"Pen and Ink | Sketch" (modern no-name pen)

[Zapped]

The lighting was just a 60W incandescent desk lamp at close-as-I-could-get-it range. The camera was a Cannon PowerShot S300 2.1Mpixel. I think the optics in the camera are probably pretty good (something people tend to ignore too often with digital cameras) but the CCD element is obviously not the latest.

 

The white balance (auto) was wrong for most of the shots and really needed to be set manually for incandescent light. I corrected for that in post-processing using the automatic stuff in Picasa. As you can see I'm not set up for professional photography.

 

I should probably buy a copy of photoshop elements at some point, and a newer camera.

 

You don't need "better" software than Picasa & you don't need a newer camera. This is a little off-topic, but everyone's indoor pen photography could benefit from a tripod.

[ EDIT: I didn't realize until after I posted this that the Canon S300 dates back to 2001, shoots 1600x1200 max (2.1 Mpix), doesn't have manual mode for exposure control, and won't shoot above f/4.7. With that in mind, you probably could benefit from newer model, like any of the Canon A-series. The Canon A560, for example, sells for under US$150 street price. ]

 

Some specific pointers:

 

In the image below, you (or the camera's exposure system) chose to shoot with existing light at -1 exposure, using shutter 1/250s and aperture f/2.8. The low aperture f-stop gives poor Depth-of-Field (DoF) but allows higher shutter speed, which is important if you're hand-holding. You can see that the image was well-focused on the background paper but the low DoF put the pen and ink very much out-of-focus. The -1 exposure also left the image dark, even if you tweaked it a bit within Picasa. The EXIF data doesn't say what ISO (sensitivity) equivalent you were using.

 

 

If you want to improve these images, get yourself a small desktop tripod, set the camera in "M" mode at lowest ISO, chose tungsten (aka incandescent) white-balaance, and also use shutter-delay to avoid vibrations just after your shutter press. If you're in quite close to the subject, setting the auto-focus to "macro mode" will help as well.

 

In the above lighting conditions, if you were already using the lowest ISO, the image would need to be at least 1/125s and f/2.8 to be "properly" lit (moving from -1 exposure to +0 exposure), but possibly as low a shutter speed as 1/60s at f/2.8 (aka +1 exposure) to preserve some detail on the nearly-black pen and ink bottle. To address the DoF problem, you'd really want to go to the max f-stop on your digicam - probably f/8. That's three stops lower exposure than f/2.8, so probably 1/8s at f/8 would give you the desired +1 exposure.

 

You don't need to do those exposure calculations in your head, though. Just set the camera in "M" mode, adjust aperture to f/8, and half-press the shutter release to meter the scene. Slow the shutter speed down until the meter reads between 0 and +1, then take the picture.

 

Hope that's not too much info, and hope it's helpful.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Zapped

[nimrod]

Unfortunately this camera doesn't allow you to set most of those things even in manual mode. There's no ISO setting, and no shutter speed or aperture setting. There's "exposure" from -2 to +2 but I don't know how that translates into ISO/speed/f-stop. I am able to set the WB manually to "tungsten" though, which I should have done.

 

I actually have a little tiny desk tripod, but the macro focus feature is kind of poor. Even in macro focus mode I find that I have to zoom in all the way and hold the camera back a couple of feet to get decent close-ups, and then as you mention it's hard to get the thing to focus properly under these sorts of conditions especially with poor DOF.

 

But from what little I remember about photography, all of your advice seems pretty good. I actually have been able to take some decent pictures at night with this thing by turning on shutter delay, putting the thing on a little tripod, turning off the flash, and letting it automatically select a 2 second exposure or whatever the best it can do is.

 

(And I say I should buy PhotoShop because I find myself using "Serif PhotoPlus 6.0", free crappy photoshop clone, rather frequently and it crashes all the time. I'm just not sure if the "Elements" version is going to have too many features that I want stripped out of it. I tend to do image editing beyond just adjusting color and contrast.)

Edited November 26, 2007 by nimrod

[mj fein]

I found these same pens and No-Shellac India Ink at a place is Sarasota, Fl this Feb. (Art & Frame of Sarasota). I purchased a number of Broad Point pens and I find the pen and the ink to be exceptional for the price. The ink was $4.21 for 30ml and the pens were $16.96 for the pen plus a good piston converter that is worth about $6.

