Holding Pen For Everyday Writing

[party cat]

How do I?

 

What do I do with my middle and outer two fingers?

 

Do I use the tip or the side of my middle finger?

 

Should I hold my wrist to the side or flat? If flat, how do I stop the pen slipping down from my finger to resting on my upper thumb?

 

Any input appreciated.

 

 

This is my current grip of fury

 

http://i.imgur.com/vnZhdb3.jpg

 

brb white knuckles

brb cramps

brb callouses

[CAG_1787]

Hi and welcome to our little corner of the web!

 

You've got quite a vise grip on that pen! There are, of course, multiple different ways to hold a pen, some better than others. The generally recommended is called the "tripod grip" and you can read one presentation of that here.

 

Hope that helps!

[dcwaites]

Bright red fingertips. Ouchies.

 

Follow the linky in CAG's post. When writing, you should only have enough pressure on the pen to stop it falling out of your hand. Someone else should be able to pull the pen from your fingers easily.

[Sandy1]

 

Hi,

 

MUST READS :

> Lighten Up! http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/ttp/lighten_up.htm

> To the Point : Hitting the Sweet Spot http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/ttp/sweetspot.htm

 

In addition to the excellent prior Posts, I would like to share my exercise in greeting a new pen.

 

Hold the pen at the rear of the barrel with only your thumb and index finger - floating the pen on the page, with the index finger forming a graceful outward bow. The angle of pen to paper needs to found so that with no pressure a figure 8 can be drawn - no matter the size.

 

Then move thumb and index finger down the barrel to find the balance point. Draw more figure 8s. (Your pen won't get dizzy from loop-de-looping, but your dog may hear laughter.)

 

Continue down the barrel until the middle finger wants to be engaged and the rear of the pen's barrel rests somewhere between the index finger knuckle and the web between the thumb and index finger. Still no downward pressure and no pinching. Most likely by now the nib is engaging the paper close to the sweet spot of the writing pad, so can run on its own weight, hence becomes a wand rather than a chisel.

 

Developing a grip is a personal matter, and depends on one's ergonomics/mechanics and the characteristics of the pen (esp. nib, balance and girth.)

 

As ever, I appreciate Members of this Forum for their tolerance of yours truly who has atrocious penmanship.

 

Oh, I find that pens with smooth / chrome metal sections are outright nasty - my Cross ATX was sent to the machine shop to have texture added.

 

Bye,

S1

 

__ __

Edited March 16, 2017 by Sandy1

[party cat]

Thanks for the welcomes. I've been a member for years but haven't posted, or read much. Improving my writing has always been a goal but second tier.

 

The balance point is interesting. I usually keep the lid on that pen which makes it way top-heavy. Mine has grip texture on it, just covered up by my thumb; I suppose that is roughly where my fingers should be...

 

I've tried changing grip but often revert to my old one when I have to write fast. Also, my writing is atrocious with a different grip.

 

 

 

I apologise that I haven't had time to go over the links in-depth yet.

 

Does anyone have a pic of numbers with which ones descend?

[ac12]

For me a pen has to balance right, or it feels uncomfortable to write. In some cases, where the cap is HEAVY, I will remove the cap and hold it in my left hand, as I write with my right hand. ALL my Lamy pens have to be used this way, same with my TWSBI Eco, and one of my Brand X Chinese pens.

 

Your grip in the pix is typical of a ball pen user, where you have to press down on the pen hard to write.

For a fountain pen, as CAG suggested, try the tripod grip. Like any body change, it will take a while for your muscles to get used to a new way of holding the pen, but stick with it, and you will get it. Do loops forward and backwards, and humps and "u" to get your muscles used to writing with the new grip.

 

I contend that a person will have 3 different styles of writing

1. Nice handwriting, that is slow.
2. Note taking handwriting, that is FAST.
3. Print

Each has it's purpose, and they usually do not overlap. I think of 1 and 2 as cursive. But you can do printing/italic for 1 and 2 as well.

 

Sorry but I don't understand the question:

Does anyone have a pic of numbers with which ones descend?

[Sandy1]

massive snip ...

 

Does anyone have a pic of numbers with which ones descend?

 

 

Perhaps this : http://historylists.org/art/9-circles-of-hell-dantes-inferno.html

 

As this is FPN, I suggest we count upwards not down http://historylists.org/art/9-spheres-of-heaven-dantes-paradiso.html

 

I also wonder how writing on vertical surfaces, white- blackboards, influences my writing on A4 paper at a desk.

