The following is a collection of comments offered by those who have had occasion to use the new inks. Sprinkled through out are a few tips you'll find to be of interest. Enjoy browsing!
Rich
"……….I did see Kaz's marbleizing. BTW I used Ziller inks on Tyvec and really loved the effect -- with Ross Art Paste it came out marbled."
Angela Cobb, Calligrapher
March 22, 1999
"So far I have tried them undiluted on a variety of papers including Arches Hot Press, an Ingres, Mohawk, a bond and a coated bond. Using a Hunt 101 I have been happy with them …. The colors are of course vibrant and intense and although there FEELS as if there are differences between the Zeds (sic - Ziller Inks) when writing, the end results are all very similar. The hairlines are wider than I would like and seem to widen with drying-which happens fast. I thought that they would be wider than with the other inks but when I examined them all closely they are much the same. I have not had any bleeding or feathering. Also I've not done much with the white except to write on some dark paper with a WM1. That was quite effective. Overall, I've had no problems so far. I enjoy the fast drying times…"
Erik Halbert, Membership Secretary Australian Society of Calligraphers
March 22, 1999
"I was recently asked to work on a logo design for a new museum project. I did a finished rough on drafting vellum, outlined the letters with a very fine Pigma pen, and filled them in with a brush and your soot black ink. It worked a treat - I diluted it slightly, and used a very good Handover Kolinsky brush, and it went on very smoothly, covered extremely well, and allowed the brush to get into the finest, sharpest little corners and details."
Anne T. Lane, Curatorial Assistant-Calligrapher, Rock Hill, SC
March 10, 1999
"Several weeks ago, Karen Ter Haar of Melbourne, Australia, discovered that the new Ziller Inks performed (with some limitations) very creditably for both traditional and fantasy paper marbling. In addition, Jo Chynoweth, also of Melbourne, Australia, proved that for paste papers, Ziller Inks are both economical (in that only a tiny amount of pigment is needed to give deep color to the paste) but also bright and vibrant - this also proving to be true of marbling."
Karen Ter Haar, Melbourne, Australia - Calligrapher, Lettering Artist, Instructor
March 8, 1999
"Thanks for getting the order to me. I filled some diplomas last night and find it excellent to work with, but had to dilute it for Script to get it to flow properly. I liked the Blackness of it though and think it will work just fine." (Jewell speaking about using the Glossy Black at his long time established engrossing art studio.)
Jewel Bethel, Manuscript Studio, Alameda, CA
March 2, 1999
"Dear Scribes, Thank you one and all for the thoughts and ideas shared on basic beginner tools and materials for my upcoming copperplate class… Ink? This was tough. So many opinions in this area! I settled on the new Ziller Glossy Black. The fact that it is waterproof is one of the main reasons, plus the glossy aspect, and it works beautifully on the paper stock that I will be handing out."
Kate McKulla, Mountain Lakes, NJ - Calligrapher
February 9, 1999
"I forgot to mention that the Ziller Glossy Black ink (the new stuff) worked very nicely on canvas Rich. It came up very glossy, and seemed quite content to sit up on the surface of the canvas."
Kate McKulla, Mountain Lakes, NJ - Calligrapher
January 23, 1999
"… and head for the Windex (which is ammonia based). Spray on all colored spots, dots and splashes, and wait for five minutes. (Speaking about counter top clean up). Wipe clean with a Chux, or similar. I use the Ziller inks quite a bit, and I find that soaking the pens in a solution of pure Windex for about 45 seconds simply slides that ink right off those tools.... but whether this would work for a brush that has dried to a toothpick for a Razza, well I don't know. Try it if nothing else works, for there is nothing left to lose."
Karen Ter Haar, Melbourne, Australia - Callligrapher/Instructor
January 22, 1999
“Thanks Rich, you will be very happy to know that Ziller's Inks were my number 1 ink. I used all the colors that I mixed and matched. That was one of the easiest parts, cause I knew that the inks were of such high standard.... waterproof on top of everything made things even better. So from me to you a big hug, warmly from -40 C Quebec.”
Lorraine Demers, Quebec, Canada - Calligrapher - relating about the creation of some new works of art for public display.
January 13, 1999
And so I've been told by Kate McKulla that, ".... most were done on Arches Cover Stock (Black), using a variety of your inks. Glen worked with Jim Chin's Moth and Butterfly pens, I with a Brause EF 66 pointed pen...We greatly enjoyed playing with them (Ziller Inks), and will continue to do so." Glen Epstein also said, "I think you'll see I am most satisfied (I used Jim Chin's Butterfly and Moth pens and two types of the leaner folded pens... We will both be Zillerheads from here on out...I'm also looking forward to experimenting on my own - which has nothing to do with the marvelous company and gift of one bright Kate McKulla."