 

I have a large selection of inexpensive but well functioning pens and this sketch pen seems well engineered and well built. The ink flow is excellent although I have not tried other inks in the pens. Contrary to others I find the black ink and sketch pen to lay down a wet and dark black color and it has yet to skip for me no matter how many times I have tried.

 

My only negative is that the cap on one of the pens has lost ABOUT HALF of the this rubber-like coating that covers most of the pen.

 

I am surprised this pen is not getting wider distribution across the US.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately this camera doesn't allow you to set most of those things even in manual mode. There's no ISO setting, and no shutter speed or aperture setting. There's "exposure" from -2 to +2 but I don't know how that translates into ISO/speed/f-stop. I am able to set the WB manually to "tungsten" though, which I should have done.

 

I actually have a little tiny desk tripod, but the macro focus feature is kind of poor. Even in macro focus mode I find that I have to zoom in all the way and hold the camera back a couple of feet to get decent close-ups, and then as you mention it's hard to get the thing to focus properly under these sorts of conditions especially with poor DOF.

 

But from what little I remember about photography, all of your advice seems pretty good. I actually have been able to take some decent pictures at night with this thing by turning on shutter delay, putting the thing on a little tripod, turning off the flash, and letting it automatically select a 2 second exposure or whatever the best it can do is.

 

(And I say I should buy PhotoShop because I find myself using "Serif PhotoPlus 6.0", free crappy photoshop clone, rather frequently and it crashes all the time. I'm just not sure if the "Elements" version is going to have too many features that I want stripped out of it. I tend to do image editing beyond just adjusting color and contrast.)

 

[smcrick]

I saw some of these in a local art store and hesitated buying one since I couldn't find anything about the manufacturer, etc. and was afraid it would be a waste of money. But one day I needed a pick-me-up and this was it. By the time I got to the store, they had sold out all of the extra fine pens. However, they had a fine pen and the extra fine nib was available for $2.40. I bought both. I haven't used the fine nib, but I like the extra fine a lot. It really is an extra fine. It is much, much finer than my EF Lamy Vista. And I'm an extra-fine kind of person, so I like that. This is a nice writer for the price.

[paulyf]

I have the Ink & Sketch with a F nib.

 

I love it.

 

I have also have:

Lamy Safari F

Lamy Studio XF

 

I love this pen so much that I ordered an another in XF.

 

I use Noodler's Black (Bulletproof) in all my pens.

 

At first I thought it was really dry and scratchy ever with the noodlers but IT DOES BREAK IN. and it gets real silky. I like to write and draw and this pen can do both. I find the line is just a little finer than the line produced by the Lamy X-fine nib. Also it is not as wet as the Lamy.

 

I do think the Lamy Studio E-Fine is a better writer in the long run but for $20 you get a pen that can produce fine lines.

 

 

The feel of the pen:

It feels to have the same weight as the Lamy safari and is a feather compaired to the Lamy studio.

The grip is nice and feels just a little thicker than the lamy studio.

 

Its' a keeper and a pen I could use daily for a few quick notes and sketching.

But If I were going to use this for lengthy note taking during a lecture I think It might be a little slow. Just a little.

The Lamy Studio X-fine would be a better pen for taking copious notes.

Edited November 18, 2009 by paulyf

[hardyb]

Possible source/other nib sizes too:

http://www.in2art.com/art-supplies/pen&ink-fountainpenset2

http://www.dakotaartcatalog.com/pen_ink_sketching_fountain_pens_fine-p-1200005.html

http://www.artsuppliesonline.com/catalog.cfm?cata_id=11427

http://www.worldofartsncrafts.com/Penandink.html (also can order extra nibs at 4.49 each)

[bluemagister]

I've trashed this pen in other threads because I've somehow managed to get several bad ones in a row. However, I contacted Art Alternatives and they're sending me a replacement EF pen. I am thinking of putting some Noodler's black in it when it arrives.

 

Nice kanji practice, by the way! Did you practice "kou" because you like the pen? (^_^)

[paulyf]

I just got the EF nib. I switched out the F nib.

I like the EF nib sooo much better. I dont think the line is any finer to tell you the truth. I think there could be a QC issue with the pens. But this EF nib with Noodlers black is a dream to me. I love it. Most of my use is skecthing and short notes so it is perfect for this for the price..

[mooshi]

I've tried the F (or maybe nib in the store and I thought it was nice. I wasn't too fond of their ink though (it seemed to write dry, but that's just MHO). My friend bought one on a whim, but since they didn't have the F or B in stock, he got EF. We both didn't like it and found it too scratchy. Maybe it was just our pen, I don't know, but I don't think I would buy another. In an F or B, maybe, but definitely not another EF.

