The type of line that a pen makes will depend on how it is made, The tip of the goose quill is rather soft and so will not give as fine a line as the steel nib. However, both will give more expressive lines than the modern technical drawing pen which creates lines of uniform width.
The goose quill is the oldest type of pen. I made this one myself from a large feather by cutting the tip off at a slant. There is a little scaly material inside the tube of a feather which is easily removed and then a little scraping rounds the edges and finishes the pen. I like the goose quill because, although a little liable to “blob”, it gives a wide variety of marks. The steel nib is more controllable, can give very fine lines as well as thicker lines, but can dig into the paper.
T. Spencer
