Does it matter what pen I use? I have a Lamy Vista with a 1.1 Italic nib. Should I use that?

Why not? Would you rather have a dip pen or a quill?

Sad but true fact; many homeschoolers teach their children to write in italic with a ballpoint pen or a pencil. Just because it tends to be easier for a lot of children to master italic than cursive. So, the short answer is that you can write in italic with any instrument; however, a more decorative italic is easier to do with either a cursive italic or a crisp italic. General recommendations are to use a cursive italic unless doing formal lettering.

Donnie

May I suggest that you contact Gordon Wrattens at
wrattens@ntlworld.com

of The Society for Italic Handwriting

Its a great little society
They will advise you.
If you decide to join it will cost $25 a year and you'll get their Newsletter 'Writing Matters' which is very interesting.

They also have publications
I would rcommend anyone - beginner or expert calligrapher to buy The Dance of the Pen which contains many many examples of italic writing and has been of wonderful help to me

Solitaire.

Your Lamy 1.1 would be OK. Initially, though, while learning you may want to get a 1.5 or 1.9 nib for your Lamy. It is easier to spot things you may want to correct when using a larger nib.

Best, Ann

Hi Ann,

Thanks for the great suggestion.
I have an inexpensive Sheaffer calligraphy set, but I have been using the fine nib for the most part.

Must be because it does a better job of hiding my mistakes....

Exactly! The reason for using a broader nib is so that you may find and correct your mistakes more easily. Many resources are listed at the top of this page, the "pinned" section. Kate Gladstone has a list of resources and a quick lesson or two in Italic handwriting. There is a list of books that deal with learning italic there too. Move to the wide nibs for practice and use the Lamy 1.1 for everyday writing. You may be surprised how quickly your handwriting starts to change.

Welcome to the world of italic calligraphy. And best of luck to you.