Kohinoor Nexus Light Sepia Pen

Whoa, I mean like wow. What a pen.

I know I've been touting the Uniball Vision Micro (0.5) for quite sometime. I love the fact that I can use it for everyday writing, sketching, and use in my work journal. It's waterproof, smearproof, and archival, that is, it doesn't fade. (If you think none of this stuff is important, think again.  Take a look at the disaster sketch I did back when I didn't understand this stuff.  See related link below "I bought a pen today.)

One of the reasons I like the Uniball so much is that I can buy several different pen widths all of which use the same great waterproof ink. The Uniballs come in 1.0, 0.8, 0.7, 0.5 needle and regular tipped. The waterproof ink enables me to watercolor right over my sketchy lines and make a decent illustrated page.  They are also non-porous tipped. In other words instead of a felt-like tip they are a rollerball. That means that I can leave them uncapped at my desk all day without fear of drying out. (I know of one woman that runs a art workshop who spends most of her time running around capping porous point pens the  students leave uncapped.) Fugetaboutit, life it too short. Get a non-porous tipped pen.

They also come in red, blue, pink, green, and my favorite black. But alas there is no brown or sepia color.

So I went hunting. My needs are simple:

1) non-porous tip
2) waterproof, smearproof and archival
3) lasts a while (lots of ink)
4) not too ugly
5) sepia (or brown)

I walked into a Dick Blick store today and found this Kohinoor Nexus pen. It made my #4 criteria above . . . it's not too ugly. It's cool and retro in a mother-could-only-love sort of way. When I popped the cap off I was pleased to discover a rollerball tip. I scribbled in my Moleskine Sketchbook pocket journal. (I always carry one, especially to the art store, so I can try out all kinds of pens and paints in it.)

Of course, it's waterproof and smearproof and archival.  I wouldn't have even picked it up if it were not all of those.  But here is the  unexpected feature:  It will write way past all the other pens.  It claims to write for 1.2 miles!  Whoa, I don't even think I could run that far.  That's quite a distance.

Two months ago I used up one of my Uniball Vision Micro in a month.  I'm not sure how many feet or yards or miles it wrote but it seemed too short to me.  I was actually surprised I was reaching into my bag for another pen so soon.

So, from this point forward, I'll be using my new pen.  I love the feel, it's smooth. I love the sepia color, it's way cool. I like the tech-look, it's mostly me.

I'll check in with my results in a future post.

...dave
The pen is the tongue of the mind. - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Theoretically Related Post

• I bought a pen today
• Drawing Breakfast
• Koh-I-Noor Nexus Studio Pens - Light Sepia
• uni-ball Vision Stick Micro Point Roller Ball Pens, Black (60106)
• Moleskine Sketchbook Pocket

[You might have noticed that the links take you to Amazon.  And yes, I make a few pennies if you buy from the link.  But you wouldn't deny me a little cash for this wonderful review, right? No? Rats.]

A Tale of Two Pens

a tale of two pens
Originally uploaded by daveterry.

Oh the eternal search for the perfect sketch pen.

And so I bought a maple wood A.G. Spalding & Bros. roller ball pen. It's got a great heft and lays down a bold black wet 0.5 line. The fit and finish is perfect. The wood has a smooth natural feel.

A.G. Spalding & Bros. also makes several other wood finishes and pen designs. For example, they have a fountain pen in the same wood design. They are also available at jetpens.com. (I'm not affiliated with A.G. Spalding & Bros. nor Jetpens, I just like their huge selection and speed of delivery.)

Here's the bad news, the ink is not waterproof. Rats. So the sketch looks a little blurry and muddy. As I painted over the sketch with the watercolor wash some of the pen's ink mixed in with the color, thus producing the darker hue. If it were waterproof ink, it would be a perfect 0.5 sketch pen. If you buy the fountain pen you could fill the cartridges with your own waterproof ink, such as Noodlers Bulletproof Black. (You can read more about some of my experiments with Noodlers Bulletproof Black here.

The Helix 0.5 here pictured is waterproof but the cap doesn't post which makes the pen short and light. It doesn't have the heft of the Spalding. It came in a four pack with several other line weights: 0.1, 0.3, 0.8.

I suppose if I were more of an artist it wouldn't matter WHAT pen I used. I sure envy Andrea Joseph's work. It's outstanding. And she does all her sketching with discarded pens. Her work is quite incredible.

So maybe that's my problem. I'm spending way too much time shopping for pens rather than drawing with them.

