Any artists on here big nerds for art gear?

[gunslinger_burrito]

Or just get the $5 con-50 converter, which is a piston converter.

I carry around several pens in my day to day. I generally use semi-flexible to flex nibs, and while useful tend to run me a bit high, but still spending $150 on a pen is on the same level for me as spending $150 on a fuzz, specially since I use pens a lot, both for writing, drawing and calligraphy.

Yeah good point. The local art store has all kinds of converters.....

Also, art is one thing, like music, that I will spend any amount of money on if I think I'm getting a really good tool.

[Twangasaurus]

Or just get the $5 con-50 converter, which is a piston converter.

I carry around several pens in my day to day. I generally use semi-flexible to flex nibs, and while useful tend to run me a bit high, but still spending $150 on a pen is on the same level for me as spending $150 on a fuzz, specially since I use pens a lot, both for writing, drawing and calligraphy.

Yeah good point. The local art store has all kinds of converters.....

Also, art is one thing, like music, that I will spend any amount of money on if I think I'm getting a really good tool.

Yeah, I think Inconuucl is right. Pretty sure the metropolitan uses a proprietary system (because Pilot wants you spending $5 on their converter ) so I think you kind of have to go with the con-50, I'm pretty sure standard internationals won't fit. If you can't get it from your local pen place then any number of places online will stock it. I mean, I'm sure Goulet has that shit.

[gunslinger_burrito]

Do any of you know of an online source for ink/watercolor brushes? I'm looking for a specific Japanese/Korean/Asian brush that I've seen Kim jung gi use. It's got a real fine top but seems like it's also pretty stiff, and the handle is thicker like a pencil or marker. Regular small watercolor brushes hurt my han because I have to pinch them tighter.
Edit: it's fine enough to ink comics with btw

[Inconuucl]

I love the pentel brush pen if you want black. Otherwise I'd look into something like a Noodler's Konrad Brush, which you would fill with fountain pen ink.

[Faldoe]

I write a lot for uni and in journals and thangs so I got into fountain pens a while back. My two most recent aquisitions are the TWSBI Diamond 580AL Orange and a special edition Franklin-Christoph Model 19 from Anderson Pens. I got the 580 in a fine and the Model 19 in a medium and I'm really happy with both of them so far. Sorry, not very art related but it's not often I get to talk about this stuff with anyone.

boutique pens.

How much do they cost, how do they feel/write?

[Inconuucl]

The TWSBI 580al is around $80, the Franklin Christoph is around $160. Their feel depends a lot on the ink/paper/nib size.

My standard 580 broke today and it makes me sad.

[Greenfuz]

I do all of my drawing with shitty bic pens and permanent markers


and the occasional incredibly dull pencil

[gunslinger_burrito]

I love the pentel brush pen if you want black. Otherwise I'd look into something like a Noodler's Konrad Brush, which you would fill with fountain pen ink.

I've used the Pocket brush. The only thing I don't like is that you have to use their ink, which isn't waterproof. I like to be able to watercolor over my drawings if I want. I actually like the tips of the color brushes best, but you have to do some MacGyver shit fill them with whatever you want. The tips on those are great, but if you allow just a bit too much ink into them, they refuse to make a good point. I haven't heard of the Konrad Brush, I'm looking up info right now.

The brush I was looking for is a regular brush. It just looked like he was getting really nice lines while holding it far away from the tip, which usually makes it much much harder to maintain the line weight you want.

[Twangasaurus]

boutique pens.

How much do they cost, how do they feel/write?

Inconuucl is pretty close but the 580 is currently around $60US and the Franklin-Christoph is $195US. As far as writing goes the TWSBI uses a finer nib than I would usually go for especially since asian nibs tend to be smaller than their european counterparts but I dig it so far, I actually bought it to write kanji/hirigana/katakana ect while I learn Japanese. Fine nibs are pretty much always going to have a little more feedback than anything larger just because you put out less ink/lubrication and this will be doubly so on cheaper pens because it's tough to get the grind and tine allignment right on a smaller surface area. That said I think the TWSBI is great and I would recommend it to anyone, holds a shit tonne of ink too.

My standard 580 broke today and it makes me sad.

The Franklin-Christoph is easily the most I've dropped on a pen to date but man, it was worth it. Really awesome pen. The usual draw with the Franklin-Christophs though is the fact that you can get them in some fairly unusual grinds, the most popular being Mike Masuyamas "cursive italic" nibs. Those aren't available on the Anderson Pen special though and I really just wanted a fantastic writer, I haven't been doing this long enough to know what I want in a more specialised grind.

As for paper I just use regular old Clairefontaine notebooks, nothing super fancy.

[Inconuucl]

I mean, how do you write? Like hand position/typeface (allcaps,cursive,etcetc), also how big you write. Those are all factors that should be considered when looking at a nib. You cna order a new nib directly from F-C, if you want. I have their 1.1 cursive italic and it's fantastic. Although now that my dear Twsbi is gone I'll probably order an extra fine/needlepoint and get a Christoph 1.9 music for a new pen.

[Twangasaurus]

I mean, how do you write? Like hand position/typeface (allcaps,cursive,etcetc), also how big you write. Those are all factors that should be considered when looking at a nib. You cna order a new nib directly from F-C, if you want. I have their 1.1 cursive italic and it's fantastic. Although now that my dear Twsbi is gone I'll probably order an extra fine/needlepoint and get a Christoph 1.9 music for a new pen.

To be honest my writing is a bit of a mess. I write cursive and fairly small and on top of that. I also have a terrible habit of turning the pen slightly when my hand starts to get a little fatigued and I can just imagine that would just not go very well for any of the broader, flatter grinds. Overall I think I would be ill suited but I have always wanted to try a more "expressive" grind (flex and semi flex nibs aside, I'm pretty sure I was spring the nib within a week), I'm just afraid to actually put down a fair amount of money for something that probably not work out. I suppose I could always flip it but I usually buy to keep.

[gunslinger_burrito]

If any of you want some really nice sketching pens, these are REALLY REALLY nice. My only gripe is that the ink isn't remotely waterproof and you can't refill them :/

The tips and lines they make are so so nice.

http://www.jetpens.com/search?q=Kuretak ... +-+Regular