 

-- Moo

[bluemagister]

UPDATE!

 

I got my replacement pen and it works really well! It's a fairly smooth writer and the converter holds a nice charge of ink. I've run Noodler's Nakahama, Bad Belted Kingfisher, Bulletproof Black and now Heart of Darkness through it and it performs flawlessly. The rubberized barrel makes it easy to hold, too. It writes a sort of angular line and I like using this for correspondence. I picked mine up on clearance at an art store for $10 and I'll probably go back and get a couple more to use as test pens for new inks.

[jorgerp1]

Nice pics!!!

[cutechocobos]

nothing special, and most likely worth the price (no more or less)

 

Seems to be a schmidt nib.

 

I've seen these sets up at amazon a few days ago.... I also had the same question in my head.

[Ed Ronax]

Great review, thanks.

[ebakken]

I bought this pen and returned it to the store after one use. The nib is cheap and flexs too much...This is akin to a bic ballpoint in my mind. POS.

 

Every chinese ebay pen I've bought has been a much better writer and better built than this pen.

[MJ Vesuvius]

Interesting review, and thanks for the pics. Not bad at all.

 

I have several of the Pen and Ink pocket journals and they are

great. Better, in my opinion, than Moleskin. Better build, padding,

paper, and bleed resistance.

 

– MJ

[79spitfire]

I bought one of these at the local Arron Bros. I found it really scratchy and kind of "skippy" with the "pen and ink" brand ink, however it likes Noodlers and vastly improves the performance of the pen. If it will improve with use I would like it better. The rubberized barrel is easy for me to hold. The balance is fine for me, but I'm not really picky in that area. I do find (at this time) that my Lamy Safari is a superior pen. I'll keep working with it and if they come up on sale perhaps I'll get some more in different nib sizes. This may be a good pen to experiment with a "nib tuning" set to see if I can get it smoother.

[Chrontius]

I don't own the P&I pen, but I did pick up a bottle of the ink (I was desperate). And I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with it. It seems... dare I say it... bulletproof?

 

I was curious, so I made this test. The "Zep" and "Oxy" things didn't get exposed yet, and the "Wet" test involved laying down water on still-wet ink. Otherwise, the ink was written with a Hunt 512 extra-fine drawing dip nib. "Carpet Stain" was Stanley Steamer branded stain remover. The light laydown test involved using the very tip of the nib to see how it went down. The scribbles and lines on the bottom corners were chromatography experiments with water.

 

So yes, I'd say that the claims presented on the marketing materials are actually a little conservative.

[Deb T]

I realize this is an old, inactive topic, but I bought the "Pen and Ink | sketch" pen, just like the one pictured a few months ago. I really like the looks of the pen with it's simple matte black surface. I must say that mine has been absolutely smooth flowing. I was impressed for such a cheap pen.

Maybe, as with some Chinese pens, the quality is variable - some good, some bad, but I bought a broad and extra fine point and they both perform beautifully too.

[watch_art]

It is a pretty nice lookin pen, huh? Hmmm... that finish is great looking. Is the trim pretty nice looking or is it cheap and poorly put together feeling?

[gpathy]

Hi Nimrod, Thanks for the review.

 

I got hold of the EF version of this pen yesterday. Though there were mixed reviews on this pen, I had to try it by myself since this is recommended by non other than the great sketcher Glenn Vilppu.

 

The pen outof the box was scratchy, and skipped.. then I realized the 'breaking in' thing. So I kept at it for a while, and finally when the nip breaked in, it started to show what a lovely sketching pen this is. I am not quite clear about the "nib" break-in, maybe its the feed that needs time to get saturated, or maybe even a new pen needs a good wash, or flush. Anyways good thing is this pen got past that curve

 

Though I can't technically nail down the difference between a skecthing and writing mechanics, this pen lends to sketching very much. The rapid short strokes, the long flowy lines, are all smooth and silky. It adapts to all kinds of strokes at ease and the ink that came is pretty good. Nice dark and crisp lines.

 

At this point it appears close to my Rotring Artpen, though this seems a bit extra fine than my Artpen EF.

 

Overall a great pen. with nice looks. the matt metal trim and the pen looks very good and elegant. The size very comfortable. Looks like this might take the spot of my favourite daily sketcher.

Edited May 3, 2011 by gpathy