The Postman's Knock

Jess Greenleaf and I met up last Friday to host an illuminated letter creation session. You can watch the recording by clicking the link below! ✨🖋️

Jess and I met as college roommates during a study abroad in Italy and France, where we spent a lot of time studying art (and, come to think of it, drooling over illuminated manuscripts). Decades later, we LOVE getting the chance to reconvene with each other and with you to share what we know! 🤝

One thing we chatted about in this session: how nice it is to have a set "meeting time" each month. ☕️ A scheduled creative appointment somehow removes the barrier of giving yourself permission to create versus doing something more "practical." And it's so fun at the end to see what everyone has been making! 🎨

Consider joining us for the next live session ✍️ ... it will take place Monday, June 22nd at 2:30 PM MDT, and is open to TPK Premium and G&B Patreon members.

Live Illuminated Letter Creation Session Recording + Recap In May's Creative Coffee Date with Jess Greenleaf, we got to spend 90 minutes working on illuminated letters together! Today, you'll find a recording, a recap, and helpful links.

Join Jess Greenleaf and me for a live tutorial tomorrow at 11:30 AM MDT! Details here: https://thepostmansknock.com/you-me-and-calligraphy-a-zoom-coffee-date/

Someone on the TPK Premium Discord referenced this piece today, and since I’m spending my afternoon editing flourishing lesson videos for the Intermediate Calligraphy Course (https://thepostmansknock.com/about-the-new-beginners-modern-calligraphy-online-course-2/), it felt like a sign to share it again. One of my favorite little Easter eggs! 🪺

The first person to point out the missing letter gets … the satisfaction of being the first person to point out the missing letter. (And my eternal respect for reading carefully. ✍️)

In all seriousness: this is a love letter to anyone who has ever spent an hour on a beautiful piece only to realize, mid-flourish, that they’ve left out a letter. It happens to all of us, and it’s a reminder that pencil drafts and fresh eyes are vital! (I always try to take a break between making a pencil draft and inking over it ... that time away, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes, can help *a lot*).

But also: this piece is proof that flourishing can visually fix almost anything. Well, at least for a moment, until someone leans in and looks closer. 🤷‍♀️ This was done in Bleed Proof white and Finetec Arabic Gold on navy cardstock with a Brause EF66 nib ... one of my favorite combinations for letters that need to feel both delicate and luminous.

🌷 My April, in no particular order, included sharing all my DIY photography tips + secrets, critiquing students’ fabulous Copperplate work via Discord, scoring a Breville waffle maker at the thrift store (!!), prepping for Lesson 4 of the Intermediate Calligraphy Course (we’re covering flourishing, and I AM SO EXCITED), coloring live with and , getting gorgeous mail from , dissecting the Brause Rose nib 🔍, chaperoning a 1st grade field trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens for my son’s class, eating delicious homestyle Japanese at Domo in Denver (hidden gem 🍜), logging plenty of hours in the workout room (gotta keep that bone density!) + a couple of outdoor runs, packaging up orders, baking tasty but holey bread (oops), and flourishing a fabulous bird with TPK Premium members.

What was your highlight of the month? (I particularly loved how people surprised themselves with beautifully flourished birds! Some of you don’t believe me when I say I’ll truly lead you through something step by step haha!)

Recently, I wrote an article about how to tame the Brause Rose nib. One of my tips is to use it with a fairly runny ink ... walnut or iron gall are both great options!

The downside of iron gall, though, is that it's acidic. It wears down any nib over time, but thin, flexible nibs like the Rose are especially vulnerable.

Which brings me to this story: my little boy accidentally dropped the Rose nib on the left into a jar of iron gall ink. I didn't notice until three days later, when the ink had turned frothy and bubbly, like a witch's cauldron . I fished around with a chopstick, and pulled out that poor nib on the left. I was amazed at just how corroded it was. Again: AFTER ONLY THREE DAYS!

To be clear: this is an extreme scenario. With normal use (small amounts of ink, regular rinsing) the Rose + iron gall combo will last you a few months at minimum. But I think it's worth sharing as a little reminder that thin nibs are delicate, some inks are acidic, and some parents are a litle less observant than others. 🤷‍♀️

Still: don't let this tale put you off either one! They're both genuinely wonderful. Read the article and I know you'll feel ready to give the Rose a try: https://thepostmansknock.com/how-to-tame-the-brause-rose-nib/

The Brause Rose ✍️ has a reputation, and it’s not entirely undeserved. It’s picky about ink 🖋️, it often wants a specific kind of holder, and it’s not suited for small letters. But give it some room on a wedding invitation, a flourish-heavy envelope, or a hand-lettered piece with room to breathe, and it becomes one of the most satisfying nibs you’ll ever use. 🌹

Swipe through for the quick guide. For the full tutorial, including a complete troubleshooting section, ink recommendations, and the pen holder details that make all the difference, head to the TPK Blog here: https://thepostmansknock.com/how-to-tame-the-brause-rose-nib/

Anyone can read up to two articles per month for free, so this one’s fair game! After that, Blog content is one of the perks of being a TPK Premium member. ☕

Happy writing! 😊