I finished copying Luke

Today I finished copying Luke.

I started my handwriting the Bible journey with Luke, since I thought the narrative style of the book would be easier to follow than some other books. I knew this wouldn’t be a nicely finished copy, as my intent was to learn about fountain pens, inks and papers. I purchased samples of over 20 different inks and over 50 types of paper, with the hope of picking an ink and paper by the time I finished Luke. You can see some sample pages of Luke.

I’m still testing, but I’ll probably use Platinum Carbon Black ink for the text, and I’m considering using Platinum Pigment Blue for the headers and page numbers; both of these are archival inks. I haven’t decided if I’ll write Jesus’s words in red, but if I do I’ll probably use Platinum Rose Red (although I haven’t tested red inks yet).

Paper has been more difficult to choose, but my top choices are from Mohawk. I’m leaning towards a cotton paper, since they’re very durable. I’ve tried several different papers that are either 100% or 25% cotton, but they’re expensive. I’ll probably use #28 weight, which is heavy, but it should prevent show- through from writing on both sides of the page. I’d like to use extra-large pages, like 9.5″ x 13″, but not all papers come in that size. I’m also not sure about the color; bright white may be hard on my eyes.

I still need to find a good way to make lines on the paper. The paper I’m using is designed for printing presses and computer printers, so it doesn’t have lines on it. I’ve been using a bookbinder’s bone folder and rulers to make ceases on the page, which also show up on the other side, but it’s a bit time-consuming. I also want to make them closer together so I get more on each page.

Since I’ve narrowed down my ink and paper choices while copying Luke, I now have to decide on a pen and nib. I’ll start copying Acts and try different combinations.