So I spent most of last night with ‘B.’ We had a good time. After I fill up a whole sheet or four of small letters, which I use a C-2 nib for, I do some larger specimens with the 1/2 inch Coit folded nib just for a little fun. While the strokes and the technique are similar for both the large and the small letters, it’s a whole other ball of wax. First of all, the Coit nibs only hold enough ink for a single stroke. The smaller C-2 nib can hold enough ink for 3-4 whole letters. I think this is some diminishing returns equation, I don’t know. But it requires you to slow down and think of which strokes you’re going to execute in which order. The larger nibs also require more forearm and shoulder movement rather than just finger and wrist.
These pieces are one page of Capital B practice, and a couple of my favorite large Bs. I probably should have used some line rules for the smaller Bs, next time.
If 13 is an unlucky number then so should the letter “B” be. Because it looks like a scrunched together 13.
“Hi, what’s your name?”
“Bob.”
“Get the fuck away!”
– Mitch Hedberg
