The pen you said you "never use" and inherited from your grandmother looks like a Montblanc No. 22 or 24. I have the exact same pen with a medium nib. It performs wonderfully. I speculate your grandmother would want you to use that pen to render some excellent art. The pen has a history; please give it a future.
@@NatureSketchbook I have a safari, esterbrook, and TWSBI too. I am getting into doodling. I look forward to trying out fountain pens in my sketchbook.
Julia: If a pen nib is too scratchy, less than 2 minutes to fix it. You purchase a set of Micro Mesh sheets from (anywhere). You make figure 8's on one of the sheets with a fully inked pen. You test it on good paper every 10 to 15 strokes. You will tune you nib to your hand in no time.
@@NatureSketchbook You are correct. They are very tiny particle abrasive sheets. 1200 or 1600 grit takes of so little metal that it will not harm your nibs in the least. See if you can find a video or two on smoothing out a nib before you invest time and money. Since drawing paper is kind of abrasive, the scratchy feeling my disappear over time.
I'm a new fountain pen user, I have my dad's old Lamy Al-Star, a Kaweco Sport and a Pilot Metropolitan. I'm looking forward to drawing with them next time I do any drawing.
Preppy for the win. Like you show, the Platinum slip and seal cap gives the best results for keeping pens from drying out. I just refill the cartridges with a syringe. I like the Sketch inks, but my favorites right now are Kakimori pigment inks (expensive) and the Write and Draw Octopus inks - another German brand. They are wonderful. Brown Penguin is my favorite at the moment- a rich reddish brown.
Yes, Preppy all the way! :) I too use a syringe with the cartridges. I'll have to look into those Octopus inks, I like buying local supplies. Do you know if they are lightfast?
I love using fountain pens. I am happy to see that Sketch ink is waterproof. I have a small collection of inexpensive pens, and I use them daily. Thank you for your video.
Sketch with a Twsbi Diamond 580. Pen flows well, and starts first time after standing for days. Has a nib at moment but would prefer something finer. Going to use it with Platinum Carbon ink and watercolour. Thanks for the video.
I started with the Platinum Preppy and now have three, the 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5. All charged with carbon black though. Brilliant pens for the money and a good starter.
Thank you Julia for the tutorial. I've recently started sketching and watercoloring. I've tried technical pens, dip pens, fountain pens, different pencils, and even cut sticks dipped in ink. The fountain pens have relegated most of the other tools to the sideline for now. They have enough line variance to do the job, and I don't need to carry a huge bundle of tools.
Thank you Julia for sharing great tips on this topic. I’m just now beginning to use fountain pens for journaling and you answered many of my questions.
Great video, thanks so much for sharing. I would love to see your grandmothers pen as well. This motivated me more to look at these cheaper pens instead of obsessing over more expensive pens that won't help in my techniques I have to build.
Have been a fountain pen fan for years, still have my Parker pen from my school days back in the 60’s. Love Kaweco and have one and would love a brass one, but they cost $150 Australian. Lamy is also in my collection. Pilot pens from Japan are very good value for money. The Kakuno (under $20) is advertised as a starter pen for kids, but don’t let that put you off. The Prera ($70) reminds me of the Kaweco, is a brilliant little pen. Japanese nibs are a lot finer than other pens. I am Also a fan of the fine line. Enjoyed seeing your collection.
Yeah, those brass Kaweco pen are quite stylish. I had thought about getting the Kakuno, but I think it doesn't have a clip on the cap? There's also the Pilot Prefount, basically the same as a Preppy but with a nicer plastic body. I too love Japanese pen nibs a lot for their fine lines.
Kaweco Sports convert really well to eyedropper pens- loads of people have done it. Toss those tiny adapters, apply a small amount of clear silicone grease to the threads of the barrel, fill the whole barrel with your choice of ink, and use it at least a little bit every few days.
Check the individual ink makers recommendations before doing this - some of them (like Octopus) recommend only using their waterproof inks in a converter, and emptying ink out and cleaning pen every 4-5 hours, so converting to an Eyedropper pen in those cases would be pointless.
I love my fountain pens, too. I use them for art, journaling, everything! You can use the barrel of the Kaweco as a cartridge. I think you can do the same with the Preppy pens. I used to do this all the time. I applied a bit of silicone grease (which I got from a fountain pen store) to the threads to keep the ink from leaking. JetPens has a tutorial (just search "how to fill an eyedropper fountain pen").
Yay, another fountain pen fan! :) I'm too chicken to use my fountain pens as eyedroppers, I always envision them leaking all over my stuff. But maybe I'll just have to try it! :D
@@NatureSketchbook I was really scared the first time I did it. I kept the pen in a plastic baggie just in case and checked that it was twisted closed properly all the time. But, I never had any issues.
I have a very similar Montblanc fountain pen from my mother. Do use it! They are such a joy to write with. It can be repaired if the piston cork has dried out. This may be costly, but so worth it. My Generation learnt to write with a pelikano, but they looked very different from the ones you get now.
Ah, that's great to hear, thanks! I'll definitely use it again, I need to get some nice ink for it. I really hope the piston still works. Yeah, school fountain pens these days look like space ships.
Such an informative video ! Thank you. You need to apply silicone grease on the thread of your kaweco. This was they won’t squeak when you open and close the barrel 😊
I use fountain pens too. My every day sketches are with fountain pens. But the inks that I use are the normal water soluble ones. Would love to see some of your fountain pen ink sketches too😊
Many of my sketches from the last 12 months feature fountain pen + watercolor, and I also used this for my recent orchid illustrations. I try to do more ink-only sketches lately. :)
Preppy is amazing to use for drawing and inking. They work well on any paper type with good ink flow. We also have some Lamy's, Jinhao/Gullor, a few other brands, and glass pens. Lovely group of tools to work with.
I bought a pair of dip pens and waterproof ink recently and one pen worked briefly and failed but the second pen seems to be ok. Your tutorial is so useful. I grew up taking school notes with Shaeffer fountain pens so I still enjoy ink pens but I've never used them for sketching because I am only now in my watercolor period. Lol. I would like to learn to sketch and use the dip pen in some way. So, thank you for showing me how the Lamy, kaweco, etc pens work. I've been curious about them.
