How To Hold a Quill Pen

Learn how to hold a quill pen.

Quill pens are made of feathers. The ends are trimmed to a fine point and hardened by plunging the ends into hot sand after being cut. Scribes take special care to make sure their quill is just right. Writing with a quill requires the right kind of ink, a soft hand and patience. If you want to learn how to write with a quill, learn how to hold it first.

Instructions

1. Pick up the quill. Balance the feather in your hand. Make sure none of the soft parts of the feather are near the tip of your pen.

2. Hold the quill in your hand as you would hold a ballpoint pen.

3. Draw on the back of your nonwriting hand. Without using ink, lightly make circles on the back of your hand. When you can make small indentations on your hand without scratching, you are holding the quill with the proper pressure.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't hold a quill pen with the same force as you would a ballpoint pen; quills are very fragile.

References

• Sullivan Press: The Secrets of Writing with Quills
• Medieval Writing: The Quill Pen