Are Any Pens Best Suited For Drawing?

[Lothianjavert]

I suspect the answer is that any fountain pen you have will work fine.

 

Agreed! Some of my best pen and ink drawings have been with an old Sheaffer school pen-it was my main writing tool for many years, and if I was stuck in all-day meetings for several days straight, the end results could be pretty cool! I do like the micron pens, especially if I'm doing fine work. I miss the sets I brought home from Japan with me years ago and used to death. I also have dip pens and assorted nibs for them for line variation that most of my standard pens can't get. I guess it really depends on what you want.

 

If you are like me and do a variety of things, you'll draw with whatever is handy, but also amass a collection of items for different styles/effects. There is no one "perfect" item that can do everything. For some things I like F or EF nibs. For others, a flexy nib, or a nice big bold or italic. Or another medium entirely.

[stevlight]

Noodlers flex pen is a great inexpensive choice.

 

I love my MB 149's but these noodlers are great.

 

My Trains Go and Trucks Go books were drawn with sticks dipped in ink!

 

It is all about which tool suits the kind of drawing you wish to create.

[krz]

I've got a handful of vintage pens I like to use for drawing. A couple old Waterman's and Wahl's for flex drawing and a Sheaffer's rigid ultra-fine for crosshatching.

 

I am looking forward to trying out the Noodler's flex pens for drawing as I think I get too picky with the paper I use for the vintage pens (low tooth). I'd love to use an inexpensive tool I don't have to worry about.

 

Also, the old Osmiroid pens were good with the sketch nib fitted. They can still be found on eBay.

[Oldtimer]

Interesting article. I agree with the fine nib and ball tip comments, because that suits my typical sketching needs, but these vary between individuals. I disagree with the flexible nib comment - I prefer the nib to be stable in its line width, again, because this suits me. So the thing will be to fit the nib to your style. Personally, I don't like italic nibs for drawing - the variation of line width according to direction of stroke is unhelpful, IMO.

 

I find the Pilot 78G a great drawing pen and as cheap as you could wish for, even though it's rather a small pen, and an overenthusiastic stroke will not be a financial disater!

I second the 78g F. The F nib is like a EF. Since i discovered it i use it for my sketches all the time, I also favor the Pilot Heritage SFM which has a soft nib. Useful for special effects. Many people use the Namiki Falcon, also a good choice which I use in conjunction with the previous two. As someone commented you could draw witha rock if properly inked. I sometimes use a Noodler's Creaper which in its normal, non flex mode can draw a fine line and holds a lot of ink. I am thinking about trying a SF TWSBI for the big amount of ink it can store on its tank; t has a never ending supply of ink.

 

Since this is an old question, i would love to know what did he chose to use and how it went!

Edited October 1, 2014 by Oldtimer

[Kimo]

Use whatever pen you like if you are going for a more technical look - that is all of the lines the same width. For me, though, I do not care for that effect in my drawings, I prefer something that will give me a variable line that I can control so brush pens are the only choice for me.

[amcityink]

The question for me is, what ink is best for FP drawing... I sketch with my FP's... usually thin nib with noodlers Black X-feather or MB Black Perm. Lamy - MB - Vsiconti pens work for me.

 

But inks dry way... way too slow, smear even after they dry, or goes on the facing page if you're drawing in a sketch book... Also, non water proof inks are horrible -short - Long term for drawings and illustrations.

 

For work I need done right the first time I use Pigma Microns.... I may, touch up at the end with FP... but very rarley use FPs for anything but writing and sketching.

[Christi0469]

As much as ai love Pilot pens, including the 78G, I think the OP would have ben best served with dip pens. They are inexpensive, use a inks that fountain pens cannot and can give insane line variation.

[JulesSilvan]

Depends on what kind of feel and type of line you prefer, do you want a rigid nib or something with a bit of give? Drawing tools can be a personal thing.

 

If you like Microns, why not look at Rotring Isographs or Staedtler Mars pens?

[Icywolfe]

Depends on what kind of feel and type of line you prefer, do you want a rigid nib or something with a bit of give? Drawing tools can be a personal thing.

 

If you like Microns, why not look at Rotring Isographs or Staedtler Mars pens?

Are you replying to the OP? This is from 2011

 

 

Dip pens with the Gnib has very thin lines.

[Polanova]

_SAILOR Fude Pen!

(ca. 30 EUR)

[Kataphract]

Kind of an old thread to revive, but for those wandering by and having the same questions...

