Trash to Treasure: Calligraphy Pens

Necessity is the mother of invention" I’ve heard this many times, but it feels especially true when your pockets are tight yet your needs are non-negotiable. This is exactly what happened to me recently. For the past few days, I had been buying permanent markers for my calligraphy practice, but they would only last two or three days before I had to buy a new one.
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That’s when I thought: why not make my own calligraphy pens? But the big question was—how?
​Then an idea struck me. To make the nib of the pen, I needed wooden sticks. But where could I find them? Since it's summer, kids everywhere are enjoying ice cream (kulfi) and throwing away the sticks. I decided to collect some of those discarded ice cream sticks. It felt a bit awkward at first, but as they say: when necessity calls, people can turn even dust into gold.
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After gathering the sticks, I collected some old, dried-up markers that were no longer in use. I took a knife blade from my toolkit and started cutting the sticks into small pieces, carving them into different-sized calligraphy nibs.

After carving nibs of various sizes, I fitted them into the bodies of the old markers. This stage wasn't too difficult, as I simply adjusted the marker's original nib hole to fit the new wooden nibs. In a very short time, I had prepared several pens. I was incredibly excited to try them out; I couldn't wait to see the results of my hard work.
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Finally, I laid out my paper and inks on the table and started writing with each pen, one by one. As a Pakistani, I have a deep love for Urdu calligraphy—perhaps because it is so prevalent here and most of our traditional art is centered around it. I kept writing on the pages, and I didn't even realize how quickly time was flying by. During all the process my son was practicing his lesson. And also watched the process making Wooden nibs.

​I have taken some photos of the pages to show you. Since it's Urdu calligraphy, some might not understand the exact words, but I am confident that by looking at the finesse and flow of the letters, you can judge the quality of these handmade pens for yourself.

​The process is actually quite simple,anyone can do it, provided they have the need for it. Just as a keyboard is essential for a computer operator, a high-quality pen is vital for a calligrapher. Tools hold a very special value in any craft.

​I hope you found this project interesting. I’m looking forward to your comments to see how you liked my post and this creative approach.