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I love pen and ink sketches by the old masters and try to emulate them myself. I love to sketch with fountain pens when I go out. Though, I think fountain pens lack the depth and character that can be achieved with a dip pen. Fountain pens allow me to record my surrounding immediately at almost any place. Here are some of my quick sketches: Study of a drawing by Titian Live Sketches of trees Live Sketches of people A quick study horse (from TV) Eager to see what you do with your pens beyond writing, Antar Biswas

An interesting blog on using fountain pens and ink from an artists perspective http://www.lizsteel.com/fountain-pen-sketching-part-4-choosing-a-fountain-pen/

There are plenty of reviews about the Desiderata out there, but most of them are from the POV of a copperplate calligrapher, which is this pen's intended use. There are few reviews that focus on drawing, which is a shame, because I think this is a nice, and also an overlooked art tool. In case you haven't heard, these are made by hand by a fine fellow named Pierre Miller in Chicago, and they take disposable Zebra G manga dip nibs. I won't re-iterate the information already available on Pierre's site, but instead I'll dive right into the stuff about drawing, that isn't widely available. Below is a sketch test with Platinum Carbon Black in an eyedropper-filled Desiderata shorty, with some white grease pencil for the highlights, and red marker in the eyes. The sketch is on gray cardstock. Initial results are very favorable. I have read one comment online claiming that, in sac-filler configuration, the pen does not flow enough to keep up with the demands of drawing. My pen does not accept a sac, so I cannot confirm or deny that claim, but an eyedropper-filler provides plenty of fluid pressure, and easily provides enough flow to keep up even with my frenetic drawing pace. The pen did not railroad at all, nor did it exhibit the belching and vomiting mishaps that eyedropper pens are known for. Maybe that's just because, if you draw quickly like I do, the heavy demand tends to stay ahead of the belching. But one way or the other, I did not have the problem. That being said, I'm not ready to junk my dip pens just yet: the Desiderata only accepts the Zebra G, and will not feed inks meant for dip pens such as Speedball Super Black. There are other nibs that I need to use sometimes for different effects, and sometimes I need to use inks that won't work in the Desiderata, and let's not forget I still need a brush for big black areas. But the Desiderata is nevertheless poised to become the workhorse of my comics inking. In comics, speed is everything, because you have to draw so much to finish a book. If you don't have to keep stopping to dip, you can go so much faster. You can also get into a mental flow that is harder to get into when you have to keep dipping, which is why Sergio Aragones has drawn all his strips with a fountain pen for the past 50 or so years. The other tools are useful, but they will be held in reserve to do the things the Desiderata can't do. The Desiderata is also going to cause all my other fountain pens to get demoted from cafe-sketchers to mere writers. For sketching on location, where carrying an inkwell is inconvenient or impossible, the Desiderata is the best pen I've ever used. The biggest technical hassle you are going to run into is nib cleanliness. If you're used to dip pens, you're no doubt familiar with the machine oil with which new nibs are coated, to protect them from rust. You also know that this stuff has to be cleaned off. Well, a nib that's clean enough to dip into a pot of bone glue and lampblack, is not clean enough to use in a fountain pen. I myself learned that I didn't even know what clean was. If there is any trace of this protectant on the nib, the ink will find any other way to flow rather than traversing a hydrophobic surface, if it flows at all. Pierre has videos posted about how to clean a new nib, and how to start the flow for the first time. Watch them. Then watch them again. The devil is in the details, as our pal Old Scratch so kindly points out in the sketch below. Oh, one more thing; make sure you carry a full Desiderata with the tip up. The feed channel is necessarily very large, to accommodate the flow demands of a flexible nib. Also, the sac filler pens can be converted to eyedropper by removing the sac. That's all in the instructions. So that's the review. Happy sketching!

Hi there! After more than one year of intense usage (mainly for drawing) of my Lamy Safari(s) I am thinking about buying a "next-level" fountain pen. In terms of performance do you think it is worth spending money on a better one (gold nib, better construction, etc.)? Is there significant difference between a budget and an expensive pen? (My budget is not that fixed, I can be persuaded - but let's say $150 is the ceiling.) What I've observed with my Safari is that 1) the feed sometimes does not give enough ink when drawing really fast sketches (maybe it is just the ink? used only Lamy and Diamine so far) and 2) I have a slight guess that there must be better performing nibs as well. My requirements of the new pen: - great feed and nib; - reliable workhorse pen - still remains a good pen after 10 years; - reverse writing - at least as good as the Safari; - classic look, the less plastic feeling the better. So far I've these pens in my mind: - Platinum 3776 PTB-5000B - Platinum 3776 PTB-10000B / PNB10000 - Pilot Namiki Falcon (maybe a too big jump?) (- Faber-Castell Loom) Maybe I should try lots of different inks (just ordered Sailor jentle) before boastfully believing I am ready to "leave behind" Safari? Thanks a lot for all the answers in advance! Kind regards, Kristof

So, Im new to fountain pens, and I was was wondering what would be a good fountain pen for drawing and sketching? I have seen in other websites that for someone new to this the lamy safari and pilot metro are kind of the way to go, but i really dont like these all that much. I dont want a pen exclusively for drawing, but I am gonna use it for that a lot. My budget would be around $100 but the price varies here in my country with some pens.

So, Im new to fountain pens, and I was was wondering what would be a good fountain pen for drawing and sketching? I have seen in other websites that for someone new to this the lamy safari and pilot metro are kind of the way to go, but i really dont like these all that much. I dont want a pen exclusively for drawing, but I am gonna use it for that a lot. My budget would be around $100 but the price varies here in my country with some pens.