...dave
To believe in one's dreams is to spend all of one's life asleep. - Chinese Proverb

Pens and Journals and such

Got an email from one of my readers:

Hello Dave, I have been admiring your journal sketches and text entries (daveterry.blogspot.com). Based on a January 7, 2008, entry it sounds like you're using a Paperchase blank book...is this your preferred journal, or have you discovered any better blank journals since then. Also, what pens do you use? Do you have a single favorite, or do you keep an assortment for different styles? When you use color, do you have any trouble with the color bleeding through the page to the other side? Must you keep the journal open for a period of drying time to prevent color splotches on the opposite page?

I appreciate your response. Thank you.

Good questions these. Maybe you'd like to start a sketch journal. What ink? What pen? What paper? A book or loose leaf? You could do what I did and buy one of everything. I have a drawer full of pens I don't use anymore. I've got a shelf full of blank journals I may never fill.

But if you want to start an illustrated journal, you'll want to know a few things I've learned. It'll save you time and money, not to mention space in your drawer and shelf.

So here are a few things that have worked for me.

Pens:

I have many fountain pens. I usually load them up with Noodlers Bulletproof black. It's waterproof (thus Noodlers calls them "bulletproof") and it lays down a very black line. (Pens that I don't draw with are loaded with color non-bulletproof inks. Private Reserve Tanzanite is a favorite of mine.) Since I prefer to watercolor over my sketches I prefer black.

Over the lines I can watercolor or highlight. I use them at work too for taking notes and rather than watercolor I use highlighters for key points.

The fountain pen I usually use is a Waterman Expert Dune Red It glides like glass with just enough resistance to feel the paper. It's got a heft to it that is well balanced. The barrel is made of brass.

I also like the fact that it's not a screw type cap. The cap snaps into place even when it's posted. ("Posted" in the fountain pen parlance means that the cap has been placed on the opposite end of the pen while writing. Some expensive pens don't allow this.) Since it snaps into place capped and posted I never worry about losing the cap.

I have this Dune Red and also a Waterman Expert Paris Blue One is fine and the other is a medium nib. I'm often using the medium. They are absolutely beautiful pens and can withstand daily use. I've had the blue for several years now.

When I went to China I didn't want to worry about refilling the ink and I didn't want to lose it, so I bought a pack of Uni-ball Vision Micro 0.5. You can get five for about $6 or even a box of them for $12. They are fantastic. They are waterproof, write in the plane, are indestructible, and lay down a jet black line. You can also leave them uncapped and they don't dry out, unlike a fountain pen or felt tip style pen like the Zigs. I wrote and sketched every day for an entire month in China and never ran out of ink. I still use the same pen at work over a month later. If I didn't own these expensive fountain pens, I'd only use the uniball. I love them.

Journals:

I carry in my pocket a Moleskine plain reporter. (See this link for more details.). I jot notes for the blog, todos, etc.

But the all time best journal I've ever owned has got to be the Paperchase plain journal with a shiny leather cover I got from Borders. These journals have about 400 pages in them so you can journal a page a day. There are some extra pages so I use the back for: books to read, wines to drink, great quotes, and I glue a yearly calendar in the back. I bought them for about $12 each but actually I wait until Borders sends me a 25% off coupon and run down and buy another. I have enough to last me the next three years.

The paper is thick enough that the sketches don't bleed through, unless I lay down lots of ink. The sketch for Jan 11th had a little bleed on the other side. I don't think it would work as a watercolor book. If you do watercolor, you might try the Handbook Journals. I mention there here. They are great sketchbooks but don't have enough pages in them to last a full year using a page a day. That's why I like the Paperchase. I don't do a lot of watercolor yet.

Another idea I saw was 140lb paper cut up to about a 6x9 sized sheets. You journal and watercolor on the single sheet and then punch holes and put them in a three ring binder or buy simple rings and post them on the rings. Alternatively you could have them wire bound at the end of the year. I find though, sometimes I like to leaf back through the year before I write the current day's journal entry. It give me ideas for writing and I like having the current history with me. I originally started journaling so that I could re-live the moment. So I prefer a blank, line-less book. Your mileage may vary.

I hope this helps folks sort through all the great choices out there for journaling.

Of course, half the fun is choosing your tools.

...dave
After the writer's death, reading his journal is like receiving a long letter. - Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)

I bought a pen today

Eric & Grover
Originally uploaded by daveterry.

Eric & Grover
Originally uploaded by daveterry.