 

Bye,

S1

Edited March 28, 2017 by Sandy1

[party cat]

I don't think I like the tripod grip. Two parts that get sore with my old grip are the first knuckle on my middle finger and the web between thumb and forefinger. My middle finger has a big lump there from writing; I don't know if it's a callus or something more but the grip gives the same discomfort but on the other side of the bump.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps this : http://historylists.org/art/9-circles-of-hell-dantes-inferno.html

 

As this is FPN, I suggest we count upwards not down http://historylists.org/art/9-spheres-of-heaven-dantes-paradiso.html

 

I also wonder how writing on vertical surfaces, white- blackboards, influences my writing on A4 paper at a desk.

 

Bye,

S1

Useful info; right now i guess i'd make it to Mercury but I was thinking about the numbers that aren't all on the line at the same height.

 

 

For me a pen has to balance right, or it feels uncomfortable to write. In some cases, where the cap is HEAVY, I will remove the cap and hold it in my left hand, as I write with my right hand. ALL my Lamy pens have to be used this way, same with my TWSBI Eco, and one of my Brand X Chinese pens.

 

Your grip in the pix is typical of a ball pen user, where you have to press down on the pen hard to write.

For a fountain pen, as CAG suggested, try the tripod grip. Like any body change, it will take a while for your muscles to get used to a new way of holding the pen, but stick with it, and you will get it. Do loops forward and backwards, and humps and "u" to get your muscles used to writing with the new grip.

 

I contend that a person will have 3 different styles of writing

1. Nice handwriting, that is slow.
2. Note taking handwriting, that is FAST.
3. Print

Each has it's purpose, and they usually do not overlap. I think of 1 and 2 as cursive. But you can do printing/italic for 1 and 2 as well.

 

Sorry but I don't understand the question:

Does anyone have a pic of numbers with which ones descend?

 

I guess I'm kind of aiming for something between 1 and 2... I take a lot of notes but rarely, if ever, am I too slow to get them. Generally, I listen/watch recorded lectures at about 1.3x speed.

 

I remember as a kid the teacher handed out one of those rubber triangle grip things and maybe I wasn't listening or she didn't explain it but that's the grip I figured out that worked with the triangle. Learning with pencil probably didn't help either. In high school I would drive my pen into the paper so hard that if I wrote on the reverse side I'd get holes.

With these grips is the movement in the fingers, wrist, elbow, shoulder? With my old grip my writing is all wrist and nothing else. One of the links says write with shoulder but is that for small writing also?

 

 

 

Will something like this hold me back or cause problems? It looks like my hand is way high but the rear right of my palm is on the paper; I think it's the phone camera lens doing it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Yt3PWTz.jpg

 

I also noted in the tripod thread that everyone seems to hold their pens in part on the bottom thin bit, is that normal?

 

Edit: just noticed a spelling mistake

Edited April 2, 2017 by party cat

[Sandy1]

Hi,

 

When you mention "I was thinking about the numbers that aren't all on the line at the same height." are you referring to subscript, H₂O and super script, 10⁸? If so I just keep my basic writing large enough so that I can make those characters with no fuss, but if necessary I use my pen with the nib feed-side up.

 

The amount of arm:finger will develop over time. I reckon that getting a good grip is fundamental, and that can change between pens, scale of wring, etc

 

Bye,

S1

[Bookman]

 

http://i.imgur.com/vnZhdb3.jpg

 

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/Yt3PWTz.jpg

 

 

In one photo your hand is mauling the pen, smothering it, and in the next you're giving it an arm's-length air kiss as if you two were complete strangers. No need for a trial separation or even to go back to third base. But the manhandling is counterproductive. Just be gentler. A tripod grip is an ideal way for your hand to be gentler with your pen. Your pen likes a slow hand and an easy touch.

[ac12]

This is my grip.

• my fingers are about 3.5cm from the tip of the nib.
• my thumb is about 5cm from the tip of the nib.
• The difference in distance is just how my thumb and fingers meet.

My grip is also LOOSE/LIGHT. You can pull the pen backwards out from my hand.

 

I write primarily with my arm, very little with my fingers.

 

A change like this will take your muscles time to get used to the new position, so don't make a judgement too fast. Give it time to get used to the new grip.

[ksm]

Just for comparison my grip:

 

Look at index fingers in ac12's and my photos. Joints are in their natural positions. Specifically they are not bent backwards.

 

http://i.imgur.com/oaoNaddg.jpg

 

Below is example of "forced" tripod grip, index finger is bent backwards. I used to hold pen like that, but it was tiring in the long run.

 

http://i.imgur.com/TuR25Wyg.jpg