Drawing With Fountain Pens

[waterobey]

Does anyone on here draw with fountain pens? My 11 year old is an artist and he loves drawing using a variety of pens. Recently, I got him some Faber anime markers. He has never used a fountain pen though. If anyone uses them to draw, which should I look at for him? thanks!

[MyNoblePen]

Rotring makes a art pen. I draw with my fountains. I tend to have more favorable results with the wetter writing nibs that I own.

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't (yet). I was thinking that a broader nib might work better than a fine one (somewhat echoing MyNoblePen's comments). I may try using the Guanleming calligraphy pen I just got, but haven't had a chance to ink it up yet -- been having to deal with other stuff besides pens for the most part today (including stoopie hotel reservation sites...) :bonk: .

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[ravantra]

Here is one artist who uses a FP among other media.

 

http://www.gentianosman.com/

[coleam]

Does anyone on here draw with fountain pens? My 11 year old is an artist and he loves drawing using a variety of pens. Recently, I got him some Faber anime markers. He has never used a fountain pen though. If anyone uses them to draw, which should I look at for him? thanks!

I doodle occasionally with my Ahab, but I'm not much of an artist. However, the Goulets coincidentally had a blog post last week about fountain pen art: http://www.inknouveau.com/

 

A basic flex pen like the Ahab or the Noodler's Flex would be both inexpensive and fun to play with for an artist, due to the line variation. You can get anywhere from a very fine line to a very broad line in a single stroke, which is great for adding perspective and emphasis to a drawing. Finer pens can also be used to ink line drawings, and I've seen some people using water-soluble inks to create washes (ink a drawing, then brush it with water to add shading).

[linearM]

I have been using primarily a fountain pen for my drawing for about 6 years. I like a fine nib for drawing. My pen of choice for drawing is a Namiki Falcon, too costly for an 11 year old and I think a TWSBI might be too large and heavy. A refurbished Esterbrook might be just the thing. They are relatively inexpensive, have interchangeable nibs, and are smaller and a better fit for a child sized hand. Some of them have beautiful plastic which might have some appeal and a refurbished Esterbrook often runs in the $35.00 range. A Lamy Safari might be another good choice, they can be found in art supply stores and could be touched and held to see how they fit the individuals hand. They are durable and fairly inexpensive but some complain about the grip but they can be used with a cartridge or converter. An Esterbrook would have to use bottled ink.

 

I'm a retired elementary art teacher and remember using a fountain pen for drawing when I was in upper elementary (I think mine was an Esterbrook). I enjoy using my fountain pen to do a drawing and then using a watercolor brush with water and going over areas to get sort of a wash effect.

 

Let me know if you get a pen for your 11 year old artist and how they like drawing with a fountain pen. PM me if I might be of any additional help.

[stevlight]

I draw with my fountain pens.

 

When i was his age i drew with Shaeffer school pens. Shaeffer has a $15 dollar pen the VFM out now that looks very good. FYI--These take standard international cartridges though not Shaeffer carts!!

 

People LOVE the Lamy Safari--i never cared for it.

 

The Noodler's Ahab is a great pen if you get a good one.

 

Parker makes THIS ONE--have not tried it may be bad!

 

I got THESEfor my nieces--they are 8 and 11 years old--they love them--get a medium or broad nib so it writes smoother

 

Hope that helps--I mostly draw with MB 149's with vintage flex nibs done by Richard Binder--a little excessive for a first pen!!

Edited April 9, 2012 by stevlight

[bitterwonder]

My first fountain pen when I was 7 or 8 was a 1935 Waterman, which I used all througfh school and 50 years later still draw with.

 

Whatever pen, get your child one that flowswell, it is frustrating if a pen doesnt work properly.

 

The Rotring Art pen is nice but for me, a bit long to carry about. And to me the purpose of a fountain pen is to carry it about and draw with it.

 

My Lamy Safari works well, I often lend it to my coillege students.

 

Steve Light is quite knowlegeable and His suggestions are smart.

 

I hopoe your child gets a new notebook/sketchbook to use with the new pen.

[NedC]

Yes, I prefer either Japanese fine and extra fine points for most work but then I'm used to crowquill steel dip pens which are fine and much scratchier than any fountain pen, or something a bit flexier like the aforementioned Noodler's Ahab which unfortunately takes a bit of work to work properly.

 

I must say that I love Lamys and Lamy Safaris with EF nibs are wonderful and can be nearly as fine as a Japanese pen, they are durable, comfortable, light, adaptable and colourful and have easily changed nibs.

 

A restored Esterbrook J series is a fantastic and reliable drawing pen though is probably more fragile than any of the other pens mentioned and is likely to be more expensive too.

 

Sailor makes some very interesting nibs that can give really interesting brush effects, namely the Zoom nib, which is available in steel on the 1911 Young/Somiko pen for about $50 - 60 from some ebay sellers in Japan, I really like mine for filling larger black areas and bold outlining, shadowing and the like. They also make a couple of bent nib calligraphy pens, not Western calligraphy but Kanji, they have long barrels and can be used much like a sumi brush. Jetpens.com sells calligraphy models for under $20. You can also get a lot of more conventional Japanese fountain pens like the Sailor Neo HighAce or the Platinum Preppy or Pilot Plumix for under $20.

