Fountain vs. Gel

Gosh! I'm forever going back and forth on this. Which do I prefer, the the gel or fountain pen? Can't make up my mind. On the one hand, I like how the gel pen doesn't bleed through the page like the fountain pen. On the other hand, I really like how smoothly and easily the fountain pen nib glides across the page. 

So ,once again, I dragged out both pens and put them to the test. Can you guess which of the lines above were written with the gel pen and which were written with the fountain pen? Does it make any difference?

Noodler's

 

I've been "noodling" with this ink for quite a few months now. It was given to me as a gift by someone who knew of my fascination with fountain pens. So far, I will have to say that I've been impressed. Goulet Pens says, "This is an incredibly interesting ink with remarkable properties. In terms of its anti-feathering properties, it held up against even the dubious paper quality of the Moleskine notebook [my go-to paper]. It is still water based, so we can't guarantee that it won't ever feather, but it's your best bet if you are in a situation where you can't control the paper quality. It's an ink that could be good for any situation- work, school, journaling, art, you name it!"

Wove Finish

 

Looking forward to trying this Strathmore product. It's acid free and specifically made for use with calligraphy nibs, pen, and ink.

Here's a little info I found about this paper's so-called "wove finish":

"Wove finish is one of the most commonly used finishes for general printing. It’s the standard paper finish, so if your paper package doesn’t indicate a finish, it’s probably wove.

Wove paper is slightly textured but mostly smooth to the touch. It’s similar to laid paper, but without the textured patterns" -- The Paper Mill Blog

Handwriting

 

Speaking (or writing!) of handwriting. I bought this workbook a year or so ago and have really enjoyed practicing some of the author's suggestions. Published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster, it includes "dozens of practice pages to help you create beautiful cursive letters and distinctive hand printing." It also includes recommendations for such things as flourishes, loops, and letter variations. 

Practicing French