How do ruling pens work

I let them dry completely and then store them horizontally in my pen storage.. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. What is a ruling pen?

You vary the line width by tilting the pen. I also love the ecoline ink for these pens. For white ink, thin it out with some water and test out the opacity. Using different surfaces, speed: Splatters will occur quite naturally but they can also be induced by quick strokes from bottom to top pushing instead of pulling the pen or by writing on rough paper.

Try holding the pen by placing your index finger on top of the pen close to the nib. Get Creative: Trying splashing one colour on the page and go over with another colour in your pen. Related Posts. Thanks for helping!!! I was a total incompetetent at using a ruling pen and wish I were not! But, I do use a dip pen, and I dip it into a bit of water making sure there is not an excess of water, and dip into the masking fluid…I definitely makes the masking flow much easier for me!

But Yorky is definitely the expert! When he, the Spirit of truth is come You have to hold the pen vertically with the gaps in the pen to either side so that both tips are in contact with the paper. You may have to try the pen on paper I use the back of my left index finger to get it flowing. One way of checking if you have too much ink or paint in the pen is to shake it slightly. Use the screw to adjust the line thickness.

With practice you can get extremely fine lines once you get the hang of it. You can and I do use the pen to apply masking fluid. You may have to add a little water to the mf to get it to flow easily. It is invaluable for masking window frames on architectural subjects. You can mask larger areas by simply dipping the pen in the mf and using it on its side to apply the mf to the paper, taking care not to scratch the paper in the process.

I have a swivel nib type which splits and is very easy to clean. My website We must leave our mark on this world. I have found it very useful as Doug describes.

One simple comment is that a 1 mm gap, IMO would be difficult to use. Thanks, esp. I, also, found that BOTH tips have to be in contact with the paper. That is a very important tip.

Thanks again!! The pen has to be vertical front to back but can slope sideways a little. I used a ruling pen all day when I worked on a drawing board and you could tell because my left finger was covered in ink strikes. Thanks, Doug. Your are always a wealth of information! I was able to find the equipment when I started watercolor painting eight years ago and it all came back to me. I had put strips of plastic under the plastic triangles and straight edges to prevent the ink or paint from flowing under it.

Ron B. Adjust the screw on the side of the ruling pen to the desired line thickness. Continue to add ink as needed until the drawing or use is finished. Remove the extra ink from the pen by drawing until the ink is drained. Slide a scrap piece of paper through the negative space between the two reeds to remove ink.

Warnings: While simplistic in creation, the use of a ruling pen does take some practice to gain confidence in it's use.