- Before pen and ink, the Romans used wax tablets for writing. A thin layer of wax was placed on a wooden surface and scribes carved into the wax with metal or bone styluses. The rear end of the stylus was fitted with a flat surface for re-leveling the surface for repeat use. In parts of Asia, brushes were used for painting, calligraphy and writing with ink made from carbon black, oil or water. The invention of paper brought the beginning of pen and ink as we know them, first in the form of quill pens made from bird feathers. The English word, "pen" is derived from the Latin word for feather, "penna."
Quill Pen
- Writers began using quill pens around the seventh century. The most broadly used writing instrument for nearly a millennium, the quill pen was used to write such historical documents as the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence. The tail feathers of geese were considered most adaptable to the pen. The feather needed preparation before it could be used to write. Usually, most or all of the fuzz was removed from the feather to free space for the hand grip. The end of the feather was cut to a fine point where a slice was cut to allow a reservoir of ink to gather. The quill pen required the writer to dip its point in ink after every line or so. Ink for the pen was made from water or oil mixed with carbon black, indigo, berries, or ink culled from squid.
Steel Point Pen
- The early 19th century saw the advent of the steel point pen. It worked in much the same way as a quill pen, but was fashioned from steel. It resembled a fountain pen, but was sold separately from the grip, had no reservoir, and still required repeated dipping into an ink holder. Its prominence was short-lived but opened the way to development of the fountain pen.
Fountain Pen
- A Muslim caliph in present-day Egypt is said to have commissioned the invention of an pen with an ink reservoir shortly before 1000 A.D., but no physical artifact exists of the instrument. The oldest fountain pen still in existence was created by M. Bion in 1702 for King Louis XIV. In the late 19th century Lewis Waterman, an insurance salesman, invented what would become the most popular fountain pen in modern use. A three channel feed under the point exchanged ink and air to avert leaking and uneven script.
Ballpoint Pen
- The ink in use for fountain pens during the early 20th century took a long time to dry. However, the ink being used for printing newspapers dried more quickly and was relatively smear free. The inventor of the ballpoint pen, a Hungarian, Laszlo Biro realized that the ink used for newspapers was too thick for use with a fountain pen and so he set out to re-invent pen design. Although others are credited with the invention of the ballpoint pen device, Biro was the first to mass produce and sell ballpoint pens in 1944. He did this in Argentina under an Argentine patent. It was still several years before the ballpoint overtook the popularity of the fountain pen.
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Hi There! Thanks for taking the time to come and look at my artwork! If you have any questions, or want to comment, feel free to contact me! Browse through the pictures in the gallery, then come back to the front page, and leave me a message in the guest book at the bottom of the page!  This is what it's all in aid of folks. Good News India. You can read more in the about us section, but for right here, let me tell you that all funds raised through the selling of artwork will go directly to the building of new orphanages and leper colonies in India. For further information, click on the link below:
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About pen and ink: For too long pen and ink art has been seen as little more than book illustrations, comic book art or caricatures. It dates to even before the Egyptians who used pen and ink from plant dyes on papyrus, back to even the earliest Biblical times. Pens and ink in their various forms are thousands of years old. They have been used to write documents that transformed world history and to decorate later editions of The Bible. Over time, pens have become less messy and more portable. The ingredients for ink have become more permanent and more colorful. Feel free to add a comment to the guestbook below! 
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