Have you removed the oil coating from the dip nib? Sometimes that can help: when the nibs are new they have an oily residue against rust. Rub it gently with alcohol or a bit of dish soap. That can help. It can also depend on the angle, on the pressure or on the ink, but some dip nibs just won't start. I think ink and watercolor looks amazing together, so definitely give it a try. :)
Good morning. I use several types of fountain pens: Sailor Fude bent nib angle 55 degree, Sailor Fude bent nib angle 40 degree and then my newest, Number72 Wancai Mini Transparent Pocket-Size Eyedropper Fountain Pen Fine Nib 0.5mm. This little pen fits in my altoid tin with gouache mini pans
Thanks for the video! I‘d like to add that you can get additional nibs for the Lamy Safari for about 8€/$ each and they just slide on/off. The Preppies are great, you can refill the used cartridges or you can easily turn it into a „eye dropper“ pen. They’re great tools or pens to throw in a bag on the go.
I use fountain pens for everything, tbh. I love them! I especially love the pilot falcon flexible nib. Pretty expensive, but awesome, with such an expressive quality in the lines ❤
Hi Julia, I know you posted this video almost a year ago now and I enjoyed watching it. I looked over the comments and didn't see anyone tell you this, but, you can remove the TWISBI Go nib (carefully, since the feed wings can be a bit thin and you don't want to break them) and clean the pen. Grip it on the sides and give it a slight twist/pull and it will come right out. When you do this, you will be able to see which nib you're using. They just put the F or EF down so far that once it's installed, you have a hard time seeing it. To reassemble, just hold the nib and feed as you did before, and a slight pressure into the section will seat it as good as new. Cheers, and draw on!!
Thanks for sharing, Julia! I love to use fountain pens for drawing, but I tend to prefer the bolder lines. Also use a fude nip quite often. But actually, apart from the nip sizes, my collection of pens and inks is very similar to yours. 😂 I never tried to dilute the sketch ink, that’s a fab idea! Have you ever tried to use fountain pens on top of water colour? It gets very scritchy scratchy and unpredictable in a good way. Love the effect!
Sounds good. :) I'll have to try and embrace bolder linework some day. When the Sketch ink is diluted, it can become a bit dry and scratchy when you add too much water. So actually using the mix can get difficult. But it produces lovely subdued lines. Fountain pens on top of paint often is to uncontrolled for my style unfortunately, but I love pencil over paint!
I had not seen this video, that's why I did not knew about the colored fountain pens. I'm not sure I could keep all of those from drying. But it would be so nice to have the color variety ❤
It's always a joy for me to see fountain pen artist videos. During the pandemic years, I rediscovered fountain pens and used them for artwork. They certainly have character and vintage old school vibe that I love, but also a tricky learning curve. I'm looking forward to seeing more videos on this channel. (Pd) Have you ever considered eyedroping your Kaweco pens? I've done that myself, and it takes out a lot of the stress of the fear of running out of inks. Keep up and looking forward to seeing more of your art.
Thank you for following along Efrain! I don't dare to eyedrop my fountain pens, some years ago I had a huge ink leak and since then I'm cautious. But it's fine, I almost never run out of ink since I use it rather sparingly.
as others have already said, great video, great information, thanks for making and uploading! I've recently caught the fountain pen "bug", I am now obsessed with them, and different inks, and papers, mostly for writing now, but I am excited to try them for sketching as well. danke schon! Ich liebe Füllfederhalter!
Thank you for the demonstration for these different pens and inks! I ordered two Kaweco pens earlier today (they are just so cute) and I'm already excited to test them with my inks. I also found that my Lamy Vista tends to dry out faster with the sketch ink from Rohrer & Klinger in comparison to the Rotring Art Pen but I'd like to have something more portable (the body of the Rotring is just so long xD ). So I might follow your advice and rather use water soluble ink with the Lamy going forward.
Thanks for sharing! I found some vintage Parker fountain pens for cheap at a thrift store. I love fountain pens. I use the SketchINK from Rohrer and Klinger in Thea which is a dark gray. I want to try some of the other colours. I also use liquid watercolour in Sepia in fountain pens...the brand is Ecoline. This works very well, but the lines are then water soluble. I just discovered another waterproof ink that can be used in fountain pens called Octopus Write and Draw ink and hope to try it soon.
I prefer fountain pens for drawing and sketching. I am a mixed media artist and I took a couple decades away from fountain pens using the Sakura Micron and Staedler Drawing pens. In the end, I prefer the quality of the experience of using a fountain pen. I like the unpredictability of line in my work style. I also like the way a fountain pen wears over time. I don't get any joy from disposing of writing tools. I even reinvested in a set of technical drawing pens. Haven't used those since my drafting classes in college, but I missed the feel of them. I use a great combination of inks. Would like to try to Sketch Ink, but for some reason it is incredibly expensive to purchase here in the US at the moment. Thanks for a great overview!
@@NatureSketchbook I mainly use Carbon Platinum in my Lamy pens (I have both a broad and medium nib Safari and one of the wide nib Joy calligraphy pens) and Noodlers Lexington Grey in a set of Pilot Parallel pens. I recently purchased some permanent Koh-i-Noor ink for the technical pens including some translucent white but I haven't put it through the paces yet. I agree on the leaking issues, especially taking them into the field, but mine are great just on the desk. My Lamy pens do go out with me in my plein air kit wherever I go and they have been wonderful!
I neglected to give the Platinum Preppy an honourable mention, under $10 OZ and a pleasure to use, excellent ink capacity, lovely flow. I have the extra fine nib (02) and at this price can afford to expand the range to fill with more coloured inks.
Thank you Julia! I am a bit exasperated with tiny little plastic converers for kaweco sports. You need to squeeze etc. Piston converters are better?? Did you try to fill used cartridges with syringes??
Thanks for sharing this…I appreciate the reviews! I have the same Kaweco green sport and love it too. I also like the Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib but am getting an extra fine as I love the finest lines as possible. I’m switching over from dip pens too. I’m definitely going to get a Platinum Preppy in extra fine after your video. Thanks again for the video! 😊
Yeah, definitely give it a try, it's such a nice little fountain pen. Over the last few months I noticed I almost like the Preppy's F nib better because it's not as scratchy, but for the finest lines the EF nib is slightly better. :)
I was somewhat sad I didn’t even see the nib on the montblanc. 😢 I generally use fountain pens after watercolor or standalone sketches. If I do figure drawing, I start with a hard pencil and fill in the details with a fountain pen. I’ve been looking to learn hatching techniques, but that’s a bit difficult for me as I’ve never done it before. For sketching, flex nibs are the way to go.