 

You can use virtually any fountain pen - some may suit your style and scale better than others, but that's entirely personal. If you are only drawing at home/studio, then look into using dip pens since they are more versatile in what inks they can use (pigmented rather than dye, for example) and come in a lot cheaper and easier to get line variation. It is more pleasant to draw with a good fountain pen, but you do give up something in your ink restrictions. If you sketch on location, then a dip pen and ink becomes a much bigger pain. On location means you might want to consider size, weight, secure cap posting, reliable start up and non-skipping, large ink capacity, etc. and not just fixate on the nib. If you have to have a fair amount of line variation, things become a lot more restricted. Modern pens have very little for the most part. Vintage pens require a certain amount of familiarizing yourself with the market and wading through what's available at any given moment, plus time and expense. You can get something like the Noodler's Ahab, but that often (not always) requires a certain amount of tinkering, and though it does get some line variation, it's a bit of a wrestling match to get the stiff nib to flex. Yes, you can mod it fairly simply for easier flex, but that's just another level of tinkering rather than drawing you may not want to bother with. There's not a whole lot of other cheap choices - the Platinum Cool/Balance allegedly has a soft nib. Maybe some other can give recommendations - but the best I can figure but can't afford yet is a gold-nibbed pen costing $100 or more modified for flex by a nib specialist ("nibmeister") which adds vaguely $40-100 to the price of the pen, so somewhere in the vicinity of $150-250 (you can always go higher, of course), which I wouldn't call cheap, and you probably don't want to commit to until you have played around a bit to decide what you really want or need.

 

But if a simple modern fairly inflexible nib will suffice, then some standards are:

 

Pilot Metropolitan. One of the best bang for the buck pens around, now available in a fine point. A Pilot Prera ups the price quite a bit for the exact same nib, but has a better converter, compact barrel, and clear body. You see the ink level in a clear body, and nothing is worse than being on location and running out of ink (well, okay, maybe the ink leaking everywhere). You can always drag the ink bottle along, but that's just one more thing to carry and one that has a potential for catastrophe if it leaks/breaks. Fine and medium point - be aware that Japanese nibs run finer than western nibs.

Lamy Safari. Very popular and widespread. I despise the triangular grip but plenty of others love it. Solid if unspectacular pen. Also available in a clear body (different name but otherwise the same) and a more expensive but non-triangular grip barrel.

Pilot Desk Pen. God, I hate the desk pen style, it comes with a bulky cap, and you can (must?) lop off the long tail to make it more transportable, but it has an interesting advantage - it's specifically designed to work with Platinum Carbon Ink, which is a heckuva lot more waterproof than just about any dye-based ink that claims to be waterproof. Fine point only.

Noodler's Ahab. (also Konrad and Nib Creaper) Mentioned above. I modified mine - still not the most reliable of pens, but hey, it flexes, and not too hard after modding it. Not all that fine of a point, though. Still, a good learning experience.

 

But again, if you want to get an inexpensive Platinum Preppie, disposable Pilot Varsity, or cheap Chinese pen off eBay so that the shipping costs more than the pen, you can probably happily draw with it.

[mik]

Pilot penmanship , gives you a superfine Japanese EF for small money. As for drawing with fibre tips - no thanks, there no joy in it for me at all.

I drew with a dip pen for many years until I realised I wasn't really using the flex at all - certainly there's a load of hassle involved in their use if you aren't using the flex.

What pen you end up using truly is a matter of personal preference & your style of drawing, as others have wisely said.

Edited October 2, 2014 by mik

[Fountain-head]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I just wanted to also add my thanks both to the OP for creating this thread and to all you guys for these recommendations. I've tried out many of the pens mentioned in this thread including both the Noodler's Creaper Flex,and the Ahab, as well as the Sailor Desk Pen and the Lamy Safari. I love drawing with all these pens and I was wondering if you guys could recommend a great flex pen for drawing.

 

I love how my Creaper writes and I'm in the market for a flex that writes similar to the Creaper and can go from ultra fine thin to super thick, but that holds more ink ( Similar to the Ahab, but if it holds a sufficient amount like the Lamy and writes just as smoothly, I'll be equally happy). Anyone know of any pens with great amount of flex they can recommend me? I'll especially consider vintage pens that are reasonable priced. Looks don't matter too much to me, as long as the pen writes nice and smoothly, and with variety of line weight.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Fountain-head

[balson]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum and I just wanted to also add my thanks both to the OP for creating this thread and to all you guys for these recommendations. I've tried out many of the pens mentioned in this thread including both the Noodler's Creaper Flex,and the Ahab, as well as the Sailor Desk Pen and the Lamy Safari. I love drawing with all these pens and I was wondering if you guys could recommend a great flex pen for drawing.

 

I love how my Creaper writes and I'm in the market for a flex that writes similar to the Creaper and can go from ultra fine thin to super thick, but that holds more ink ( Similar to the Ahab, but if it holds a sufficient amount like the Lamy and writes just as smoothly, I'll be equally happy). Anyone know of any pens with great amount of flex they can recommend me? I'll especially consider vintage pens that are reasonable priced. Looks don't matter too much to me, as long as the pen writes nice and smoothly, and with variety of line weight.

 

the only way to get a flex nib thats better than a modified noodlers pen is to go vintage.