Glen Epstein, Iowa City, Iowa - Instructor/Calligrapher - University of Iowa
Kate McKulla, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey - Calligrapher
Comments from Glen and Kate after collaborating on making some calligraphic works using the new Ziller Inks. Glen is now recommending these new inks to his students and is making them available for their use.
January 12, 1999
“I am goofy about the Ziller Inks, and wish I had tubsful...What worked in getting the ink off paws and pens, and table was Windex...It worked for me”
Barb Keller, Sun City, AZ - Calligrapher
December 22, 1998
“I would like to recommend the use of your new inks to my students at the University of Iowa.”
Glen Epstein, Iowa City, IA - Instructor, Lettering Artist, Calligrapher --- Since these comments Glen and Kate, see below, have sent me some of the work samples/ testings done on Arches black paper stock --- Beautiful Work -- indeed!!
December, 1998
“Thank you for the pleasure of playing with your new colored inks. Glen (Epstein) and I enjoyed them very much.”
Kate McKulla, Mountain Lakes, NJ - Calligrapher
December 20, 1998
“Thanks for the envelope and card, they're both beautiful, The ink colors are so bright and the letters so sharp, I use Rotring waterproof sometimes but the letters are not always sharp enough, I'm impressed. Can I buy Ziller inks in England?”
Janice Hopkinson, England - Calligrapher
December 18,1 998
“Bought some Ziller's Inks from Laverne Sherrets, (Capitol Engrossing Art Studio) here and they are great. I can't say enough about them. Do you have any small vials to put small amounts of ink in? My son gave me a little tray that rifle shells come in. It has several holes in it, and a small vile about the size of a nib fits great. If I can find the vials, (with lids), I could have several colors in use at once, and keep the ink nice. It's too precious to waste!”
Deb Allen, Patter’s Heart Creations, Columbus, OH - Calligrapher -- (The vials Deb refers to I know are available through Brenda at Paper & Ink Books and are called Dippidty Doos. - rm)
December 15, 1998
Maura was asked, “Is there anything that works better than Dr. Martin's black iridescent for black lettering on black paper? “ And she replied, I've had *very good* success with bottled Sumi ink and *fabulous* success with the new Ziller Glossy Black ink. Ziller also makes a matte black but I have not yet tried that one. I've also found that the thicker the paper the better the ink sits on top. Good luck! “
Maura Cooper, Charlotte, North Carolina - Calligrapher
December 9, 1998
“I have tried them (the inks) out, and so far am very pleased. They are far superior to any other inks I have tried. I haven't had a chance to do much yet, but will later.”
Kathy Nelson, Scarsborough, Ontario, Canada - Calligrapher
November 30, 1998
“You need to start with white and add color to achieve nuances of a shade..........they wrote blended better than I thought they would and was pleasantly surprised.......while they dried quickly I liked the colors and think they are good products. Although I usually use gouaches, I would recommend the Ziller Ink to my students. If you would like to quote me I would say the Ziller waterproof ink products are wonderful to do rainbow writing with.”
Joanne Fink, Lake Mary Florida, Calligrapher’s Ink and Immediate Past President of the Association for the Calligraphic Arts (ACA) --- Calligrapher, Lettering Artist & Editor of calligraphy books. Sharing her insights after extensively testing the new inks. Joanne is also the writer of a book on her specialty, Rainbow Writing.
November 18, 1998
“Gwen Weaver gave a workshop this past weekend in my studio and several people had Ziller inks so we were doing a LOT of playing with 'em!! One thing I'd like to share with you is that the white (North Wind White or something equally exotic sounding??) when mixed with a drop of the dark green makes an *exquisite* turquoise. Writing with that mixture on black paper is...is...OOH LA LA!! It dries to the same color it is when wet. I also like to store small amounts of the mixed inks in the Dinky Doo vials - (small lidded vials that fit into a wide wooden base.)”
Maura Cooper, Charlotte, North Carolina - Calligrapher
November 17, 1998
“Well, last night I cleaned up my working area, and collected about ten discarded pointed pens that I had been trying out - and they were dirty, and mostly dirty with dried Ziller polymer acrylic ink, and I wondered how that brush cleaning stuff would work if I put a little on a toothbrush, and (cleaned) my pointed pens with it - and it was just wonderful! They all ended up looking like they just came out of a new box!”
Karen Ter Haar, Melbourne, Australia - Lettering Artist, Instructor
November 10, 1998
“I've been playing with the Ziller inks I bought at Camp Cheerio last month and they're wonderful. I used the "Glossy Black" with a Speedball broad-edged nib on textured black paper (and then after it was dry used colored pencils around the letters) and it looks simply smashing if I say so myself. ;) I've also used the "Cardinal Red" with similar pens and it too is luscious. The "Wild Viola Violet" I tried with the flexible nib a friend kindly sent me, a gray Goode & Co. no. 99EF. I wrote on some laser paper I had lying around (smooth surface) and the nib and ink both wrote like dreams. Beautiful hairlines!”
