While the family was walking towards Malaprop's Bookshop in Asheville, I passed Origami Ink. I slowed down several dozen feet past the shop, and finally told the others, at the door of Malaprop's, that I would meet them inside...I went back and had a long and interesting conversation with a deply engaged, very knowledgable sales person, who's been with the shop for years, about what fountain pen would be a good one for me to use for sketching. I had realized over the last few weeks that so many of the sketchers (http://www.urbansketchers.org/) that I admire most, and whose line quality I love, use a fountain pen. They also often mention Noodler's fountain pen ink. The shop carried a broad sample of Noodler's - and that plus the expert help ended in the purchase of several bottles and my first bottle-filled fountain pen. If his prediction is correct, it might also be my only fountain pen. It's a Lamy, and the shops's clientelle continue to buy ink and supplies for Lamys they bought there twelve years before.
When the sales person asked how I meant to use the fountain pen, I told him for sketching. He asked what kind of sketches. It was a pleasure to pull the moleskine from my pocket and open it to show him... I love having the means with me all the time.
I've since done a few brief sketches with the fountain pen - only one complete sketch so far, but I already like the feel, and it makes my hand more free.
5 comments:
I find that new tools (in my case, lenses) change the way I see things, and in fact even what I look at.
Good luck with your new tool! :)
I love how this dovetails with a discussion on a writer friend's blog about using a fountain pen to write longhand.
The little sketches on the bottles are sweet. Enjoy your new pen and inks!
Your woodpecker painting continues to delight us daily in our sunny entryway. :-)
I spent many years drawing with a .003 Rapidigraph simply because it allowed such incredible detail. In the long run they became too difficult to maintain so when I returned to b&w drawing I bought a collection of Microns and Staedlers, then a Rollerball stick and multiple nibs. It's nice to have a pen that can go from fine lines and beyond without switching. Your Lamy sounds like a cool instrument and I may have to see if I can find something suitable. The drawing you made of the sculpture came out very well.
Very seductive fountain pens they appear to be! I love fountain pens, but I think I've made the mistake of buying the one that is most accessible. I end getting frustrated with them and then they sit in piles in my drawer...abandoned.
I shall have to look into these!
Post a Comment