As an aging lefty, I was fortunate to have a beautiful English teacher in my Freshman year in H.S. and one day she stood over my shoulder and silently said, "you do such good work, I wish I could read more of it." Then she took the paper and turned it 45 degrees to the right, she took my hand and unbent it (I was an over-writer) and placed it below the line and said, "I think it will help if you try to write like this." Since I had a school-boy crush on her because she was beautiful, I would do anything to make her happy. It was one of the best things I learned in school and as an reformed 'under writer', I do not have any problems with pens, nibs, or paper. Its a beautiful thing. Thanks for your excellent video on this topic. I'm sure many of your left-handed subscribers appreciate your research.
It probably wasn't until my mid-thirties when I saw President Obama turn his page between 45 and 90 degrees to write upward that I even thought this was an option. Since then I've turned the page no matter what I use. In all cases my penmanship improved.
I've always written with the paper turned. When i was in grade school they used to make the left handed black kids use their right hand and stay after school and such to correct it... My dad, however, threatened my teacher when trying to correct which hand i used or how i wrote so long as my letters came out how they wanted. So often I stayed behind to correct it but was allowed to find my comfort zone because of my Dad and so I've always turned my paper
saxophone_guy That makes sense. The Filofax is a great notebook because the pages are removable, so you can take them out to write and then put them back in the notebook! -Margaret
@@blabarsris6012 yeah I’m really looking at getting a broad nib twsbi diamond 580 for signatures and notes, but I’m terrified of messing up my hands while I’m explaining what it is
The way I understand it is that it's easier for left handed ppl in most aspects except the smear but i would think you'd learn to work around that long before discovering fountain pens.. i mean just in writing or drawing, period 🤷. If i remember I put down a square of vellum or sometimes parchment paper. A lot of times what I'm working with won't stick to it so it's less likely to smear. Tho this doesn't always work. If your careful tho it doesnt mess things up too bad and it always keeps your hand clean. My most recent trick -used when trying to make pretty letters anyway, is i write them in pencil above or on scratch paper and then write backwards
Naturally I’m a side writer but after getting into fountain pens, I taught myself to write under and it has been very helpful. That’s my tip for other lefties
Over writer here. Watching you rotate the page 90° and writing vertically down (imagine a compass, and rotating the top of the notebook east) was hilarious, albeit painful. Lmao. I love this channel and totally understand you're not left handed. As an over writer lefty, I tend to rotate my notebook the opposite way, about 45° NW (recalling the compass example) and form my letters backwards. It sounds more difficult than it actually is, but it preserves the "drag" or "pull" motion rather than the "push" and still allows for a greater diversity, if not entirely freedom, of choice in nib and ink.
So you rotate your page to the left? I only do that if I want an italic writing style. I’m an over-writer and I rotate my paper the same way he does in the video. I remember one of the supervisors in my school exams stopping behind me and I thought they were suspecting I was cheating or something. Lol it was because she thought the way I wrote and turned my paper was strange and was curious to watch me write.
Perhaps the best way to learn lefty pen use is to meet another lefty! I am a teacher and will often give the left-handed students some advice if I see them struggling. The only pen I have issues with is the Ahab; it can be difficult to start up! Other than that, Preppies, Jinhao, Parker ... anything. I did have a left-handed nib once, but that was for calligraphy so it was just an oblique cut nib with the upward slope from left to right. The biggest help, as you noted in the video, is the rotation of the paper.
As an underwriter lefty, I find to most comfortable if I have my paper turned clockwise 45 to nearly 90 degrees when writing. I have a couple of Lamy pens, an all start and a safari. My Safari has a left hand nib,( I find that the left hand nib felt more scratchy with the lamy ink in it, I switched to the Noodler's Black Swan in Australian roses and an enjoying the pen again. but I actually prefer the way the All star writes with the regular fine tip nib, using Private Reserve Tanzanite. Fountain pens make journaling fun again.
I've trained myself to write under-hand and honestly I rarely smear. While I typically use fine nibs, I have no problem with mediums or any ink I've used so far, even on ink-resistant paper. Though maybe it's due to my obsession with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, a fantastic ink with fantastic dry time! To any side/over writing lefties out there, I heavily recommend the Pilot Metropolitan!
Claudia Guerra Practice! I just spent some time at home forcing my hand in a certain position and writing underhand. It honestly didn't take that long, a few days and it's natural now.
I'm a side-writing lefty and tried at least 10 fountain pens because they look so cool. But I never got it working. This was 20 years ago and never thought about the push vs. pull. I ended up with a lot of dry scratches in the paper--like you showed around 9:36.
I'm an over-writer and I turn the paper the other way from the video. I do drag my hand but it doesn't come in contact till about the 5th line behind. by which point its completely dry.
Yeah, there's a lot of ways lefties can manage either by turning the page or their hand placement. Glad you found something that works for you! - Colin
do you still write at an angle like suggested w/ the under writer? I seem to keep going back to writing as if I'm using a ballpoint or a felt when I'm hooking. also it seems I have to hold the pen farther back if I want to force myself to writing w/ an angle. FPs are kinda frustrating as an everyday writer.
As a lefty, the greatest advice that I can give is to learn how to write righty. It's fun, it will help to develop the motor muscles in your right hand, but most importantly, over the course of a few months, you will be able to write just as well with your right hand as with your left. Other than that, I would say a left leaning slant is a good cheat for lefty writing, and underwriting is a must. It is definitly worthwhile to change your pen positioning to underswriting. There is also a weird grip that you can use that can let you write in a pull style WITH YOUR LEFT HAND, but it is very strenuous and has little support for the top of the pen.
Not sure how I came to this, but being left handed, I turn my paper counter-clockwise! I am writing up-hill but no smearing, and complete visibility of what I am writing. So essentially over-writing, with out the bent wrist, and a little less than a 45 degree counter clockwise turn.
YES, it feels and works so much better to do this. Have turned page counter-clockwise my whole life, an overwriter but not with the comical 'broken wrist' position shown in this video!
Agree. It helps me keep all the letters angled the same way. Before I found this method, letters would be leaning left, vertical, and right in the same word.
Side writer here, I just turn the paper the other way (about 60 degrees counter-clockwise) never had an issue with any type of pen. Works perfect with fountain pens
I've tried the others techniques.. Looking weird at best! But turning the paper -60* is quite eazy and it gives a large field of view on what I'm writing. THANKS for your comment!!!
This is the most comprehensive lefty fountain pen video I have encountered from a right handed person, thank you! I was looking into getting the Preppy Platinum for starters. I always disliked the scratchy feel of fountain pens ( my dad was a Sheaffer fanatic) and gave up, now I’m in my 40s giving it another try! I had no problem with calligraphy straight holders and flexible nibs after learning from a left handed teacher.
By the way, Brian, I am a hook-handed lefty, and my Konrad flex nib is one of my favorite pens. I think the reason for this is that it depends on the angle that the feed hits the paper relative to which way I "push" the pen. I don't push the pen in parallel with the feed, so I don't get the same problem that you're showing. Another thing is that I have practiced "flexing" the nib on the upstroke rather than the down stroke. So my writing has a particularly different look than most flex nib writing. It's actually kind of cool :)
Thanks for yet another great video! My daughter is a leftie and I am not, so I have to study up to help her through things. She's 7 and just getting into fountain pens.
I'm an lefty underwriter and I also angle the paper too so I guess I'll have nothing to worry about too much with fountain pens :) I really want one now.
Get one, you will like it. You don't have to go crazy. A Pilot Metropolitan and a bottle of Iroshizuku ink and you are set for a good while. It is crazy how little effort it takes to write. I'm an underwriting southpaw as well.
Thank you for this. I am left handed, and what has worked for me is that I turn the page, but completely opposite to how you did it. I turn the page to the base of the page facing to my right. I am now going to start looking at your supply as a potential source for ink. I have tended to use the Chinese pens, although I have a Parker pen. In terms of the nib, I find that the rounded nib is the best for it, to eliminate the push factor. Thank you very much for this. It is VERY helpful, especially the #lefthandersday note!!
as a lefty side writter, I can say that lamy ink has a good time of dry because the ink has never swapped me in my hand (sorry if something words have no sense, because I don't speak english, I'm from Mexico :v)
I'm an overwriter and have had much more grief from gel pens and liquid rollerballs than I've ever had from any fountain pen. I write with the paper oriented normally, but my hand doesn't contact the writing til the third line or so, which gives it plenty of time to dry out first. I've also benefitted greatly from the left-handed Lamy nib, as my writing is essentially a true mirror to right-handed writing (I disagree with under-writing being a mirror of right-handed writing - over-writing is a closer opposite to it). I've mainly used Pilot V-pens, Parker Quink and Diamine which have all dried quickly enough for my usage, but Montverde's brown ink has also been excellent. The worst out of the bunch - surprisingly - was the Quink, which I put in a medium nibbed IM.
The info in this is great (I'm not left-handed, but I have left-handed friends who ask me about my pens a lot), but the mime hand in the writing cutscenes made my day :)
If you are a lefty who can kinda' sorta' use their right hand for some things... AND you are just learning script for the first time. I suggest that you see what happens if you try to learn script using your RIGHT hand. I am ambidextrous (actually a natural lefty who was forced to be a righty). When I was learning Arabic I thought that I would try learning how to write it with my left hand, since you write Arabic from right to left. Much to my surprise I discovered that, since I was learning something that was absolutely new to me, I could write in Arabic script as well with my left hand as I could with my right hand. It was much neater than my English script too!
