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Pens
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Message
Posted
I don’t normally draw or sketch with pens but have used them occasionally when doing a small pen and watercolour sketch. I want to develop my skills, using pens to draw, at present I have a few water resistant pens that I bought from WH Smith’s, their own brand. I’m probably opening a can of worm and have several people disagree, but what are the best reasonable price ones to use. My other question is do I use ink from a bottle or the ready made pens. There are several people who use the forum who spend most of their time using pens, and if your experiences and expertise that I’m wanting to use.
All help and advice is very welcome.
Posted
I use pens a lot. I have used dip pens with a bottle of ink - and I do like doing that but I find the nibs of the cheap dip pens don't last any time at all - though these can be replaced. Also a fouter, and very messy, fir taking outside. For permanent ink I mostly use Faber-Castell PITT pens, and Uni pin fine line. I also sometimes use COPIC multiliner - can get refillable versions of the COPIC.
I also have a lot of fun with LAMY fountainpens - I just use their standard inks which are water soluble - I suspect they will fade with time more than the others which are artist pens.
These aren't the cheapest but they are not too expensive, draw beautifully, and last well.
I'm sure other people will have other favourites.
Posted
Agree with Margaret about the UniPen and F-C Pitt.
But when I draw in ink, I tend to use a collection of rigid steel dip pens I've had for many years - you can still get them, which wouldn't be the case if they lacked their adherents. Taking them outside is of course next to impossible: you're bound to spill ink all over yourself. So it's the pigment-ink drawing pens out of doors.
Mapping pens - very thin, flexible nibs - will give wonderful lines, until they snap: which they always do. But they're cheap, and can be readily found - frustrating if you're in the middle of a drawing, though, and the nib snaps off (invariably leaving a walloping great blot, or a series of blots right across your drawing).
For a rigid line, there are the Rotring pens - much used, before computer software anyway (and I know an architect who still uses them, because he was taught that way) by architects. Some people like them for art drawing - but I think they're better applied to illustration for reproduction: still, that's art as well.
So - a very wide choice awaits you!
Posted
Plenty of good choices already mentioned. I used dip pens for many years, these days it's all waterproof drawing pens. You are really spoilt for choice. I've tried UniPin, Staedtler, Faber Castell, Pitt, Micron and Edding. All good. I prefer the rigid point rather than the brush pens, that's just a personal preference...nothing wrong with brush pens. They come closest to a dip pen for varying the weight of line. The main choice for most artists seems to be the 0.5. I mostly use that now, as I can't work on so small a scale as I used to. Over the years I've become very heavy handed with these pens and had trouble with the smaller size pens (01,02 and 03). I'd ruin the point far too quickly....I've had no trouble with 04 and upwards. To counter this, I used Edding/1800 pens in 02, and 03 size...they seemed more robust. Somebody on the forum put me onto these...Alan, I think. But you may not have this problem.
They're all very good, but don't match the dip pen for variation of line. But you don't get blots. So for simple convenience I use the drawing pens.
They come in packs of varying sizes, and aren't massively expensive. Buy a pack and see which size you prefer. Nowadays I tend to buy packs in one size.
Posted
Thank you all so much for the advice. I have a set of pens that I will experiment with before buying the better quality one, working on the principal of not wasting anything. The sizes I have range from 0.1 to0.7 so enough sizes for now .
I will go with the waterproof drawing pens, as I tend to get messy when I use ink, and don’t want to get into bother if I make mess in the house. It will be very much trial and error to start with as I will need to develop the techniques, as I assume that they are different to pencil drawing. I suppose it will be a case of trying different make before deciding which I prefer if any.
Looking forward to getting on with it.
Posted
Yes, it was indeed me Lew. They’re still my favourites (Edding 1800), but all the others mentioned will prove more than adequate Paul.
I’m not suggesting you go down this route Paul, but I also like to draw with my rigger brush with acrylic ink. I can get a variety of line styles and widths, and produce a line thinner than a human hair! Which I do actually find useful on occasion.
Posted
I think I have all the ones Lew has listed and have tried various others, all good makes and reasonably priced. The one that’s different on the left of this photo is my Sailor Fude fountain pen with a curved nib which I love, and I had it from Cult pens. It gives a variety of line widths from the same nib which takes a little getting used to but great once you do. The ink cartridges it came with are not waterproof but you can buy an adapter to use other inks. I bought a basic one for £12 but you can pay a lot more, and they also do Margaret’s Lamy pens etc..
Posted
Never thought of using a rigger Alan, but will give it a go. Quite a collection of pens Tessa, I’m familiar with the makes shown, what is new to me is using a fountain pen, I know Margaret uses one as she mentioned it and I have seen the work you both do with them. Something to think about for the future, I will try pens first before testing out the fountain pen.
Posted
I'm quite fond of drawing with a pen and have a similar range to Tessa's. But I also use use white pens and dip pens with white ink, to provide the highlights in mid tone paper along with the usual black.
On my travels, I bought a Chinese ink set in Shanghai, but i can't figure out how to use it. I've tried scraping the ink block but can't make any impression on it to get enough to put in water. If anyone has any tips on this please let me know.
Posted
You should have an ink stone - heavy thing - an ink stick, add a little water to the reservoir in the stone, and rub the ink stick (no scraping) into that until you get the density of tone you require. The ink is usually - I would say invariably - applied with a brush.
A pot of clean water to hand will help to vary the tone when you need to - Chinese ink is great fun to work with in this way, but it does take a bit of practise.
Edited
by Robert Jones, NAPA
Posted
There are whole books published on Chinese ink painting - well worth looking out for; and doubtless videos as well. I had a few, but I've got so many books here I'm not sure where they are....
Incidentally, that's a mighty impressive collection of pens up above! And again, I've learned something I didn't know before - I didn't know you could get adaptors for other inks in that fountain pen ..... must investigate.