Watercolor & Calligraphy
Allison McClanahan is a calligrapher and wedding stationer based in Northern Utah with her husband and little girl. She's been interested in handwriting and snail mail since she was little. Her dad was in the Air Force, and her mom wrote letters to their faraway family and friends, encouraging her to do the same. As an adult, her love of snail mail grew and naturally led to lettering and calligraphy. You can find her on instagram @wildwoodcalligraphyandpost
Tips for using Watercolors as Calligraphy Ink:
Since you cannot dip the nib, you have to paint the ink onto the nib. I like to wet the watercolor in the pan with a brush and let it soak in a bit.Then I roll the wet brush around in the watercolor fully loading the brush with paint. I try to make sure it’s not too soupy- I’m looking for a creamy almost syrupy consistency. Then I paint the nib on both the front and back. I cover the vent hole completely. Now we are ready to write! My favorite nibs for watercolor are Hunt 22b, Hunt 101, and a Gillott 404.
It is fun to alternate colors to create a gradient effect that is really fun- experiment with different color combinations! Not all watercolors are suitable for nib writing since each color contains unique ingredients.
- Allison