I may have to try that. I'm left handed. However I'm a machinist, and the machines are designed for right hand people. So, in some ways, I'm ambidextrous.
I am using this video to get my left-handed brother into fountain pens but finally learning the origins of 'southpaw' made this video totally worth watching. Great job as always.
I also only just learned the origin of the term southpaw, from this video. I'm a Brit and over here, baseball is even more niche than fountain pens, so I was never going to guess that one. I also learned that apparently the baseball field is laid out according to the compass. I just sort of assumed it was plonked there on the grass in whatever way that fits the available space...
I'm an underwriter. I honestly don't have a problem with fountain pens at all - no need for special nibs, though Medium is fine. I use mostly Pilot Iroshizuku and Noodler's Inks. I do rotate my pad 45 degrees when using calligraphic hands and dip pens. The paper sampler is well worthwhile; a nice, smooth paper helps a lot, so it's worth finding one you really like. I love flex nibs: News to me they are problematic for Lefties! Perhaps I'm an exception, but I actually prefer a Zebra G in any pen. Again - all about preference and what works!
I am an underwriter too. I had to train myself because I used to be a sidewriter but was getting so tired of everything smearing. Now that I’m an underwriter everything is so much easier.
As a left-handed, I am glad you made this video. Thank you. As an underwriter, I have had no problems with my pen selection. I had a few start-up issues with my vintage flex pen, until I got the hang of it, but that has been the only small inconvenience I've had. Thank you for thinking of us, Brian.
I´m an over-writer - soft touch pinky slider sans paper tilting - smearing is the only problem on friendly paper, none of the nibs on the 100+ pens I own. Sheaffer´s used to call their ink "writing fluid". I learned to appreciate that. Some reliable brands (writing fluid/watery ink producers): Pelikan, Sheaffer´s, Lamy, Waterman... You see where this is going. I love Noodler´s - every week I choose to smear a bit for Nathan´s Navy, 54th, Midnight Blue... Saturation sometimes feels like the only way to go. When it does not I grab a pen filled with some nice writing fluid, say Sheaffer´s blue/black; that will be completely dry when my little finger comes crashing through town two lines behind the nib´s schedule.
Silke B Herbert Yeah my mum is an underwriter too, she has lovely handwriting and finds calligraphy fairly easy. I’m a side writer so my paper is always turned at a 90 degree angle just to stop me smudging lol. I didn’t realise just how technical and complicated writing can get for us lefties.
I am awaiting my first fountain pen (from you guys! :D), and fully expect to struggle with it for a long time, as a side writer with a really jacked up grip (holding pens between my middle and ring fingers with thumb curled around). However, since I rarely need to write for others to read, my secret solution if I get too frustrated will be to just write backwards. It's surprisingly easy for most of the lefties I've convinced to try it, with just a page's worth of practice. (d's and b's are the hardest part.) You really take for granted how much easier pull vs push is.
I am both a lefty and a fountain pen afficianado. I believe that the problem lies with the fact that teachers do not show lefties how to angle their paper, My dad is also a lefty, and he is the one who taught me to angle my paper in the opposite direction of a righty, which turns you into an underwriter, I guess. I am amazed more and more how in general, so few people hold any writing impliment correctly any more. Great video, thank you!
I know this is an old comment, but would you mind indicating how you turn your paper? I'm a lefty who was taught by right handed writers (and really wasn't taught methodically since I was writing at 3), and I would love to make this easier on myself. I'm a side writer that usually ends a notetaking session with a massive smear of ink on her left hand.
@@Deusexvirtuelle just as he showed in the video for hook writers you turn the top of you paper towards the right (clockwise) at a 45 to 60 degree angle. this makes your hand under your writing instead of along side it. when my hand gets tired after writing for a long time i actually turn my page 90 degrees so the long side is at the bottom which makes it so you're writing from top to bottom on the page. it uses the muscles in a different way i guess because i find i can write for longer if i switch back and forth from a 90 degree paper angle to a 46-60 degree angle.
Myself I'm a lefty as well and i just got my first fountain pen a few months back, and so far I love my fountain pen. I have not had too much trouble with smering ink when i write I tend to be underhand writer, but the one nib i found i have the most trouble with is the f and extra fine nibs. over grate video.
Brian, very good video, as always. I took some good notes. For a rightie, you did really well! We will make you an honorary southpaw! I appreciate your company offering a leftie ink sampler for faster-drying inks, as well as a sampler notebook package so I can experiment with finding the more-absorbent papers out there. Those items will be ordered soon. Currently, I am having to buy notebooks that are not the best for me; good quality but not absorbent enogh. Several people commented that they angle the paper counter-clockwise about 45 degrees to help them approach the writing line at less of a Hook angle, I totally agree, and I encourage lefties to give it a serious try. Brian has a good recommendation regarding looking at the leftie writing challenge as a triumvirate: pens ( and nibs), paper selection and inks. Study each one and find your unique formula. I really like Noodler' products, and I have had no trouble with the flex nibs- but I don't press hard, either. I am sure I will view this excellent video periodically. I is a keeper. Thanks, Brian!
This has been so helpful to me as an underwriter leftie. I’ve tried buying left oblique nibs for years with no luck. I did have a lovely pen with a left oblique nib which was great for me but after 12 years of use (Sheaffer) it was stolen and I’ve been unable to replace it. It seems an ordinary medium nib would suit my writing according to your recommendation that there is little difference. 😃
Lefty here and I started out by trying the Jinhao x450 in medium. Honestly, having tried a lot of others since, I love it and do recommend it to others. I ended up buying about 100 of them to just have around for the coming years. Plus anyone that wants to try fountain pens it's inexpensive enough to just give them one. Either way, Goulet sell them I think and if they don't anymore you can get them on eBay for like $4 free shipping, just takes a few weeks to arrive.
As a righty who writes in Hebrew (right to left instead of left to right in English), I found this video very useful. I'm a side writer, and I want to train myself to become an underwriter. Overall, great video!
Lefty here. When I was in high school, I tried writing right-to-left (so you had to read the results in a mirror), as a kind of stunt. I handed in a few papers that way, probably humorous essays about left-handedness. It was scary to discover how easily the left-handed brain adapts to this, and I wrote everything that way for about a year, at least if it was just notes for myself, until I stopped before I could cause some kind of damage. I draw cartoons with fountain pens, but I'm a side-writer so I seldom write with them. These are good tips, though.
Thank you for keeping this tutorial for lefties in your video inventory. I watch it periodically just to remind myself of the variety of nibs, paper and inks out there that I can tap into. Generally, I try to adjust to the product, but the video reminds me that help is out there.
This is useful. I'm a right hander who is training himself to use his left. In some ways I'm fortunate as I naturally have a tripod grip and have been able to largely mirror my right style. With the right I angle my paper in a roughly northwest manner so the top right corner is furthest from me. With the left I reverse this, using a similar page orientation with the top left being furthest away. I began practising as an underwriter as that was a simple mirror image. It remains the most natural for me. I've not had many issues with pull-versus-push or smearing on the hand, partly as I'm not really up to full speed with my left yet and partly as I prefer medium or broad nibs. Though I'll be in the minority as someone consciously changing their handedness, my default go-to practice pen has been a Safari (with the LH nib) as the facetted grip actually helps me to gain familiarity with the pen angle. For those pens that support it (such as the Plumix) I've pulled the nib & feed then re-oriented them slightly more anticlockwise as viewed from nib-at-paper orientation. This helps to maintain a more reliable nib positioning with the breather hole pointing away from my body when the pad is oriented at an angle. For pens that do not have a facetted grip I still try to have the breather hole facing away from me. Effectively the upper flat surface of the nib is approximately parallel to the line of my chest and shoulders. Perhaps some of these ideas might help anyone who is having to switch hands through injury or other physical barrier. As always, patience - practice - slowing down.
Thanks! I'm a side-writer, but just for fountain/dip pens, I'm getting the hang of under-writing. The nib just slides across well and the ink comes out more solidly instead of skipping.
the latinum preppy is the best fountain pen i have ever used as a leftie. it is so unbelievable smooth. i have a pilot kaküno. and it is very unconfortable to hold and it scretches very much. and the leftie nibs from lamy also very rough, its not smooth at al. i wonde if all preppy nibs are as good as the cheap ones.
Hi Brian, I'm Kevin, a side writing paper turning lefty 😂 wanted to say thanks for this. Going to order some GP #6 jowo's for my x750's because now I know what it all means... Nice work!
I've only recently gotten into fountain pens but I've been writing with both hands for five years. As a natural right-handed individual I only usually write mirror image with my left hand, so I'm pulling across the page from right to left. I have practiced writing forward with left hand however, and I find that writing vertically down the page I can avoid smearing over what I've written already. Cool video
Im a lefty and one thing i have noticed is that writing a little slower will prevent some smudging, on the days where i write really quickly its a blobby mess and on the i days i have time it doesn't smudge, and a bonus the writing looks a lot neater that way.
Fascinating video with lots of great tips.. As a child, I was a leftie side writer and had a lot of smearing problems - I would always get the comment :very messy work" on my schoolwork in the elementary grades. By middle school, i was using Schaefer cartridge fountain pens with no problems (they were very popular in the late 60s-early 70s). I've been wanting to try fountain pens again. After watching this video, I realize that I retrained myself at some point to be a leftie underwriter. I'm married to a leftie "hook" overwriter.