I use fountain pens for my out and about urban sketching but I’ll take along one fine liner like a Tombow / Uni or such for fine tuning lines after everything dries. I also have quite a bit of mixed media items for home fun. I have been using Platinum Carbon but I just ordered some Sketch Ink. Sketch Ink costs between 15 and 20 dollars here, depending. Thought I’d give one a try even at that price. (It should last a good while). Thanks for the info.
@@NatureSketchbook I got the “Lily” and I just love it. 😻 It’s somewhere between black and sepia but not and has a vintage gorgeous look that’s somewhat hard to describe. It’s being used with an EF and an F nib at present.
I have been journaling with my fountain pen for years, but this year I have started to use them while sketching! I too love the Sketch Ink many shades and reasonable price. I am using my TWSBI pens for sketching and am wondering about a flex nib if that would be fun in sketching? I really want a TWSBI mini for when I do urban sketching. So that will be my next pen. Loved this video!
That’s how I like to sketch , inks are fabulous and easy to use but did not know of the waterproof fromR R&K Discovering through you the waterproof sketch inks. I use about the same set of cheap pens that are very useful! For my honey. Many thanks!
Would be interested to hear what you think of a fude nib. I think there is a Spanish company that makes a fountain pen that you can use India ink in. It’s pricey, but looks beautiful. And thank you so much for the post. I enjoy how clearly you present things.
Fude nibs are often a bit broader, so they don't really work for my style of drawing, but I love the calligraphic effect they produce in writing! I would never dare to put India ink into anything that I can't take apart completely or wipe clean (like a nib), so that sounds like a great pen!
@Julia Bausenhardt I have done it for years now. Only one leak so far but it was from a crack through the threads that was there when I bought pen so just got another. I do keep a couple with cartridges just for convenience but the eyedropper pens have so much ink convenience is almost moot. Goulet pens has an episode on eyedroppering them.
I have 4 Kaweco Sports, and love them, but the one Fine nib will not reverse write, no matter what I try, though the 3 mediums do, beautifully. Is there anything I can do??? 😭
very helpful thankyou julia i learned a lot. would like to try a preppy pen - do you need to buy a dedicated preppy convertor to use the bottles inks, or do generic ones work?
I think you will need a converter from Platinum (the company who makes Preppy pens), I'm not sure if other converters will work. You could also open the cartridge that comes with the pen, get the ink out with a syringe, wash it out, and then insert the new ink. But that's very messy. ;-)
Thank you for the informative video. I love Sketch Inks, but wondering why they don't offer neutral Sepia color. "Ruby" and "Lilly" are great but skew Red or Green. Sometimes just want to grab a neutral brown without mixing.
I think they do have a very dark brown color, but it's rather muted and cool. Since this video I've switched from Sketch Inks to De Atramentis and Octopus Write + Draw, since the Sketch Inks had lightfastness issues for me.
@@JO--Art I was a bit disappointed too, but then I found they don't say anything about lightfastness on the ink bottles. The other inks are twice the price, but I know many sketchers who are happy with them, at least the De Atramentis (the ones that can go into fountain pens are called Document Ink).
@@NatureSketchbook Thanks again for this info. Yes, very disappointing since I have many of their colors. I'm going to look into De Atramentis. I read on someone's blog (I'm still trying to find again) that some of their colors faded, but not too many. The browns and blacks all held up. Think I'll stick with those colors (when it comes to ink) At least watercolors list pigments (easier to know for sure). The Octopus inks look beautiful, but read somewhere that they're not easy to mix.
Same experience as you, Julia. I don't use Lamy safari anymore for the Rohrer & Klingner Sketchink. It dried out too quickly. Since I discovered Preppy, I use it a lot and it nearly never dries out. It took a time to write out the cartridge with which it comes, but now I fill it up with a syringe without any problems. My fineliners are not in use anymore. The tips are worn out too fast, even while they are not empty and that bothered me. I even bought some of them, labeled eco-friendly, but they were dry. With a dippen I have no good experiences so far. I can't get my pen to write more then a few letters and this is not enjoyable. But, as I said, I love my Preppys and perhaps I will give your short ones a try.
I am always worried about using waterproof ink in fountain pens. Have you any thoughts on this? Do you thoroughly wash out the pen after every drawing session? If I use non-waterproof ink (when I'm not painting over), can I safely leave ink in the pen or would I need to wash that out too? I'd like to have a fude pen in my sketching kit I can just pick up and go out for the day, without having to fill it each time and/or wash it out asap.
If you use non-waterproof ink you'll be fine, this kind of ink is literally made for fountain pens. Waterproof fountain pen ink will usually be fine, too, some fountain pens clog after a while when the ink dries up and there can be pigment residue. It's best to use a very inexpensive pen (like the Preppy) or one you can take apart completely (like the Lamy). I've had good results with De Atramentis ink, the R&K Sketch Ink I show in the video dries up a bit quicker inside. I do not clean my pens after each drawing session.
@@NatureSketchbook Thank you for the feedback. I've obtained some waterproof R&K and also non-waterproof Diamine inks and I'm going to experiment with both in my Sailor Fude pen and I'll also get hold of a Preppy and see how I get on. Thank you again.
I'm so sorry it took me ages to reply to your comment! By now you've probably forgotten all about this. ;-) Here are a few videos in which I used fountain pens/dip nibs with colored inks: ruclips.net/video/lOqtl2FGFzQ/видео.html ruclips.net/video/oLhsJ--oY68/видео.html ruclips.net/video/vZyT3TQIfd0/видео.html Hope these are what you were looking for! :-)
@@NatureSketchbook ohh thank you Julia! Btw do you have a video on water disposal? I have been painting for a while and cannot find much on safe disposal for watercolours. I feel awful now that I have been dumping my watercolour water on the sink. I have seen something about filtering it and others recommend letting the water evaporate. What do you use?