Hello--I'm thinking of buying a Pilot/Namiki Falcon Soft Fine after seeing several artists state their preference for it and seeing how it writes in video reviews. I am planning to use it mostly for sketching on smooth watercolor or mixed media paper, and would like to use it for writing as well if it's smooth enough. I'm debating whether to go for a stock Soft Fine or whether to splurge for added flex. I've tried looking for posts on this pen with added flex, but it looks like most people who get this pen customized go for the Spencerian customization by John Mottishaw with the needlepoint grind and added flex. However, I don't wish to have anything finer than Fine just because I prefer to have more smoothness than an even finer line. Plus, I'm not going to use this for special calligraphy writing. I've read that this pen is not a true semi-flex pen, but just has a bouncy nib with some personality to the line. This is fine, though I would like to vary the line once in awhile while drawing. So I'm also wondering if "flexing" this pen is fairly easy and not too awkward to do while drawing, or if there's too much of a risk of springing the nib if you're not drawing very slowly and carefully. Thanks for your input in advance.

I'm looking for a pen that I can draw very quickly with somewhere around the $80-150 range, as most of the pens I've used cannot keep up with me. I'd like to have the nib as fine or finer than the Lamy EF - incidentally, the Safari's also the only pen that can keep up with my drawing speed at the moment. The TWSBI EF nib was too fat - I was surprised it was even labeled as "EF". Pilot F nib was pretty nice, but I might go for an EF next time. I borrowed the one I used so I didn't get to test it out for as extended a time as I'd like. What allows me to draw faster? Is it the stiffer nib? I am not super concerned about flex or softness, but it would be a nice bonus. I do not mind a bit of feedback either, as it is something that is to be expected with such fine nibs. By the way, the other pens that I have used so far are: Pilot Custom 92 SM, TWSBI 580 EF, Pilot Petit1, Pilot Prera, Pilot custom 72 F. I tried out a lot of Pilots since I'm aware that Japanese nibs are finer. The pens that I'm currently looking at are Platinum 3776, Namiki Falcon, Pilot Justus 95, Pelikan 140. Any opinions on these pens, or other recommendations? PS, I accidentally spilled a bottle of acetone on my Lamy Safari while doing my nails the other day and the matte finish came off and it looks atrocious. Don't try this at home, kids!

Hello. I have been watching this forum off and on for a couple of years but finally recently joined. I am in Sacramento, California. I use fountain pens almost exclusively for drawing and sketching. I very much enjoy and appreciate reading all the marvelous posts and learning from this forum. I hope to humbly contribute a bit back, perhaps in the form of reviews for others here who love to draw with pen and ink, as thanks to you all for this wonderful resource you have all built!

Hi, all. I'm new here. For decades, I've drawn cartoons with various technical pens. Koh-i-Noors, Rotrings, etc. My favorite of all was a Rotring Rapidograph-- a model that is no longer being manufactured. I've been testing different pens, hoping to fall in love with a new pen. I like a fine or extra fine line, and the ink needs to be ABSOLUTELY WATERPROOF. (Apologies for the shout.) I put a wash over the line, either an ink wash or a watercolor wash and freak if the ink bleeds. The complication is that I'm a lefty. I push the nib; I don't pull it across the page. If anyone has any suggestions about a good fountain pen for lefties, and a really serious black waterproof ink, I'd be "all ears." Many many thanks.

For those of us who sketch or paint, or just love stationery, you are probably on the perpetual hunt for the perfect sketchbook. So take a look at this new Kickstarter project that sounds promising: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theperfectsketchbook/the-perfect-sketchbook-for-travel-artists-and-art,

I have this notebook I bought because of the cover- which has aged very well. The paper has grooves that make it difficult to sketch on it, so I wrote. I have used around half the paper but I am tired of writing against the grain. So, I am looking for a paper that comes close to those measurements ( and I make the holes) or a notepad that I can take the papers from and make the holes myself. It is easy to make the notebook again since it has a thick string that goes thru the holes and ia not at the end of the string keeps it in place. Help will be greatly appreciated

It is nice to find a place where all things FP is the theme. I love writing and sketching. I love notebooks, pens and cameras. I have a small collection of all of the above. A few days ago I saw in a few blog sketches that looked very nice and the authors were sketching with fountain pens. I frantically looked for two I had been given as a gift a long time ago and I stopped using because I used to mess up places in the house with the ink. Now I am finding more information to be able to "activate" them back into my tools. I will be posting the two photos to identify what kind of converter or cartridges I can buy and from whom to be able to sketch and write with them. They have sentimental value, so there is another FP in my future and I hope all the information to be able to choose well will be found on this forum. BTW: I also ordered a Lamy Safari for sketching which should be on my hands soon and I am looking into a few cheap FP for that purpose only. The photos I post here are of these gift fountain Pens of great sentimental value. Nothing fancy, just FP given by people I love and care for, so they are more important than a $200 pen. Please let me know how can I find cartridges and converters if you know. Pierre Cardin will be for sketching/drawing. The one with our ID for writing, just because I like the design. Well, i am sure I will enjoy the forum and I hope I can participate often as I gain some experience.

Hi, I'm a design student and fountain pen user (unlike everyone else on my course!) I use a Rotring Artpen, and more recently, a Lamy Joy with an EF nib. As no-one I know uses a fountain pen for drawing, I became curious how many other people out there draw regularly with fountain pens, and what people use and would recommend. Ink is another topic; are some inks better suited for drawing? Has anyone found a particularly well suited ink? I'm using Diamine Onyx Black at the moment and finding it great.