Got my first fountain pen today and didn’t have any problem testing it. Looking forward to seeing how more taking goes though I’m not really sweating it since I’m a natural underwriter and have been using a liquid ink rollerball for a while now and probably subconsciously adjusted way back when I first started using those. Just happy to not having to deal with Pilot precise V5’s incessant bleeding anymore.
As a lefty i have never had any of these problams... Probebly because im from israel here we write from right to left so right handed ppl have more problams then i do XP i got a elyseé w-germany and after a year of writing with it i relized it was worth 100$ LOL
yeah, funny you mention arabic. i was just kinda messing with my new lamy and then i realized.. ohh lemme try to write in arabic (since im well versed in it) and it was such a pleasure!
So I am new to the fountain pen hobby, and I am left handed, but that's not the worst of it... I am definitely a side writer, but I write with two fingers attempting the tip of the pen instead of one, thus making my hand very cramped and closed as I write. I have tried writing with only one finger at the pen's tip, but my hand writing looks very sloppy... as a junior in high school, neat hand writing is kind of a necessity. Also, I recently purchased a pilot varsity pen for roughly $5 at a local craft store. I know it is a cheap pen, but it is the only thing I have right now. I am also not looking to get seriously invested in fountain pens either. I do not have that much money. Any advice helps...
Pilot Varsity is a great first pen to start with. It's a great writer for the cost. Not sure if it'd help with your grip, but the Lamy Safari (www.gouletpens.com/lamy-safari/c/159) has a triangular grip that might work for you. - Colin
Step 1: Pen rests on second finger, first finger and thumb on top with a very light grip. Step 2: Rotate paper 90 degrees clockwise. Step 3: Write from underneath the line. Learn to write like this and you want have any problems with any (decent) fountain pen.Admittedly I have it easier because I learned how to write like this from the start what with my dad also being left handed.
My first fountain pen was a Pilot Varsity with purple ink. I didn't even know fountain pens still exist before I happened upon that Varsity in a small store downtown. I was in high school, and I didn't realize fountain pens are still a thing... Oklahoma sucks for fountain pen lovers. I still have that Varsity even though it ran out of ink shortly after I bought it, because I used it for everything. I now know you can refill them, but at this point it would probably be a major pain to try to clean, as I bought it either 7 or 8 years ago.
Play around with underhanded writing, think mirror image of typical right handed. And turn the paper clockwise slightly. I've been using a Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib and Iroshizuku ink. My whole family is left handed, parents, sibling and myself.
I also don't drag my hand on the paper. I write hook-handed and my fingers do all of the movement. I often use paper that isn't a full-width sheet, or by writing in narrow columns. There isn't much left/right movement then, and the columns add a unique touch. Holding the pen further back from the grip helps as well.
I started using the hook style when I started using dip pens into inkwells in primary school (1956.) That school blue-black ink was so wet I took blotting paper to school every day. I was lucky to have an inspiring class teacher who suggested I buy a Platignum fountain pen from Woolworths and Parker ink - but these days so many excellent F and EF nibs, like the Faber Castell you show, that I can use any and many different inks,
Lefty side writer here - I haven't tried any quick drying inks, but I tend to stick with narrow notebooks, and medium nibs. I love a good wet and smooth nib, I just have to be careful not to smear it. My favorite pens/nibs right now are: Pilot Vanishing Point - Medium and Faber-Castell Loom - Medium. Both are buttery smooth. I pair with Diamine or P.W. Akkerman inks usually. I tried a couple LH nibs, the Pelican one was good, I'm not a fan of my Lamy LH nib, but most Lamy nibs don't feel smooth to me. I have a Pilot Metro -M that seems much finer than my VP, so if I need to get a fine line, I use that or one of my TWSBI's that are also in M. Brian mentioned a that stubs might not work good for side writers, I want to note that I LOVE my diamond 580 stub and my Anderson 1.5 stub, they work great for me, but as mentioned, I really take care not to smear when I'm trying to make something look pretty and I stick to narrow top bound notebooks!
I've been a lefty all my life with a very extreme hooked hand over the line. It took several months, but now underwriting exclusively. Sometime later I decided to try right handed also. Right handed now at times is as fluid as with left hand, but mostly that fluidity is short lived. I truly believe that in time right handed will be as enjoyable as my left hand endeavor.
I have kind of used all of the lefty hand positions but the over hand not to that extreme. But I forced myself to stick with underhanded without even realizing I was doing it. But When I do calligraphy I have to change this position to get the correct thickness of line. With ballpoint pens I always bought medium nib because I diddn’t like the scratchiness to to point. But when I tried a medium nib fountain pen I realized I didn’t like it so I went to fine nib, but after a while I bought fine nibs, and if available I will buy extrafine.. And I am happier with it.
That's for such an informative video. I'm new to fountain pens, but over the years, I've gone with the really dramatic page turn to where I have become an underwriter and I'm almost writing perpendicular to my chest.
Interesting. I’m 68 and have been using fountain pens for fifty years. As a lefty we quickly learn how to do this. The hooked hand I hardly see anymore. Most lefty’s I know are under writers, including me, turn the. Page to get that right handed angle. I don’t like a fast drying ink though I do use the Montblanc, waterman and pilot inks. I just bought a pilot E 95S pen with a medium nib and I also just bought from goulet pens the Conklin Brownstone with an Omni flex nib.
Thank youu! I’m an underwriter and was such a relief to hear it has the best versatility! I prefer stub nibs also :)) and I guess oblique stub would fascinate me but I haven’t tried it yet
I was always told that I couldn't use fountain pens, but have been getting into them in the past year. I am an underwriter, so that helps. I have enjoyed using the Midori Travellers Notebook system. The binding doesn't get in the way, and the paper is lovely.
I'm an overwriter and never had any issues with flex nibs as long as they are wide enough (one of my favourite nibs is a broad vintage Geha vith a lot of flex). Also at 5:39 you didn't do your homework: an overwriter turns the paper anti-colckwise.
I wrote left handed with fountain pens for about 4 years before I decided to just learn to write with my right hand. Took about a year of writing every day, but my right handed cursive was at a presentable state and it was a much, much better experience than left handed writing. I still use everything else left handed of course, but I'll never go back with fountain pens. A viable option that I recommend for anyone that wants to put in the time to learn right handed writing
Brian on my part I also left and I have some care when choosing a pen, for example, the grip should be plastic so that I will not fall, on my way to pick up the pen, in addition to be careful with my hands not to run ink, the left must adapt to a world of rights, hahahaha, between brands of pens that use is Pilot (Metropolitan love), Parker, of which I have an old Jotter, very soft in his writing and Cross do not have problems because the grip of them are all made of plastic, with treatment inks use fast drying, including Pelikan 4001, Cross, Schneider and Parker Quink, are the ones that work best with me, and paper obviously Rhodia XD, Greetings the Goulet family from Chile
Excellent video Brian, and happy Left Handers Day to all the south paws out there!! I am not left handed, but I have a niece who is and she is showing some interest in fountain pens as he has seen me write with them. I plan to share this video with her ASAP. Thanks for the great info! Quick question...what pen are you writing with in the segment where you are talking about hook handed writers using a stub nibs (5:30)? It appears to be a pilot, but I am not completely sure. Also, what is that lovely turquoise ink you are using for that same writing sample...I need it in my life!
I have been writing with fountain pen almost all my life as it was the tools given to us when we started learning to write. Being lefty I use overwrite position but it is not as extreme as shown here. You can pull your book closer to your body and tilt the right side up by some 30 degree, so your hand position is more natural and less fatigueing. By doing so you can also somewhat pull your pen instead of pushing so drag does not become a problem. Issue with flex nib and broad nib is that you would get a wider line when the lines goes up instead of down because of the way you hold the pen, not about scratching the paper.
right? all the videos that ive watch keep telling over and side writers to underwrite, but its not anything like what they tell you. i have yet to see a side writer tell me to underwrite yet the right-handed and underwriters always do. - a sidewriter
I'm an underwriting southpaw. I picked up a Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib a few months ago. Currently using Iroshizuku Asa-gao ink. I find it dries very quickly on standard uncoated American style paper. However, I do have to be extremely light handed or I get heavy ghosting. I may try some other papers and inks. Overall, I now prefer to write with my fountain pen, even over a roller ball like the Pilot V5 or a gel pen like the Pilot G2.
Newbie left hand over writer who bought navajo turqouise to put in my jinhao 750. I knew the risks, and it was worth it. I have to take a shower to get all the ink off me. Appreciate the warning on flex pens.
so im a leftie, so i am happy you made a video about this. i own a lamy safari in fine and use the iroshizuku black ink. i see basically go with a japanese fountain pen company nibs due to them being smaller than western nibs. good thing for my more expensive fountain pens ive been eyeballing was pilot's vanishing point.
I'm a lefty and owe a Montblanc, Monteverde Artista, and Konrad. Of those I love the Konrad. Knowing how I smear ink on paper I actually prefer the Konrad. I concur with Iroshisuku, those inks are nice and quick drying.
My anthropology professor told me in the '70s that left-handed people are often better archeologists; apparently their spatial awareness is different, somehow.. He was not only left-handed, but 6 foot 4, so NOTHING was built for him.
