Need a flexible, inexpensive pen recommendation for an art student

[pen tom]

A friend asked me to recommend a pen for an art student. The student wants to do line drawings with ink and wants the wonderful variation in line thickness

that comes with a flexible nib.

As a collector of Waterman pens from the 1930s and earlier, I first thought of something like a Waterman 52, great pen, great flex.

But as I thought about it I thought that this might be too expensive and too fragile for a young art student.

Then I thought of the pens from FPR (Fountain pen revolution) I have 2 of these and some are quite inexpensive and have a lot

of line variation.

 

But then I thought that there is probably a whole world of inexpensive, flexible ink pens out there that I am not aware of.

So if anyone has some recommendations, I would greatly appreciate it

Thanks you

[lamarax]

...he needs a dip pen, not a fountain pen 🙂

[pen tom]

Thank you Lamarax, that is a great suggestion.  But if he also wants something more portable.......

[IknowWrite]

How about a manga fountain pen with a Nikko G or Zebra G nib?

 

https://ackermanpens.com/products/manga-g-nikko-classic-fountain-pen

 

ETA: I've seen videos of people using fountain pens with "G" dip pens.  The one I linked to was the first one that came up when I searched for "Fountain pen with Nikko G nib." I have no experience with it.

[lamarax]

3 hours ago, pen tom said:

Thank you Lamarax, that is a great suggestion.  But if he also wants something more portable.......

 

When we sketch, our movements tend to be very swift and "all over the place", because our hand needs to coordinate with an avalanche of visual 'data' coming from the brain 🙂

 

Fountain pen nibs are: a) very delicate and b) their feeds can't provide adequate and consistent flow; i.e. more the flex, more abundant ink flow and more deliberate constrained pace is required, thus rendering fountain pens least suitable for the purpose.

 

Signed:

A professional artist and tutor (as it happens, alas) 😛 

 

PS: of course, one can draw with a ballpoint, so there's that. I mean, fountain pens are not inherently made for that, so why not let him discover his own tools. Generally speaking, a stiff wet nib would be better controlled than a flex especially as a starter; that's my recommendation.

[AmandaW]

Line variation can also be achieved with a fude nib (by changing the angle of the pen). Jinhao call theirs art nibs  They're cheap and come with a converter.

[A Smug Dill]

5 hours ago, pen tom said:

But then I thought that there is probably a whole world of inexpensive, flexible ink pens out there that I am not aware of.

 

There isn't. In all likelihood, the only suggestions with regard to modern ‘flexible’ nibs you'll get are associated with the FPR brand.

 

30 minutes ago, AmandaW said:

Line variation can also be achieved with a fude nib (by changing the angle of the pen). Jinhao call theirs art nibs

 

Thank you very much for your input as an artist and a fountain pen hobbyist! If @pen tom's friend is looking for the end result of line width variation, nobody should jump straight to solution mode, before first looking at all the different tools (that may require different techniques to wield and utilise to maximum effect) in the market. Leaping straight to one's preferences, instead of leaving the field wide open (especially when confessing to not knowing all there is to know in the landscape), isn't helpful.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

5 hours ago, IknowWrite said:

How about a manga fountain pen with a Nikko G or Zebra G nib?

 

https://ackermanpens.com/products/manga-g-nikko-classic-fountain-pen

 

ETA: I've seen videos of people using fountain pens with "G" dip pens.  The one I linked to was the first one that came up when I searched for "Fountain pen with Nikko G nib." I have no experience with it.

You beat me to it. This is what i was gonna post. I also have no experience with it but i know i saw lots of videos that looked like what the OP is looking for. 

[IknowWrite]

1 hour ago, AmandaW said:

Line variation can also be achieved with a fude nib (by changing the angle of the pen). Jinhao call theirs art nibs  They're cheap and come with a converter.

 

Speaking of fude (basically “calligraphy brush” in Japanese), if the OP’s friend/the art student is open to other tools to try, brush pens are also great ink pens that produce line variations. The Tombow Fudenosoke is a favorite of many artists for line drawings and inking artwork, as well as for lettering artists and calligraphers. There are also a variety of great brush pens from Kuretake to choose from- with nibs that run the gamut from small rubber to larger foam, to real-brush (synthetic bristles) brush pens.

 

I personally love using both dip pens and brush pens for my art- both line work and calligraphy/lettering. I have a variety of fountain pens- mostly vintage- and wouldn’t want to risk ruining my nibs by pressing too far, ya know? That being said, the only “super-flexible” fountain pens I own are over 100 years old, sooo….. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Also, they truly can’t compare to a dip pen in terms of flexibility…thus my suggestion for a fountain pen fitted with a dip pen nib. Best of both worlds!)

 

If your friend has their heart set on a fountain pen, though, well…the heart wants what the heart wants. 😂 Whatever pen y’all decide on, I hope the art student truly enjoys using it, whether for artwork or plain ol’ writing. Good luck!

[ruby.monkey]

The Osprey Pens Scholar with Zebra G nib unit works surprisingly well and doesn't cost the earth. For quicker sketching, Ackerman's sketch nib is good (as are the classic Osmiroid shetch nibs in Star-Flo or Easy-Change guises, although those can be harder and more expensive to find).