Introduction to Fountain Pens For Artists: A Primer For The Beginner
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- Опубліковано 27 чер 2024
- This video is for artists just beginning their fountain pen journey. The amount of information out there is staggering, much of directed at writers and collectors, rather than artists, forcing you to find information where you can. This video, therefore, is a primer specifically for those that want to draw with their fountain pens and briefly covers 11 topics:
0:00 Introduction
3:08 Topic 1: Why to draw with a fountain pen.
6:18 Topic 2. Fountain pen anatomy, wherein I briefly cover the parts of the fountain a discuss some of the things to think about when looking for a pen.
13:12 Topic 3: Were we discuss the exciting world filling systems, the pros and cons of each, and which I think are best for making art.
22:12 Topic 4 : What types of nibs are particularly useful for the artist, and the differences between steel and gold nibs.
27:28 Topic 5: I’m going to talk about vintage pens, what’s so good about them, and whether they’re worth getting.
29:33 Topic 6: will be about pocket pens, a super useful category all arts should be aware of.
30:38 Topic 7: is about basic pen maintenance and includes a discussion of cleaning, maintenance and filling accessories
36:01 Topic 8. We’re going to cover the many kinds of inks out there.
39:19 Topic 9 will cover papers. What are the best papers to use for fountain and how to choose a paper that will work best for your pen.
40:43 Topic 10: What should you look for in a fountain pen, how much you should spend on it.
42:51 Topic 11: I’m going to give you additional resources: Where to learn more about fountain pens and where to go and buy them.
Here are some useful links to other videos where you can learn more.
Fountain pen recommendations:
The Best Fountain Pens For Artists: • The Five Best Fountain...
5 Cheap Fountain Pens For Artists: • Five Cheap Fountain Pe...
Introduction To The Fude Nib: • The Art of the Fude
Introduction To Eyedropper Filling Pens: • Introduction to Eye-Dr...
3 Pens For The Beginning Artist: • Beginning fountain pen...
Introduction To Pocket Pens: • Pocket Fountain Pens F...
Videos On Fountain Pens With Flexible Nibs:
Flexible Fountain Pens: • Flexible Fountain Pens
A Comparison of Pilot Flex Pens: • A comparison of 4 pilo...
Vintage vs Modern Flex: • Vintage flex vs Modern...
Cheapest Flex Pen: • A cheap and effective ...
Videos on inks:
Shading inks: • Introduction to Shadin...
Waterproof Inks: • Waterproof ink for fou...
UA-cam Chanel Recommendations:
Stephen Inks:
/ @stepheninks
Jonathan Weinburg:
/ @drawingwithfountainpens
Online Retailers:
Gouletpens.com
JetPens.com
Goldspotpens.com
FANTASTIC VIDEO Art professor!!!!! This film is the Gold standard in the fountain pen genre... No nonsense information. Given in a kindly and humorous manner...🎖🎖🎖🍻
My pleasure! I'm glad you found some of this funny. I was worried. :)
What an excellent video, thank you very much for your time and effort. I am not a beginner but still watched it from beginning to end with full attention.
My pleasure. Glad to hear it was interesting even for someone who's not a beginner.
Marc, thanks so much for this thoughtful and informative video. As one who has loved and used fountain pens for over sixty-five years, I heartily recommend your videos; all your topics are so timely.
My pleasure! It’s curious that most of the kindly comments come from experienced fountain pen users, instead of the beginners this video is intended for. Just goes to show that we fountain pen people will watch anything, so long as it’s pen related!
Great info, as always. Now I'd like to add my 2¢.
1. Gold nibs are bogus. Save yourself $1k by not following my example.
2. I think it is best to start with a really cheap pen, recommending the Pilot Varsity which is pre-filled, disposable. See if you like it before spending real money.
3. Regarding flex nibs, my vintage does not produce results markedly better than my modern, despite what EVERYBODY says. However the price ranges are similar, so there is no loss in going vintage, other than the old fashioned filling system. And fragility.
3. Shading inks cannot be used to put down an even coat over an extended area.
4. Sheening inks in my experience do not sheen much on absorbent art paper like bristol board or multi-media. For maximum shimmer use "coated" paper like Tomoe River. Or Yupo plastic paper, but then you may need fix. And use a brush or even pour it for full sheen.