A few fun artifacts in this episode really show you just how old it is! The office is a big one, but the Sheaffer Brian is using, too! You guys haven't carried Sheaffer pens for a few years now! Their ink is still a favorite of mine, but overall, I think not carrying their pens anymore was the right decision. Though, being able to get those Star Wars pens from you guys would have been pretty nice. I know, I'm the weird guy who goes back and re-watches FP101 and Slices that I've seen a dozen times. Maybe it's just Brian's natural charm and wit!
I was just wondering why I couldn't get the thicker down strokes and thought it may be due to being left handed...and I think it is. I am not very technical with fountain pens in that I use them because I love them and love writing in cursive and the way the ink looks on the paper. It reminds me of old school. I did not know that this was a topic discussed much but am happy to hear some recommendations. Thank you for this video.
Yeah, there's a lot of people out there that lefties just can't use fountain pens, and that's not true. We were hoping to explain how that might look and help from there. - Colin
+The Goulet Pen Company well...you have accomplished that and now I don't feel so bad for how my handwriting looks and have tools to move forward in my calligraphy. I've been talking to my husband a friends about this all day it seems. I'm excited.
Brian: lefties, y'oughta try using an extra fine or fine nib! @CatholicZola, a leftie: ah, i love me a good medium nib Brian: side-writing lefties, pretty much forget about the soft nibs or flex nibs... @CatholicZola: **gazes longingly at my pen with the Jowo #6 soft** 🥺 Today I learned that......... Brian Goulet might be my sworn penemy. 🗡️ 😮💨🖊️ ((Just having a bit of fun! I did in fact hear and appreciate Brian's disclaimer re: personal preferences. And i have lots of preferences 😁 happy new year, everyone ❤))
Hi Brian, i'm left-handed and very comfortable with fountain pens. I love to write with my fountain pens, specially the Noodler's Ahab (with the flex or 1,1mm stub Goulet nibs). Nice video !!
I am ambi. I used to write lefty as a kid but when I saw all my friends writing right handed I changed (I was a follower lol). so now I'm actually more comfortable with writing with my right hand as I trained it more. Now that I got into fountain pens and ink it's actually paying off lol
If there is one positive to being a lefty, it's that you have an advantage when learning/writing Arabic words and calligraphy, which is huge in that part of the world due to various religious and cultural reasons. Whereas right-handed people still have to struggle and learn these techniques, you've already adapted to those, and now have a language that works in your favor. I'm learning calligraphy in Arabic, that's why I brought this up. I like the style, the fact I can write it easily left-handed (even if it's being a lefty is considered bad luck in many Middle Eastern cultures), and how I can literally form pictures and art out of this practice.
I am an overwriter but I have been for a ll my life. Kinda never had an issue with a fountain pen cause I think kinda imitate the right handed because my elbow is so far up that I can pull the pen rather than push. I only realized through watching this, that not everyone does that. Additionally, because of that I don't writeall that much with my wrist so a lot of the motion comes from the arm... not sure if I can recommend though XP although I never smear.
I'm left handed, and recently bought a TWSBI 1.1 stub. After transitioning to using a fountain pen, I had found myself overwriting. Using the stub, though, I found that rotating the paper the other direction--that is, increasing the effects of the overwrite angle--I was able to get the proper line variation (thick downstrokes and thin horizontals) without much trouble. Feedback from these pushed downstrokes can be a bit much, but with a well-tweaked stub or broad it isn't hard to not stab the paper. Granted this is no help for the Ahab flex I just got my hands on, but it makes for nice shapes with other pens. With this flex, I'm going back to my early fountain penning days and going with a backward lean with my letters. This lets the thick downstrokes be made with pulling motions as well, which makes the whole thing doable without having to relearn letter forms. Just the two cents of a novice fountain penner.
I mostly am an underwriter AND an overwriter. Kinda just depends on what I'm doing. I'll try to focus more on underhanded writing from here on out. I am just getting into fountain pens.
So I used to be a side writer, but over time I kinda did my own thing. I’m an over writer, but I don’t hook my hand that much. I instead rotate the paper the other way than the usual recommendation, so my wrist is in a straight line and my hand remains above the line. I don’t have any issues with smearing this way. I tried underwriting and it feels completely unnatural to me.
Im a leftie, and I never really noticed a problem writing. I think it's because I just happened to have an extremely smooth nib, and write at a very low angle. Thank you schmidt iridium point.
This was a great video, Brian. I've been writing with fountains pens for over 10 years, but even with pencils I used to struggle with smearing. I don't have these issues much anymore mostly due to angling my paper. The only additional thing I would note for lefties re: paper is that top bound notebook are generally more comfortable for us to write in because we don't have to deal with the discomfort of laying our hand/wrist on the spine (something especially uncomfortable with spiral notebooks).
I like to use spiral notebooks from the back. I write on the backs of the pages only, starting with the last page then the second to last page and so on. It's fun to hand the notebook to a righty and watch them be confused when getting to the end of the page since you have to flip over the page in the opposite direction, lol.
Brian Goulet I am a lefty(actually ambidextrous but don't like writing with my right) this video is very informative for those just starting out with fountain pens.
I like to write "in reverse" where instead of writing the letters from left to right I write the letters from right to left so you're not digging into the paper as much and still get the proper pull that fountain pens need.
A fountaing pen I tried out that really impressed me is the STABILO EASYbirdy. There are both left and right handed version, with a rollerball version to. I was really impressed with comfortable it was to use. The ink is also non smudge. I include a link to both the manufacturer (www.stabilo.com/uk/product/1995/writing/stabilo-easybirdy) and a description of the pen from WDG website (ifworlddesignguide.com/entry/147208-stabilo-easybirdy). The pens are supposedly for children (7+) to learn how to hold a pen, but I’ve found this pen to be excellent. The nib can be fitted at three different angles to provide the best individual hand posture, which are 0, -1 or -2. I found for myself that the -1 pen works the best for me.
I retrained myself to be an "underwriter" back in high-school just so that spiral binders and ring binders would not dig into my hand anymore. It is easier when one is young and less pain is a good motivator.
I'm one of those who made the sacrifice and re-trained to write under the line (from a hook). M25 btw. Guys and gals, it's totally worth it. Not only for fountain pens but also dip pens, which are otherwise off limits. Effectively I have two handwriting styles now. The funny thing is alignment of the letters (l, k, j, h...) when in hook, it's easy to emulate the alignment of a regular writing, tilt to the right. When writing under the line, it's more natural to be pulling the pen slightly to the opposite direction. But even though, it's tons more comfortable and tons more legible. And regarding the fine nibs: those are generally more scratchy, which may not be something you want.
Im a lefty and Ive never writyen in this push motion he shows. My writing has always been more of a start at the top of the letter come down motion. Just from left to right instead of right to left. I think I may be an underwriter as well. As an artist I learned quick how to not smudge as much.
I'm confused: first you mentioned that fine nibs could dig into paper for a lefty, yet you proceed to mention that a sidewriting lefty could benefot from a fine nib! Which is it, please?
Not sure about middle black ink, but the top is R&K Scabiosa (www.gouletpens.com/rohrer-klingner-scabiosa-50ml-bottled-fountain-pen-ink/p/RK40710050) and the bottom is R&K Salix (www.gouletpens.com/rohrer-klingner-salix-50ml-bottled-fountain-pen-ink/p/RK40711050). They look a little lighter in those swabs, so keep that in mind! - Colin
As an aging lefty, I was fortunate to have a beautiful English teacher in my Freshman year in H.S. and one day she stood over my shoulder and silently said, "you do such good work, I wish I could read more of it." Then she took the paper and turned it 45 degrees to the right, she took my hand and unbent it (I was an over-writer) and placed it below the line and said, "I think it will help if you try to write like this." Since I had a school-boy crush on her because she was beautiful, I would do anything to make her happy. It was one of the best things I learned in school and as an reformed 'under writer', I do not have any problems with pens, nibs, or paper. Its a beautiful thing. Thanks for your excellent video on this topic. I'm sure many of your left-handed subscribers appreciate your research.
It probably wasn't until my mid-thirties when I saw President Obama turn his page between 45 and 90 degrees to write upward that I even thought this was an option. Since then I've turned the page no matter what I use. In all cases my penmanship improved.
@@JosephDickson the things we do to adapt, no? 😁
I've always written with the paper turned. When i was in grade school they used to make the left handed black kids use their right hand and stay after school and such to correct it... My dad, however, threatened my teacher when trying to correct which hand i used or how i wrote so long as my letters came out how they wanted. So often I stayed behind to correct it but was allowed to find my comfort zone because of my Dad and so I've always turned my paper
@@True_Joker same with me, my teacher made all the left-handed girls use their right hand. I'm ambidextrous now and i never use my right hand.
Man, I wish I had a teacher like that! Instead I had evil, old psycho nuns who beat all the lefties with yardsticks and paddles for writing "wrong".
I think the toughest thing for me is having notebooks with spiral binding on the left side that gets in the way.
saxophone_guy That makes sense. The Filofax is a great notebook because the pages are removable, so you can take them out to write and then put them back in the notebook! -Margaret
Or get a top bound notebook. Those are my preference now.
Ok
You could also get those staple bound notebooks.
saxophone_guy justvtryb
I really feel for you southpaws, this is a whole big level of difficulty added to something I take for granted!
Yeah when I first got into fountain pens was the first time I got really annoyed that I am left handed
@@blabarsris6012 yeah I’m really looking at getting a broad nib twsbi diamond 580 for signatures and notes, but I’m terrified of messing up my hands while I’m explaining what it is
@@blabarsris6012 wasn’t even aware that there were left handed nibs! It took me 42 years to understand that it was not me who’s scratching paper 😄😆
@@iamfilipinas Me too - but then I found that good nibs worked fine regardless.
