I've just started learning Chancery Italic, Ann Finley has very helpful and instrumental in my efforts. Just recently I bought a Lamy 1.5mm italic nib. Now I can write with broad and thin lines, the way Chancery Italic was intended to be written. I've been using a round nib with no line variation. The trouble I'm having with my italic nib is that the line variations are opposite that of a right hander. My more vertical lines are thin and my horizontal lines are broad. I'm a left handed side writer. I hold my fountain pens with the nib facing to the right across the page.


To create the opposite thin/wide orientation I need to hold the pen rather precariously in my hand with the nib facing towards me. This creates the correct wide/thin line orientation for Chancery Italic, yet the pen angle is over 70 degrees making ink flow rather sketchy. My normal pen writing angle is 60 degrees.


I tilt my paper counter-clockwise 15-20 degrees. I've tried varying the paper angle with little success. I've tried writing with an overhand hook. This feels awkward and not a technique I relish learning. Some say side writing is problematic because the ink smears. However, I haven't found this to be too big of a problem. Underwriting feels too weird, and being left handed would solve my problem. Here's a sample of my "practice" writing. The top half is written with the italic pen held in my normal writing position (photo 1). The second half I wrote with the nib facing towards me - a somewhat effect technique, but not the most comfortable, less secure, and the pen held at a higher angle than my regular pen position.


My ideal solution would be to be able to hold my italic nibbed pen in my regular pen holding position and be able to write Chancery Italic with the correct wide/thin line orientation. Is this possible? What if I rotated the pen in my hand so the nib faced more or less towards me in my "normal" hand position and cut the nib so it's a 30 degree right-foot oblique? Since I hold my pen at a 60 degree angle, the 30 degree oblique would counter this angle, allowing the nib to lie flat on the paper. Does this make sense, and is my reasoning sound?

Your thoughts, suggestions, and ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Have you tried rotating the paper? It might let you get a better angle on the page.

I always think it's best to start with a comfortable pen hold, then orientate your paper and hand so the nib is the right position, rather than starting with the nib in line. and holding around that.

Yes. My normal paper rotation is 15 degrees counter-clockwise. Further rotation does solve the problem, but then I'm writing sideways and away from me. Maybe it's something I need to learn and get used to, but like reading upside down it just doesn't feel right. It'll be like learning to write and form even basic letters all over again. Though, it "is" a possible solution.

Does anyone have thoughts about my 30 degree right-foot oblique italic nib idea?

I haven't a clue...But before you do something to your Lamy nib that you can't undo, if you've got a popsicle stick or something you could cut to nib size and dip in ink and try, I'd do that and see if it looks like it would work.

Best, Ann

Ann's advice is very sensible and I did the same before I started to regrind my nibs into unusual angles...

Yes. I'll try Ann's suggestion and report back here my findings.