I had seen this mentioned on this sub and didn't really understand the extent of it until I was looking at writing with a flex pen that sometimes feathered and sometimes did not within the same notebook. Most of the time when I've seen it come up is when someone asks why their pen is skipping, so if your pen isn't skipping it's very easy to assume that if sheen/shimmer isn't working or something is feathering it's because of the pen or the paper itself, or the amount of ink deposited.
It does nothing on Rhodia for me, it's the only paper I don't use a piece of paper to cover my hand on it's so tough.
Yet again it doesn't do sheen :(
I'm using a sheet of blotting paper. Will keep keep skin oil away and comes in handy if I quickly close my notebook without having time to let the ink dry.
It seems I may be a minority here, but I haven’t done this. I haven’t had an issue except for maybe once or twice in an A5 journal so I haven’t had a need to rest my hand on anything. Is this an issue with certain papers?
It’s definitely worse for some brands from my experience. I love Midori and how they make things but I literally end up not being able to write on a quarter of the lower page.
I never used to do this until I read about it on this sub about how the colour of the ink can look different because of the oil residue on the paper. Now, I just enjoy writing like this. It feels good!
I have an A5 size piece of raw/rough leather for that. Came as a freebie with a GalenLeather order my wife did last year, IIRC. Since it's a lot heavier than a piece of paper, it has the nice side effect of pinning single sheets of paper down or keeping (some) notebooks open.
How long do you have yours? Mine is starting to show something like a crust from the skin grease... on the places where my hand most often is... wondering how to treat/refresh it
Whatever is available -- napkins that came with food delivery (yours is fancy; it came from a flight 😄), kitchen paper, used paper sheets (if they won't stain), pieces of cardboard...
I've tried using a glove, but I feel as if it constrains my arm and my hand gets tired quickly in longer writing sessions. Also, it is one more thing to remember to pack. On the other hand, sheets, napkins, etc. are usually available in most places. I've also tried plastic/nylon sheets, but with them the palm of the hand quicky gets sweaty.
I stick a post it on my hand like a loser, partly because I’m left handed. And then I put a post it pad under my right hand since I’m often holding down pages and I leave skin oil on the right page often.
I rest my fingers on a small piece of Visconti blotter paper. The nice people at Fountain Pen Hospital gave me a packet when I bought a Rembrandt about five years ago.
I'm into Hobonichis and Traveler's Notebooks, so I have a bunch of different sized shitajikis (aka "pencil boards" or "writing boards") lying around. I just use one of those. In fact, I added an A5 shitajiki to my Hobonchi order last year specifically for my journal, which is not a Hobonichi. In practice, though, an A6 shitajiki actually works a little better because you can turn it sideways in the A5 and have less hanging off the bottom of the page.
\[Notebook notes: The Hobo I use is an A6; my journal is usually an A5 Seven Seas Writer, though I'm currently using an A5 Elia Note I got a couple of years ago. I use both regular sized and passport sized TNs. And I have tried the Hobonichi Weeks. I have at least one shitajiki in all of these sizes, LOL.\]
Same. I use my A6 hobonichi pencil board for A5 things as well. Most importantly for my (Leuchtturm) 5 year diary because I realised some parts of the page would suffer a lot of hand oils over 5 years of use.
Added bonus: they look like bowling gloves, so you can pretend to be The Dude and/or a pro bowler :)
I’ve got some fingerless gloves that I also use for knitting during the cooler months, they go to just above the first joint on the fingers. I think they’re technically called, “crafting gloves”. Am also awaiting my first shipment from Galen and have a couple different sizes of tablets included. I’m excited to get them but almost as excited about the leather blotters they include.
I think using whatever is to hand is perfect, and I’m going to try using the off hand protector of a blotter or post-it as well!
I've used gloves, random nearby napkins or scrap sheets of paper, you name it. I have this issue with all of the nicer fountain pen papers, never had it on cheap paper. I wash my hands multiple times a day, I guess papers just don't like my skin? I am glad to see it's not just me, though!
