Noodlers Konrad Nib Mod

     Further into the exploration of fountain pens led me to the discovery of "flexible nib" fountain pens. These are different from most modern fountain pen which is mostly referred to as "nails". A fountain pen with a flexible nib allows variable line width by applying different levels of pressure as you lay down your stroke. These pen are rare these days, always too expensive and mostly available online. Fortunately, Noodlers company came up with an affordable user-configurable flex fountain pen and it is available in the Philippines though Scribe Writing Essentials!
    There are mixed reviews about the pen on various forums and blogs. The owners either love the pen or hate it. I have decided to get one. Out of the box, the pen provides variable line width but requires a considerable amount of pressure. That is if you really want a huge difference between your thin stroke and your thick stroke. In my case, in attempting to write in copperplate/script style, my hand will be tired after finishing the pangram, "The quick brown fox..." . For normal writing, I think you'll be mostly fine. The ink flow is smooth and the nib glides smoothly.
     I'm really interested to learn how to white in copperplate/script style so my search led me to this thread from Fountain Pen Network. Its about how to modify your Noodlers nib to ease the flexing capabilities.
     This mod suggest that a portion of the nib be removed to reduce the amount of pressure required to achieve the widest possible stroke.

The tools you need for the mod.Clockwise from top left: eye loupe, another eye loupe with a different magnifying power, A Dremel with a grinding stone, some nail buffs for smoothing the nibs.

Pen and Ink Sketch Dump

     Sketching people is a great challenge, they rarely remain still. Worse of all, in the middle of the sketch, they leave. Oh well! For free model references, we really cannot complain. On the positive side, it forces you to sketch fast which helps improve your memory by performing mental snapshots of people's pose and features as you lay your marks on the paper. 
     Here are some of the Pen and Ink sketches I've done during the last few weeks:

Drinking buddies seem like good models. They don't move as much. or maybe they are just too drunk.

Urban Sketchers at Fountain Pen Day 2014, SM Aura

     I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the first ever celebration of Fountain Pen Day in the Philippines. I've only used fountain pens recently so, I never knew anything about fountain pens nor the fact that there is special day for it. Now most of my sketching is done using a fountain pen and I love it. If not for the other art materials I have to buy, I would have been collecting pens. :)

USk members' sketches for the Fountain Pen Day event

It's Been A While

     I can't believe that four months have passed since I've started this blog. Between my day job and household chores, I was busy doing the actual sketching and hunting for supplies. I guess I have to backtrack a bit about what happened during the last four months.

Sailor Fude De Mannen(top) Lamy Safari (bot)

      One of the task that has occupied me is finding the right sketch pen. So Immediately after so much researching on WetCanvas and other sites, the name Lamy Safari keeps on popping up. Since its affordable and one of the most accessible pen from where I live, I got myself one. While on the pen store, I noticed a green  plastic pen is also on display. Its the Sailor Fude de Mannen! It's quite cheap Php 750.00 (about $16.00) so I guess why not give it  a try?

     After having bought these two pens I alternately used them for sketching. Luckily a friend who is a fan of Muji stores recommended a cheap blank notebook. Initially bought the A6 size which is  Php 125.00 (about $3.00). I believe that for a struggling artist/art student, this fountain pen-Muji double ring blank notebooks is a pair made in heaven :D . On my next post I will write a review on how the Sailor Fude performs with the Muji double ring blank notebook .