Ductose refers to the shading of the letter forms and penstrokes. The heavy and thick strokes denote pastosity. While thin strokes are often referred to as sharp or icicles. Here we are not referring to the thickness caused by the writing instrument, nor the actual pressure; it is the quality of the penstrokes themselves.

Usually, most writers fall somewhere in the middle and the traits of pastose writing do not apply. There is a fair percentage that write with pastosity. Very few writers are sharp.

When a person writes with sharpness and icicles; it is easy to see that this person is cold, perhaps callous, and unfeeling. The writing looks mean and cold. This is the type of person who could have a sharp tongue and be sarcastic. We're talking about a very cold and insensitive person. You can expect to see an upright or leftward slant with an icicle writer. These people are emotionally numb and ascerbic.

One can easily see that the opposite is true of a person who writes with pastosity. They are warm and sensual. Here is a person who will immensely enjoy pleasures, even vices, such as food, drink, gambling, massage, smells, tactile stimilu [stimulus of touch]. They enjoy sexual pleasures because of this, and enjoy foreplay. If the handwriting is high form level and lacks leftward tendency; then it is a person who not only enjoys the sensuality of life, but wants to share it freely with others. Pastose writers tend to be easy going and are non-combative. If the handwriting is low form level; then they allow their sensuality to get carried away. They can be consumed by the above mentioned vices; especially with their sexuality. Nymphomaniacs have the combination of pastosity and low form level.

Murderers will often be either very pastose or very sharp. They tend to be at either extremes of the spectrum. Ted Bundy has writing that is very sharp; while Charles Manson and Jack the Ripper were very pastose. Bundy would be cold and calculating; while Manson and the Ripper were highly passionate and excited about watching their victims suffer. They would have enjoyed running the blood of their victim through their fingers. Blotting, which is in the Ripper's writing, indicates this aspect of decadence.

Pastose writers create their handwriting with a felt tip pen or some type of similar instrument. They do not have to press hard to create the writing action. It also flows over into life. These are the people that like to take it easy, and accomplish that which is easy. They will ofen be vulnerable to obstacles that stand in the way of projects or goals in positive handwriting. Conversely, the icicle or sharp writer expects life to be hard and difficult and cuts through obstacles well.

Most people are right in the middle with regard to ductosity. Again, a little sharp or pastose is nothing to worry about; it is when these traits become an extreme as in the examples of the aforementioned murderers that I would start to worry.

Ductose or ductosity is the thickness and shading of the penstrokes
Thick shading are called pastose
Thin strokes are called sharp or icicles
Icicle writers are unfeeling, uncompassionate, cold people
Icicle writers can be sharp and sarcastic
Pastose people are very sensual and vulnerable to vices
Pastose people are excited by taste, smell, touch, sight and sound
Pastose writers want to do things the easy way
Pastose writers don't like struggles or obstacles
Icicle people can withstand the harshness and coldness of life
Icicle writers are not intimidated by obstacles, but relish the challenge
Extremes is highly negative; many murderers are one extreme or the other

Important Note: Remember this is just a very basic explanation of this particular aspect of handwriting. It is expressly for the purpose to show the validity by explaining this complex science in simplistic terms.

Do not attempt to analyze a person's handwriting with just the information stated above. Graphology is a hollistic science; one characteristic on its own is fairly meaningless unless an extreme or coroborated with other graphology traits.

Leave handwriting analysis to the experts like us. It takes years to be highly trained and skilled in this field, and to learn, study, and recognize all the graphological traits that incorporate this science.