@@InkNSap I think letting the pigment settle at the bottom and then disposing the water in the drain is fine, this is actually what Schmincke recommends: www.schmincke.de/en/know-how/good-to-know/disposing-of-washing-water-colour-medium-remains I have to admit I often dispose my water as is into the sink, but you're right it should be fairly easy to organize a container and collect the pigment. The only other aspect I'm really mindful about is to never dump my painting water into nature, I always come back from outdoor sketching with a lot of dirty water. ;)
Hi! Thank you for sharing. A really nice and interesting insightful video. Very helpful. I would love to learn more about that special fountain and ballppint pen two-set that belonged to your grandmother. The logo of the little white star/flower on top of the black cap of the fountain pen caught my eye because I have a pen (only ballpoint) with the same logo. It's very elegant but I never use it. The cartridge ran out of ink a long time ago. My mom has given it to me in the recent years because I always asked to her if I could hold it and write something myself, as I was a kid. May it be a Montblanc, possibly? Thank you once again, hope to hear the story of that kit in some video sooner or later! Greetings :)
if you are 100% water soluble how does it work to put watercolor over the ink? I'm just getting started and I do a lot of scribbling to keep pens working with waterproof ink.
If you use water-soluble ink the ink will run into the paint. You can try putting the ink on top of the paint, sometimes that works, but it will create broader lines. Yeah, some pens are hard to restart with waterproof ink.
Danke liebe ❤ Julia für das Vorstellen. Ich stimme dir zu nur ein Problem: fast egal welcher Füller: ständig trocknen sie au, die Tinte fließt nicht mehr, mitten im Skizzieren usw. Grrrrrrr. Hast du da Tipps?
Das kommt sehr auf den Füller (und manchmal auf die Tinte) an, wie erwähnt habe ich das Problem bei Preppy und Kaweco fast nie, die Lamys trocknen schneller mal aus, vor allem mit "trockenerer" Tinte, die nicht so gut fließt. Kann an der Kappendichtung liegen, oder an der Bauweise. Nimmst du unterschiedliche Füller und Tinten?
Ah so, und als Tipp was ich dann mache: manchmal hilft kurzes Eintauchen der Spitze in Wasser oder in Tinte, oder auch wie im Video gezeigt sanftes Abwischen der Feder. Wenn gar nix mehr geht, den Tintenleiter einmal mit Wasser durchspülen oder über Nacht einweichen.
@@NatureSketchbook Ja, ich hab sogar ganz gute Marken (Wassermann)- aber der Kaweco ist ja recht preiswert. Tatsächlich komme ich mit Federn zurecht und da ich einen lässigen Zeichenstil habe, werde ich mir diese geschnitzten Bambusdinger zulegen
I've always used fountain pens for writing, and liked making doodles with my notes but felt guilty for "abusing" my pen for it. Until I discovered fountain pens are actually a well accepted way of drawing. So I only started watercolour and fountain pens recently, but indeed use cheaper pens for waterproof ink. (Preppy and Lamy) I use the preppy without converter or cartridge as I discovered you can easily convert them to en eyedropper fountain pen, giving them a huge reservoir. (just google platinum preppy eyedropper for instructions) I use them with the Carbon waterproof ink that's from the same brand as the pen (Platinum). They also make water soluble ink so make sure you get the right one.
I think it's a good precaution to only use these waterproof inks in inexpensive pens, I do the same. And I've never attempted the eye dropper method again after a huge ink leak. Since then I avoid danger zones like that, except maybe for use at home. ;) Thanks for sharing!
Usually it's enough to take it apart and put it in water for a while (overnight if needed). It can also be helpful to push water through the feed with a syringe (like the one I showed in the video). There's also fountain pen cleaner if water doesn't work, it can be a bit abrasive though.
The Lamy Safari was so disappointing for me. The ink dries up in under a week. I got a $1 Chinese knock-off Lamy and the ink lasts for weeks unused.... lol
Haha, that's another solution. I too find that ink dries up so quickly in the Lamy Safari. I still like to use them with normal (not waterproof) ink, that seems to work better for me.
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The pen you said you "never use" and inherited from your grandmother looks like a Montblanc No. 22 or 24. I have the exact same pen with a medium nib. It performs wonderfully. I speculate your grandmother would want you to use that pen to render some excellent art. The pen has a history; please give it a future.
I‘ve made a video about that fountain pen. :)
I am in my 60s and just discovered the joy of fountain pens last month. My first fountain pen is a LAMY Al-Star. It will always be special to me.
Oh, Al-Stars are nice too!
@@NatureSketchbook I have a safari, esterbrook, and TWSBI too. I am getting into doodling. I look forward to trying out fountain pens in my sketchbook.
I just bought the Lamy safari and I love it.
Julia: If a pen nib is too scratchy, less than 2 minutes to fix it. You purchase a set of Micro Mesh sheets from (anywhere). You make figure 8's on one of the sheets with a fully inked pen. You test it on good paper every 10 to 15 strokes. You will tune you nib to your hand in no time.
Thanks for the tip, Bruce! Micro mesh sheets are like really fine sanding paper, right? I'll try it out.
@@NatureSketchbook You are correct. They are very tiny particle abrasive sheets. 1200 or 1600 grit takes of so little metal that it will not harm your nibs in the least. See if you can find a video or two on smoothing out a nib before you invest time and money. Since drawing paper is kind of abrasive, the scratchy feeling my disappear over time.
Thanks for the advice! I use 1500 to 2000 grit in my work sometimes! I might try 2000 eventually!
I'm fascinated by fountain pens. The changing thickness of the lines is amazing even for a non artist.
I'm a new fountain pen user, I have my dad's old Lamy Al-Star, a Kaweco Sport and a Pilot Metropolitan. I'm looking forward to drawing with them next time I do any drawing.
Preppy for the win. Like you show, the Platinum slip and seal cap gives the best results for keeping pens from drying out. I just refill the cartridges with a syringe. I like the Sketch inks, but my favorites right now are Kakimori pigment inks (expensive) and the Write and Draw Octopus inks - another German brand. They are wonderful. Brown Penguin is my favorite at the moment- a rich reddish brown.
Yes, Preppy all the way! :) I too use a syringe with the cartridges. I'll have to look into those Octopus inks, I like buying local supplies. Do you know if they are lightfast?
