Calligraphy Part II

The more modern approach to calligraphy pens are in the form of fountain pens. These come in a set with the pen body, the various shaped nibs, the ink feeder, as well as the barrel that contains the ink cartridges. These cartridges can be bought and replaced when it runs dry.

            My father was an avid calligrapher, as I said in the previous blog post, Calligraphy Part I. It took great persuasion to get him to use these new types of pens. The first problem he complained about – when he eventually attempted to use them – was that the ink would run out at the most inopportune times. With the older calligraphy pens, the inkwell would provide a constant flow of ink. This meant that the calligrapher knew just how much ink to gather on the nib, and would therefore know exactly when to dip it in the ink.

            When my father finally migrated to the fountain pen type, he saw its advantages. It came with a set of different types of nibs, and it was easy to change over to another nib when needed. He also found a way around the ink drying up, and a way to refill the cartridge with his favorite ink. For this he would use a medical syringe, and refill the cartridge with it. There are different types of ink and he certainly had his favorite. It had to be the right consistency.

            It was fascinating to see him do his writing. He used a more modern version of the calligraphic styles than the old masters. The older writers used the calligraphy pens and quills as a rule. Today we have many different ways of getting our thoughts on paper. The importance was, and still is a question of getting words onto paper. The earlier graphic designs were incorporated into the scrolls that were written. Today everyone uses images to illustrate their content.

The idea of it all is to keep writing no matter what.