Acquiring
a Formal
Hand:
(i) Tools

-i of great use in study-

(yj ing pen strokes and

I.

Fig. 17.

Fig. 18.

cuttinjg-'

Fig. 19.

forms.

A Quill is best
for smaller writing,
and is used for all
ordinary MS. work
(pp. 20-26).

The REED1 pen
should be about 8
inches long.

I. One end is cut
off obliquely (fig.

17)-

II. The soft in¬
side part is shaved
away by means of a
knife laid flat against
it, leaving the hard
outer shell (fig. 18).

III. The nib is
laid, back up, on
the slab (p. 27), and
— the knife - blade
being vertical—the
tip is cut off at right
angles to the shaft

(fi8- 1 Ol-

IV. A short
longitudinal slit
(a—b) is made by

‘ The ordinary “Reed pen” of the artists’ colourman is
rather soft and weak for formal writing. The reeds used by

Мл!.”11'5 Ш In?,la and EgyP‘. and some of the harder

f vfi? good p¿n!re eX ent- A fiQe’ hoUoW cane aIso makes

l8

Fig. 20.

inserting the knife-Acquiring

blade in the middlea Formal

of the tip (fig. 20).Hand:

V. A pencil or(0 Tools
brush - handle is

held under the
nib, and is gently
twitched upwards
to lengthen the
slit (fig. 21). An
ordinary reed
should have a slit
about I inch long.

A very stiff pen
may have in addi¬
tion a slit on either
side of the centre.

The left thumb
nail is pressed
against the back
of the pen—about
i inch from the
tip—to prevent it
splitting too far up
(see also fig. 27).

VI. The nib is
laid, back up, on
the slab, and —
the knife-blade
being vertical—the
tip is cut off at an
angle of about 700
to the shaft, remov¬
ing the first rough
slit a-b (fig. 22).

back.

ST.

Fig. 21.

direction of
knifés/cdgí

Fig. 22.

19