What kind of pen do you use?

[EMMAJI]

I plan on investing in the Namika Falcon pen from the great info above.......but in the meantime I have in my supplies only one flexible pen......the LAMY.
It does not flow that well when trying to vary the line width however. I also have 2 kinds of Lamy pen.....one holder is clear and one is black........and I can't tell the difference. Do you know the difference? Also, can one change the nibs?
Has anyone had any experience with the Lamy pen and could you tell me what you think? My goal is to have a good flexible pen that easily makes fine and thick lines..........

ps: I also find the felt brushes don't let me have the control I want to get the fine point, as I have to hold them with a very light touch to get a thin line...........

[Cieljaune]

Studio 1F, no need to cut fresh day lilies and dry them. Any lily bed is full of dried-out stems during most of the year -- and odor-free too. Let sun and wind dry them out for you. Once dry, they don't get wet/fresh again. Be sure to use the kind of day lily with the flower on the end of a long stem, like a tiger lily, not the kind with leaves all the way up the stem.

-- Ciel

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by EMMAJI

I plan on investing in the Namika Falcon pen from the great info above.......but in the meantime I have in my supplies only one flexible pen......the LAMY.
It does not flow that well when trying to vary the line width however. I also have 2 kinds of Lamy pen.....one holder is clear and one is black........and I can't tell the difference. Do you know the difference? Also, can one change the nibs?
Has anyone had any experience with the Lamy pen and could you tell me what you think? My goal is to have a good flexible pen that easily makes fine and thick lines..........

ps: I also find the felt brushes don't let me have the control I want to get the fine point, as I have to hold them with a very light touch to get a thin line...........

The Falcon is a wonderful pen. You can't go wrong there.

Yes, you can interchange the nibs on Lamy pens. (See the selection here.) None of them are flexible. You could make fine and thick lines by varying the angle of the italic nib to paper.

Lamy pens are good solid workhorses but do not have flexible nibs.

An inexpensive flex nib pen is the Noodler's Ahab. I don't have one so can't report or recommend it.

Jan

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by Cieljaune

Studio 1F, no need to cut fresh day lilies and dry them. Any lily bed is full of dried-out stems during most of the year -- and odor-free too. Let sun and wind dry them out for you. Once dry, they don't get wet/fresh again. Be sure to use the kind of day lily with the flower on the end of a long stem, like a tiger lily, not the kind with leaves all the way up the stem.

-- Ciel

Thanks, Ciel! I'll keep a look out and do some harvesting!

Jan

[DKB444]

I hope I don't upset anyone but I was gifted from my ex-husband with a Mont Blanc fountain pen and fountain pens work so well for me.

I have arthritis and this pen is a dream. The ink in the cartridges I have are definitely water soluble, but is that the correct way to work with Pen and Ink with watercolor? Or do I need to find waterproof pen cartridges? I used this pen on a recent painting and it worked very well.

I also have a Mont Blanc ballpoint pen that has waterproof ink in it. Which is the correct way to go since I am really enjoying the effects I can achieve.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[Carcharhinus]

Micron pens and Prismacolor's version of the micron. Only black.

I also have a refillable brush pen. It's a pentel I think.

[Studio-1-F]

Originally Posted by DKB444

The ink in the cartridges I have are definitely water soluble, but is that the correct way to work with Pen and Ink with watercolor? Or do I need to find waterproof pen cartridges? I used this pen on a recent painting and it worked very well.

There is no "correct way" and no incorrect way to do this. If the water-soluble ink works very well for you, keep using it! There are no rules in art.

If you find you need waterproof ink, here is a list of fountain pen inks that are supposed to be waterproof. Before you commit, however, I recommend that you test the inks to make sure they fit your needs.

You can buy small sample vials here.

Jan

[DKB444]

Jan, thank you so much for your response. I have decided to work with my watersoluble ink and just ordered some in gray, blue and red to add to my black ink cartridges. I find it to be fascinating to work with when painting in watercolor and/or gouache!

Since I paint in the sumi-e style this to me is the best way to go.

Again, thank you and I'm enjoying this forum.

[Daybreak_ST]

I'm new here. I use a Rapidograph 00 pen.

[Hoplite]

I use a variety of pens depending on my mood or what I am trying to accomplish.

For sketch anywhere I feel like, Micron and Copic Multiliner pens. Not the blackest nor yields the crispest line, but very transportable and waterproof. You can't get much variation within a given line, but they are easy to use.

I've recently added a Noodler's Ahab fountain pen. I can't get as extra fine a line as a(n exceedingly) more expensive fountain pen, but it gives a nice variation in line width in a single stroke, and the Noodler's Ink gives dense, crisp lines. But not truly waterproof. If I can find a truly waterproof ink, I may toss the Microns.

Dip Pens. Recharging these things is a constant pain, but I can use just about any ink available, and can get a wide variety of lines with different nibs - the Hunt 512 nib is my favorite, but I use a number of them.

Ruling Pens. What can I say - I got tired of cleaning technical pens!

[twistedmedium]

I run the gamut with my pen and ink work:

Japanese Bamboo "quill" pens
Modified takeout chopsticks (sharpened, blunt, tapered flat end, two together unbroken on the tapered flat end) - I love these and they cost me nothing.
Speedball Crow Quill pen/nib
Pentel Brush pens
Microns
assorted nibs of all shape and size and vintage

[Dying Ion]

I've been stuck on the microns of all sizes and tips - not for any particular reason except the ease of use. I am open to the exploration of tools, or even the lack of. Such as in a few illustrations last year where I used a brush and a bottle of ink and including a lot of "splattering"

I remember doing a self portrait with my thumbprints in ink before, but i wouldn't recommend that

[RainySea]

I have an Ahab and it works very nicely. My favorite go to pen the last several months though has been the cheap UniBall Vision. Love that pen. . .

[Bluegill]

Originally Posted by Cieljaune

And now for something completely different ...

I've long admired Rembrandt's astonishing drawings with a reed pen, and I decided to try to figure out what a reed pen is. They have been used since antiquity, and the general idea is to find a stiff, hollow plant stem that can be sharpened with a diagonal cut (like a goose quill pen) and used as a dip pen.

After many experiments with all sorts of grasses and grass-like plants, I finally found what I was looking for -- dried day lily stems.

They are about 6 inches/15 cm long, about the diameter of the hollow swizzle sticks you get in a cocktail and very easy to sharpen with a razor blade or Xacto knife.

They work with any ink. I like using them with acrylic ink or matte India ink. Even when they are thoroughly dried and quite stiff, they start to soften as the ink soaks in. The result is that the pen point gradually gets wider and softer and acts less like a pen and more like a small brush. Keep dipping it and you are forced to either stop and resharpen -- or keep going with broader and broader big bold lines. If you stop dipping and use up the ink that has been drawn up into the pen's center and has soaked into its fibers, the pen makes marks like a wonderful, stiff dry brush.

I enjoy using watercolors, which can be maddeningly perverse sometimes, and drawing with a reed pen is the same sort of unpredictable adventure. The pen will always change as it gets wet, but different day lily stems behave in different ways. This is *not* a medium for artists who like to maintain tight control!

-- Ciel

Thanks for posting this.. I only just now saw it. I have day lilies growing in my yard, I'll have to try it. The best thing I have found in my yard so far is forsythia stems.

[Mitz54]

I have been using Ball Point pens for a few months now. I LOVE THEM!!!