My current addiction: collecting, sketching, and writing with fountain pens

Two years ago, a fellow homeschooling parent invited me to get into writing using fountain pen. Back then I was still learning how to paint with watercolors which meant I was busy studying all there is to know about the medium – from attending classes to reading through books. I then moved on to learn how to paint with gouache, oil, and acrylic.

As fate would have it, I got hired to become a university research associate for the rock museum of the institute where I study. My main task is to facilitate guided tours for visitors who want to see dinosaur eggs, rocks, minerals, and fossils that have been collected throughout the years by the institute’s students and alumni.

Two weeks ago, we had two alumni who visited the museum who came with their family members. I saw the alumnus’ daughter write her name on the registration book using a fountain pen. The pen was pretty and her handwriting was beautiful. I commented about her pen. She told me about how she loves fountain pens and if I were interested in pens, there is a Facebook group for enthusiasts and people who want to know more about them.

We went around the museum and chatted about the specimens but we also talk about fountain pens in between display boxes. To cut the story short, I got convinced to join the group although back then, the only fountain pen I had was the pocket sized Pilot Petit1 I bought from National Book Store a few weeks back. While the pen is cute and writes nicely, I was still a huge fan of gel pens so I didn’t use it that much except for signing my artworks.

Down the Rabbit Hole

A day after our serendipitous meeting, my new friend added me on Facebook and also added me in the group – Fountain Pen Network Philippines. Within few days, I started buying and testing out fountain pens bought from Shopee and the National Book Store.

Just like with painting, I studied about fountain pens by watching YouTube videos by Goulet Pens to get to know fountain pens – technical specifications, types of ink feeder systems (converters), top recommendations, how to use, how to clean, pretty much everything there is to know about fountain pens is in their channel. Here’s one video that discusses the basics about FPs, in case you are also interested to know or a newbie like myself:

Everything basic about fountain pens that a newbie needs to know is in this video (if I may say so!).

My Works with Fountain Pens

So now that I have discovered the joys of using fountain pens although all I have at the moment are the cheap ones, I have been writing and sketching with them constantly now. Here’s a design for a bag that I have been planning to paint on using my Parker Jotter and watercolors. See how the blotting gave the sketch a character?

I also sign my practice pieces now with this sign pen. Here’s a most recent painting I did of Mayon Volcano now that she is actively erupting. I got the photo reference for this one from a friend who took a snapshot of the volcano just a few days before it erupted.

Mayon volcano in watercolor — My recent practice piece of Mayon Volcano using watercolors.

If you would like to know more about volcanoes, check this article I wrote about my fieldwork last year, during my Volcanology course:

Volcanology Fieldwork in Bicol – Revisiting Eruptive Deposits of Mayon, Bulusan, and Irosin Caldera

I also used fountain pen ink’s blotting effect to sketch and paint a bird:

sketching bird with Derwent water brush and fountain pens — Sketch of a white wagtail using fountain pens and water brush. Art inspiration was from Ze Ze Lai’s 100 Birds in Watercolor.

And I also did a few ink and wash artworks on my watercolor journal:

Ink and wash artwork of birch trees using my Kakuno fountain pen and watercolors.

In the flower sketch below, I sketched the subject first using my Jinhao 82 pen and then painted watercolors over it, even going beyond the lines for looser feel. I also took advantage of the blotting of the ink to give this sketch a character. I was a bit whimsical with this one.

Ink and wash art of a flower in a jar using my latest FP – Jinhao 82, using Diamine aurora borealis ink and watercolors.

The ink and wash sketch of a river scene is my favorite so far. I simply laid down thin washes and added a second layer of details and shadows with watercolors. I then used my fountain pens with different inks to add sketchy doodles on top when the watercolor washes were bone dry. I really love how it turned out. I wasn’t a fan of “ink and wash technique” before, but now, I am definitely going to do a lot of this style moving forward.

ink and wash river scene — River scene in FP and watercolors on my Canson XL watercolor journal.

Finally, here’s a photo of my son doodling with me using fountain pens to write a Father’s Day message for his daddy. This was the day I first introduced him to FPs.

So there you have it guys. I am definitely having fun writing with fountain pens now. Hope this article convinced you to try writing or sketching with fountain pens as well. 🙂

Thank you for reading this far.

xoxo