@@NatureSketchbook yes, they are pigment inks. Lightfast and waterproof
I love using fountain pens. I am happy to see that Sketch ink is waterproof. I have a small collection of inexpensive pens, and I use them daily. Thank you for your video.
Sketch with a Twsbi Diamond 580. Pen flows well, and starts first time after standing for days. Has a nib at moment but would prefer something finer. Going to use it with Platinum Carbon ink and watercolour. Thanks for the video.
I started with the Platinum Preppy and now have three, the 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5. All charged with carbon black though. Brilliant pens for the money and a good starter.
Thank you Julia for the tutorial. I've recently started sketching and watercoloring. I've tried technical pens, dip pens, fountain pens, different pencils, and even cut sticks dipped in ink. The fountain pens have relegated most of the other tools to the sideline for now. They have enough line variance to do the job, and I don't need to carry a huge bundle of tools.
Yeah, fountain pens are wonderful in that regard, I too love the different lines you can get out of them!
Thank you Julia for sharing great tips on this topic. I’m just now beginning to use fountain pens for journaling and you answered many of my questions.
I'm happy to hear that!
Great video, thanks so much for sharing. I would love to see your grandmothers pen as well.
This motivated me more to look at these cheaper pens instead of obsessing over more expensive pens that won't help in my techniques I have to build.
Absolutely! I always get nervous when I think about losing those expensive tools somewhere, so I simply stick to the affordable ones.
Have been a fountain pen fan for years, still have my Parker pen from my school days back in the 60’s. Love Kaweco and have one and would love a brass one, but they cost $150 Australian. Lamy is also in my collection. Pilot pens from Japan are very good value for money. The Kakuno (under $20) is advertised as a starter pen for kids, but don’t let that put you off. The Prera ($70) reminds me of the Kaweco, is a brilliant little pen. Japanese nibs are a lot finer than other pens. I am Also a fan of the fine line. Enjoyed seeing your collection.
Yeah, those brass Kaweco pen are quite stylish. I had thought about getting the Kakuno, but I think it doesn't have a clip on the cap? There's also the Pilot Prefount, basically the same as a Preppy but with a nicer plastic body. I too love Japanese pen nibs a lot for their fine lines.
Kaweco Sports convert really well to eyedropper pens- loads of people have done it. Toss those tiny adapters, apply a small amount of clear silicone grease to the threads of the barrel, fill the whole barrel with your choice of ink, and use it at least a little bit every few days.
Check the individual ink makers recommendations before doing this - some of them (like Octopus) recommend only using their waterproof inks in a converter, and emptying ink out and cleaning pen every 4-5 hours, so converting to an Eyedropper pen in those cases would be pointless.
I really like that I can easily change out the nibs of the Lamy safari and AL pens.
Yes, that's a really great feature.
Thanks for the information. I have never used fountain pens but with this video, I will know how to get started!
-No need to reply!-
I love my fountain pens, too. I use them for art, journaling, everything! You can use the barrel of the Kaweco as a cartridge. I think you can do the same with the Preppy pens. I used to do this all the time. I applied a bit of silicone grease (which I got from a fountain pen store) to the threads to keep the ink from leaking. JetPens has a tutorial (just search "how to fill an eyedropper fountain pen").
Yay, another fountain pen fan! :) I'm too chicken to use my fountain pens as eyedroppers, I always envision them leaking all over my stuff. But maybe I'll just have to try it! :D
@@NatureSketchbook I was really scared the first time I did it. I kept the pen in a plastic baggie just in case and checked that it was twisted closed properly all the time. But, I never had any issues.
Thank you for sharing all this information! It is really helpful.
I have a very similar Montblanc fountain pen from my mother. Do use it! They are such a joy to write with. It can be repaired if the piston cork has dried out. This may be costly, but so worth it. My Generation learnt to write with a pelikano, but they looked very different from the ones you get now.
Ah, that's great to hear, thanks! I'll definitely use it again, I need to get some nice ink for it. I really hope the piston still works. Yeah, school fountain pens these days look like space ships.
Such an informative video ! Thank you. You need to apply silicone grease on the thread of your kaweco. This was they won’t squeak when you open and close the barrel 😊
Love my old Lamy. I also have several dip pens. I think I am going to try the preppy. Thanks for the review!
I hope you'll enjoy it! :)
I use fountain pens too. My every day sketches are with fountain pens. But the inks that I use are the normal water soluble ones. Would love to see some of your fountain pen ink sketches too😊
Many of my sketches from the last 12 months feature fountain pen + watercolor, and I also used this for my recent orchid illustrations. I try to do more ink-only sketches lately. :)
@@NatureSketchbook yes, I remember the orchid illustrations. It was really nice!
Beautifully done and carefully explained
🥱 Was boring
Preppy is amazing to use for drawing and inking. They work well on any paper type with good ink flow. We also have some Lamy's, Jinhao/Gullor, a few other brands, and glass pens. Lovely group of tools to work with.
I bought a pair of dip pens and waterproof ink recently and one pen worked briefly and failed but the second pen seems to be ok. Your tutorial is so useful. I grew up taking school notes with Shaeffer fountain pens so I still enjoy ink pens but I've never used them for sketching because I am only now in my watercolor period. Lol. I would like to learn to sketch and use the dip pen in some way. So, thank you for showing me how the Lamy, kaweco, etc pens work. I've been curious about them.
Have you removed the oil coating from the dip nib? Sometimes that can help: when the nibs are new they have an oily residue against rust. Rub it gently with alcohol or a bit of dish soap. That can help. It can also depend on the angle, on the pressure or on the ink, but some dip nibs just won't start.
I think ink and watercolor looks amazing together, so definitely give it a try. :)
I personally love the Preppy, wonderful!
Yes, it's a great little pen!
Kaweco now also has a bigger converter with a foldable end piece.
Ah that's great to know!
Good morning. I use several types of fountain pens: Sailor Fude bent nib angle 55 degree, Sailor Fude bent nib angle 40 degree and then my newest, Number72 Wancai Mini Transparent Pocket-Size Eyedropper Fountain Pen Fine Nib 0.5mm. This little pen fits in my altoid tin with gouache mini pans
Thanks for the video! I‘d like to add that you can get additional nibs for the Lamy Safari for about 8€/$ each and they just slide on/off. The Preppies are great, you can refill the used cartridges or you can easily turn it into a „eye dropper“ pen. They’re great tools or pens to throw in a bag on the go.
