Tomorrow I will be able to collect my 200 printed copies of ABC Uncials, just in time for my exhibition and the Uncials Taster day at Wantage Museum. These will also be for sale at the Fine Book press Fair in Oxford on 31st October and 1st November.
I have been labelling sachets of ink crystals and making little balsa pens.
The ABC Uncials Book & Mini-kit:
The idea is that if a child gets this as a gift they can start writing immediately without having to order pens and nibs first.
This will give them time to order a Speedball pen holder, a C-0 Speedball nib, a Brause Bandzug #3 nib and 45gsm layout paper from a supplier.
In the kit, they will get: A sample of 45gsm layout paper, a sachet of walnut ink crystals, a ruling guide, an instruction leaflet and graph paper to draw Celtic weaving and a little balsa pen. Click on each of the items names to find out more:
Walnut ink
Ruling Guide
Balsa Pen
Teachers notes: Information about teaching children calligraphy, left-handers, using the ruling guide and much more.
Free Downloads for owners of ABC Uncials.
The Free Downloads for owners of ABC Uncials if they use the Secret Password are:
A copy of the alphabet to trace using the 45gsm paper and Brause Bandzug #3 nib (to keep your book clean)
A copy of the alphabet to trace using the 45gsm paper and Speedball C-0 nib
Ruled paper for Brause bandzug nib
Ruled paper for Speedball C-O nib
Celtic weaving Guide
Extra graph paper
The balsa pens are approximately 5mm in width – like the Speedball C-0 nib. They are just to go on with and to use to play around with ink. I have wrapped each in masking tape so that when the ink creeps up the wood, fingers won’t get too inky!
The pen is a runcible pen (like the spoon in The Owl and the Pussy Cat) and when you write with it, the sloped edge must be uppermost, so it is labelled TOP. Turn it around and on the other side is anothe rwriting edge labelled TOP!
Balsa pens get blunt or lose their edge quite quickly as they are fairly delicate. The real pleasure in using them is when you can make a HUGE Balsa pen and do massive letters! I always use a balsa pen on large sheets of paper to demonstrate when teaching. You can re-cut the edge when they are dry or follow this link to make your own.
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