Going for gold – your essential tips for working with metaLlic inks

Nothing spells “festive” or “Christmas” faster than the shimmer of calligraphy in gold ink. The metallic sparkle is sumptuous and exciting. It enchants with promises of lavish celebrations, of the delight of unwrapping a special gift, of real and metaphorical treasures. 

But metallic gold ink can be intimidating – its consistency is heavier, it may require special nibs to write with and generally can be a lot more ‘fussy’. That’s why many beginners avoid them at all cost.

I love experimenting with different inks in my work and gold is particularly attractive for me. It is both challenging and oh-so-rewarding. My first experience with gold ink was on day one (well, almost) of my calligraphy journey. I had the fortune to learn calligraphy from a great teacher, who loved to challenge her students. She believed that learning through real projects, rather than just tracing and basic drills, was a great way to advance and build one’s confidence. From day one she threw us at the deep end – for our very first homework she made us work on black paper with gold ink. It was tricky and fun and we learned so much that day! It also made me a lot more open minded and fearless about experimenting and trying new things in my work. 

What you need to know about writing calligraphy with gold ink?

If you have tried writing in gold you may have discovered that metallic inks are heavier, thicker than 'everyday' inks. Have they caught you unprepared? The gloopy ink runs down the nib creating unsightly blobs on the paper... or doesn't run at all leaving you scratching at the paper frustrated and questioning why you thought this was a good idea. Or the colour is too faint, not the sumptuous shimmer you were expecting. 

You would be excused for thinking that gold inks are the domain of seasoned calligraphers and opt instead for something easier to handle like sumi or walnut ink. The problem is that while these everyday inks are great for practice, they don't have the glamour and dazzle of gold. Not to mention that you don't learn by staying in your comfort zone. 

But fear not because learning to use gold calligraphy ink is not as hard as you imagine. With a little patience and a few helpful tips you will be able to create those shimmery Christmas cards and Santa-worthy gift tags that you see on Pinterest. And best of all – you'll be able to create something delightful to share with your friends at Christmas or for special occasions. Well, read on, because here's how you can.

Here is a list of the steps you can take to add festive sparkle to your calligraphy with gold inks:

STEP ONE: Get to know your gold ink

There are many gold inks to choose from and they vary in colour as well as consistency. They can be divided into watercolour based or pigment based.

Dye based inks - watercolour and gouache gold inks.

Finetec is one of my favourite watercolour inks to use for calligraphy. It has to be diluted with water before you can use it and applied with a brush onto the nib. It comes in a variety of enchanting tints of gold and produces beautiful delicate lines with rich shimmer. If you don't mind using a paintbrush to load the nib, watercolour inks are relatively easy to use for calligraphy.

Their only downside is that they are not waterproof so are not suitable for all projects. They can easily smudge if the paper gets wet and are not permanent

Pigmented inks on the other hand have a thicker consistency. Not all of them are capable of producing a very fine line and can feel gloopy on the nib (we'll talk about more how to fix that in a moment). They usually come in a dropper bottle so you don't have to use a brush and are waterproof once dry. Getting familiar with the characteristics of the ink is important and will help you choose the right ink for you.

STEP TWO: Shaken AND stirred

Mix, mix and mix again. It would not be an exaggeration to say that most troubles with metallic inks can be solved by ...mixing.

Acrylic inks especially are heavier and settle quickly to the bottom of the bottle. If you don't mix the ink well prior to using it your ink may be too runny and not pigment enough. It may not run smoothly down the nib or produce heavy thick lines.

The water based inks also need to be mixed to the right consistency - stir well with water and mix to the consistency of thick cream. 

STEP THREE: slow down and enjoy the process

Writing with gold is more time consuming and you just have to accept that. Whether it is for applying ink with a brush to your nib before every third stroke or having to clean the nib regularly during writing it will be slower than what you may be used to. Plus you may need to do some troubleshooting as you go. Trying to rush it will only make it worse so slow down and enjoy the process.

STEP FOUR: Look after your nib

You may choose to use a special nib for writing in gold, such as Gillot 404 or Blue Pumpkin, but you don't always have to. You can use your regular nib, such as Zebra or Nikko G on most papers.

What is essential though, whatever nib you are working with, is to take proper care of it so you can maintain consistent ink flow with the heavier gold inks. To do that I recommend you dip your nib in clean water every few strokes. You may even have to wipe it with a lint free cloth.

This may seem like an overkill but acrylic inks can start drying on your nib while you're writing, making it more difficult for it to run smoothly. So wipe the excess ink with a lint free cloth and dip in clean water regularly during writing.

After writing – as soon as you have finished writing it is essential to clean your nib thoroughly. Remove any ink and dry the nib thoroughly.

TIP: I recommend you do that with the nib removed from the holder to avoid the ink drying in the fold of the flange and resulting in the nib becoming glued to it.

STEP FIVE: Learn through making

You may have noticed that this has become my mantra but there's a good reason for it. Learning to use metallic inks by making Christmas cards, gift tags, writing your favourite poem to frame is not only a lot more rewarding than tracing in a workbook, but you will learn a lot more. So be inspired and have fun experimenting with all the fun that gold inks have to offer.

Try these simple tips and use gold inks for your next calligraphy idea.

Mix, mix and mix again. It would not be an exaggeration to say that most troubles with metallic inks can be solved by mixing!

If you want to try gold ink in a friendly supporting group, join us for one of our Christmas Calligraphy workshops running in November and December. Or for more calligraphy tips sign up to the newsletter here.