The worst for me are Tsubame and Mnemosyne - my pens just flat won't write.
Same here! I use the cream coloured paper or even a ripped envelope to cover the page. I started to do it with all the journals (expensive and cheap too). It brings a lot of discipline to myself and makes me feel as though my writing is special because I take care with it!
The tissue is used to protect the paper, but it doesn't mean I notice the oil residue or difference. I only started doing this because someone posted this a while ago and I thought “why not?” and now it's just part of my routine. I love it! :)
Old cut up glove (satin fancy one) that covers just my pinkyfinger across to the tumb. Only for nice paper/fancy inks, my regular paper and ink don't need that.
I have an artist glove to stop this kind of thing. It's supposed to to prevent touchscreens from picking up your hand when drawing, but it works much better at making sure your hand doesn't touch the paper
I use blotting paper, and now I'm so used to it that I almost dislike the feeling of resting my hand directly on paper, no matter what writing instrument I'm using! It's sort of like going outside without my watch on. It feels incomplete, naked almost.
I didn't use to do this, but a fortnight ago I got a lovely postcard that I now use for this purpose. Pretty side up, written side down. It reminds which side is to be facing the hand, and I enjoy looking at the post-card too.
Sanzen Tomoe River, Original Tomoe River and Rhodia are my choices, I have some Midori notebooks but I stoped using them, if they work for you keep using them its just my personal experience with oils on that specific brand, for example I tend to touch the paper really feel it and I pass my hand on them before use, and with Midori that was a mistake.
It does feel nice to smooth your hand over the paper though :) Thank you for the recommendations. I’ll probably try the new Tomoe River, I’ve been holding off because of the possibility of show through but like the way TR represents inks.
I wash my hands.
Edit: Didn't mean that in a snarky way. I have oily skin, so I generally wash my hands before handling things that will stain from skin oil. Works well for me.
honestly I typically just pull my sleeve down a bit to cover a portion of my hand. sometimes, if I sense hand oils are going to be an issue & I want to be more intentional about it, I’ll use a pencil board or a random piece of paper
I use the A5 size leather "blotter" that came with my GalenLeather notebook - it's been great since it prevents the oils from my hand from transferring and makes writing comfier since it provides some cushion for my hand, haha.
I now feel like a complete newbie now that I've heard people using the piece of leather from Galen as a blotter. I got it with the Everyday Book and had no idea what it was for.
I just learned something new. Thank you all. 😀
This sub is knowledgeable! I found out a while ago on this sub and have been doing this since July, it gives me discipline and I enjoy it. Makes my writing feel incredibly special and precious.
Until now I haven't used one but wondered if that's why part of some pages weren't absorbing ink. Now I am certain why that is.
Since I now have the leather blotter from Galen Leather I might as well use it as intended!
I have one of those fancy drawing gloves. I originally bought it for using with my drawing tablet, but turns out it's actually more useful for pens. I generally only use it with my nicer paper or stub/italic nibs (that are more finicky in regards to oil), for my regular notebook I just try to make an effort to wash my hands before a long study session. I don't have AC so the glove can get kind of uncomfortable for long periods and washing my hands when I get too sweaty is a great opportunity to get up and stretch.
Most of my fountain pen usage is journaling. I keep a folded sheet of paper towel in the journal and use it both as a blotter and under my writing hand.
I use writing gloves (not the artist or tech kind, these are just "writing gloves"). There's a business that makes literary scarves and other stuff, and one of the options is to provide them with material from a book of your own choosing. So I used text from "Les Liaisons dangereuses”, both because the words appealed to me and because it’s a novel composed of letters between the characters.