The way I understand it is that it's easier for left handed ppl in most aspects except the smear but i would think you'd learn to work around that long before discovering fountain pens.. i mean just in writing or drawing, period 🤷. If i remember I put down a square of vellum or sometimes parchment paper. A lot of times what I'm working with won't stick to it so it's less likely to smear. Tho this doesn't always work. If your careful tho it doesnt mess things up too bad and it always keeps your hand clean. My most recent trick -used when trying to make pretty letters anyway, is i write them in pencil above or on scratch paper and then write backwards
Naturally I’m a side writer but after getting into fountain pens, I taught myself to write under and it has been very helpful. That’s my tip for other lefties
Over writer here. Watching you rotate the page 90° and writing vertically down (imagine a compass, and rotating the top of the notebook east) was hilarious, albeit painful. Lmao. I love this channel and totally understand you're not left handed. As an over writer lefty, I tend to rotate my notebook the opposite way, about 45° NW (recalling the compass example) and form my letters backwards. It sounds more difficult than it actually is, but it preserves the "drag" or "pull" motion rather than the "push" and still allows for a greater diversity, if not entirely freedom, of choice in nib and ink.
anthony colosimo same here
So you rotate your page to the left? I only do that if I want an italic writing style.
I’m an over-writer and I rotate my paper the same way he does in the video. I remember one of the supervisors in my school exams stopping behind me and I thought they were suspecting I was cheating or something. Lol it was because she thought the way I wrote and turned my paper was strange and was curious to watch me write.
Perhaps the best way to learn lefty pen use is to meet another lefty! I am a teacher and will often give the left-handed students some advice if I see them struggling. The only pen I have issues with is the Ahab; it can be difficult to start up! Other than that, Preppies, Jinhao, Parker ... anything. I did have a left-handed nib once, but that was for calligraphy so it was just an oblique cut nib with the upward slope from left to right. The biggest help, as you noted in the video, is the rotation of the paper.
As an underwriter lefty, I find to most comfortable if I have my paper turned clockwise 45 to nearly 90 degrees when writing. I have a couple of Lamy pens, an all start and a safari. My Safari has a left hand nib,( I find that the left hand nib felt more scratchy with the lamy ink in it, I switched to the Noodler's Black Swan in Australian roses and an enjoying the pen again. but I actually prefer the way the All star writes with the regular fine tip nib, using Private Reserve Tanzanite. Fountain pens make journaling fun again.
I've trained myself to write under-hand and honestly I rarely smear. While I typically use fine nibs, I have no problem with mediums or any ink I've used so far, even on ink-resistant paper. Though maybe it's due to my obsession with Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-Budo, a fantastic ink with fantastic dry time!
To any side/over writing lefties out there, I heavily recommend the Pilot Metropolitan!
Solber Martinez how did you train yourself to be an underwriter?
Claudia Guerra Practice! I just spent some time at home forcing my hand in a certain position and writing underhand. It honestly didn't take that long, a few days and it's natural now.
Solber Martinez thanks! I'll try it out :3
I'm a side-writing lefty and tried at least 10 fountain pens because they look so cool. But I never got it working. This was 20 years ago and never thought about the push vs. pull. I ended up with a lot of dry scratches in the paper--like you showed around 9:36.
I'm an over-writer and I turn the paper the other way from the video. I do drag my hand but it doesn't come in contact till about the 5th line behind. by which point its completely dry.
Yeah, there's a lot of ways lefties can manage either by turning the page or their hand placement. Glad you found something that works for you! - Colin
do you still write at an angle like suggested w/ the under writer? I seem to keep going back to writing as if I'm using a ballpoint or a felt when I'm hooking. also it seems I have to hold the pen farther back if I want to force myself to writing w/ an angle. FPs are kinda frustrating as an everyday writer.
As a lefty, the greatest advice that I can give is to learn how to write righty. It's fun, it will help to develop the motor muscles in your right hand, but most importantly, over the course of a few months, you will be able to write just as well with your right hand as with your left. Other than that, I would say a left leaning slant is a good cheat for lefty writing, and underwriting is a must. It is definitly worthwhile to change your pen positioning to underswriting. There is also a weird grip that you can use that can let you write in a pull style WITH YOUR LEFT HAND, but it is very strenuous and has little support for the top of the pen.
I am an over writer but don't have a broken wrist like Mr. Goulet displays. It doesn't necessarily require a hook wrist+hand
Not sure how I came to this, but being left handed, I turn my paper counter-clockwise! I am writing up-hill but no smearing, and complete visibility of what I am writing. So essentially over-writing, with out the bent wrist, and a little less than a 45 degree counter clockwise turn.
Same here! But the angle really depends. Sometimes I’m almost writing straight up, other times, 45 degrees
YES, it feels and works so much better to do this. Have turned page counter-clockwise my whole life, an overwriter but not with the comical 'broken wrist' position shown in this video!
Agree. It helps me keep all the letters angled the same way. Before I found this method, letters would be leaning left, vertical, and right in the same word.
Side writer here, I just turn the paper the other way (about 60 degrees counter-clockwise) never had an issue with any type of pen. Works perfect with fountain pens
I've tried the others techniques.. Looking weird at best!
But turning the paper -60* is quite eazy and it gives a large field of view on what I'm writing.
THANKS for your comment!!!
This is the most comprehensive lefty fountain pen video I have encountered from a right handed person, thank you! I was looking into getting the Preppy Platinum for starters. I always disliked the scratchy feel of fountain pens ( my dad was a Sheaffer fanatic) and gave up, now I’m in my 40s giving it another try!
I had no problem with calligraphy straight holders and flexible nibs after learning from a left handed teacher.
By the way, Brian, I am a hook-handed lefty, and my Konrad flex nib is one of my favorite pens. I think the reason for this is that it depends on the angle that the feed hits the paper relative to which way I "push" the pen. I don't push the pen in parallel with the feed, so I don't get the same problem that you're showing. Another thing is that I have practiced "flexing" the nib on the upstroke rather than the down stroke. So my writing has a particularly different look than most flex nib writing. It's actually kind of cool :)
A Konrad with a flex nib is one of my favs'too!
I have the Ahab and it is my favorite. Also a lefty.
Where can i see examples of your writing? Would love to see! :)
Thanks for yet another great video!
My daughter is a leftie and I am not, so I have to study up to help her through things. She's 7 and just getting into fountain pens.
Teach her to use her right hand
@@summer480 no let her be, butthead. Haha
I'm an lefty underwriter and I also angle the paper too so I guess I'll have nothing to worry about too much with fountain pens :) I really want one now.
Get one, you will like it. You don't have to go crazy. A Pilot Metropolitan and a bottle of Iroshizuku ink and you are set for a good while. It is crazy how little effort it takes to write. I'm an underwriting southpaw as well.
Thank you for this. I am left handed, and what has worked for me is that I turn the page, but completely opposite to how you did it. I turn the page to the base of the page facing to my right. I am now going to start looking at your supply as a potential source for ink. I have tended to use the Chinese pens, although I have a Parker pen. In terms of the nib, I find that the rounded nib is the best for it, to eliminate the push factor.
Thank you very much for this. It is VERY helpful, especially the #lefthandersday note!!
as a lefty side writter, I can say that lamy ink has a good time of dry because the ink has never swapped me in my hand (sorry if something words have no sense, because I don't speak english, I'm from Mexico :v)
I'm an overwriter and have had much more grief from gel pens and liquid rollerballs than I've ever had from any fountain pen. I write with the paper oriented normally, but my hand doesn't contact the writing til the third line or so, which gives it plenty of time to dry out first. I've also benefitted greatly from the left-handed Lamy nib, as my writing is essentially a true mirror to right-handed writing (I disagree with under-writing being a mirror of right-handed writing - over-writing is a closer opposite to it). I've mainly used Pilot V-pens, Parker Quink and Diamine which have all dried quickly enough for my usage, but Montverde's brown ink has also been excellent. The worst out of the bunch - surprisingly - was the Quink, which I put in a medium nibbed IM.
The info in this is great (I'm not left-handed, but I have left-handed friends who ask me about my pens a lot), but the mime hand in the writing cutscenes made my day :)
If you are a lefty who can kinda' sorta' use their right hand for some things...
AND you are just learning script for the first time.
I suggest that you see what happens if you try to learn script using your RIGHT hand.
I am ambidextrous (actually a natural lefty who was forced to be a righty).
When I was learning Arabic I thought that I would try learning how to write it with my left hand, since you write Arabic from right to left.
Much to my surprise I discovered that, since I was learning something that was absolutely new to me, I could write in Arabic script as well with my left hand as I could with my right hand. It was much neater than my English script too!
I may have to try that. I'm left handed. However I'm a machinist, and the machines are designed for right hand people. So, in some ways, I'm ambidextrous.
I am using this video to get my left-handed brother into fountain pens but finally learning the origins of 'southpaw' made this video totally worth watching. Great job as always.
I also only just learned the origin of the term southpaw, from this video. I'm a Brit and over here, baseball is even more niche than fountain pens, so I was never going to guess that one. I also learned that apparently the baseball field is laid out according to the compass. I just sort of assumed it was plonked there on the grass in whatever way that fits the available space...