I use fountain pens for everything, tbh. I love them! I especially love the pilot falcon flexible nib. Pretty expensive, but awesome, with such an expressive quality in the lines ❤
Yay, another fountain pen lover!
Hi Julia, I know you posted this video almost a year ago now and I enjoyed watching it. I looked over the comments and didn't see anyone tell you this, but, you can remove the TWISBI Go nib (carefully, since the feed wings can be a bit thin and you don't want to break them) and clean the pen. Grip it on the sides and give it a slight twist/pull and it will come right out. When you do this, you will be able to see which nib you're using. They just put the F or EF down so far that once it's installed, you have a hard time seeing it. To reassemble, just hold the nib and feed as you did before, and a slight pressure into the section will seat it as good as new. Cheers, and draw on!!
Thank you Steve, that's a great tip, will try this!
Thanks for sharing, Julia! I love to use fountain pens for drawing, but I tend to prefer the bolder lines. Also use a fude nip quite often.
But actually, apart from the nip sizes, my collection of pens and inks is very similar to yours. 😂
I never tried to dilute the sketch ink, that’s a fab idea!
Have you ever tried to use fountain pens on top of water colour? It gets very scritchy scratchy and unpredictable in a good way. Love the effect!
Sounds good. :) I'll have to try and embrace bolder linework some day.
When the Sketch ink is diluted, it can become a bit dry and scratchy when you add too much water. So actually using the mix can get difficult. But it produces lovely subdued lines.
Fountain pens on top of paint often is to uncontrolled for my style unfortunately, but I love pencil over paint!
I had not seen this video, that's why I did not knew about the colored fountain pens. I'm not sure I could keep all of those from drying. But it would be so nice to have the color variety ❤
The Preppies don't really dry out for me even when they are inactive for a longer time.
It's always a joy for me to see fountain pen artist videos. During the pandemic years, I rediscovered fountain pens and used them for artwork. They certainly have character and vintage old school vibe that I love, but also a tricky learning curve. I'm looking forward to seeing more videos on this channel.
(Pd) Have you ever considered eyedroping your Kaweco pens? I've done that myself, and it takes out a lot of the stress of the fear of running out of inks. Keep up and looking forward to seeing more of your art.
Thank you for following along Efrain!
I don't dare to eyedrop my fountain pens, some years ago I had a huge ink leak and since then I'm cautious. But it's fine, I almost never run out of ink since I use it rather sparingly.
as others have already said, great video, great information, thanks for making and uploading! I've recently caught the fountain pen "bug", I am now obsessed with them, and different inks, and papers, mostly for writing now, but I am excited to try them for sketching as well. danke schon! Ich liebe Füllfederhalter!
Yes, fountain pens are amazing tools, and great for writing as well as sketching!
A fude nip is my favorite with waterproof ink
Thank you for the demonstration for these different pens and inks! I ordered two Kaweco pens earlier today (they are just so cute) and I'm already excited to test them with my inks.
I also found that my Lamy Vista tends to dry out faster with the sketch ink from Rohrer & Klinger in comparison to the Rotring Art Pen but I'd like to have something more portable (the body of the Rotring is just so long xD ). So I might follow your advice and rather use water soluble ink with the Lamy going forward.
Thanks for this information…..I love doodling and sketching with a fountain pen, but have never seen the Kaweco….they look really funky.
They are fun little fountain pens! :)
Thanks for sharing! I found some vintage Parker fountain pens for cheap at a thrift store. I love fountain pens. I use the SketchINK from Rohrer and Klinger in Thea which is a dark gray. I want to try some of the other colours. I also use liquid watercolour in Sepia in fountain pens...the brand is Ecoline. This works very well, but the lines are then water soluble. I just discovered another waterproof ink that can be used in fountain pens called Octopus Write and Draw ink and hope to try it soon.
Ah, I think I‘ve heard about the Octopus ink, I‘ll have to try it at some point. I wonder if their drawing inks are lightfast.
I prefer fountain pens for drawing and sketching. I am a mixed media artist and I took a couple decades away from fountain pens using the Sakura Micron and Staedler Drawing pens. In the end, I prefer the quality of the experience of using a fountain pen. I like the unpredictability of line in my work style. I also like the way a fountain pen wears over time. I don't get any joy from disposing of writing tools. I even reinvested in a set of technical drawing pens. Haven't used those since my drafting classes in college, but I missed the feel of them. I use a great combination of inks. Would like to try to Sketch Ink, but for some reason it is incredibly expensive to purchase here in the US at the moment. Thanks for a great overview!
Thank you for sharing!
@@NatureSketchbook I mainly use Carbon Platinum in my Lamy pens (I have both a broad and medium nib Safari and one of the wide nib Joy calligraphy pens) and Noodlers Lexington Grey in a set of Pilot Parallel pens. I recently purchased some permanent Koh-i-Noor ink for the technical pens including some translucent white but I haven't put it through the paces yet. I agree on the leaking issues, especially taking them into the field, but mine are great just on the desk. My Lamy pens do go out with me in my plein air kit wherever I go and they have been wonderful!
I neglected to give the Platinum Preppy an honourable mention, under $10 OZ and a pleasure to use, excellent ink capacity, lovely flow. I have the extra fine nib (02) and at this price can afford to expand the range to fill with more coloured inks.
Exactly the same way I use them, they're amazing little fountain pens!
Thank you Julia! I am a bit exasperated with tiny little plastic converers for kaweco sports. You need to squeeze etc. Piston converters are better?? Did you try to fill used cartridges with syringes??
Yes the Kaweco converters are tiny. I usually refill empty cartridges with a syringe.
Thanks for sharing this…I appreciate the reviews! I have the same Kaweco green sport and love it too. I also like the Pilot Metropolitan with a fine nib but am getting an extra fine as I love the finest lines as possible. I’m switching over from dip pens too. I’m definitely going to get a Platinum Preppy in extra fine after your video. Thanks again for the video! 😊
Yeah, definitely give it a try, it's such a nice little fountain pen. Over the last few months I noticed I almost like the Preppy's F nib better because it's not as scratchy, but for the finest lines the EF nib is slightly better. :)
I was somewhat sad I didn’t even see the nib on the montblanc. 😢
I generally use fountain pens after watercolor or standalone sketches. If I do figure drawing, I start with a hard pencil and fill in the details with a fountain pen. I’ve been looking to learn hatching techniques, but that’s a bit difficult for me as I’ve never done it before. For sketching, flex nibs are the way to go.
