Ink-redible Origins

Thiele writes...

We often talk about gratitude in the Zentangle practice. Once we have our space and our supplies ready, we take a moment to touch our paper and be grateful for the surface that we will soon fill with tangles. “But what about our pens,” Maria recently thought. Our gratitude should certainly be directed to where our ink flows from, too!

When Maria was in art school, about 57 years ago, she had what they called a Rapidograph. It was the first modern, technical drawing pen, and while it required less maintenance than a quill, you still had to fill it with ink. So, as she sat tangling just the other day, she paused for a moment of gratitude for the Sakura Micron Pigma™ that was in her hand, and the portability of this ink-redible tool. And it was while she was pouring gratitude into her pen that Maria got curious about the evolution of the writing instrument that has become oh so comfortable between her fingers.

This is the timeline she found after some research…

1. Egyptian Reed Pens (3200 BCE): Ancient Egyptians cut hollow reeds into a point, dipped them in ink made from soot and water, and pressed them to papyrus. This was the birth of written communication… a revolutionary act, but not exactly a portable one. Writing was not for everyone. It was for scribes, scholars, and the privileged few.
2. Quill Pen (600 AD): Fast forward a thousand years, and the feather of a large bird (or a porcupine!) became the writer's tool of choice. Quills were more flexible and easier to control than reeds, allowing for finer, more expressive line work. But they were still high maintenance. They had to be carefully shaped and sharpened with a small knife, and of course, you still needed a separate inkwell nearby.
3. Dip Pen (early 1800’s): The Industrial Revolution brought metal nibs, and with them, the dip pen. More durable and consistent than a feather, the metal nib could be mass-produced and replaced. This meant more people could access writing tools than ever before. But still… an inkwell was required.
4. Fountain Pen (mid 1800’s): Here's where things got exciting! The fountain pen carried its own internal ink reservoir. No more dipping. It was the first pen that truly traveled with its user. Writers, artists, and everyday people embraced it. Self-expression through writing became more widely accessible.
5. Ball Point (first patent in 1888 and widely adopted in the 1940s): The ballpoint replaced liquid ink with a thick, oil-based paste, fed through a tiny rotating ball at the tip. It didn't dry out, didn't smear, and didn't require refilling nearly as often as the fountain pen. And it was affordable and could fit inside anyone's pocket. The pen had finally become truly universal.
6. Pigma Micron Ink Pen (1995): And then came the pen that tanglers know and love. Sakura's Pigma Micron brought something special to the table: a fine, pigment-based ink that is waterproof, fade-resistant, and archival. No bleeding, no feathering, no surprises. Just a clean, confident line every time.
   

It is pretty amazing, when you really think about it, how far we have come. We no longer carry an ink source and maintenance tools to put pen to paper. We don't have to carve a quill or make our own ink. Our writing utensils can accompany us anywhere; tucked in a pocket, behind our ear, or clipped to a belt loop. They have become a reliable companion… easy to reach for and simple to use.

Because of this ease, we are able to take our tangling practice anywhere we go. We can step away from screens and distractions, ground ourselves in a comfortable space, and get lost in our pen strokes. Or when we stumble upon a moment of inspiration, we can stop in our tracks and immediately act on it. No setup required, no inkwell to find.
And beyond convenience, there is something quietly profound in knowing that the ink in our Sakura pens is archival. Our tangles, our marks, our moments of mindfulness will outlive us.

So, the next time you uncap your Micron, take a beat. Feel the weight of it. Think of the Egyptian scribe bent over papyrus, the medieval monk carefully splitting a quill, or the problem-solver who refused to live with one more ink smudge. Then put pen to paper and be grateful because never before in history has it been this easy, this joyful, and this accessible to simply make your mark.

If this has inspired you to take your pen on the go and tangle away from a screen, the Legends of Zentangle collection will allow you to do just that. Walk out to your garden, find your peaceful place in nature, or throw your supplies into a beach bag. This summer, find gratitude not only for tangling practice but also for the ability to take your practice wherever life guides you!