Make and Use a Folded Pen, Part I
Until you've made one, the cola pen will remain a mystery.
The folded pen is a gem among writing instruments, yet has only recently—over the past fifty or so years—come onto the scene as a tool for artistic purposes. It’s versatile, capable of making swift changes in weight and character within a single stroke. It is capable also of making an uninterrupted line several feet in length! Let’s take a look at its history, and then see how to fashion one for ourselves. This is the first of a two-part article.
Historically, writing tools developed according to the needs of the age. The earliest writing instruments were simple, harvested from hard dry reeds in the desert or bamboo in more temperate climates, and capable of drawing a fine or broad stroke.
Reed pens could be whittled to any size, dipped in ink, and used by a scribe or artist to create a variety of stroke weights, and notched to hold more ink for longer, more vivid strokes. Over the years, as writing styles matured, steeper angles were designed to produce the sharp contrast of thick and thin for middle-Eastern alphabets such as Arabic and Hebrew, shown below.
Even Rembrandt used reed pen and walnut ink for his landscapes and figure sketches. They are comfortable to hold, and the organic material meets the paper surface in a very pleasant, natural way. It is symbiotic. The pen and paper belong together without struggle, since they are made from the same material.
Today we still love carving and using our own reed pens, a relief from metal nibs and their tendency to catch on paper fibers. Reed pens are limited to their width or edge stroke as well as the fine line created when tipped on its corner. The central shaft of the reed can be used to insert a reservoir made from a small strip of aluminum, curved to fit and retain an extra amount of ink. Sometimes a ladder-shaped strip of plastic from a zip tie will fit perfectly for this purpose.
Used for handlettering and calligraphy, the bamboo pen creates a unique texture.
Goose or swan quills and the strong second wing feathers from other large birds were used as well, carved in a similar way to the reeds, giving rise to the quill knife for the constant trimming and shaping required for clean, precise lettering. This is another subject!
The next development was the metal ruling pen, very sharp, for creating precise lines or rules. During the Age of Exploration (15th - 17th c.) the need grew for fine borders, precise corners, and topographical details on maps, technical drawings and templates. This development led to even more progress using opposing blades and the adjusting screw.
Artists became aware of the ruling pen as a tool for drawing and expressive writing in the 20th century, and began experimenting with new hand-holds, palming the staff and using the blade on its side. The work began to capture the moment. Friedrich Poppl was one of the pioneers in using the ruling pen for calligraphic text design.
THE FOLDED PEN
Finally, the folded pen came about when a single sheet of .005” thick brass was folded in half and a blade shape created. This fold allowed the blade to hold more ink and at the same time to be manipulated on the page with increased flexibility and hitherto unleashed expression. It was a new place to play with letters.
Next week we’ll see what has been done with the folded pen, what you can expect from a folded pen, and I will also show you how to make one! Whether you know it or not, the folded pen has taken the lettering world by storm.
Thank you all for reading and enjoying my posts. It’s great to be here with you.
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Fascinating article! Thank you!
Diane