STATIONERY SHOP
Yes, your beautiful words are what’s really important, but half the fun of handwriting a letter is the pen and paper with which you do it. We tapped Liz Chan of Toronto stationery spot Wonderpens for her recommendations on the top letter-writing tools.
The pen “The Kaweco Sport or the Lamy Safar are good starter fountain pens. For someone who is willing to spend a bit more, the Waterman Hemisphere is a classic.” The ink “Choosing ink can be a very personal thing. What does it say about you if you like lush, rich, deep blue or golden brown or dusky purple? Sometimes people can be recognized for not only their handwriting but also a distinctive ink colour.” The paper “Try Japanese stationery—it’s beautiful and smooth. For a classic, elegant look, go for French stationery, like G. Lalo. It’s textured and thick and comes in ivory or white.” The penmanship “It’s all muscle memory in your fingers, so the more you practise, the better you get. Schoolchildren in France learn cursive writing on ruled paper that has a bunch of lines that help each letter to be uniform and consistent in size. Practise ‘a’ over and over so that your fingers get used to the shape.”