5. Beware ink swatches. Unless you use ink in a brush. Ink from a pen is almost always a different color than the swatch.
6. If you are going to put your drawing on the wall, you need lightfast ink, or it will fade. Try not to be tempted by beautiful color inks that will fade. Moving forward, I am standardizing on De Atramentis Document inks. I will live with the limited palette (and I do use many colors), in order to get something that doesn't fade.
7. I find it useful to wear gloves or use a handbridge to keep from touching skin to paper, which can transfer oil to the paper, leaving a semi-resistent fingerprint. I guess you could just put a piece of copy paper under your hand as well.
This comment is way too long, sorry.
Great comment as always, more like a dollar’s worth.
1. I have exactly one gold non-flex pen, a Pilot 823. The nib on it is fantastic, but I suspect it due to the extra quality control given to gold nibs rather than some inherent superiority of the material. I will not be buying any more gold nibs, unless they’re flex.
2. I disagree with going super cheap at the beginning. I think you need to try a pen with good build quality and a very good nib to have that road to Damascus moment. A Pilot varsity won’t get you there, but a 30 dollar investment will.
3. True: vintage flex is better, but marginally, and the advantage is not worth the extra hassle of having to coddle a fragile antique.
4. Shading inks are supposed to be uneven and varied, that’s their charm.
5. I wish I had touched on the archival issue. Will have to add an addendum at some point.
Great video, Marc!! Very thorough and informative! Thank you for this video!
My pleasure!
Outstanding! Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
Excellent! Wish I could’ve watched this when I first got into fountain pens, especially since videos on using these pens from an artist’s perspective are much more scarce than those for writers.
Thank so much. That's what I found when I started researching fountain pens: way too much information, not enough for artists.
I love your videos and I think this format is great! Thanks!
Thank you!
Marc, this is one of the most comprehensive, succinct, and intelligent videos I've seen on the topic. Congratulations on a stellar production. If I had a quibble with any point, it would be that I think you overstate the risk of flying with a fountain pen. I have done it many times without mishap. But that doesn't take away from my appreciation of your video. Best regards.
Thank you! My experience flying with fountain pens hasn’t been catastrophic, with a few pens leaking into the caps. But this is pen dependent (and pen position dependent). At any rate it’s still a good practice to empty your pens when flying.
Such a helpful video ! Thank you , have subscribed so looking forward to more videos !
Thanks for subscribing! I’m glad you found my channel.
I just discovered you! What a lovely surprise. I have watched 3 of your videos now and subscribed because I enjoyed them so much. I have 3 fountain pens and this video has now goaded me into getting the out and learning to use them. I hope you have a blessed and joyful year. Thank you! 🙏☮️❤️🖖
Thank you for the kind words, and the subscription! I’m happy to hear that my videos got you back into fountain pens.
looking forward to watching
Thanks!
Great video. Everything is clear and understandable. I bought myself a sailor 55 and platinum ef. I'm trying to find colored ink. There is waterproof mascara and I also draw with a pen. Your channel is a godsend. I am happy to watch all your videos.
Thank you very much.
My pleasure! I’m glad you’re finding my videos useful.
Hey! Thank you so much for your videos!
I’m a beginner in drawing, it is exactly what I wanted to find! All your videos is a large difficult process, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
My pleasure! I’m glad you found my channel.
Topics! 🙂 I want a Time Machine and send myself to the future and watch this all over. Absolutely brilliant. Regards, my old Me.
I'm confused. Don't you mean to the past, so you can rewatch it? In either case, thank you so much! :)
Greetings sir, love your long insightful videos. I would be happy to see videos about fountain pens and their techniques and how do artists use them so that they dont dry up while taking pauses when uncapped.
Thanks! There really no way to keep your own from drying up when uncapped. The good thing is that if the ink is water soluble you can quickly get it started with some water (or saliva.) Remember to keep it capped when not using!
One newer option is using an ink from Private Reserve that doesn't dry out on the nib like a typical ink. I haven't used any of these inks yet, but reviews indicate they work very well. I think they're called Infinity Inks.
Very informative.
Thanks!
nice intro...thank you
My pleasure!
I enjoyed this very much, despite knowing the information you presented! Wonderful overview. Chapeau.