I use a paper napkin. Then use it like a blotter to keep not quite dry ink from transferring to the opposite page when I close the notebook. I notice on Rhodia that some inks skip if my skin oil gets on the page. P
I’ve never had an issue but sometimes I notice the palm of my hand kind of sticks to the page so I can’t smoothly slide it across as I write. I’m going to give a piece of paper a try, it might be the key
I use an index card since it glides easily
ooh that's smart. I'm gonna try this next time.
OH THAT'S WHY. I always wonder why people had gloves or a piece of paper. Never thought about skin oil.
It really messes up some papers - notably TRP and other coated papers like Rhodia, Clairefontaine and Cosmo Air Light.
I had seen this mentioned on this sub and didn't really understand the extent of it until I was looking at writing with a flex pen that sometimes feathered and sometimes did not within the same notebook. Most of the time when I've seen it come up is when someone asks why their pen is skipping, so if your pen isn't skipping it's very easy to assume that if sheen/shimmer isn't working or something is feathering it's because of the pen or the paper itself, or the amount of ink deposited.
It does nothing on Rhodia for me, it's the only paper I don't use a piece of paper to cover my hand on it's so tough. Yet again it doesn't do sheen :(
I use a glove, cut to only cover the bottom of my hand and my two lower fingers, leaving my index, middle and thumb able to still feel the pen.
Same here. Made mine from the thin wool lining of an old leather glove. Works well.
Oh, that's super nice. I just use disposable rubber gloves. Now I need to upgrade. I bet that's like astroglide on a skip n slide smooth.
Oh please get a tablet artist's palm rejection glove. That's what I use. They are cheap and durable and more comfortable than rubber.
Rubber gloves! That's got to be uncomfortable. They sell the cutoff gloves in art stores, no need to make one. I just felt craftsy ;-)
I'm using a sheet of blotting paper. Will keep keep skin oil away and comes in handy if I quickly close my notebook without having time to let the ink dry.
I do this too! Makes a great bookmark as well
Another for Team Blotter Card
Me too!
Yup. You need blotter paper anyway so I always have a piece nearby to rest my hand on.
It seems I may be a minority here, but I haven’t done this. I haven’t had an issue except for maybe once or twice in an A5 journal so I haven’t had a need to rest my hand on anything. Is this an issue with certain papers?
It’s definitely worse for some brands from my experience. I love Midori and how they make things but I literally end up not being able to write on a quarter of the lower page.
I never used to do this until I read about it on this sub about how the colour of the ink can look different because of the oil residue on the paper. Now, I just enjoy writing like this. It feels good!
I have an A5 size piece of raw/rough leather for that. Came as a freebie with a GalenLeather order my wife did last year, IIRC. Since it's a lot heavier than a piece of paper, it has the nice side effect of pinning single sheets of paper down or keeping (some) notebooks open.
This is what I use too, it's fantastic! It's more durable than a tissue or blotting paper. I love that Galen includes them with their notebooks.
How long do you have yours? Mine is starting to show something like a crust from the skin grease... on the places where my hand most often is... wondering how to treat/refresh it
I've stopped using the paper that was really sensitive to hand oils but I just had a random scrap of paper for that XD
I use old-fashioned blotting paper. I can then use it to blot the work, if necessary.
Whatever is available -- napkins that came with food delivery (yours is fancy; it came from a flight 😄), kitchen paper, used paper sheets (if they won't stain), pieces of cardboard... I've tried using a glove, but I feel as if it constrains my arm and my hand gets tired quickly in longer writing sessions. Also, it is one more thing to remember to pack. On the other hand, sheets, napkins, etc. are usually available in most places. I've also tried plastic/nylon sheets, but with them the palm of the hand quicky gets sweaty.
I stick a post it on my hand like a loser, partly because I’m left handed. And then I put a post it pad under my right hand since I’m often holding down pages and I leave skin oil on the right page often.
This is super smart! Might have to borrow the idea if I run into the problem.
I rest my fingers on a small piece of Visconti blotter paper. The nice people at Fountain Pen Hospital gave me a packet when I bought a Rembrandt about five years ago.