I'm an underwriter. I honestly don't have a problem with fountain pens at all - no need for special nibs, though Medium is fine. I use mostly Pilot Iroshizuku and Noodler's Inks. I do rotate my pad 45 degrees when using calligraphic hands and dip pens. The paper sampler is well worthwhile; a nice, smooth paper helps a lot, so it's worth finding one you really like. I love flex nibs: News to me they are problematic for Lefties! Perhaps I'm an exception, but I actually prefer a Zebra G in any pen. Again - all about preference and what works!
I am an underwriter too. I had to train myself because I used to be a sidewriter but was getting so tired of everything smearing. Now that I’m an underwriter everything is so much easier.
Thank you. I needed this as I’m left handed.
As a left-handed, I am glad you made this video. Thank you. As an underwriter, I have had no problems with my pen selection. I had a few start-up issues with my vintage flex pen, until I got the hang of it, but that has been the only small inconvenience I've had.
Thank you for thinking of us, Brian.
Magali G Glad you liked it :) -Margaret
I´m an over-writer - soft touch pinky slider sans paper tilting - smearing is the only problem on friendly paper, none of the nibs on the 100+ pens I own. Sheaffer´s used to call their ink "writing fluid". I learned to appreciate that. Some reliable brands (writing fluid/watery ink producers): Pelikan, Sheaffer´s, Lamy, Waterman... You see where this is going. I love Noodler´s - every week I choose to smear a bit for Nathan´s Navy, 54th, Midnight Blue... Saturation sometimes feels like the only way to go. When it does not I grab a pen filled with some nice writing fluid, say Sheaffer´s blue/black; that will be completely dry when my little finger comes crashing through town two lines behind the nib´s schedule.
Thanks for remembering us lefties. Happy Left Handers Day! (Fortunately I'm an underwriter so I don't have to worry about fast drying inks :D)
wleix3 It's crazy that we don't have any left handed people working here at GPC, but we didn't forget about the lefties out there :) -Margaret
Me too! I never understood the problem with smearing until i found out that there are different varieties of being a leftie! :D
I really appreciate the effort you put into this video. Funny enough, I was the only underwriter in my school, all other lefties were hooks.
Silke B Herbert Yeah my mum is an underwriter too, she has lovely handwriting and finds calligraphy fairly easy. I’m a side writer so my paper is always turned at a 90 degree angle just to stop me smudging lol. I didn’t realise just how technical and complicated writing can get for us lefties.
I am awaiting my first fountain pen (from you guys! :D), and fully expect to struggle with it for a long time, as a side writer with a really jacked up grip (holding pens between my middle and ring fingers with thumb curled around). However, since I rarely need to write for others to read, my secret solution if I get too frustrated will be to just write backwards. It's surprisingly easy for most of the lefties I've convinced to try it, with just a page's worth of practice. (d's and b's are the hardest part.) You really take for granted how much easier pull vs push is.
I am both a lefty and a fountain pen afficianado. I believe that the problem lies with the fact that teachers do not show lefties how to angle their paper, My dad is also a lefty, and he is the one who taught me to angle my paper in the opposite direction of a righty, which turns you into an underwriter, I guess. I am amazed more and more how in general, so few people hold any writing impliment correctly any more. Great video, thank you!
I know this is an old comment, but would you mind indicating how you turn your paper? I'm a lefty who was taught by right handed writers (and really wasn't taught methodically since I was writing at 3), and I would love to make this easier on myself. I'm a side writer that usually ends a notetaking session with a massive smear of ink on her left hand.
@@Deusexvirtuelle just as he showed in the video for hook writers you turn the top of you paper towards the right (clockwise) at a 45 to 60 degree angle. this makes your hand under your writing instead of along side it. when my hand gets tired after writing for a long time i actually turn my page 90 degrees so the long side is at the bottom which makes it so you're writing from top to bottom on the page. it uses the muscles in a different way i guess because i find i can write for longer if i switch back and forth from a 90 degree paper angle to a 46-60 degree angle.
Myself I'm a lefty as well and i just got my first fountain pen a few months back, and so far I love my fountain pen. I have not had too much trouble with smering ink when i write I tend to be underhand writer, but the one nib i found i have the most trouble with is the f and extra fine nibs. over grate video.
Brian, very good video, as always. I took some good notes. For a rightie, you did really well! We will make you an honorary southpaw! I appreciate your company offering a leftie ink sampler for faster-drying inks, as well as a sampler notebook package so I can experiment with finding the more-absorbent papers out there. Those items will be ordered soon. Currently, I am having to buy notebooks that are not the best for me; good quality but not absorbent enogh. Several people commented that they angle the paper counter-clockwise about 45 degrees to help them approach the writing line at less of a Hook angle, I totally agree, and I encourage lefties to give it a serious try. Brian has a good recommendation regarding looking at the leftie writing challenge as a triumvirate: pens ( and nibs), paper selection and inks. Study each one and find your unique formula. I really like Noodler' products, and I have had no trouble with the flex nibs- but I don't press hard, either. I am sure I will view this excellent video periodically. I is a keeper. Thanks, Brian!
This has been so helpful to me as an underwriter leftie. I’ve tried buying left oblique nibs for years with no luck. I did have a lovely pen with a left oblique nib which was great for me but after 12 years of use (Sheaffer) it was stolen and I’ve been unable to replace it. It seems an ordinary medium nib would suit my writing according to your recommendation that there is little difference. 😃
Lefty here and I started out by trying the Jinhao x450 in medium. Honestly, having tried a lot of others since, I love it and do recommend it to others.
I ended up buying about 100 of them to just have around for the coming years. Plus anyone that wants to try fountain pens it's inexpensive enough to just give them one.
Either way, Goulet sell them I think and if they don't anymore you can get them on eBay for like $4 free shipping, just takes a few weeks to arrive.
As a righty who writes in Hebrew (right to left instead of left to right in English), I found this video very useful. I'm a side writer, and I want to train myself to become an underwriter. Overall, great video!
Lefty here. When I was in high school, I tried writing right-to-left (so you had to read the results in a mirror), as a kind of stunt. I handed in a few papers that way, probably humorous essays about left-handedness. It was scary to discover how easily the left-handed brain adapts to this, and I wrote everything that way for about a year, at least if it was just notes for myself, until I stopped before I could cause some kind of damage. I draw cartoons with fountain pens, but I'm a side-writer so I seldom write with them. These are good tips, though.
Thank you for keeping this tutorial for lefties in your video inventory. I watch it periodically just to remind myself of the variety of nibs, paper and inks out there that I can tap into. Generally, I try to adjust to the product, but the video reminds me that help is out there.
Glad it's been a resource! Hoping to have more leftie content in 2018. :) - Colin
This is useful. I'm a right hander who is training himself to use his left. In some ways I'm fortunate as I naturally have a tripod grip and have been able to largely mirror my right style. With the right I angle my paper in a roughly northwest manner so the top right corner is furthest from me. With the left I reverse this, using a similar page orientation with the top left being furthest away. I began practising as an underwriter as that was a simple mirror image. It remains the most natural for me. I've not had many issues with pull-versus-push or smearing on the hand, partly as I'm not really up to full speed with my left yet and partly as I prefer medium or broad nibs. Though I'll be in the minority as someone consciously changing their handedness, my default go-to practice pen has been a Safari (with the LH nib) as the facetted grip actually helps me to gain familiarity with the pen angle. For those pens that support it (such as the Plumix) I've pulled the nib & feed then re-oriented them slightly more anticlockwise as viewed from nib-at-paper orientation. This helps to maintain a more reliable nib positioning with the breather hole pointing away from my body when the pad is oriented at an angle. For pens that do not have a facetted grip I still try to have the breather hole facing away from me. Effectively the upper flat surface of the nib is approximately parallel to the line of my chest and shoulders.
Perhaps some of these ideas might help anyone who is having to switch hands through injury or other physical barrier. As always, patience - practice - slowing down.
Thanks! I'm a side-writer, but just for fountain/dip pens, I'm getting the hang of under-writing. The nib just slides across well and the ink comes out more solidly instead of skipping.
the latinum preppy is the best fountain pen i have ever used as a leftie. it is so unbelievable smooth. i have a pilot kaküno. and it is very unconfortable to hold and it scretches very much. and the leftie nibs from lamy also very rough, its not smooth at al. i wonde if all preppy nibs are as good as the cheap ones.
Hi Brian, I'm Kevin, a side writing paper turning lefty 😂 wanted to say thanks for this. Going to order some GP #6 jowo's for my x750's because now I know what it all means... Nice work!
I've only recently gotten into fountain pens but I've been writing with both hands for five years. As a natural right-handed individual I only usually write mirror image with my left hand, so I'm pulling across the page from right to left. I have practiced writing forward with left hand however, and I find that writing vertically down the page I can avoid smearing over what I've written already. Cool video
Im a lefty and one thing i have noticed is that writing a little slower will prevent some smudging, on the days where i write really quickly its a blobby mess and on the i days i have time it doesn't smudge, and a bonus the writing looks a lot neater that way.
Fascinating video with lots of great tips.. As a child, I was a leftie side writer and had a lot of smearing problems - I would always get the comment :very messy work" on my schoolwork in the elementary grades. By middle school, i was using Schaefer cartridge fountain pens with no problems (they were very popular in the late 60s-early 70s). I've been wanting to try fountain pens again. After watching this video, I realize that I retrained myself at some point to be a leftie underwriter. I'm married to a leftie "hook" overwriter.
