I am on deadline. Inked lines need time to dry whereas modern pen lines dry instantly.

Pen technology has come such a long way in the last 50 years. Before all the modern ball points, roller balls and marker pens,