I hadn't really planned to show it at all, since it doesn't even have ink in it. Maybe I can do a separate video about it one day. :)
I use fountain pens for my out and about urban sketching but I’ll take along one fine liner like a Tombow / Uni or such for fine tuning lines after everything dries. I also have quite a bit of mixed media items for home fun.
I have been using Platinum Carbon but I just ordered some Sketch Ink. Sketch Ink costs between 15 and 20 dollars here, depending. Thought I’d give one a try even at that price. (It should last a good while).
Thanks for the info.
Oh my, that's a very steep price, but you're right it will last a while.
@@NatureSketchbook I got the “Lily” and I just love it. 😻 It’s somewhere between black and sepia but not and has a vintage gorgeous look that’s somewhat hard to describe. It’s being used with an EF and an F nib at present.
I have been journaling with my fountain pen for years, but this year I have started to use them while sketching! I too love the Sketch Ink many shades and reasonable price. I am using my TWSBI pens for sketching and am wondering about a flex nib if that would be fun in sketching? I really want a TWSBI mini for when I do urban sketching. So that will be my next pen. Loved this video!
I sometimes use flexible dip nibs with a pen holder at home (too messy for outdoor sketching), and it works great. :)
That’s how I like to sketch , inks are fabulous and easy to use but did not know of the waterproof fromR R&K Discovering through you the waterproof sketch inks. I use about the same set of cheap pens that are very useful! For my honey. Many thanks!
There are other waterproof inks, I'm currently testing De Atramentis and Octopus Write & Draw - they don't dry as quickly in the fountain pen.
Would be interested to hear what you think of a fude nib. I think there is a Spanish company that makes a fountain pen that you can use India ink in. It’s pricey, but looks beautiful. And thank you so much for the post. I enjoy how clearly you present things.
Fude nibs are often a bit broader, so they don't really work for my style of drawing, but I love the calligraphic effect they produce in writing!
I would never dare to put India ink into anything that I can't take apart completely or wipe clean (like a nib), so that sounds like a great pen!
I have a Pilot Metropolitan it's my only and I love it.
Very solid choice!
I love Preppies. They are my everyday writer. I eyedrop them for lots of ink.
Oh wow, that's courageous. I always envision ink leaks everywhere and keep using cartridges. :D
@Julia Bausenhardt I have done it for years now. Only one leak so far but it was from a crack through the threads that was there when I bought pen so just got another. I do keep a couple with cartridges just for convenience but the eyedropper pens have so much ink convenience is almost moot. Goulet pens has an episode on eyedroppering them.
Platinum Carbon ink is a waterproof black ink and is available in bottles or cartridges
Haven't tried that one yet, but I plan to. Thanks!
I have 4 Kaweco Sports, and love them, but the one Fine nib will not reverse write, no matter what I try, though the 3 mediums do, beautifully. Is there anything I can do??? 😭
very helpful thankyou julia i learned a lot. would like to try a preppy pen - do you need to buy a dedicated preppy convertor to use the bottles inks, or do generic ones work?
I think you will need a converter from Platinum (the company who makes Preppy pens), I'm not sure if other converters will work. You could also open the cartridge that comes with the pen, get the ink out with a syringe, wash it out, and then insert the new ink. But that's very messy. ;-)
@@NatureSketchbook thankyou so much that's helpful
Thank you for the informative video. I love Sketch Inks, but wondering why they don't offer neutral Sepia color. "Ruby" and "Lilly" are great but skew Red or Green. Sometimes just want to grab a neutral brown without mixing.
I think they do have a very dark brown color, but it's rather muted and cool. Since this video I've switched from Sketch Inks to De Atramentis and Octopus Write + Draw, since the Sketch Inks had lightfastness issues for me.
@@NatureSketchbook Wow. That's really unfortunate about the lightfast issues. Will look more into those other brands. Thank you for the heads up.
@@JO--Art I was a bit disappointed too, but then I found they don't say anything about lightfastness on the ink bottles. The other inks are twice the price, but I know many sketchers who are happy with them, at least the De Atramentis (the ones that can go into fountain pens are called Document Ink).
@@NatureSketchbook Thanks again for this info. Yes, very disappointing since I have many of their colors. I'm going to look into De Atramentis. I read on someone's blog (I'm still trying to find again) that some of their colors faded, but not too many. The browns and blacks all held up. Think I'll stick with those colors (when it comes to ink) At least watercolors list pigments (easier to know for sure). The Octopus inks look beautiful, but read somewhere that they're not easy to mix.
Same experience as you, Julia. I don't use Lamy safari anymore for the Rohrer & Klingner Sketchink. It dried out too quickly. Since I discovered Preppy, I use it a lot and it nearly never dries out. It took a time to write out the cartridge with which it comes, but now I fill it up with a syringe without any problems. My fineliners are not in use anymore. The tips are worn out too fast, even while they are not empty and that bothered me. I even bought some of them, labeled eco-friendly, but they were dry.
With a dippen I have no good experiences so far. I can't get my pen to write more then a few letters and this is not enjoyable. But, as I said, I love my Preppys and perhaps I will give your short ones a try.
I am always worried about using waterproof ink in fountain pens. Have you any thoughts on this? Do you thoroughly wash out the pen after every drawing session? If I use non-waterproof ink (when I'm not painting over), can I safely leave ink in the pen or would I need to wash that out too?
I'd like to have a fude pen in my sketching kit I can just pick up and go out for the day, without having to fill it each time and/or wash it out asap.
If you use non-waterproof ink you'll be fine, this kind of ink is literally made for fountain pens.
Waterproof fountain pen ink will usually be fine, too, some fountain pens clog after a while when the ink dries up and there can be pigment residue. It's best to use a very inexpensive pen (like the Preppy) or one you can take apart completely (like the Lamy). I've had good results with De Atramentis ink, the R&K Sketch Ink I show in the video dries up a bit quicker inside.
I do not clean my pens after each drawing session.