 

Currently my favourite sketching pen is Pelikan m205 with a steel Condor nib from Richard Binder, it's a bit less excessive than stevlight's MB 149s but still a bit much for a first fountain pen.

[eliaselrod]

I second the Noodler's flex pen -- not the Ahab, it may be too big -- because of the line variation. When I don't want to mess with flex, I use a Sailor Sapporo music nib and a Sailor 1911M extra fine nib. They are both put down a good wet line, with little or no skipping.

[waterobey]

Here is one artist who uses a FP among other media.

 

http://www.gentianosman.com/

wow, scary talent there.

[waterobey]

Thank you. Great answers, all. I have an old pelikan pen which i believe has interchangeable caligraphy nibs. Anyway, this one has a gold or gold filled non-caligraphy nib. I paid about 35.0o for it 20 years ago. I gave it to him tonight to see how he liked it. He definitely seemed keen to try it.

[ObserveClosely]

The Pelikan P55 Future Fountain Pen with a medium nib is pretty rough n' tumble. I wouldn't hesitate to give one to an 11-year old. Fitted with a converter, it'd be a nice wet sketcher. And all told, less than thirty bucks.

[pmsalty]

Yes, and yes. When visiting Disneyland I carry a sketchbook with a Wingsung 237, and Esterbrook M2 with semi-flex nib loaded with Noodler's Black, and a Yellow Lamy Safari EFf loaded with Waterman's Havana Brown. Been doing this for years.

PMS

[krz]

I like the Noodler's Ahab pen but I agree it might be too large for a smaller hand. So +1 for the Noodler's flex pen.

 

Also the vintage Osmiroid sketch nib can still be found on eBay. I've used one for many years and they will work in the venerable Esterbrook pens.

[beak]

I draw for a living - often picking up a fountain pen for quick concept sketches and so on. Many people find that a flexible or italic nib helps them because of its line variation - I find just the opposite, and greatly prefer a fine round nail because of the control and the consistency. Lamy Safari EFs are used a good deal, and for the price are very hard to fault.

 

Please tell us how it goes and maybe show some of the drawings?

Edited April 10, 2012 by beak

[P.A.R.]

I doodle occasionally with my Ahab, but I'm not much of an artist. However, the Goulets coincidentally had a blog post last week about fountain pen art: http://www.inknouveau.com/

 

A basic flex pen like the Ahab or the Noodler's Flex would be both inexpensive and fun to play with for an artist, due to the line variation. You can get anywhere from a very fine line to a very broad line in a single stroke, which is great for adding perspective and emphasis to a drawing. Finer pens can also be used to ink line drawings, and I've seen some people using water-soluble inks to create washes (ink a drawing, then brush it with water to add shading).

+1

[oldcards]

For what it's worth (and it isn't much) I too draw with fountain pens. Every cartoon I do for magazines now is drawn with a fountain pen.

I started out using fp only in my sketchbooks and sticking with dip pens and India ink for cartoons being submitted.

Oh, I used to search high and low for a new pen or ink to try, waiting for that perfect and magical combo that just spurted out cartoons. Spent tons of money and now I have drawers and cabinets full of pens, markers and inks.

I couldn't find a pen or marker that would give me a line with life and I could travel with. Trust me, you will get some looks from security in the airport when you travel with an assortment of dip pen nibs.

When I found the Noodler's flex pens, I fell in love. I love how they draw and I love the cheap price.

It's similar to spending lots of money on fancy and expensive sketchbooks. The more they cost, the less you draw in them. It's subconscious and over the years I have proved this theory to myself. I believe the same is for pens. Sure, I love my MB 146 but I won't be out at the park drawing with it. I certainly won't be forcing the nib or experimenting with it!

 

FPs have also made my drawing "less planned" and not so stiff. Although I am still quite stiff and spending a great deal of time loosening up my line.

I used pencil and then ink my art. I would work and re-work a piece to death, erasing pencil under dried ink. Scraping to make perfect lines.

Now, I may pencil a rough from time to time but I draw my finished pieces directly on clean board with fp and Noodler's ink.

My pens of choice are Ahab, 1936 Parker Vac, Lamy Safari and the standard Noodler's flex pens.

My kids love drawing with the standard sized Noodler's flex pens.

 

Below are a couple of cartoons from this week that were done with an Ahab and Noodler's ink.

 

Andy

 

http://www.andybroome.com/fpcartoon01.jpg

 

http://www.andybroome.com/fpcartoon02.jpg

[Gcouch]

I draw with a Manuscript calligraphy beginners pen. It was only $15, so it wasn't a bad buy for the money. It was my first FP, and was just lying around the house so i thought might as well get some use out of it.

[inkstainedruth]

To oldcards:

Is the avatar art your work? Love it!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstained ruth