Protecting Your Paper Surface

One problem with writing on paper is that we usually rest our hands on the paper surface while writing.

Unfortunately, our hands may have oils or other impurities on them that can leach into the paper and affect the surface. You may notice this even with ballpoint pens - if you get a bit of grease or something on the paper, the ink won't take as well, or even not at all.

Our hands also have moisture in them that is released when we rest them on a surface. And that affects the paper surface. This you will definitely notice when using dip pens and ink on paper. If moisture from your hands has gotten into the paper, you may suddenly find that your lovely letters are "bleeding" and getting feathery edges.

That's fine if you are doing it on purpose for a special effect, but not when you are dong a piece that needs clear sharp edges.

So what can you do to protect your paper surface?

One way is to use a cover sheet. This is a sheet of paper that you place over the writing paper. Rest your hand on this cover sheet as you write.

This can be a bit of a nuisance at times because you always have to keep moving the paper, and you have to make sure that it is down far enough to give you space for your ascenders, but high enough that your hand doesn't touch the writing paper.

The method I use was shared by one of my first instructors - make yourself a fingerless "mitten". (Or if you have a light pair of fingerless mittens, you could use that, I suppose.)

All you do is find a nice comfortable old sock - you know, one of those whose mate has gone missing, or that has gotten too holey. Cut off the bottom of the sock just above the heel section. What you want is the cuff section. Then cut a small hole in the side of the cuff - just big enough to fit your thumb through comfortably, and far enough up so that the sock will cover the heel of your hand where it normally rests on the paper.

With that on, you can easily move your hand and not have to worry about moving a cover sheet. And your paper is well protected from your hand.