@@NatureSketchbook Thank you for the feedback. I've obtained some waterproof R&K and also non-waterproof Diamine inks and I'm going to experiment with both in my Sailor Fude pen and I'll also get hold of a Preppy and see how I get on. Thank you again.
Hi Julia! I’m new to the channel! Love the idea of coloured inks, do you have any examples in the channel using colourful inks?
I'm so sorry it took me ages to reply to your comment!
By now you've probably forgotten all about this. ;-) Here are a few videos in which I used fountain pens/dip nibs with colored inks:
ruclips.net/video/lOqtl2FGFzQ/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/oLhsJ--oY68/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/vZyT3TQIfd0/видео.html
Hope these are what you were looking for! :-)
@@NatureSketchbook ohh thank you Julia! Btw do you have a video on water disposal? I have been painting for a while and cannot find much on safe disposal for watercolours. I feel awful now that I have been dumping my watercolour water on the sink. I have seen something about filtering it and others recommend letting the water evaporate. What do you use?
@@InkNSap I think letting the pigment settle at the bottom and then disposing the water in the drain is fine, this is actually what Schmincke recommends:
www.schmincke.de/en/know-how/good-to-know/disposing-of-washing-water-colour-medium-remains
I have to admit I often dispose my water as is into the sink, but you're right it should be fairly easy to organize a container and collect the pigment.
The only other aspect I'm really mindful about is to never dump my painting water into nature, I always come back from outdoor sketching with a lot of dirty water. ;)
@@NatureSketchbook oh thank you Julia! :) I struggled finding a good source of info.
Outstanding!
Hi! Thank you for sharing. A really nice and interesting insightful video. Very helpful. I would love to learn more about that special fountain and ballppint pen two-set that belonged to your grandmother. The logo of the little white star/flower on top of the black cap of the fountain pen caught my eye because I have a pen (only ballpoint) with the same logo. It's very elegant but I never use it. The cartridge ran out of ink a long time ago. My mom has given it to me in the recent years because I always asked to her if I could hold it and write something myself, as I was a kid. May it be a Montblanc, possibly?
Thank you once again, hope to hear the story of that kit in some video sooner or later! Greetings :)
Yes, it is definitely a Montblanc if it has that flower logo. :-) I'll take a note and that video will come at some point!
@@NatureSketchbook Thank you Julia! Meanwhile I'm really enjoying catching up with your past videos😊
May I ask what you are using to wipe the pens on? Is it a microfiber cloth of some sort?
I repurpose my old shirts and sheets to make painting rags. :)
So cool!
I have to say, Germans know their stationary!
LOL! I learnt all of this from the internet. :D But yeah I'm happy I can get all of the nice writing equipment here.
@@NatureSketchbook That's what I meant - german stationary and art supplies are so well made and look great!
Stationery
Facts
Lovely
if you are 100% water soluble how does it work to put watercolor over the ink? I'm just getting started and I do a lot of scribbling to keep pens working with waterproof ink.
If you use water-soluble ink the ink will run into the paint. You can try putting the ink on top of the paint, sometimes that works, but it will create broader lines. Yeah, some pens are hard to restart with waterproof ink.
Danke liebe ❤ Julia für das Vorstellen. Ich stimme dir zu nur ein Problem: fast egal welcher Füller: ständig trocknen sie au, die Tinte fließt nicht mehr, mitten im Skizzieren usw. Grrrrrrr. Hast du da Tipps?
Das kommt sehr auf den Füller (und manchmal auf die Tinte) an, wie erwähnt habe ich das Problem bei Preppy und Kaweco fast nie, die Lamys trocknen schneller mal aus, vor allem mit "trockenerer" Tinte, die nicht so gut fließt. Kann an der Kappendichtung liegen, oder an der Bauweise. Nimmst du unterschiedliche Füller und Tinten?
Ah so, und als Tipp was ich dann mache: manchmal hilft kurzes Eintauchen der Spitze in Wasser oder in Tinte, oder auch wie im Video gezeigt sanftes Abwischen der Feder. Wenn gar nix mehr geht, den Tintenleiter einmal mit Wasser durchspülen oder über Nacht einweichen.
@@NatureSketchbook Ja, ich hab sogar ganz gute Marken (Wassermann)- aber der Kaweco ist ja recht preiswert. Tatsächlich komme ich mit Federn zurecht und da ich einen lässigen Zeichenstil habe, werde ich mir diese geschnitzten Bambusdinger zulegen
I also love your dip pen nib holder! It looks so clean. I make such a mess with mine. What brand is that one?
It's just a no name wooden holder. I always put tape around the ferrule if it get stains. :)
I've always used fountain pens for writing, and liked making doodles with my notes but felt guilty for "abusing" my pen for it. Until I discovered fountain pens are actually a well accepted way of drawing. So I only started watercolour and fountain pens recently, but indeed use cheaper pens for waterproof ink. (Preppy and Lamy)
I use the preppy without converter or cartridge as I discovered you can easily convert them to en eyedropper fountain pen, giving them a huge reservoir. (just google platinum preppy eyedropper for instructions)
I use them with the Carbon waterproof ink that's from the same brand as the pen (Platinum). They also make water soluble ink so make sure you get the right one.
I think it's a good precaution to only use these waterproof inks in inexpensive pens, I do the same.
And I've never attempted the eye dropper method again after a huge ink leak. Since then I avoid danger zones like that, except maybe for use at home. ;)
Thanks for sharing!
I would like to know how to clean my fountain pen if they block up?
Usually it's enough to take it apart and put it in water for a while (overnight if needed). It can also be helpful to push water through the feed with a syringe (like the one I showed in the video). There's also fountain pen cleaner if water doesn't work, it can be a bit abrasive though.
Try gluing a clip on your pen . So it will not ronn ?
I have a feeling the price difference is because Sketch Ink isn't lightfast?
The company says it is, of course this would need to be tested independently.
@@NatureSketchbookJackson's states it is not, so one of them is wrong..
The Lamy Safari was so disappointing for me. The ink dries up in under a week. I got a $1 Chinese knock-off Lamy and the ink lasts for weeks unused.... lol
Haha, that's another solution. I too find that ink dries up so quickly in the Lamy Safari. I still like to use them with normal (not waterproof) ink, that seems to work better for me.
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