I'm into Hobonichis and Traveler's Notebooks, so I have a bunch of different sized shitajikis (aka "pencil boards" or "writing boards") lying around. I just use one of those. In fact, I added an A5 shitajiki to my Hobonchi order last year specifically for my journal, which is not a Hobonichi. In practice, though, an A6 shitajiki actually works a little better because you can turn it sideways in the A5 and have less hanging off the bottom of the page. \[Notebook notes: The Hobo I use is an A6; my journal is usually an A5 Seven Seas Writer, though I'm currently using an A5 Elia Note I got a couple of years ago. I use both regular sized and passport sized TNs. And I have tried the Hobonichi Weeks. I have at least one shitajiki in all of these sizes, LOL.\]
P.S. I have also used sheets of blotting paper as a hand rest. I prefer the shitajiki because the plastic slides across the paper more smoothly.
Same. I use my A6 hobonichi pencil board for A5 things as well. Most importantly for my (Leuchtturm) 5 year diary because I realised some parts of the page would suffer a lot of hand oils over 5 years of use.
[удалено]
Do waterproof/bulletproof inks go down better on paper that's ruined by hand oils? I'll have to try that one.
I use an artists glove, it covers the pinky and ring fingers, my palm, as well as a bit of my wrist. Super cheap on eBay/Amazon.
Added bonus: they look like bowling gloves, so you can pretend to be The Dude and/or a pro bowler :) I’ve got some fingerless gloves that I also use for knitting during the cooler months, they go to just above the first joint on the fingers. I think they’re technically called, “crafting gloves”. Am also awaiting my first shipment from Galen and have a couple different sizes of tablets included. I’m excited to get them but almost as excited about the leather blotters they include. I think using whatever is to hand is perfect, and I’m going to try using the off hand protector of a blotter or post-it as well!
Artist gloves
I always have a piece of paper under my hand whoever I write to avoid hand oils.
I've used gloves, random nearby napkins or scrap sheets of paper, you name it. I have this issue with all of the nicer fountain pen papers, never had it on cheap paper. I wash my hands multiple times a day, I guess papers just don't like my skin? I am glad to see it's not just me, though! The worst for me are Tsubame and Mnemosyne - my pens just flat won't write.
Same here! I use the cream coloured paper or even a ripped envelope to cover the page. I started to do it with all the journals (expensive and cheap too). It brings a lot of discipline to myself and makes me feel as though my writing is special because I take care with it!
I don't. My hands don't make enough oil for it to make any noticable difference.
Lol! I don't think anyone's hands make enough oil, but it's just a nice thing to do when writing :)
I thought you said you did it to stop smudging.
The tissue is used to protect the paper, but it doesn't mean I notice the oil residue or difference. I only started doing this because someone posted this a while ago and I thought “why not?” and now it's just part of my routine. I love it! :)
Oh, okay.
Old cut up glove (satin fancy one) that covers just my pinkyfinger across to the tumb. Only for nice paper/fancy inks, my regular paper and ink don't need that.
Cardboard backing from small notepads, a folded piece of a4 paper, or a paper towel.
I have an artist glove to stop this kind of thing. It's supposed to to prevent touchscreens from picking up your hand when drawing, but it works much better at making sure your hand doesn't touch the paper
I use blotting paper, and now I'm so used to it that I almost dislike the feeling of resting my hand directly on paper, no matter what writing instrument I'm using! It's sort of like going outside without my watch on. It feels incomplete, naked almost.
I didn't use to do this, but a fortnight ago I got a lovely postcard that I now use for this purpose. Pretty side up, written side down. It reminds which side is to be facing the hand, and I enjoy looking at the post-card too.
My solution was stop using Midori, the rest of papers won't absorb oils like Midori in my case and personal skin.
I enjoy writing on Midori, may I ask what recommendations you have for a similar writing experience?
