If you've been to our store, you've probably seen our giant shelf of dip pens and inks. If you've been curious but hesitant about trying out dip pens, now is a great time to get familiarized with the basic techniques!

At first glance, dip pens can be daunting. From choosing your nibs to experimenting with bottles of liquid ink, it seems like a lot to dive into.

And that's why we are here to help you! We are always happy to recommend different nibs as well as inks and paper and any other accessories to help you get started.

Dip pens are not limited to writing. While they are certainly very popular for calligraphy and letter-writing, they can also be used for drawing and illustrating.

In our video below, we demonstrate the basic techniques for writing and drawing with a dipping pen.

Thank you for watching!

Blog and video by Christine Wiebe

At Paper-Ya, we have a lot of love for all of our inks. It's not easy to choose which ones to bring in!

Generous bottles of lovely inks and really fun artwork!

One of the brands we carry is Noodler's Inks. They come in an array of stunning colours, and each ink has its own unique properties. We do our best to bring in a wide variety of colours with each order. Whether you’re using a dip or a fountain pen or even using it for art, Noodler’s Ink will provide!

A fairly common question we get is whether left-handed people can use fountain pens without smudging the ink across the page, and we always recommend the Noodler’s quick-drying Bernanke black or blue. With its quick drying speed, it’s ideal not only for left-handed people, but also for people who use fountain pens on the go!

We love that so many of the inks are waterproof, archival, UV resistant, forgery resistant… the list goes on. Whether you’re taking notes in class, working as an artist, or even writing your meeting minutes, these inks will help keep your work preserved throughout the years.

The Noodler’s Ink website includes a photo sample of every colour of ink. You can see them all here!

We also recommend that people choose their paper carefully. Paper that’s too thin or too rough will bleed through or feather. If you're familiar with our store, you'll know there is a plethora of choices. But don't worry! We are happy to recommend a variety of journals and paper that are ideal for dip and fountain pens.