How do I hold my pen properly

[HenryLouis]

Since using fountain pens I have evolved from having a horrendous grip somewhat like this

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3552/3696959762_b351126401_o.jpg

 

To having a grip like this

http://www.tpub.com/content/draftsman/14263/img/14263_277_1.jpg

 

But I have noticed I write with my fingers too much. I don't feel like I have a lot of control, especially with a pen like the Lamy 2000 that tends to rotate just a bit when writing. I have heard that writing with my forearm/elbow is a good way, but it's hard to write small that way.

 

So I have heard somewhere (Well I can't find the thread anymore) that you should pull your thumb up a bit from the grip, so I can write more steadily and more neatly. I can feel the muscles/tendons in my forearm start to flex when writing this way. It feels different, but I am slowly getting used to it. Is this the correct way to write?

[Raiche58]

Thanks for pointing out these writing distinctions. I'd be surprised if there is a consensus on holding the pen "properly" or a "correct way to write." Without having my handwriting sample here, you can take my suggestions with a grain of salt.

 

I think when I write I'm looking for a hold and style with little muscle tension in fingers, hand, or arm. I want a vista of the writing environment, paper, pen, and myself--not just the pen point and the minute contact area of the paper. As a result, I do have a larger handwriting style. I've also noticed it takes a while before I really relax--my first page or so will be different from the final lines.

 

This is not a perfect description, but I would say I see my hand and fingers as pen holders and and nib positioning guides, but that I write with my whole arm--whole body even--those ideas are not likely arising from one's fingernails. The second picture you had comes closest to how I hold my pen. In the top photo the hand almost looks like a fist--no relaxation there. The bottom photo the hand and fingers are in a relaxed curved position with the thumb, pointer, and middle fingers in a tweezer-like hold. The pen barrel rests on the middle finger above the fingertip and below/adjacent to the joint. The pointer finger and thumb secure the barrel position against the middle finger.

 

I do not have a writer's callus--I think--because I do not squeeze or exert a lot of pressure with my pen hold, just immobilize it. All the best to you on your handwriting journey.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Raiche58

[oceansportrait]

When I used to write with ballpoint pens only, I never held the pen like the first picture above (in the shape of a fist), but I did have the tendency to hold the pen at a 80-90 degree angle (which is straight up). I've found since I've started using FP, I'm holding it at a slightly lower angle ~45 degrees

 

[eric47]

Hi Henry,

 

I remember there was a thread about flex nibs that included a chart and other bits of information. Might have a look here if you haven't this already.

[FrankB]

Penmanship classes were mandatory during my early years in public school, grades one through five (1955 to 1960). We were always told there was a "proper" way to hold a pen, and your second photo is it. With that "proper" model, most everyone I knew eased into whatever hold was most comfortable for them. I know I did. My response to your inquiry is that, first, you have come a long way already in improving your pen grip. Celebrate that improvement and ease into what is most comfortable for you.

[Renzhe]

You can try doing something similar to this. Get your hand warmed up, let it lay on a table, and put a pen in it. Your results may vary.

[FrankB]

Your first photo is it, Renzhe! That is how I hold a pen. I have a service-connected disability in my writing (right) hand, and my middle finger is permanently bent inward. I hold a pen with my thumb, forefinger and fourth finger, while supporting it from underneath with my bent middle finger. However odd or singular it might sound, it looks exactly like that first photo. Thank you.

[Chthulhu]

My daughter used to hold pens and pencils in a very tight clenched grip between thumb and three finger, and often complained that her hand hurt when she wrote. According to her, none of her elementary school teachers ever showed her classes how to hold a pen properly, or at least comfortably. It took nearly a year to retrain her to a more natural grip, but once she accomplished that her grades improved dramatically, simply because it no longer hurt to write at length.

 

She's 19 now, and has considerably better handwriting than I do. Admittedly, that's not difficult to achieve, but it seems to be unusual for one her age in southern California.

 

Now if she'll only work on grammar, spelling, punctuation ...

[richiwalt]

I am guessing this thread is very old ... and the initial image is no longer available ... but being new to fountain pens ... and trying to learn to use a proper grip - converting from my old grip - I would love to see that image ...

 

still I'm enjoying reading this thread ...

Edited August 5, 2015 by richiwalt