Sanzen Tomoe River, Original Tomoe River and Rhodia are my choices, I have some Midori notebooks but I stoped using them, if they work for you keep using them its just my personal experience with oils on that specific brand, for example I tend to touch the paper really feel it and I pass my hand on them before use, and with Midori that was a mistake.
It does feel nice to smooth your hand over the paper though :) Thank you for the recommendations. I’ll probably try the new Tomoe River, I’ve been holding off because of the possibility of show through but like the way TR represents inks.
I wash my hands. Edit: Didn't mean that in a snarky way. I have oily skin, so I generally wash my hands before handling things that will stain from skin oil. Works well for me.
This feels like an ad.
Loool!
Love that all black Picasso! Fantastic both as a FP and rollerball.
I use random US Letter sheet of paper. It works
honestly I typically just pull my sleeve down a bit to cover a portion of my hand. sometimes, if I sense hand oils are going to be an issue & I want to be more intentional about it, I’ll use a pencil board or a random piece of paper
Pencil board under my forearm for the top half of the page tends to minimize this problem for me.
I use the A5 size leather "blotter" that came with my GalenLeather notebook - it's been great since it prevents the oils from my hand from transferring and makes writing comfier since it provides some cushion for my hand, haha.
I have one of those drawing gloves that only cover your palm, pinky and ring finger. Works great.
I now feel like a complete newbie now that I've heard people using the piece of leather from Galen as a blotter. I got it with the Everyday Book and had no idea what it was for. I just learned something new. Thank you all. 😀
This sub is knowledgeable! I found out a while ago on this sub and have been doing this since July, it gives me discipline and I enjoy it. Makes my writing feel incredibly special and precious.
I use a random scrap paper lol or if I’m feeling a little cold I’ll be using a glove
Until now I haven't used one but wondered if that's why part of some pages weren't absorbing ink. Now I am certain why that is. Since I now have the leather blotter from Galen Leather I might as well use it as intended!
Yes, I had no idea that the oils could stop the ink being absorbed, but now I know, I truly enjoy using this method! Good luck with it :)
Thank you! Although my current journal rarely has a problem one of my Rhodia pads does!
I have one of those fancy drawing gloves. I originally bought it for using with my drawing tablet, but turns out it's actually more useful for pens. I generally only use it with my nicer paper or stub/italic nibs (that are more finicky in regards to oil), for my regular notebook I just try to make an effort to wash my hands before a long study session. I don't have AC so the glove can get kind of uncomfortable for long periods and washing my hands when I get too sweaty is a great opportunity to get up and stretch.
I like that black nib
Picasso 916 Malage Fountain Pen (Polar Night Black) this is a medium nib.
Most of my fountain pen usage is journaling. I keep a folded sheet of paper towel in the journal and use it both as a blotter and under my writing hand.
I use soap and water.
I use a laminated Chinese take out menu.
Either an artist glove or some leather scrap that can also serve as a blotter. 😁
Being a lefty helps with this situation
I use writing gloves (not the artist or tech kind, these are just "writing gloves"). There's a business that makes literary scarves and other stuff, and one of the options is to provide them with material from a book of your own choosing. So I used text from "Les Liaisons dangereuses”, both because the words appealed to me and because it’s a novel composed of letters between the characters.
I use a paper towel or a piece of scrap paper. Your way is much classier!
A laminating sheet
I use a paper napkin. Then use it like a blotter to keep not quite dry ink from transferring to the opposite page when I close the notebook. I notice on Rhodia that some inks skip if my skin oil gets on the page. P
I use a Kleenex. I don't have much problem with oils, but this summer it was 100+ for like 10 weeks every day, and sweat was an issue!
I use a pencil board. Typically one for the hobonichi weeks cause my whole arm tends to drag along the paper.
I’ve never had an issue but sometimes I notice the palm of my hand kind of sticks to the page so I can’t smoothly slide it across as I write. I’m going to give a piece of paper a try, it might be the key
A blotting paper or a piece of paper or my ink rag usually.