 

the beauty of vintage flexible nibbed pens is that each one has its own character. even if you narrowed it down to something as specific as semi flex waterman 52's they are all going to write a little differently. finding affordable vintage pens is tough. you are either going to spend significant amounts of time hunting them in flea markets and antique stores or pay a premium to buy a restored one that someone else has found. large pens with a good ink capacity tend to cary a premium. shorter thinner ladies pens tend to be more affordable and reasonably comfortable if posted.

 

popular recommended brands for finding a flexible nib are watermans, wahl, moores, and conklin. there is no garente that a pen from any of these manufactures will be flexible but they seem to have higher rates of flexible nibs than some other manufacturers. there are more thorough recommendations here on the FPN that you can also find with the search feature

[Fountain-head]

 

the only way to get a flex nib thats better than a modified noodlers pen is to go vintage.

 

the beauty of vintage flexible nibbed pens is that each one has its own character. even if you narrowed it down to something as specific as semi flex waterman 52's they are all going to write a little differently. finding affordable vintage pens is tough. you are either going to spend significant amounts of time hunting them in flea markets and antique stores or pay a premium to buy a restored one that someone else has found. large pens with a good ink capacity tend to cary a premium. shorter thinner ladies pens tend to be more affordable and reasonably comfortable if posted.

 

popular recommended brands for finding a flexible nib are watermans, wahl, moores, and conklin. there is no garente that a pen from any of these manufactures will be flexible but they seem to have higher rates of flexible nibs than some other manufacturers. there are more thorough recommendations here on the FPN that you can also find with the search feature

 

Thank you for this response.

 

I came across a pen that might need restoring, but just to restore will cost quite a bit, so what you're saying seems about right.

 

I had never considered Ladies Pens either. I wouldn't mind the gender, as long as the pen performs well.

 

I'll keep my eyes open for pens posted in this forum. Thank you!

[sidthecat]

I've bought a Waterman Commando for my boss (we produce animation for Disney) because he gets more out of my pens than I do, and he loves World War Two artifacts.

[SujiCorp12345]

Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with a PO nib looks good for sketching from what I've seen from a few members here.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Suji

[Dickkooty2]

I've been working my way through Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain with a teacher. I am trying to do the exercises in both pencil and in ink to learn how to do shading effectively with rendered contour in pencil and cross hatch in pen.

 

I am using a Preppy which I have converted to an ED so I don't keep running out. I've also tried the 78 which was effective and a Pelikan 400 with a flex nib. Also a 1940s German General with an extremely flex nib from the ebay seller in Istanbul.

 

I find that the preppy is the best for where I am. I don't need i.e. don't know how to use the flex in a truly controlled way for the drawing exercises. Prior to this set of lessons, I have used the preppy and a Pel M10 drawing in Geneva and Vienna last spring and the results were fine. I find that black ink can give me the effects I want and I can add color either with art magic markers or nice colored pencils. To me the line is the dominant element rather than the color.

 

In short, unless you are really up there with your skills and demands, a cheap but acceptable pen is just fine for laying down an interesting line. And somewhat better in a pouch that you are taking on the road.

 

Dick

Edited November 23, 2014 by Dickkooty2

[Fountain-head]

I've bought a Waterman Commando for my boss (we produce animation for Disney) because he gets more out of my pens than I do, and he loves World War Two artifacts.

 

Pilot Custom Heritage 912 with a PO nib looks good for sketching from what I've seen from a few members here.

 

I looked up the Pilot Custom, and while it is a really pricey pen, it looks great. Can anyone help me understand what those different sizes mean? When I get stable work, maybe I'll treat myself to that or to a Nakimi Falcon. I've been using a Pilot Penmanship and a Pilot Metropolitan and I wish I had an Extra Fine pen that I could do some high quality sketching with, without skipping. So far, the Penmanship is very scratchy and dry but if I'm lucky, it might give me a couple of good drawings. Same with my Hero 616, I have one that wrote like a medium and now I'm on another that writes like an EF but goes dry very quickly. Could be the ink I'm using for the latter (It's Noodler's Black Ink) but I dunno. I like them but I'm tired of having such inky hands...

 

I like Dickkooty's suggestion of the Preppy. I've noticed that the Preppy has a fine extra fine nib too, and it's good for the price. Can anyone mention some more EF pens for drawing?

[Oldtimer]

I would like to get started on using fountain pens, preferably as cheaply as possible for now. Are there recommended pens that are good to use for drawing or does it not matter? Currently I personally use a few variety of sakura micron pens - the size I go through most is the .005 (.2mm)

On the cheapest side I have used the Pilot 78 G fine. Great smooth fine lines. Also the Pilot Prera F also. One of the best and cheap side is the Pilot Penmanship, holds a lot of ink which will free your mind for drawing. I do love the Pilot G and the Penmanships for drawing.