There is a small learning curve to using a glass dip pen. You need to find its sweet spot or its preferred angle; the ink viscosity should not be thick, but more liquid like fountain pen ink. Not all inks work with all papers, so test different papers with the ink you choose -- or different inks if you have a paper you love. After dipping the pen, remove the excess ink by brushing the tip on the side of the bottle, and gently rotate the pen as you use it to get all the ink the pen is holding. If you want to smooth out the nib, rub the scratchy part on a lightly textured surface (a paper bag works well). If you find you don't like using it for your artwork, maybe you'll be able to enjoy it writing notes or cards you may send out.
Thanks for testing all of those options. Interesting that the best one is white gouache, that's the first thing I ever used for highlights but I sort of forgot how well it worked. Luckily I still have a tube!
My favorite is the uniball, but it takes a little maintenance. Clean the tip off every time you use it, keep the lid on when not in use, and store horizontally and it will work a lot longer. Thanks for sharing!
The glass dip pens definitely prefer thin inks but also there's still a learning curve. On the whole, a dip fountain pen or normal fountain pen is a lot more consistent (for me at least). I've used the Dr Martin's Bleedproof White and it works well for me with a brush but when it comes to pens I still haven't found one that works well every time. I have Signo and Gelly roll and change my mind about which is best each time I use them 😂. The Posca pens...I'm not sure if they've changed or if their competitors have just improved but they don't feel as good as they used to.
I noticed... After finishing the video I kept trying to use that glass pen and still wasnt able to get a decent line out of it, I'm starting to think it's defective haha. I'll keep testing it tho
You could try Pebeo Colorex Brilliant Watercolor 02, White. Comes in a bottle like ink with a dropper in the lid. I squirt it into a watercolor pan and let it ry and it still works. Also, layering helps with anything white. Thanks! This was a useful video!!
I still have some to watch, but now your voice is in perfect balance, the best was the white gouache, posca is not far behind though, more practical I would say. This video was very informing, though I knew not to use gelly rolls or signos anymore
I'm so glad my progress is noticeable. I've been paying tons of attention to the audio mix on every video. About the pens, yes, I did have some expectations/curiosity on some of them so I thought I would document my findings. Thank you for watching!
After all the struggle on the video I kept the Uniball Signo in my pencil case, as well as an extra tube of white gouache. Depending on what I want to do I go with one or the other. Thank you for watching!
