THE PREPARATION AND USE OF THE PEN
To obtain a practical knowledge of the use of the pen as a
letter-making tool is, as stated before, the first important thing for
the student to acquire. All the practice he can get in cutting it to
shape, and using it in the manner described here, will be found to be
of the greatest service in helping him to produce good lettering with
it later on.
For large writing, the best tool is undoubtedly the reed pen. In fact,
this is probably the best pen for the beginner to experiment with
first. It is somewhat difficult to obtain a good reed pen. The ordinary
kind that is sold by the artists’ colourmen is rather too soft and soon
becomes sodden with the ink. Crisp writing is then impossible. A pen
made from a piece of hollow cane or bamboo seems to answer best of all.
A sharp knife is required for cutting, and a thin piece of metal to
form a spring to hold the ink is a great advantage. It should be quite
easy to see from Fig. 5 how the pen should be cut. The great thing to
remember is to see that the pen is cut with a nice chisel point, as
this ensures crisp and sharp writing. Another important detail is the
slit in the nib. This should be just the right length for easy writing.
If it is too long it makes the pen too soft, while, on the other hand,
if too short it is difficult to write with it. The student will find
that experiment alone will teach him what is right in this matter. An
hour or two spent experimenting for himself with a reed or quill will
teach him far more than pages of instruction. Beyond just giving a few
hints, there is no need to devote much space to directions as to how to
cut the pen. The few details given are just to act as a guide to the
student.
[Illustration: THE PEN
FIG. 5.]
In cutting the nib, care should be taken that the slit is a clean cut,
also that the points are equally proportioned on each side. The spring
is best made from a piece of thin brass, copper, or pure tin. If,
ordinary tinned iron is used it is liable to get rusty besides being
generally too thick. It will be found that a great deal depends on the
position in which this is placed, with regard to the flow of ink from
the pen.
When using the reed pen for large writing it will be found necessary to
pare the curved inside of the pen quite flat at the point, to ensure a
firm stroke, as otherwise a hollow stroke will be the result.
For smaller writing the best pen is the turkey quill. The goose quill
is not quite firm enough, but a good turkey quill can be cut either
for quite tiny writing or large bold writing. It is best to strip the
feather part right away, as there is no advantage in having it on the
pen. This can easily be torn off by pulling the end of the feather
downwards.
For practice any good smooth-surfaced paper may be used. Several of the
well-known makers of high-class hand-made drawing papers make a special
paper for writing and illumination.
A good fluid waterproof drawing ink should be used. Care should be
taken to procure one that will not thicken either in the bottle or in
the pen. It is a great fault with some inks that, although they do
not seem to thicken very much in the bottle, they do so in the pen.
When this is the case, good writing is almost impossible. One cannot
produce good writing if one has to stop every little while to wash out
one’s pen. Besides, when the ink is beginning to thicken, clear, sharp
writing becomes impossible.
Fig. 6 gives some simple exercises with the pen. It should be quite
easy to understand the formation of the pen-strokes from this diagram.
They should be practised over and over again until the strokes can be
made very easily. It should be noticed that the pen is kept practically
at the same angle all the time. It must be held as easily as possible.
There is no need to acquire any special manner of holding it.
Different people hold the pen in different ways and it is best for the
student to find out which way is easiest for him to hold it to produce
good writing. If the pen is held in a manner which may be correct
according to a copy-book but which feels awkward and cramped for the
writer, the writing produced in this way is bound to show evidences
of this. If, however, the pen is held freely, and easily, it becomes
almost a part of the writer himself, and there is a feeling of freedom
about the writing that is entirely absent from that produced by the
other method.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.]
The strokes in the diagram were made with a turkey quill pen in
exactly the same manner as described here. One of the most important
things is to endeavour to keep the pen practically at the same angle
all the time. If the pen is allowed to twist about in the hand, the
distinction between the thick and thin strokes will not be sufficiently
marked. It should be quite easy for the student to acquire this mastery
of the pen without holding it in a vice-like grip.
For clear, sharp writing it is practically essential that there should
be no ink on the back of the nib. A small piece of linen, free from
fluff, should be kept for a pen-wiper, and the back of the pen should
be wiped before commencing to write. The ink should be kept free from
pieces of fluff or small hairs, as if these get into the pen it is
impossible to produce good writing.
The exercise should be practised first with two ruled lines, then with
one only. It is good training if, after this, the student will try his
skill in writing without any lines at all. He should not sketch it in
lightly first in pencil, but should start straight away with the pen.
The width of the nib should be approximately the same as the thickness
of the thick strokes of the writing.
When the nib becomes blunt or uneven it should be carefully re-cut.
When re-cutting the pen it is advisable not to cut it in too drastic a
fashion. Cut it gradually, taking very little off at first and using
only a very sharp knife. One of the best knives for this purpose is a
surgeon’s scalpel, as, being made of hard surgical steel, it does not
get blunt so quickly as the ordinary pen-knife.
In the next chapter it is intended to begin to practise the formation
of letters. Before studying it the student should practise cutting the
pen and forming the strokes in Fig. 6. He should endeavour to make a
sharp distinction between the thick and thin strokes, and also strive
after perfect regularity. The more he practises this exercise the
better will he be able to form the letters in the succeeding ones.
The student is advised thoroughly to master one stage before proceeding
with the next. One that has been mastered is of more value than several
hurried over in a careless fashion.