Could An Oblique Be For Me?

[sidpost]

Well, when one is new to pens....sometimes flex is misunderstood. Actually the word 'flex' to many implies a Wet Noodle, which semi-flex is not at all. Semi-flex is actually springy ++. Please read my signature.

 

...

 

And do keep an open mind about '50-60's German obliques....for down the road.

 

Thank you Bo Bo. Your posts were very insightful to me and I learned a few things too!

[jhawkes]

The top is how i normally hold the nib, and the bottom is me trying to hold the nib as straight as possible. Do you see a difference? I get a thicker downstroke. This is why i thought an oblique may work for me.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Looks like I have to get some MB Permanent blue ink....a shading ink.

TASmith......What paper was used?

Edited February 23, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[ac12]

JH

First - Draw a line 90 degrees to the horizontal ruled line on the paper. Then what angle is the axis of the pen relative to that vertical line?

FYI, I normally write with the pen axis about 30 degrees from vertical.

 

Second - Forgive me for seeming to be dense. But I'm trying to figure out what you mean by canted.

By canted, do you mean you rotate your pen to the left or right. Or do you mean the angle above in #1.

[jhawkes]

JH

First - Draw a line 90 degrees to the horizontal ruled line on the paper. Then what angle is the axis of the pen relative to that vertical line?

FYI, I normally write with the pen axis about 30 degrees from vertical.

 

Second - Forgive me for seeming to be dense. But I'm trying to figure out what you mean by canted.

By canted, do you mean you rotate your pen to the left or right. Or do you mean the angle above in #1.

I hold it about 35 degrees, and that is what I meant by canted. Is that the same as rotating the pen to the left or right? So much confusion! Hahaha!

[sidpost]

Canted as in 'rolled' the pen over. If the nib is 'flat' on the paper, the angle of the lines won't vary line thickness on common nibs but, the specialty ones that aren't circular will have different line widths. This all assumes no heavy pressure on the Nib itself.

[sidpost]

I hold it about 35 degrees, and that is what I meant by canted. Is that the same as rotating the pen to the left or right? So much confusion! Hahaha!

 

 

Cant to most is a tilt in the horizontal plane like the ship's deck was canted (or rolled) to starboard not, along its longitudinal or vertical axes.

Edited February 24, 2017 by sidpost

[Tasmith]

Looks like I have to get some MB Permanent blue ink....a shading ink.

TASmith......What paper was used?

Hi Bo Bo,

 

MB Permanent Blue does shade nicely. The paper is Rhodia.

[ac12]

 

 

 

 

Cant to most is a tilt in the horizontal plane like the ship's deck was canted (or rolled) to starboard not, along its longitudinal or vertical axes.

 

This was my understanding of the term also. Which confused me, because if I cant the pen to the left, I would roll/rotate the pen in my hand to the left/counter-clockwise, and the pen would be writing on the left side of the nib. On a stub or CI nib, this would start to lift the right side of the nib and ink flow would slow and then stop.

[ac12]

 

I hold it about 35 degrees, and that is what I meant by canted. Is that the same as rotating the pen to the left or right? So much confusion! Hahaha!

 

Don't worry. There are so many terms used all over the place, and people and organizations sometimes define things different. I've run into this confusion many times. That is why I asked.

 

The angle that you hold the pen at, relative to a vertical line on the paper, defines how the ink line will look with an edge pen.

So at approx 35 degrees, right handed:

- If you want a wider downstroke, you would use a right foot oblique.

- - This would be my personal choice, as it simulates a flex dip pen nib in an oblique dip pen holder.

- The left foot oblique would give you a wider horizontal stroke.

 

Using a standard CI nib, you can rotate your pen angle to get different looks to the ink line.

And if you change the slant angle of your writing, things look different again.

Example, When I use a flex fountain pen, I hold the pen at 90 degrees to the ruled line on the paper, pointing straight up. Then I use an upright hand, where there is no slant to my cursive writing. The vertical strokes are at 90 degrees to the ruled lines on the paper. This give the writing a very different look than my usual cursive hand, where I hold the pen at about 30 degrees from vertical, with a writing slant (stant angle) of about 20 degrees from vertical.

Play with this idea, to get different effects.

[sidpost]

Slant angles and CI nibs have my curiosity up! I see some very pretty handwriting with the combination of a CI Nib, handwriting and, a blue ink.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Yo.....a picture of holding the pen would help....in I had cant as the turning sideways of a nib, instead of flat/even to the paper.

 

I do recommend letting the pen rest where it feels like, behind the big index finger joint at 45 degrees, or the start of the web of the thumb at 40, or if the pen is very long or very heavy even letting it rest in the pit of the thumb web. (That takes the weight out of the hand and by resting it so deep, can make the nib lighter on the paper.) Let the pen decide where it want's to rest.

 

The key I feel is letting it rest....where it balances, with out using pressure to make sure it 'stays' at 45 degrees no matter what.

 

There are a number of points to make one heavy handed, and making a pen stay at a certain angle no matter what....when the geometry of the nib don't make it necessary (mostly don't...can in CI) is adding pressure to one's Hand.

By letting the pen find it's own place to 'rest' one's Hand becomes lighter.