Maura Cooper, North Carolina - Calligrapher
November 3, 1998
“Love your Ziller Ink which I acquired from my friend Karen Ter Haar. I couldn't work out which ones I needed so I bought them all!”
Cecilia Sharpley, Melbourne, Australia - Calligrapher
October 30, 1998
“ I am an overhand writer, and I have my share of troubles with paper, pens and inks. I solve my problems by using Mitchell Roundhand nibs, trying to use a hard paper, and now Ziller Inks! I like them because they are “slippery” They slide very nice on the page and don’t grip like gouache, or feather like watercolors, both of which I have always used. While doing the name tags, I discovered that if I lightened up the ink on the blue/green names for the town and state, the ink feathered into the paper. By adding a couple of drops of thickener (Ziller Ink Thickener) back into the watered ink, they came back in body, and wrote beautifully, as my sample shows. I under painted the three designs with watercolor.”
Jane Gillis, Medford Oregon - Co-Chair All Oregon Calligraphers Conference
October 23, 1998
“Thank you for the great service and supplies. The Glossy Black saved my life.”
Cathy Ledeker, Lawrence, KS, The Vintage Hand
October 20, 1998
Speaking about viewing broad pen samples of Karen Ter Haar posted to the internet calligraphy graphics board - which can be viewed at the following internet web site --- http://www.calligraph.com/web/callig-graphic/
“Did you ever find a distributor in Canada for these inks? We Canadians are deprived.”
Kathy Nelson, Canada
October 17, 1998
“Hey Rich, Thanks for posting these. Gotta try all the colors, now. Beautiful.”
Chris K. Foster, Calligraphy & Publication Design, Granite Bay, CA
October 16, 1998
“I've used the Ziller inks with a pointed pen, and I like the way they behave - however, I have been using very rigid pens (Esterbrook Radio pen, and Esterbrook Double-Sprung pen), in a straight holder, to create variations of traditional scripts. More than this however, I loooooooove the way the ink behaves through a large pen (like a Coit, or Automatic, but particularly the Automatic) on a rather peculiar paper that I am most fond of using - "Fineliner Bond". It's a pretty heavy and thick paper for a bond, coated and somewhat slippery - unfortunately I can't show you what happens, but if Rich Mungall has a scanner, and wants to pick a sample from the stuff I sent him, then that's fine with me - providing you pick smashing letterforms from my practice sheets Rich! If not, then what happens on this particular paper is this:
For some reason, a pool of ink is pushed to the side of the pen, and is deposited as a line on one side - a narrow line. The ink is also dark at the top, and pooled at the bottom, transparent-like elsewhere - and this creates a lovely shaded effect to the work. I sent somebody some pieces of this Fineliner Bond - Cindy, was that you? Have you determined whether this paper is available in America? And if so, what your equivalent is? I use Fineliner Bond for all my exemplars, pretty well - including brush work, for I like the difficulty of working on the slippery paper - it makes
changing to a paper with "tooth" a dream!
Karen Ter Haar, Melbourne, Australia - from a reply to the internet calligraphy discussion list
October 12, 1998
“The new Ziller acrylic inks are very rich, opaque and permanent. Those in the know about
Copperplate, Spencerian and the other pointed pen scripts, absolutely swear by all Ziller inks. Yes,
it does give fantastic hairlines. And as of this last year, they now have many gorgeous, opaque
colors. You can even run this stuff through a crow quill!”
Sue Minkoff, Portland,Oregon
October 11, 1998
“I just finished a calligraphy workshop with Sheryl Hirsch-Kramer, and she brought and introduced the workshop to Ziller Ink, everyone loved how they flowed in the nibs. ..........The people at the workshop bought most of it, I only have 1 box to send back.”
Paula Rice, Calligraphy Guid of Oklahoma, Broken Arrow, OK
October 7, 1998
“Had a chance to use the Ziller inks this weekend. They are really super and LOVE the colors. Love it that they were developed with the calligrapher in mind!”
Teresa Wilber, ABCalligraphy, Tulsa, OK........via email regarding her experience in Sheryl Hirsch-Kramer’s workshop held in Oklahoma
October 7, 1998
“....by the way, I like the blue engrossing ink of yours for broad pen, it seems to work really good, that is what I used for the word Ziller.”
William A. Lilly, Master Script Writer, Galloway OH - A Zanerian College graduate speaking about elaborately decorating mailing envelope......which is gorgeous!
September 24, 1999