That’s high praise. Thank you!
Thank you for this video and the further resources you included at the end, although there's enough info on your channel to keep me busy for some time.
I'm new to drawing with a fountain pen, although I loved writing with one 30years ago, and then lost the way. So it feels like I stumbled upon a great treasure here coming back to 'the fountain'.
My pleasure. I’m glad my channel rekindled your love of fountain pens.
Hi Marc! I've been drawing for 4 years, started with manga style so i kinda got used to g-pens and brushpens, then switched to semi-realism, i really liked a course from a master that drew with fountain pen and i took a liking for it instantly so i bought some fountain pens to see how it goes. I really like that your video is deep and insightful! I bought the Pilot Mr 3 retro pop orange which has ink cartridges and it'll arrive tomorrow! Im really excited to try it out :) Also bought from aliexpress the huongdiao Nr 7 blue as it was simply gorgeous but it will arrive in 2 months roughly so i have some time to get used to the cartridge before switching to refillable ink haha. I loved all your videos and i am excited to see your future ones! Hope that one day i can share my experience too
Greetings from Argentina
Thanks for the compliments! I’m glad you found my channel, and are enjoying my videos. Saludos desde Los Angeles!
I'm a simp for Diamine inks. They're cheap, colorful, easy to clean out of pens, and widely available. I do really love Pilot black though.
Also: Kokuyo Campus paper. Splendid for doodles and sketches as well as notes.
I love Diamine inks too!. Fantastic colors, and thinks are always so well behaved.
I'd just like to tell you that I recently (this month) bought a couple of fude pens as for your recommendation and I absolutely love them. The Hongdian Black Forest and the Duke 551, which is a behemoth of a pen but fits perfectly in my hand. The Black Forest could be a little bigger but it's good anyway
Glad to hear that you used some of my recommendations. That Duke 551 is so much fun.
Fascinating video that teaches so much to the experienced as well as the beginner. Can I also commend the Leheit cases ? I followed your recommendation and bought the tardis-like double and am delighted with it. Many thanks.
Thank you as always!
My most used is a pilot custom 1974 EF. Drawing and writing. Mostly drawing. I do love my Falcon but frustration is that it doesn’t hold as much ink, the custom spoiled me.
One of my favorites, and one often recommend, though I prefer the soft fine nib.
I want to say: Thank you, thank you, thank you! I always wondered how shaded inks would work for artists and fountain pens, and the video you made regarding the topic was such a surprise to find that it really makes me excited when searching for my first bottle of ink.
I've been biasing myself with the look of blue inks, but the shading inks you showed are really making me reconsider my options. I'm surprised you like Navajo Turquoise though. I was worried it would be a bit "eye" hurting to look at in terms of drawing but look fine with handwriting
You’re very welcome! While I did recommend Navajo turquoise as an ink with strong shading properties, it’s not one I often use in my own work. I do enjoy work with unorthodox colors, but you’re right, that color is a bit too intense.
@@mkompan I recently got my first bottle of ink and despite all the choices there was, one that didn't seem common but caught my eye. Noodler's Navy.
Unlike traditional Navy with blue-grey hues. This instead has blue-green, which I've seen people commonly strike points off the ink for, but from the research I found, it was different for a very good reason. Noodler's Navy is based off of ANA-623 Glossy Sea Blue. The same paint color that U.S. late-war Corsairs and naval aircraft used during WWII and a bit beyond, and just there, with that history, and the fact it does shade made it my first bottle ink I've purchased, and to my knowledge, the shading to turquoise is either based on how early formulations of ANA-623 weathered to a turquoise color or how early naval camouflage leaning towards the turquoise side of things.
Upon using it, the blue is dark but rich, and the shading ends in turquoise, but not blindingly so. Despite it's name, I think it deserves far more attention than being stuffed into the back of the catalog.
One thing I will say though, warm orange lights will muddy the colors, and make more of the green show, which is where I think people complain about the ink looking more "green than blue." Where you'll see the best 'true' color of Noodler's Navy is under natural lighting where the Blue is extremely rich, almost as if you could grab the lines and pull them off the page. For some test subjects-every Sunday is a classic car meetup and upon going there, I can definitively say-in the metric of opinion of course-the ink looked utterly beautiful.
