Drawing / Calligraphy

Classic 5.5mm clutch pencil made from FSC certified beechwood. Available in natural wood or stained either black or mahogany. Supplied with HB graphite lead. Length 10cm. Learn More

Classic 5.5mm clutch pencil made from FSC certified beechwood. Available in natural wood or stained either black or mahogany. Supplied with HB graphite lead. Length 14cm. Learn More

Classic 5.5mm clutch pencil made from beechwood. Available in natural wood or stained either black or mahogany. Supplied with cube sharpener and HB graphite lead. Packed in a gift box. Learn More

Antique style nib holder made of stained wood. 20cm in length. The mahogany holder includes a nickel plated nib and the black holder includes a gold nib. Learn More

Exclusive to Cornelissen, our intense black Oak Gall Ink is made to a medieval recipe using oak galls collected in Cambridgeshire. The small, handmade batches are blended to give the required consistency and strength, and are steeped for several weeks and left to ‘mature’ for several more. Lightfast and fully waterproof 5-7 days after application, Oak Gall Ink has been used for centuries by calligraphers and scribes to create illuminated manuscripts and legal documents.When used on animal skins such as vellum, the acids in the Oak Gall Ink react with collagen, effectively ‘etching’ itself into the surface, hence its permanence. As with all products derived from natural ingredients, there may be slight variations in the colour and consistency of the ink due to seasonal changes

Made from organic walnut husks collected in Cambridgeshire, this deep brown walnut ink is made to an 18th-century formula. Small batches of the ink are blended to give the required consistency and strength. It has good permanence, but will eventually fade if left in direct sunlight for sustained periods of time, and is not wholly waterproof, but has some staying power, especially on sized watercolour papers. As with all handmade products derived from natural ingredients, there may be slight variations in the colour and consistency as a result of seasonal changes.

This ink is made to the recipe that Jane Austen used to draft her novels. Austen's maid took this formula from Martha Lloyd's book, ‘The House Keeper’. She used good-quality English oak galls, but poorer quality beer than Isaac Newton, and added a little sugar. Her recipe is less stable and turns ‘antique brown’ over a long period of time, while Sir Isaac Newton's remains black. Initially a medium blue-grey, it darkens to a rich matte back, slightly warmer in tone than our regular Oak Gall Ink. It is made in small batches and blended to give the required consistency and strength, and is fully waterproof in 5-7 days. Permanent and lightfast, it has been steeped for several weeks and left to ‘mature’ for several more in the bottle. When used on animal skins such as vellum, the acids in the Oak Gall Ink react with collagen, effectively ‘etching’ itself into the surface, hence its permanence. 

Formulated to the exact recipe used by Isaac Newton, this ink is completely permanant, as his surving writings attest. Although composed of very similar ingredients to our Jane Austen Ink, we consider Newton's recipe to be superior, as Austen's has browned slightly over time. Initially a medium blue-grey, it darkens to a rich, matte back, which is slightly warmer in tone than our regular Oak Gall Ink. It is made in small batches and blended to give the required consistency and strength, and is fully waterproof in 5-7 days. Permanent and lightfast, it has been steeped for several weeks and left to ‘mature’ for several more in the bottle. When used on animal skins such as vellum, the acids in the Oak Gall Ink react with collagen, effectively ‘etching’ itself into the surface, hence its permanence. 

Formulated from the same dye that was used to colour blue and white china, this ink is a deep, rich blue. Used at full opacity, it is a blue-black, and dilutes down to wonderful cold blue washes. As it is dye-based, it is not fully lightfast. 

A rich, soft green, this ink is made from organic Hawthorn berries, collected in Cambridgeshire, following a medieval English formula. The ink is not fully lightfast, due to the presence of organic ingredients.