How can I prevent pen ink from smudging on my hands?

Question

When I am writing with a pen, it is annoying when the ink from what I've already written smudges onto my hands. I have already tried:

• Writing slower: This did not help at all.
• Keeping the pen upright: This did not work because it made the writing worse

Unfortunately, I do not know what brand of pen I am using, though it is a regular, ballpoint pen.

Here is a photo of the pen I use:

Also, I am right handed.

Answer 1

Place a barrier between yourself and the paper you are writing on. I have used paper many times to keep my hands from being inked by a fountain pen I was using. You might also consider gloves.

If you happen to have a liquid white glue on hand (I usually have Elmer's nearby), you can place a light coating of glue on the parts of your hands where the ink is smudging. The glue (when dry) will act as a barrier. And it is easy to peel off your skin.

While I haven't personally tried this, you could also coat your hand with wax. I would avoid waxes that pigments that could stain the paper you are writing on (e.g., a dark red wax on white paper).

Another option is to use baby powder or talcum to dry the ink very quickly. This may not work well with all types of ink.

Answer 2

You don't really need special barrier because you can use right handed pen.

For hacking you can add pure alcohol to ink which enables to dry more quickly. I you use regular ballpoint pen just rotate your pen frequently (or use draft paper) to clean accumulated ink around the ball which cause smudging.

Answer 3

Get an art glove, they sell these on amazon and jetpens. They are commonly used for drawing on tablets or in sketch books.