Hi Marc,
I love your in depth videos. I recently discovered Ackerman fountain pens, that use traditional dip nibs, like Principal, Brause rose, bandzug, etc. Obviously Ackerman pen is for those who have some competency with traditional dip nib drawing. I have six of these pens, three inked with Diamine like inks and three with w/proof acrylic inks. I put in the caps of those tine pieces of foam. It works very well - I usually moisten the nib with a waterbrush and start to draw. You have to change the nibs, of course, from time to time.
It takes some time and effort to get used to them. And of course, i always have a plentiful supply of tissue ready... These pens can be temperamental. But the idea of using nineteenth century type traditional nibs is very attractive for me.
Id love to know your opinion about Ackerman pens. Thank you for your videos.
Hi Dmitry,
Ackerman pens have been recommended to me multiple times by commenters and I’ll have to try them soon. The foam in the cap trick works really well, and allows you to use India ink in your fountain pens (so long as you keep it regularly moistened).
Geometry and design from my metallurgy and metal fabrication background has in both material science and practical use have far more impact than metal used up to a point.
Now ease of fabrication can often have a large impact in metal choice on the quality of final produced item. It's why brass is often chosen, ease during fabrication for high quality products.
Those are my non scientific findings as well. The material is rarely a large factor in whether I like the pen.
Great video as away Marc! If I were to get a Pelikan M200 for drawing and writing, would it be better to get a fine or extra fine? Thanks.
Thanks! I don't have modern Pelikans in my collection. Goulet pens has a helpful chart with the line widths of many common brands. It might help you decide. I have to say, there doesn't seem to be any significant difference between the Pelikan steel ef and f nibs.
www.gouletpens.com/pages/nib-nook
Great video!
Just one question. What do you think of lamy fountain pens? They're very well known, but you haven't mentioned this brand?
Thanks! My brand knowledge has some gaps to it, Lamy being one of them. Their design has never appealed to me.
Have you ever tried blue dew nibs? It looks like a leonardt principle dip nib and supposedly can be friction fit into jowo size 6. they’re supposed to pretty much be a zebra g that doesn’t corrode in a fountain pen
No I haven’t tried the blew dew. Something about it doesn’t appeal to me. The body is very cheap (I believe the same as some Lorelei models) and the nib though non-corroding is untipped and will still need replacing over time.
@@mkompan yeah I was mostly after the nib not the body but I didn’t know it would still need replaced. I’m after a flex nib that produces hairlines when non flexed but I’m tired of replacing dip nibs. Thanks for the reply
Have you activated affiliate links? I plan to make some purchases based upon your recommendations and would like you to be fairly compensated.
I haven’t yet, but will get to it soon. Your appreciation is all the compensation I need (for the moment). :)
Hi, can you please make a video about drawing with a ballpoint pen?
That’s a good idea. Perhaps I’ll do a video using other kinds of pens, fine liners, ball points, roller-balls, etc.
@@mkompan especially a ballpoint one please 🙏 thank you so much marc!
I put Bayside blue ink into my Ackerman flex pen and have a gummed it up. I tried scrubbing it with soap, water, and a toothbrush I tried soaking in vinegar and scrubbing it again, but I can’t get the ink to Flow anymore. Any ideas on how to fix this?
I don’t have experience with Ackerman pens or Baystate blue, but I suspect you have a clogged ink channel, which a toothbrush won’t clean out. Try running a piece of acetate through it (or some other thin plastic).
all nibs are friction fit, even in the Pelikan and Montblanc just in those cases they have been mechanically mated with the collar.
You are technically right. But in this case, by friction fit, I mean nibs and feeds that don’t use a screw-in housing unit.
Marc have you ever tested the Jaipur v2 with an ultra flex nib from fountain pen revolution, I wanted to know how good is this pen for drawing because I'm looking for buying a flex fountain pen
My only experience with FPR pens has been with the Himalaya, and it was such a poor experience that I haven't bought another pen from this company. Their nibs are great, but I think better used on other pen bodies.
@@mkompan thanks for the answer, i think i will stick to the noodle Ahab as a first flex pen
18:08 do you know wha the name of that pen is? Thanks!
That’s a TWSBI vac 700r.
thanks - love your videos @@mkompan