1.1 Pencils – Ideal Tools for Beginners with Excellent Line Thickness Variation Performance

In hard-pen calligraphy, the biggest advantage of a pencil lies in its outstanding expressive power. Even with the same pencil, varying writing pressure creates lines of different shades. In other words, it can not only present changes in stroke thickness, but also demonstrate light and dark tonal variations. As a result, pencil strokes feature rich layering and can render far more diverse textures than other similar writing tools.

However, it also has obvious drawbacks. Writing marks are formed when graphite adheres to paper, unlike fountain pen ink which penetrates into the paper fibers. Pencil marks fade easily and are not suitable for long-term preservation.

1.2 Ballpoint Pens – Poor Writing Experience, Not Recommended

After elaborating on the characteristics of one writing tool, the features of other pens become easier to explain.

Most ballpoint pens adopt oil-based ink. Besides adjusting stroke thickness to a certain extent, they can also display slight tonal light-dark changes.

The ink of a ballpoint pen flows onto paper via a tiny metal ball at the nib; as you write, the ball rotates and transfers ink to the nib and paper. This structural design brings a major flaw: with prolonged use, the metal ball suffers abrasion, resulting in thicker strokes over time.

Apart from gradually thickening strokes with repeated use, ballpoint pens also produce relatively faint marks due to the inherent properties of oil-based ink. The range of stroke weight and tonal variation is much narrower than pencils, making them harder to control. Consequently, ballpoint pens have become less commonly used in daily life in recent years.

1.3 Gel Pens – Cost-Effective, Easy to Obtain, Comfortable Writing Habits

Almost without notice, gel pens have risen as a popular new favorite among writing tools in recent years. Generally speaking, gel pens deliver smooth ink flow and easy control over stroke pressure; they are beginner-friendly and highly maneuverable.

On the downside, gel pens cannot render light-dark tonal variations in strokes, and the range of stroke thickness adjustment is narrower than fountain pens. Restricted by manufacturing processes, gel pen refills thicker than 0.5mm deliver weak expressive performance, unable to create delicate, faint connecting strokes freely. This characteristic limits the font size suitable for gel pens; characters written with gel pens tend to be small, unsuitable for showcasing fine details of individual characters.

Of course, its greater strengths lie in its low price and wide availability. Personally, I also have a special fondness for gel pens due to its pleasant alternative name "gel ink pen".

1.4 Fountain Pens – The Gold Standard; Pick a High-Quality One and Master Its Feel

As the pioneer tool for hard-pen calligraphy, fountain pens still hold an irreplaceable dominant position to this day.

The whole writing process is a continuous adaptation between the writer and the pen. Fountain pens feature a long service life, giving them a natural advantage during the break-in period with the user.

Most fountain pen barrels are made of metal, delivering a solid, substantial grip during use. When gliding a fountain pen across paper, one gains the gratifying sensation of wielding a long spear or greatsword galloping across a battlefield.

In my personal opinion, open-nib fountain pens offer superior writing performance compared to hooded-nib varieties, thanks to greater nib elasticity. Additionally, hooded nibs feature thicker nib housings that partially block the writer’s line of sight during writing, creating inconvenience.

A wealth of guidance on fountain pen selection already exists. I would like to add one point: in a sense, a fountain pen can serve as a lifelong companion for its user. Therefore, for working adults, my suggestion is to test a wide variety of fountain pens first to find the type truly suited to you. Then, within the limits of your purchasing power, opt for the highest-quality model available.

When gripping a writing tool, the pressure exerted by your fingers only acts on the pen barrel; in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, this pressure merely affects the maximum static friction between your fingers and the pen.

The static friction holding the pen in place only needs to counteract the combined force of the pen’s gravity and the paper’s normal force. No matter how tightly you squeeze the pen, it will not alter the vertical force balance. On the contrary, overly tight gripping reduces writing flexibility, makes brushwork laborious, and produces stiff, lifeless characters.

The grip method for gel pens, signature pens and other water-based pens is largely identical to that for pencils. However, gel pens rely on capillary action to transport liquid ink onto paper, making it effortless to form strokes; thus, you can grip the pen with much lighter pressure. You may disregard the second tip mentioned in the reference diagram regarding bending the index finger at two joints instead of three.

The grip technique for fountain pens differs from pencils. The core distinction is as follows: when writing with pencils or gel pens, the effective force applied to the paper acts perpendicular to the page. Fountain pens, by contrast, rely on pressure bending the two metal tines of the nib to create a gap for ink to flow onto the paper. Therefore, the effective force during fountain pen writing is the force that deforms the nib tines, not the vertical pressure against the paper.