Got my first fountain pen today and didn’t have any problem testing it. Looking forward to seeing how more taking goes though I’m not really sweating it since I’m a natural underwriter and have been using a liquid ink rollerball for a while now and probably subconsciously adjusted way back when I first started using those. Just happy to not having to deal with Pilot precise V5’s incessant bleeding anymore.
As a lefty i have never had any of these problams... Probebly because im from israel here we write from right to left so right handed ppl have more problams then i do XP i got a elyseé w-germany and after a year of writing with it i relized it was worth 100$ LOL
lol I'm learning Arabic and I was just thinking how funny that is, left handed people must be in high demand for writing calligraphy.
yeah, funny you mention arabic. i was just kinda messing with my new lamy and then i realized.. ohh lemme try to write in arabic (since im well versed in it) and it was such a pleasure!
@@256k_ I'm going to have to learn Arabic now so I can give it a go! :)
So I am new to the fountain pen hobby, and I am left handed, but that's not the worst of it... I am definitely a side writer, but I write with two fingers attempting the tip of the pen instead of one, thus making my hand very cramped and closed as I write. I have tried writing with only one finger at the pen's tip, but my hand writing looks very sloppy... as a junior in high school, neat hand writing is kind of a necessity. Also, I recently purchased a pilot varsity pen for roughly $5 at a local craft store. I know it is a cheap pen, but it is the only thing I have right now. I am also not looking to get seriously invested in fountain pens either. I do not have that much money. Any advice helps...
Pilot Varsity is a great first pen to start with. It's a great writer for the cost. Not sure if it'd help with your grip, but the Lamy Safari (www.gouletpens.com/lamy-safari/c/159) has a triangular grip that might work for you. - Colin
Step 1: Pen rests on second finger, first finger and thumb on top with a very light grip.
Step 2: Rotate paper 90 degrees clockwise.
Step 3: Write from underneath the line.
Learn to write like this and you want have any problems with any (decent) fountain pen.Admittedly I have it easier because I learned how to write like this from the start what with my dad also being left handed.
My first fountain pen was a Pilot Varsity with purple ink. I didn't even know fountain pens still exist before I happened upon that Varsity in a small store downtown. I was in high school, and I didn't realize fountain pens are still a thing... Oklahoma sucks for fountain pen lovers. I still have that Varsity even though it ran out of ink shortly after I bought it, because I used it for everything. I now know you can refill them, but at this point it would probably be a major pain to try to clean, as I bought it either 7 or 8 years ago.
Play around with underhanded writing, think mirror image of typical right handed. And turn the paper clockwise slightly.
I've been using a Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib and Iroshizuku ink. My whole family is left handed, parents, sibling and myself.
I also don't drag my hand on the paper. I write hook-handed and my fingers do all of the movement. I often use paper that isn't a full-width sheet, or by writing in narrow columns. There isn't much left/right movement then, and the columns add a unique touch. Holding the pen further back from the grip helps as well.
I started using the hook style when I started using dip pens into inkwells in primary school (1956.) That school blue-black ink was so wet I took blotting paper to school every day. I was lucky to have an inspiring class teacher who suggested I buy a Platignum fountain pen from Woolworths and Parker ink - but these days so many excellent F and EF nibs, like the Faber Castell you show, that I can use any and many different inks,
Lefty side writer here - I haven't tried any quick drying inks, but I tend to stick with narrow notebooks, and medium nibs. I love a good wet and smooth nib, I just have to be careful not to smear it. My favorite pens/nibs right now are: Pilot Vanishing Point - Medium and Faber-Castell Loom - Medium. Both are buttery smooth. I pair with Diamine or P.W. Akkerman inks usually. I tried a couple LH nibs, the Pelican one was good, I'm not a fan of my Lamy LH nib, but most Lamy nibs don't feel smooth to me. I have a Pilot Metro -M that seems much finer than my VP, so if I need to get a fine line, I use that or one of my TWSBI's that are also in M. Brian mentioned a that stubs might not work good for side writers, I want to note that I LOVE my diamond 580 stub and my Anderson 1.5 stub, they work great for me, but as mentioned, I really take care not to smear when I'm trying to make something look pretty and I stick to narrow top bound notebooks!
+Adam Steineke Thanks for sharing! The stub definitely can work if you can be careful not to smear like you said :) -Margaret
I've been a lefty all my life with a very extreme hooked hand over the line. It took several months, but now underwriting exclusively. Sometime later I decided to try right handed also. Right handed now at times is as fluid as with left hand, but mostly that fluidity is short lived. I truly believe that in time right handed will be as enjoyable as my left hand endeavor.
I have kind of used all of the lefty hand positions but the over hand not to that extreme. But I forced myself to stick with underhanded without even realizing I was doing it. But When I do calligraphy I have to change this position to get the correct thickness of line.
With ballpoint pens I always bought medium nib because I diddn’t like the scratchiness to to point. But when I tried a medium nib fountain pen I realized I didn’t like it so I went to fine nib, but after a while I bought fine nibs, and if available I will buy extrafine.. And I am happier with it.
im a lefty, i turn the paper counter clockwise. its true, it gets a little scratchy with a fine nib.
I am an underwriting bold nib lefty. I tried to find lefty pens but went with bold nib regular fountain pens. I love writing with a fountain pen
That's for such an informative video. I'm new to fountain pens, but over the years, I've gone with the really dramatic page turn to where I have become an underwriter and I'm almost writing perpendicular to my chest.
Interesting. I’m 68 and have been using fountain pens for fifty years. As a lefty we quickly learn how to do this. The hooked hand I hardly see anymore. Most lefty’s I know are under writers, including me, turn the. Page to get that right handed angle. I don’t like a fast drying ink though I do use the Montblanc, waterman and pilot inks. I just bought a pilot E 95S pen with a medium nib and I also just bought from goulet pens the Conklin Brownstone with an Omni flex nib.
Thank youu! I’m an underwriter and was such a relief to hear it has the best versatility! I prefer stub nibs also :)) and I guess oblique stub would fascinate me but I haven’t tried it yet
I was always told that I couldn't use fountain pens, but have been getting into them in the past year. I am an underwriter, so that helps. I have enjoyed using the Midori Travellers Notebook system. The binding doesn't get in the way, and the paper is lovely.
Lara Fleischer Hi Lara! Great to hear about your positive experiences with FP's and Midori paper :) -margaret
I'm an overwriter and never had any issues with flex nibs as long as they are wide enough (one of my favourite nibs is a broad vintage Geha vith a lot of flex). Also at 5:39 you didn't do your homework: an overwriter turns the paper anti-colckwise.
I wrote left handed with fountain pens for about 4 years before I decided to just learn to write with my right hand.
Took about a year of writing every day, but my right handed cursive was at a presentable state and it was a much, much better experience than left handed writing.
I still use everything else left handed of course, but I'll never go back with fountain pens.
A viable option that I recommend for anyone that wants to put in the time to learn right handed writing
I'm a side writer but I slant my paper anti clockwise so I don't smear at all and I don't have to do much of a pushing motion either
Yep, paper turned counter-clockwise as an overwriter or side writer leftie.
Brian on my part I also left and I have some care when choosing a pen, for example, the grip should be plastic so that I will not fall, on my way to pick up the pen, in addition to be careful with my hands not to run ink, the left must adapt to a world of rights, hahahaha, between brands of pens that use is Pilot (Metropolitan love), Parker, of which I have an old Jotter, very soft in his writing and Cross do not have problems because the grip of them are all made of plastic, with treatment inks use fast drying, including Pelikan 4001, Cross, Schneider and Parker Quink, are the ones that work best with me, and paper obviously Rhodia XD, Greetings the Goulet family from Chile
when i write, i do a slight overwrite, so it feels good and looks better then a full one. i sometimes tilt the paper a bit also.
Excellent video Brian, and happy Left Handers Day to all the south paws out there!! I am not left handed, but I have a niece who is and she is showing some interest in fountain pens as he has seen me write with them. I plan to share this video with her ASAP. Thanks for the great info!
Quick question...what pen are you writing with in the segment where you are talking about hook handed writers using a stub nibs (5:30)? It appears to be a pilot, but I am not completely sure. Also, what is that lovely turquoise ink you are using for that same writing sample...I need it in my life!
I have been writing with fountain pen almost all my life as it was the tools given to us when we started learning to write. Being lefty I use overwrite position but it is not as extreme as shown here. You can pull your book closer to your body and tilt the right side up by some 30 degree, so your hand position is more natural and less fatigueing. By doing so you can also somewhat pull your pen instead of pushing so drag does not become a problem. Issue with flex nib and broad nib is that you would get a wider line when the lines goes up instead of down because of the way you hold the pen, not about scratching the paper.
right? all the videos that ive watch keep telling over and side writers to underwrite, but its not anything like what they tell you. i have yet to see a side writer tell me to underwrite yet the right-handed and underwriters always do. - a sidewriter
I'm an underwriting southpaw. I picked up a Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib a few months ago. Currently using Iroshizuku Asa-gao ink. I find it dries very quickly on standard uncoated American style paper. However, I do have to be extremely light handed or I get heavy ghosting. I may try some other papers and inks.
Overall, I now prefer to write with my fountain pen, even over a roller ball like the Pilot V5 or a gel pen like the Pilot G2.
Newbie left hand over writer who bought navajo turqouise to put in my jinhao 750. I knew the risks, and it was worth it. I have to take a shower to get all the ink off me. Appreciate the warning on flex pens.
