Fountain Pen Vs. Pencil?

[greeeeb]

Hi folks,

 

my hand writing was horrible; that is why I started writing with fountain pens. It imporved well. However, lately, I used pencils for my assignments (I am grad student), and I found that I write "better" with pencils!!!!!!

 

What puzzles me is I do not like tipped fountain pens becuase I can not control the tip on the paper. That is why I use narrow stubs, and they are good for me. Pencils, I would say, work similar to tipped nibs, where sweet spot is wide in tipped fountain pens.

 

I keep asking myself why do I do well with pencils, and not able to replicate my style with tipped nibs, or even stubs?

Any thoughts?

 

 

Thanks.

[Parse Error]

Do you rotate your pencil? You can't rotate a fountain pen -- the Lamy Safari/NEXX is a good starting pen since it does not allow you to rotate your pen.

[Zdez Zaphareon]

Pencils are more giving when pressure is applied, maybe you like to write heavy and just don't know how to translate that to a fp. Also Pencils write at any angle, because essentially it just needs to make contact. Or perhaps you simply like graphite more than ink :v

[ac12]

As PE said, if you rotate the pen as you write, you will be rolling off the sweet spot of the FP, and it will stop writing. You need to learn to hold the pen so that you do not rotate the pen. For me this happens if I anchor my hand to the paper and roll my hand over as I write to the right. That is when I roll over to the right side of the nib, and loose contact with the slit, and the ink stops flowing.

 

A ball pen or pencil does not have this problem, because they do not have a similar sweet spot, and will keep writing as you roll your hand.

 

A FP is like any tool, you have to learn to use it properly. And learning a new tool can take time if the required method to write is different than your prior tools (ball pen and pencil).

Edited March 10, 2015 by ac12

[BrandonA]

What sort of pencils do you use? And what type of lead do they have?

 

I find a regular wooden pencil to be to narrow. Maybe you are the opposite and your FTs are too wide.

[greeeeb]

Thanks, all.

 

I use mechanical pencil with 0.5 lead.

 

As you suggested, I rotate the pen slightly, and press down on paper while I write. Also, I write with angel of around 50-60 degree. I am using safari extra fine, so I am enforced to grip the pen the correct way. However, it is not comfortable grip for me, but keep trying to get used to it.

 

 

 

 

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[Doug C]

I have the same issue. I believe as suggested that you (I) might be less concerned with the amount of pressure on the pencil than with a nib.

[Chris]

Always difficult to offer advice in this sort of situation but imagine that a pencil has to have some pressure in order for the graphite to wear off the pencil lead and mark the paper whereas the nib of a fountain pen is just there to guide the ink onto the paper, like a fine brush. If you need any pressure over and above the weight of the pen, something is wrong.

 

Lighten up, hold the pen gently and persevere - it does take some practice and pencils are easier.

[two2tone]

For me, it also has to do with the speed I write. I only use a mechanical pencil when I need to take fast notes. Fountain pens are for slower paced writing.

 

 

[cattar]

Like Chris said, lighten up. Don't press the pen Also, fountain pens write best with both tines on the paper. Otherwise, it's scratchy, scatchy.

 

And since you're writing with .5 in a pencil, consider getting a medium nib. You can swap the nib on your lamy, or get a medium nib in a pen without the triangular grip.

[RajAlexander]

I find that the amount of feedback a (HB-2B) pencil offers is perfect, not so smooth as to loose control, but not so scratchy as to distort my letters into angular hieroglyphs.

This may be why your handwriting suffers with tipped nibs, not the right amount of feedback to give proper control.

[greeeeb]

I write sometimes, for fun only, with dip nibs. Since they are flexy, I have to take care and write slowly. I end up with nice cursive. So, maybe it is the speed I write with with a FP. Will try to be less "aggressive" on paper and hope it will work:)

 

Thanks.

[nitnop]

I think Raj is right. A pencil has a lot of feedback and needs more pressure than a FP. I'm having difficulty with control with a pen as well. My writing is much better with a pencil. I also wonder if somehow the lower contrast of graphite on paper might be less intimidating. Or maybe knowing I can erase gives me more confidence. I love FP's though, so I keep trying.

[greeeeb]

Update:

I tried to put less pressure on the pen while writing, as you folks suggested. It did work, and I write better, and I noticed that my letter forms shape clearer to the eyes and more understandable.

 

However, I am slower in writing, and tempted to go faster and if I do not pay attention, I would press and go fast unconsciuosly.

 

Wish me luck with my endeavor! and thanks to you all.

[cattar]

Good luck.
With fountain pens, your hand is the guide, the pen will lay ink without pressure. Speed is fine, guide without pressure.
Practice, practice.

[ac12]

For me, speed kills.

As I speed up, my cursive handwriting gets worse and worse, till it becomes UGLY and barely readable.

Very oddly for me, I can write faster printing, and still be able to read it.

[greeeeb]

I use fountain pens for the sake of learning back cursive writing. There is no way I can compare lifeless printing to cursive!

 

I am grad student and a lecturer. 90% of the people reading my writing do not know how to read it, and they would give me a strange look, as if cursive is a third-world product:) Well, I think they do not know!!!!!