TUTORIALS: Tips and tricks for Brush and Nib By Davy Francis

Brush and Nib

What I do when I get a new bottle of ink is, I cut off a corner
off one of those little household sponges you use in the kitchen(cut just
a little snip-slightly larger than what you can pinch of the sponge corner,
but enough to get into the bottle) and set it into the ink bottle.When you
dip your brush or dip pen into the bottle, it touches the sponge, and it
stops you from getting too much ink on the brush or nib.
For ink buildup
on steel nibs, wipe your nib after use with some kitchen roll, and scrape any
dry ink off your nib with a little craft knife or razor blade. Your nibs wil last
you for years.There is a cleaning fluid you can make called WAM-it’s a mixture
of Water, Ammonia and Metholated Spirits .Mix equal parts of each in a jar
and leave your nibs in it overnight, but dry them well afterwards.
Lead shot
Following the item above, I’ve heard of people putting lead shot into their
black ink bottles as it keepss the black ink nice and black. I went to a local
gun shop, and they gave me some shot, but it was graphite, and didn’t
have the desired effect, it has to be lead shot.
Cotton buds.
Lost your brush? Have lots of solid blacks to draw? I always carry a couple of
cotton ear buds in my little bag of tricks, and when I have large areas of black
to cover, I dip the bud into the ink and use it as a brush.It covers a surprising area
-it’s almost like using a big felt pen.I find it very handy when drawing caricatures,
as you always end up having to draw someone with long black hair, and this is
a speedy way to cover large areas of black.I’ve heard of people using them for
Kirby dots, too.
Fairy Liquid.
I heard this from Will Eisner at a convention years ago. Take a little
drop of Fairy Liquid and put it in the palm of one hand. With the other
hand, put your inky brush into the liquid in the first hand and make
small circular motions for about a miniute.The fairy liquid will go right into
the bristles of the brush and when you wash the liquid off, your brush will
be completely frre of ink, and it will extend the life of your brushes.