It's no secret that I am particular about my paper. Honestly, any respectable calligrapher will shout the same from the rooftops. I love writing on "anything but paper", but I obviously use paper for correspondence, etc ALL of the time. So when I do use paper, it has to be of a certain level especially when used with pointed pen. The nemesis of a pointed pen calligrapher/penman is paper that snags or bleeds/feathers. These are bad signs, I tell you!
In that spirit, I was contacted by LCI paper company as they are launching a line of papers that are expected to fall on the luxury end. I was actually supplied with LCI paper during my first year in business for a wedding envelope job. To be completely honest, it got the job done but it didn't rank high on my list of preferred papers. Fellow penman & calligraphers know exactly what I mean... So when they contacted me last month, I was skeptical, but open to try it. SO GLAD THAT I DID! This is NOT the same paper from years ago....not by a long shot. Want to hear my thoughts blow by blow? Here we go:
DISCLAIMER: I am providing these pictures with mistakes and all as I want for you to see where I experienced snags etc and also, I didn't have an abundance of papers to provide multiple chances for "perfect work". So check out the "human" side of penmanship :) Also, the pictures have received minimal to no editing to ensure that you can see the reality of what happened with the paper.
MATERIALS: So my background is in Microbiology (crazy, I know) and I worked in that field for a decade. With that said, the scientist in me felt that it would make sense to ensure that the only "variable" with testing the LCI paper should be the paper. I used a tried and true ink and nib--- a fresh Tachikawa G nib and Moon Palace Sumi ink. The nib is a hybrid of Nikko G and Zebra G providing moderate tine flex with great hairlines. Moon Palace Sumi ink is the gold standard for production work etc. Plus, sumi ink is heavier than most inks & used by calligraphers around the world for envelopes, commission works etc.
Let's cover my pleasant surprises first.
Gmund Colors Felt Paper - Let me just skip to the point....I LOVE THIS PAPER! This paper has a texture to it. Yes, I know. Pointed pen calligraphers and penman prefer minimally textured paper. But let me tell you that this textured paper was a DREAM to write on. The version that I tested was the "cover weight". I seriously want some of this in the studio moving forward. So after I got over the fact that the texture was beautiful, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my nib just glided across this paper. Seriously, I want more of this paper. I tried to take pictures where you could see the texture. Not an easy feat. Look at the word "smooth" in the 2nd picture to see the lined texture. ADORE this paper!!!