Comic Sans Is Not Too Silly For The Lettering Artist

I recently engaged in answering a question about the use and abuse of the font, Comic Sans. It is based on letters formed by using a Speedball "B" nib.
My first lettering instruction came from a sign painter - he used BRUSHES to get marvelous letters. He made showcards out of Bristol boards and tempra and it is from him that I learned how to mix all my colors from the primaries. For round "Comic" letters he would use Speedball nibs in the 00 and 0 sizes.
A very energetic and successful contemporary lettering artist, Michael Clark, a fellow Virginian, taught me how to manipulate the "B" and "D" metal points to look like brush strokes. My first reaction was, "Why not use brushes?" The answer, "Most people do not have the light touch required to use brushes". They also do not have the budget to buy really good lettering brushes. Back to Comic Sans. Look at the lettering from the 20s - 50s. You will see that many films and book titles used monoline tools in an age preceding electronic typography.
The "B" point is the only tool that can give you a perfect DOT (if done correctly) over the "i". When done properly by hand and eye control, they are a lot of fun.
The Comic Sans works best if the letters can be kerned and leaded. This is possible in Quark, Pagemaker and Publisher - also in later Word, WordPerfect and in Open Office Write.
I use the "B" nibs in my intermediate calligraphy classes to teach even pressure, letter spacing and learning how to keep the pen fed.
General calligraphic information: I am not a dipper. I practice and teach brush-feeding of the nibs. For most writing this means a nice #6 pointed watercolor brush and a pot of ground stick ink.
My broad-edge metal pen choices are the Brause and Speedball 4 & 5. Pressure & release favorites are the Brause Blue Pumpkin and Rose. For those two nibs the ink choice is a juicy Winsor-Newton Lamp Black or a heavy Dr. Martin's Bleed Proof White or something I have mixed from the primaries. Please pay a visit to my website to see samples. The photos are there to enjoy and there are videos of my writing are in the calligraphy gallery. I also enjoy cutting quills and reeds.
For a kick you could simply substitute a Speedball B nib for your favorite italic nib. Do your letters and see what they look like without thicks and thins - I does help the brain to giggle a bit.
For a hoot, find where Michael Clark is teaching a workshop and plead with him to show his tricks and tips with the "B" nibs.
Tim (c) http://www.timjohnsonphoto.com/