re: #330 dog philosopher

trying to remember the last time i wrote a personal letter to someone on a piece of paper and sent it through the mail…

…failing…

Year before last I got into fountain & dip pens and it was quite the experience—no undo or no cut & paste, you actually have to slow down and think about what you want to write. Very different from even ballpoint pens… you become hyper-aware of the paper quality & texture and the ink’s properties (they’re all a bit different).

Then with the flex nibs you have to not only just write carefully, but control how much pressure you’re putting on the nib and how you move your arm to change the thickness of the line. With the dip pens it’s even more nit-picky because you have to keep re-dipping. It’s so different, so much more… I dunno, personal, demanding (of one’s time & attention). The results can be fantastic though—the lines have such a unique character.

I was thinking about all that earlier today when I was working on my most recent page (shameless plug) and looking at scan of the U.S. Constitution. The penmanship was just incredible.