+GOGOROBOv2 I also appreciated the warning about flex-pens. I was otherwise going to look into it.
so im a leftie, so i am happy you made a video about this. i own a lamy safari in fine and use the iroshizuku black ink. i see basically go with a japanese fountain pen company nibs due to them being smaller than western nibs. good thing for my more expensive fountain pens ive been eyeballing was pilot's vanishing point.
I'm a lefty and owe a Montblanc, Monteverde Artista, and Konrad. Of those I love the Konrad. Knowing how I smear ink on paper I actually prefer the Konrad. I concur with Iroshisuku, those inks are nice and quick drying.
My anthropology professor told me in the '70s that left-handed people are often better archeologists; apparently their spatial awareness is different, somehow.. He was not only left-handed, but 6 foot 4, so NOTHING was built for him.
This was a very helpful video presentation. Thank you so much. 😊
I'm an underwriter lefty and find the medium nib works better for me. It doesn't scratch as much as i push the pen.
A few fun artifacts in this episode really show you just how old it is! The office is a big one, but the Sheaffer Brian is using, too!
You guys haven't carried Sheaffer pens for a few years now! Their ink is still a favorite of mine, but overall, I think not carrying their pens anymore was the right decision. Though, being able to get those Star Wars pens from you guys would have been pretty nice.
I know, I'm the weird guy who goes back and re-watches FP101 and Slices that I've seen a dozen times. Maybe it's just Brian's natural charm and wit!
Yeah, this is 3 years old at this point, but still some good nuggets in there :) -Margaret
I was just wondering why I couldn't get the thicker down strokes and thought it may be due to being left handed...and I think it is. I am not very technical with fountain pens in that I use them because I love them and love writing in cursive and the way the ink looks on the paper. It reminds me of old school. I did not know that this was a topic discussed much but am happy to hear some recommendations. Thank you for this video.
Yeah, there's a lot of people out there that lefties just can't use fountain pens, and that's not true. We were hoping to explain how that might look and help from there. - Colin
+The Goulet Pen Company well...you have accomplished that and now I don't feel so bad for how my handwriting looks and have tools to move forward in my calligraphy. I've been talking to my husband a friends about this all day it seems. I'm excited.
Brian: lefties, y'oughta try using an extra fine or fine nib!
@CatholicZola, a leftie: ah, i love me a good medium nib
Brian: side-writing lefties, pretty much forget about the soft nibs or flex nibs...
@CatholicZola: **gazes longingly at my pen with the Jowo #6 soft** 🥺
Today I learned that......... Brian Goulet might be my sworn penemy. 🗡️ 😮💨🖊️
((Just having a bit of fun! I did in fact hear and appreciate Brian's disclaimer re: personal preferences. And i have lots of preferences 😁 happy new year, everyone ❤))
Hi Brian, i'm left-handed and very comfortable with fountain pens. I love to write with my fountain pens, specially the Noodler's Ahab (with the flex or 1,1mm stub Goulet nibs). Nice video !!
For papers, Fabriano Eco-Qua absolutely drinks ink without any real feathering or bleed.
Turn the paper to the left for overwriting.
Where did you buy it
I am ambi. I used to write lefty as a kid but when I saw all my friends writing right handed I changed (I was a follower lol). so now I'm actually more comfortable with writing with my right hand as I trained it more. Now that I got into fountain pens and ink it's actually paying off lol
That's awesome. I'm always jealous of those that are ambidextrous, even though I'm not sure what I'd even do with my left hand. - Colin
If there is one positive to being a lefty, it's that you have an advantage when learning/writing Arabic words and calligraphy, which is huge in that part of the world due to various religious and cultural reasons. Whereas right-handed people still have to struggle and learn these techniques, you've already adapted to those, and now have a language that works in your favor.
I'm learning calligraphy in Arabic, that's why I brought this up. I like the style, the fact I can write it easily left-handed (even if it's being a lefty is considered bad luck in many Middle Eastern cultures), and how I can literally form pictures and art out of this practice.
I am an overwriter but I have been for a ll my life. Kinda never had an issue with a fountain pen cause I think kinda imitate the right handed because my elbow is so far up that I can pull the pen rather than push. I only realized through watching this, that not everyone does that. Additionally, because of that I don't writeall that much with my wrist so a lot of the motion comes from the arm... not sure if I can recommend though XP although I never smear.
I'm left handed, and recently bought a TWSBI 1.1 stub. After transitioning to using a fountain pen, I had found myself overwriting. Using the stub, though, I found that rotating the paper the other direction--that is, increasing the effects of the overwrite angle--I was able to get the proper line variation (thick downstrokes and thin horizontals) without much trouble. Feedback from these pushed downstrokes can be a bit much, but with a well-tweaked stub or broad it isn't hard to not stab the paper.
Granted this is no help for the Ahab flex I just got my hands on, but it makes for nice shapes with other pens.
With this flex, I'm going back to my early fountain penning days and going with a backward lean with my letters. This lets the thick downstrokes be made with pulling motions as well, which makes the whole thing doable without having to relearn letter forms.
Just the two cents of a novice fountain penner.
I mostly am an underwriter AND an overwriter. Kinda just depends on what I'm doing.
I'll try to focus more on underhanded writing from here on out. I am just getting into fountain pens.
If you can handle underwriting long term, that's definitely the way to go with fountain pens! - Colin
So I used to be a side writer, but over time I kinda did my own thing. I’m an over writer, but I don’t hook my hand that much. I instead rotate the paper the other way than the usual recommendation, so my wrist is in a straight line and my hand remains above the line. I don’t have any issues with smearing this way. I tried underwriting and it feels completely unnatural to me.
Same here. 🙂
I have no problems at all using flex pens and for us lefties top binding is generally going to be more comfortable than the vertical spine binding.
Im a leftie, and I never really noticed a problem writing. I think it's because I just happened to have an extremely smooth nib, and write at a very low angle. Thank you schmidt iridium point.
I've found that my flex nib makes it easier to use less pressure so less drag.
This was a great video, Brian. I've been writing with fountains pens for over 10 years, but even with pencils I used to struggle with smearing. I don't have these issues much anymore mostly due to angling my paper. The only additional thing I would note for lefties re: paper is that top bound notebook are generally more comfortable for us to write in because we don't have to deal with the discomfort of laying our hand/wrist on the spine (something especially uncomfortable with spiral notebooks).
Yes, top bound notebook for the win.
I like to use spiral notebooks from the back. I write on the backs of the pages only, starting with the last page then the second to last page and so on. It's fun to hand the notebook to a righty and watch them be confused when getting to the end of the page since you have to flip over the page in the opposite direction, lol.
Brian Goulet I am a lefty(actually ambidextrous but don't like writing with my right) this video is very informative for those just starting out with fountain pens.
littlebigjake406 Glad it's helpful! -Margaret
I just wish it would have been around when i was starting off with fountain pens.
I like to write "in reverse" where instead of writing the letters from left to right I write the letters from right to left so you're not digging into the paper as much and still get the proper pull that fountain pens need.
A fountaing pen I tried out that really impressed me is the STABILO EASYbirdy. There are both left and right handed version, with a rollerball version to. I was really impressed with comfortable it was to use. The ink is also non smudge. I include a link to both the manufacturer (www.stabilo.com/uk/product/1995/writing/stabilo-easybirdy) and a description of the pen from WDG website (ifworlddesignguide.com/entry/147208-stabilo-easybirdy). The pens are supposedly for children (7+) to learn how to hold a pen, but I’ve found this pen to be excellent. The nib can be fitted at three different angles to provide the best individual hand posture, which are 0, -1 or -2. I found for myself that the -1 pen works the best for me.
I'm a lefty, and I need to know what inks dry the fastest, and have the best smear resistance.
I retrained myself to be an "underwriter" back in high-school just so that spiral binders and ring binders would not dig into my hand anymore. It is easier when one is young and less pain is a good motivator.
I'm one of those who made the sacrifice and re-trained to write under the line (from a hook). M25 btw. Guys and gals, it's totally worth it. Not only for fountain pens but also dip pens, which are otherwise off limits. Effectively I have two handwriting styles now. The funny thing is alignment of the letters (l, k, j, h...) when in hook, it's easy to emulate the alignment of a regular writing, tilt to the right. When writing under the line, it's more natural to be pulling the pen slightly to the opposite direction. But even though, it's tons more comfortable and tons more legible.
And regarding the fine nibs: those are generally more scratchy, which may not be something you want.
Im a lefty and Ive never writyen in this push motion he shows. My writing has always been more of a start at the top of the letter come down motion. Just from left to right instead of right to left. I think I may be an underwriter as well. As an artist I learned quick how to not smudge as much.
I'm confused: first you mentioned that fine nibs could dig into paper for a lefty, yet you proceed to mention that a sidewriting lefty could benefot from a fine nib! Which is it, please?
@Goulet Pen Company
Is there a way to know what inks were swabbed in 8:08?
Not sure about middle black ink, but the top is R&K Scabiosa (www.gouletpens.com/rohrer-klingner-scabiosa-50ml-bottled-fountain-pen-ink/p/RK40710050) and the bottom is R&K Salix (www.gouletpens.com/rohrer-klingner-salix-50ml-bottled-fountain-pen-ink/p/RK40711050). They look a little lighter in those swabs, so keep that in mind! - Colin
The Goulet Pen Company THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! (Yes I'm yelling... I got excited by the quick answer😊)