I bought a new pen today. Set me back three dollars and eleven cents! That’s crazy. I could have bought a box of Bics for that but I’m still looking for the perfect pen. It’s a lifetime journey.

There are all kinds of good pens out there but like so many other things in life, great ones are few. I should know I have a drawer full of good pens not great ones. I don’t spend too much on them individually but certainly if I added them all up I could have paid off my mortgage by now.

So here is my list of the perfect sketching/writing/journal pen:

Black: It must absolutely lay down a jet black line. A black line is a beautiful thing.

Waterproof: It’s got to accept highlighters and watercolor over the top of the line. Otherwise the resulting smear is just a mess.

Fine: It must be an extra fine pen, at least 0.5 or less. Keep in mind that I like to sketch in a small Moleskin. That means that a fine point is absolutely necessary. Your mileage may vary.

Heft: It’s got to have some heft to it. If it’s the size of a toothpick, I’ll lose it or can’t hold on to it. I hate pens that rattle. Micros rattle. They drive me nuts.

Caps: I don’t really like capped pens. I just want to click and go. I don’t want to have to cap and uncap the pen. It’s just an extra step and a big distraction while driving. However, if it does have a cap it better not fall off easily. Otherwise the whole thing falls into the trash. The capped pens inherently have felt tipped points that dry out if left uncapped.

Archival: It shouldn’t eat my paper. Who knows, in the next century, someone may want to read my incredible musings.

No fading: I did a drawing of Eric with a pen that eventually faded. Within a year the paper around the lines yellowed and the lines turned gray. Only a photocopy of the drawing saved it from eventual destruction.

No skipping: I only tolerate skipping in children, NOT in my pens. If it hesitates to write or draw, it goes into the trash bin. I take no prisoners.



And so I continue to search for the best pen. After that I'll search for the best paper. It'll take a lifetime.

...dave
“I bought a seven dollar pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring.” - Mitch Hedberg quotes (American Comedian, 1968-2005)

Theoretically Related Posts

• Pens and Journals and such
  


• A Tale of Two Pens
  

Mechanical Pencils

As I've said, I always write with my Vanishing Point fountain pen but occasionally I'll branch out and write with a mechanical pencil. It's rare but true, sometimes I need to erase stuff.

I've owned the Pentel pencil, they are sort of the Vanishing Point" of pencils. They are great because they have a click mechanism that slides the entire fine point (.05) into the pen barrel with a single click. Most mechanical pencils require you to push the lead back into the point but then the fine point sticks you as you put it into your pocket. Plus, you may still damage the tip.

A friend of mine told me about the Kerry Pentel pencils. They are a capped mechanical pencil. Kinda cool really. They are better made because the barrel is a brushed aluminum. They also come in red, blue and black. This gives you the option of keeping different colors in each. Black for regular, blue with blue, red with red. Or you could keep different lead weights. The problem for me is that it takes to hands to use them. The Pentels don't.

You can pick up either of them at www.pencity.com. Both are excellent pencils, if you much stoop to using a pencil. I still carry my Vanishing Point around and hide my pencil in my bag. I only take them out when no one is looking.

...dave
You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.

My Everyday Writing Pen

The Namiki Vanishing Point (VP) is my everyday pen. It's a click-style fountain pen. If you like writing with fountain pens but hate the two-handed capped fountain pen operation, the VP is for you. It's a very smooth writing pen and comes with a gold nib.




There are three nib sizes. I use a medium nib, which is a fine by most people's standards because the nibs run a little smaller than other fountain pens. You can buy extra nibs for $25 each at www.nibs.com. You can also purchase italic and stub nibs from the same place.

You can get the pens in four main colors as well as more expensive casings. In addition, the clips and ends come finished in yellow gold or platinum for those of you who prefer a silver color.

These pens are a bit expensive. Retail they run about $120 but you can often find good deals on the Internet or eBay. I bought one on eBay for about $38.

These pens are engineered by the Japanese so the quality is unequaled. Fit and finish is perfect. No other company makes anything similar. I've had mine for several years and they look as good a new. I use my red VP every single day for work and journals.

These are smooth writers. Even on the airplane these pens glide as smooth as glass and they never leak. Since the nib protrudes out of the top of the pen, the nib always points up and is retracted when in your pocket.

I sometimes use different pens, but always come back to my Namiki VP. I actually bought two others so that I don't have to change nibs, I just change pens. They are truly incredible writing instruments.

...dave
If you think education is expensive, Try Ignorance! - Andy McIntyre