My Favorite Pens“What pen do you use?” is a question I’ve often asked other artists and answered myself as if we’re all just one undiscovered tool away from creating something wildly different and wondrous. Turns out, sometimes we are. Whether writing or drawing, each pen has a unique personality. In its best form, a great pen inspires me to create and influences the result. Listed below are my favorite, reasonably priced pens organized by these categories: Fountain, Splurge, Fun Alternatives, Ballpoint, and Brush. I also discuss inks and a few helpful pen accessories.
While I show drawings below, I use all of these pens for longhand writing as well. They excel at each.
In celebration of pens and ink as my favorite medium, I've added a new category to my online shop aptly titled, Ink.
Note: Where possible, I’ve included a link to the website, Jetpens. I don’t make any money from referring, I just really like their selection, helpful guides, and have had great experiences with the company. You may want to compare prices across sites as each item may be found less expensive elsewhere. If I link to a specific pen, there may be color and nib variations that can be selected.
Fountain PensI love the versatility, romanticism, and nostalgic qualities of a fountain pen. I can create dynamic lines of varying weight and select among endless inks to expand possibilities. I always get the finest (smallest) nib possible which is either Extra Fine (EF) or Fine (F) depending on the manufacturer so that I can create detailed line work. Here are my three favorites….
A universally great pen beloved by writers and artists. I love the weight and feel. The tapered form factor near the nib allows it to be held comfortably with great control. By default it comes with an ink cartridge but I recommend buying an inexpensive converter kit that lets you use your own ink to expand your universe. It comes in an astounding range of color options and you’ll easily find many that resonate with your aesthetic. My one con is that I’ve found quality control issues with the nib as I have bought a few where the nib isn’t particularly responsive and ink flows intermittently.
 A fantastic pen and based on the day, I could easily choose this above the Lamy Safari. They really are 1a and 1b. It feels agile in the hand and creates beautiful lines with consistent ink flow. The SWIPE comes with three different filling systems: a cartridge and 2 types of piston converters. A con is that while the clip design adds lovely styling it also lays incredibly close to the pen body so it isn’t particularly robust for attaching onto anything particularly thick. The available color choices are limited to five although I do find my Salmon version to be one of the most striking pens in my collection and I carry it everywhere. 
A wonderful pen that provides a magnificent drawing and writing experience. It has a twist cap which adds a formal feel to the pen as opposed to the pop caps of the previous two. The transparent barrel gives it an interesting look and also lets you know exactly how much ink you have left. The body is slightly thicker than the others which can make it feel more stout in the hand. While I appreciate its heft, it can feel more unwieldy than the sleeker SWIPE and Safari. 
(Modest) Fountain Pen Splurge I received this pen as a birthday present and its striking look inspires me to pick it up when I see it sitting there. Writes beautifully and feels like it performs 25% better than everything else. An absolutely gorgeous, solid pen.
Fun Alternatives This fountain pen has an angled tip that enables a tremendous variety of lines — both wide and thin — by just varying how much of the bent, tapered nib is in contact with the paper. It can also be used for calligraphic type writing. 
A pen that has the widest variety of mark making of any I know. Takes a little getting used to as it’s like drawing with a chisel that you can turn on either its flat side to make wide marks or on a corner to create fine lines and combinations therein when rotating it about. The amazing thing about this pen is that ink flows spectacularly well from every angle. The nib — really two metal plates — is beautifully engineered. 
Ballpoint Not the sexiest choice but easy to find and works perfectly every time. If I need a reliable pen to write with I always bring this one with me. It’s my utilitarian choice if I need to take notes, journal long-hand, write a list, or create a drawing while waiting at the DMV. A reliable workhorse. SKB SB-1000Impossible to find but my absolute favorite ballpoint pen. Creates the finest and most reliable lines in the history of writing implements. Over a decade ago I purchased boxes of them from a person who had visited South Korea and brought cases of them back with her. Often referred to as the “James Jean Pen” because of the artist who made this pen famous with his incredible ballpoint pen drawings, it is a beloved and trusty companion, especially if I need to create extra fine, detailed work or write small. 
Ink Brush Pen I learned in an inking class that if you get good using a brush, you can replicate absolutely any mark you want, even from a fine pen. This resilient brush pen makes the most beautiful, wonderfully varied marks. Squeezing the barrel forces ink into the brush head but when the tip starts to run dry it’s fun to use this condition to make scattered marks across the page to create different values and textures. The gray ink barrel contains a waterproof ink that is helpful when needed, although I do enjoy using non-waterproof ink (black barrel) and applying a wet brush to create bleeds and wash effects after my initial drawing.
Waterproof Inks for Fountain PensAs I like to paint watercolor washes over my ink work, it’s important for the ink to be waterproof. Additionally, being left-handed it helps prevent my hand smearing it when I write. Unfortunately, waterproof inks have additives that clog fountain pens. With that being said, I found two that actually work well in them. InksSince there are thousands of brands and colors I’m hesitant to make recommendations as I’ve used such a small subset of the possibilities, but since I get asked, here are a few of my favorites:
I am absolutely infatuated with this color and use it constantly. I’ll often mix it with one of the waterproof blacks, draw with the mixture, and then take a wet brush so that the Oxblood ink bleeds to create an enchanting sepia-toned wash effect while the waterproof black stays in place. Diamine Ancient Copper is also a lovely, comparable hue.
 A purple that adds a nuanced color to dark ink drawings to make them feel more organic and alive. Ecoline (Many Colors)Ecoline creates a series of impressive inks, especially for creating washes. They all work well in fountain pens from a flow standpoint although one warning is that many of them are too light if you’re looking to make a bold statement when writing. With that being said, one that shows up gorgeously is the Turquoise Blue (#522). I learned from the artist Loish and verified myself that there may not be any more stunning and powerful combination of inks than black India ink accompanied alongside Ecoline Pastel Red (#381). 
Accessories I have pens with all different kinds of filling systems — cartridge, spring-loaded, classic corkscrew piston — but I usually opt to fill each with a syringe as I find it the cleanest and most effective solution. Sometimes I’ll mix different inks within the cartridge so the syringe makes it easier because the measurements on its side allow me to get the perfect ratio. Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner MachineI own a ton of fountain pens and ultimately what happens is that I use a few frequently in rotation while the majority sit orphaned. I found it incredibly difficult to get them brought back to life until a pen expert recommended cleaning the nibs via ultrasonic machine. I own a GT Sonic with 25 ounce tank but I’m sure all of them work the same. This process of placing the nibs in the tank and letting it run has saved me countless hours of trying to resuscitate an abandoned nib with caked waterproof ink inside. Works incredibly well.
I hope this list helps you pick your next pen or inspires you to explore options. If you have one you like, please let me know. Always interested in knowing your favorite pens.
Happy creating!
- Bryan
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