Tools of the Trade
…because the pen is mightier than the… well… you know.
Writing Armamentarium
Top 5 Favorite Fountain Pens
The pens in the picture are in the order listed below from left to right—except the row starts out with two Jinhao 51As. I’m not saying these are the finest pens on the planet. Far from it! These are just the pens that I find most comfortable to use. And, as you can see, I’m always drawn to the brightest, most colorful of pens. (Cough, cough.) Also, there are other pens that I use—these are simply the ones I reach for the most frequently.
Jinhao 51a, open nib style with Nemosine nib. I’m not impressed with the hooded nib version of this pen, which I believe has an inconsistent ink flow. But the traditional open nib style! I love it! I didn’t expect to love this pen so much—I bought my first out of mild curiosity on Fountain Pen Day one year. I now have several. This may be a “cheap pen,” but it works well for me and I find it extremely comfortable to hold. I own several (don’t ask me how many), and I’ve even gifted some of these to friends!
Jinhao 82. Another winner in comfort land, the more affordable Sailor Pro Gear Slim “clone” that has taken the world by storm. I actually like the Jinhao 82 better than the Sailor Pro Gear Slim because I prefer shorter nibs.
Kaweco Sport. It’s the only pen I’m willing to use posted for any length of time, but I am one of those people who writes with Kaweco Sports unposted for the most part. (GASP!) It’s a tiny pen. I have tiny hands. My hands like tiny things. I’ve had some misadventures with poor nib quality sometimes, but there are many options for replacements. When you hit upon a good Kaweco nib, it’s a very good nib.
Noodler’s Ahab. (with a Nemosine stub nib—I don’t do flex nibs) Yes—it’s that temperamental pen that isn’t for newbies. When I feel the need to use a pen of greater girth, this is what I go for. In spite of its large size, it is light enough in weight for me to use with minimal fatigue. I have trouble with Ahabs leaking in the summertime, however… BUT—they make excellent water pistols, too.
Platinum Plasir. I consider this my “orthopedic pen” because I love the way it feels, but it isn’t quite my aesthetic. It gets the job done well, and that is what matters most!
Favorite Notebooks
Leuchtturm1917 A5 hardcover, line ruled. In my opinion, this is the best notebook out there, although there are many who disagree due to paper quality. BUT—the pages are numbered, which is essential for people who write out of order such as myself. AND these hardcovers truly have sturdy HARD covers. They also lie open flat better than any other notebook I have ever encountered, which I find eases hand tension beautifully. I’ve had many a notebook crumble or fall apart to some extent—but this has never been the case with a Leuchtturm, a notebook that seems capable of standing up to anything.
Staples Tru Red hard cover ruled journal, 5.5 in x 8 in. A less expensive and acceptable substitute with smooth paper.
Cartooning Armamentarium
I might be set in my ways for what I use when writing, but when it comes to cartooning, I’m still highly experimental. I like to use different pens for different types of lines. I realized early on that there is no way I could use only fountain pens or only brush pens.
Preferred Tools for Cartooning
Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen, soft. I use this little guy a lot. It is far easier to control than a bristled brush pen and the end results are great.
Pentel pocket brush pen. This is the best tool for rendering ocean waves and I use it for filling in fairly large dark areas. I have a hard time controlling it for drawing, but I like it for textures.
Sakura Pigma Micron. I use lots and lots of Microns. I used the super thick ones for outlining panels. I will only use microns for hand-lettering—everything else makes my hands tense up too much. I also use them for speech balloons. I use the teeniest tiniest Microns for extra-fine details. I love the 005 one to bits.
Noodler’s Ahab, medium Noodle’s nonflex nib. Paired with De Atramentis Archive Ink, this makes a wonderfully bold, deep, dark, gloomy line that stands out among all others.
Pilot Explorer, fine nib. For finer lines when I want something to look brittle, harsh, and scratchy. We all need brittle, harsh, and scratchy sometimes.
Zig Kuretake opaque white cartoonist’s brush pen. It’s handy to have some white ink for highlights and correcting mistakes, but I want to mention that I had some trouble using this when it was brand new. It took a long time to get the ink flowing.
Platinum refillable brush pen, felt tip. I tend to use this more for playing and rough sketches than for final pieces. It’s fun and easy to use, though!
Favorite Bottled Inks
Dr. Ph. Martin’s Black Star. This is what I use for my refillable brush pens. I’m not certain I agree with the matte finish it advertises. It can be quite shiny, but it is a decent, dark black.
De Atramentis Archive Ink. Want your comics to last hundreds of years? I think this ink could withstand anything. It is for fountain pens, and I use this ink only in the two fountain pens that I use for drawing. This ink is not for the faint of heart. It is very permanent. I try not to keep my pens loaded with it for too long and it requires greater care than most inks when pen cleaning.
Deleter Black 4. I bought it when I first started dabbling in cartooning and attempted using dip pens. I quickly learned that I do not like using dip pens. Unfortunately, this ink is best for dipping things. I’ve read that it’s one of the blackest inks out there, and it has a lovely matte finish. I use it with q-tips for large areas. The kitten on the label is probably what I like most about it.
…And Other Things
I use this handy light board for tracing rough sketches onto my “final” paper. I had started out tracing against a window, which did wonders for hurting my everything. A good light box can be quite expensive, but a light board gets the job done well enough for me—except a little brighter might be better when working with Bristol board. Mine is 11 x 15” and I believe it cost roughly $25 on Amazon. I got this particular model because it came with a separate adjustable stand (they usually seem to be built in). This way, I could use the stand for other things—drawing board, sketch book, you name it!
And… paper!
My thoughts about drawing and size have changed so drastically over the years. When I was school-age, I loved drawing small things. Teeny-tiny sketchbooks were the best. Now… I like to draw huge. It’s easier to do details that way, it’s more comfortable, it eases tension. The problem: comic strip layout. I’m still not certain how to standardize my strips. I find myself coming to a standstill because I really don’t enjoy working with small panels. Part of me wants to draw each separate panel on its own 8 1/2 x 11” sheet, and then arrange them into a single computer file. This is all a learning experience. I might stick to single panels cartoons while a little while… but I have enough story ideas to keep me occupied for decades. I’ve been doing “final” pieces on 11x14” Strathmore vellum Bristol for the most part.
Blog Posts About Pens & Other Jolly Niceties
Know what I’ve been enjoying to bits lately? Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto 1000s…