# VectorPaint nib diagrams: join the central slit to the hole and paired tines

Language: en
Canonical: [VectorPaint nib diagrams: join the central slit to the hole and paired tines](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-fountain-nib-slit-breather-hole/>)
中文：[中文 HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/vectorpaint-fountain-nib-slit-breather-hole/>)
English: [English HTML](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-fountain-nib-slit-breather-hole/>)
Published: 2026-11-11T00:00:00+08:00
Modified: 2026-11-11T09:40:26+08:00
Author: Bison

Draw an axial nib and connected slit, distinguishing metal, hole and tip without turning decorative lines into repair or manufacturing specifications.

English translation of the [Chinese original](<https://allluckly.cn/guides/vectorpaint-fountain-nib-slit-breather-hole/>), translated on 2026-11-11. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

A nib’s narrow slit is more than an engraved line. Draw a selected simplified appearance with readable relationships among tip, central slit and opening, then add metallic values. VectorPaint supplies manual shapes and paths, not ink simulation or instructions for disassembly, nib adjustment or fabrication. Other nibs need not share this hole shape.

## Set the frontal axis and outer envelope

Use an invented near-frontal view pointing downward on, for example, a 1200×1600 canvas. Begin with an axis and pale broad-shouldered tapering outline centrally placed, with roughly balanced widths. The grip end is not another pointed tip. Consult [Sailor’s structure guide](<https://sailor.co.jp/topics/fountain-pen-structure/>) for the central hole/slit relationship, without copying branding or generalising to every model. Separate sketch, metal, openings, grip and labels. Units are pictorial, not real millimetres; approximate placement remains a diagram, not machining accuracy.

## Build continuous metal around the opening

Make a closed metal body with shoulders narrowing toward two nearby tip regions. Before cutting openings, hide the grip and inspect continuity; disconnected halves cannot be joined by shading alone. This frontal study need not expose a feed underneath or a black rod through the nib. Repair shoulders and short-tip proportions if leaf-like, or shorten a spear-like point. Establish the outline before the slit, rather than replacing boundaries with reflections. Preserve this version to detect accidentally removed shoulders later.

## Inspect the hole boundary separately

Place one small circular or selected heart-shaped opening on the axis below the shoulders but separated from the tip. Choose one shape, not two holes. Retain metal around it without reaching an outer edge. Clarify background-through-hole appearance: a dark-grey patch is not automatically transparency. For transparent delivery use an available mask or contour method and inspect the output. Reduce raised thick rims if button-like or shrink an opening leaving only thin side strips. Its appearance establishes neither airflow nor nib flexibility.

## Join the slit to both required ends

Draw a narrow slit from the opening’s lower boundary to the bottom tip. It must reach both, not stop short behind an intact metal bridge while claiming a complete slit. Width serves legibility, not a real dimension. Trace connectivity in a high-contrast checking view, then restore a quieter line. A stroked slit is explicitly illustrative, not a manufacturable cut. Avoid branches to shoulders or sideways jumps along highlights. For disappearing segments inspect endpoints and covering layers rather than thickening the whole outline. Two tines belong to one nib; do not add a third.

## Separate decorative engraving from gaps

Optional pale shoulder engravings must remain disconnected from hole/slit so they do not become extra cracks. Distinguish outline, openings and decoration through line treatment, values and explanation rather than gold/black alone. Hide decoration to test recognition, then ensure it does not cover the slit. Omit brands and size stamps rather than attributing invented marks to manufacturers. Thin rivet-like hole rims. Break or move highlights crossing the slit like a metal bridge. Upper-left light may create unequal side values without changing the shared axis.

## Create and restore a disconnected-slit control

In a separate copy stop the slit before the hole, holding body and opening fixed. Connectivity is now broken; identify that gap rather than blaming software ink flow. Restore it and trace hole-to-tip again, checking that another end was not covered. You may hide the grip to inspect the upper body, but do not simultaneously change hole shape and outline. This is a diagrammatic control, not a request to modify a real pen. Preserve the correct original, and do not deliver the wrong copy under an unchanged “fixed” title.

## Inspect slit segments and bridges in output

Save the editable source and open a PNG at use size, inspecting hole, lower connection and tip opening. Adjust local contrast or display size for lost thin lines instead of widening the slit without limit. Inspect hole transparency on light/dark backgrounds; a white patch is not automatically transparent. Hide unwanted manually drawn axes and endpoint numbers, checking native-grid behaviour in actual export. Isolate body and openings in a copy for another format’s fill differences without overwriting the source. The finish may omit arrows while retaining readable boundary relationships.

## Troubleshoot outline, opening and occlusion

For two-leaf appearance inspect body continuity; for a needle inspect shoulders; for hole/slit separation inspect endpoints; for an extra dark tip inspect connected decoration. Change one item and retrace the whole slit instead of checking only the label. Retain the body reference, chosen opening, connectivity record, wrong copy and output with approximate proportions stated. This depicts one selected nib appearance, not pen manufacture, repair or certification, and guarantees no real model’s hole pattern, feel or ink delivery.

## Related tutorials and sources

[Edit Bézier nodes in VectorPaint: smooth curves without adding anchors](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-bezier-nodes/>), [VectorPaint transparent PNG: remove the white background and check edges](<https://allluckly.cn/en/guides/vectorpaint-transparent-png/>).

Checked on November 11, 2026: VectorPaint public version 1.0.8, requiring iOS / iPadOS 17.0 or later. Capability scope follows the [official App Store](<https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id1587272880>) and [Apple public lookup](<https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=1587272880&country=cn&entity=software&timestamp=20261111>). This is an original manual exercise; use controls available in your installed version and actual file state. External calculations, records and diagrams do not imply new automatic analysis. No step-by-step physical-device, private-file or all-export-environment testing is claimed.