Here's one I tried on a whim, the Platinum Pocket Brush, which has a fiber tip rather than the brush, like Pentel's Pocket Brush (which I also love!) The Platinum comes with a cartridge of Platinum's waterproof Carbon Black ink, which I enjoy in my fountain pens, though in bottle form I believe you need to shake it occasionally (The cartridges come with a little roller ball inside that keeps the ink stirred!).
At first I had problems getting the cartridge to fit in place, but the good people at Jet Pens told me how (basically, PUSH!)
I do like the line variety, from very fine to thunderously black...these are inexpensive and versatile, and well worth the $3.00 it cost and then some! (Yes, you read that right. THREE DOLLARS. With cartridge!)
You can see more here.
Like the Pentel Pocket Brush, the ink stays put when you wash over it...FUN for sketching in our journals. The fiber nib of the Platinum is stiffer, of course, but it's also nicely controllable.
And by the way, I was delighted to find that the Pentel Pocket Brush is now available at my longtime favorite brick-and-mortar art supply store, Creative Coldsnow in Kansas City! It's a wonderful warren of rooms in an old building in the Westport area...I love to explore there.
Correspondent Laure Ferlita recently tempted us with her video on the 17th, Using One Pen in Place of Three --she was using a Duke Pen, which you can find on eBay; one of our readers recommended the Sailor DE Brush Stroke Style Calligraphy Fountain Pen, which was also available from JetPens--since I was making an order anyway, who could resist??
As you can see, the nib is very similar to the Duke Pen Laure demonstrated. It will take quite a bit of practice for me to actually use it for calligraphy, but I LOVE the variety for sketching. (Check out the sample of writing on JetPens page--it IS lovely, so I guess I need to practice!)
And nope, I don't get a kickback from anyone or any company mentioned here--no free pens, no cut, I just like to make journaling and creativity the pleasure for you that it is for me!
(That said, I still need a pen that's a pleasure to write with, as well...so I still carry my Lamy, Waterman, or the slightly-too-heavy-for-me TWSBI fountain pen I found on eBay, by chance. It's smooth and nice, AND has a built in converter with a larger than usual capacity, so I've just filled it with Platinum Sepia ink...)
Oh my! More temptation... I just bought a Lamy a few days ago after reading a recent post of yours, and I LOVE it. In a couple of weeks I'm taking a trip to Pearl Art in NYC (I almost never go to the city, so this is a big occasion for me), so I'm making a list of all these pens. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteNice to see you decided to give the Sailor a try. Now I'll have to try the new Platinum you referenced.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, be strong. :-D
ReplyDeleteOntheroad, thank you for the recommendation! I do like it for sketching, a LOT. I haven't gotten the hang of calligraphy with it yet, I'm used to the flat calligraphy nib.
My mother warned me about people like you. You are an Enabler. I am going directly to Jet Pens. :-)
ReplyDeleteTell your mom I'm sorry!
ReplyDeleteI am new to journaling and would really appreciate some advice about ink fountain pens. I really like the look of the text many of you use in your journals but I don't even know where to begin when it comes to fountain pens. I bought one with cartridges, but found out that the ink is NOT waterproof. What would you recommend for a newbie? I am a little intimidated by the idea of using ink in a bottle. Is this hard to use?
ReplyDeleteMarya, that is often a problem with fountain pens. Most don't like waterproof ink, and will clog! I've found that those that will take the Platinum Carbon cartridges work well, or you can fill your pen, if it has a converter, with Noodler's Lexington Gray ink, which seems not to clog them but is nicely waterproof.
ReplyDeleteVicky Williamson empties out cartridges and refills them with Lexington Gray ink...it works perfectly.