How to Use a Quill Pen for Calligraphy
Students will gain insight into the history and use of quill pens used for calligraphy. They’ll experience first-hand how iron gall ink production works while getting an up close view of goose feathers with their natural slits.
Care of a quill pen requires both patience and dexterity. It must be regularly dipped, placed correctly, and kept clean.
Choosing the Quill
Quill pens come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but choosing the perfect quill pen for any particular task is essential. If your goal is note taking or handwriting, a fine nib is best; for calligraphy though, wider nibs might provide greater legibility.
Feather quills are traditionally created using goose or swan feathers, although any large bird’s feather can work just as effectively. At their ends is cut a slit to control ink flow from within their hollow center (called the calamus) of feather.
Writing with a quill can be more of a challenge than using other writing implements, and applying too much pressure could result in broken feathers or tears on paper. Therefore, practicing regularly until you develop enough confidence with it so you don’t worry about errors when writing with it.
Holding the Quill
Quill pens utilize capillary action, so they must be held at an ideal angle in order to use. A quill pen’s end features an anvil shape cut into it for writing with one finger while also featuring a small slit to control ink flow through its hollow center (called the calamus).
Dependent upon who you ask, the optimal angle for holding your pen may range from downward for right-handed people and perpendicular for left-handed ones – this will enable you to draw thin yet manageable lines.
Once you’re ready to write, fill your quill pen with ink and begin. When first beginning writing with quill pens, thicker paper such as stationery or construction paper may help until you become comfortable with their pressure and writing style requirements. As you write, periodically blot the nib with paper towel or old rag to avoid excess ink build-up; for metal nibs it should also be rinsed often to prevent rusting.
Writing with the Quill
Writing with a quill pen provides an intimate and calligraphic writing experience. While preparation and technique must be considered prior to use, once familiarization has taken place it becomes simple.
Choose a durable quill (flight feather, typically from goose or crow) with a slit at its end for inking up, reed or bamboo dip pens work as suitable alternatives if a feather is unavailable.
Pour gall ink or another suitable calligraphy ink into an inkwell and place the quill into it, taking care not to dip too deeply and break its feather or clog the nib. Monitoring ink levels closely is key here to avoid breaking feathers or clogging nibs.
Position the nib at an appropriate angle when writing (general advice advises between 45 degrees and perpendicular, which will produce thin yet manageable lines). Be gentle with pressure as too much could crack or break feathers, tear paper, or dull the metal nib.
Cleaning the Quill
Writing with a quill pen requires using light pressure; excessive force could damage both the quill and paper. Furthermore, frequent inking may help maintain dampness of its nib.
Quills have traditionally been made from goose or swan feathers, although any large bird feather can be used. Crows, turkeys and owls feathers have all been utilized. For maximum strength, quills should come directly from living birds during their molting process.
To clean a quill pen, wipe it off with either a cloth towel or paper towel and rinse its nib after every use with water; either natural feather-shaft nibs or metal ones must be rinsed off after each use to avoid rust. It is also beneficial to occasionally wipe down its nib with gum arabic or distilled water to help avoid staining of its shaft when using paint-like inks that might stain its shaft.