While fountain pens are most often used for writing, they’re also a valuable tool in any artist’s arsenal. Their wide range of ink colors and nib styles allows customization to suit any drawing style. Plus, in the long run, investing in a good-quality refillable fountain pen can benefit you and the environment. Read on to learn what factors to consider when drawing with a fountain pen and our top selections for your kit.
Fountain pens do a fantastic job of drawing precise, fluid linework. They're far easier to transport than dip pens yet more spontaneous and lively than fineliners if you plan to sketch on the go. Drawing with ink teaches confidence, plus the ability to compromise when lines don’t quite go the way you want.
When you consider the cornucopia of nib sizes and ink choices they let you combine, it’s easy to see why fountain pens are prized tools for the illustratively inclined.
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Before we jump into recommendations, we want to introduce you to some fountain pen terminology. If you’re already an expert, skip ahead. In this guide, we mention “cartridges, ” “converters, ” and other “filling systems.” Simply put, these are all ways to get ink into a fountain pen.
Ink cartridges are arguably the easiest to use–just plug them in and go! They’re also much more convenient for refilling an empty pen when you’re away from home. That said, they don’t have the incredible variety bottled inks do, so you can’t select ink properties quite as precisely. Their plastic shells are also less environmentally friendly than other options.
To use bottled ink, you have two main options. The first is a converter, which replaces a cartridge. Whether by turning a knob to draw up a tiny piston, pulling a plunger, or squeezing, operating a converter creates a vacuum that draws up ink from a bottle. The second is selecting a pen with a built-in filling system. These pens are often more expensive, though some options, like the Noodler’s Konrad Flex recommended in this guide, are quite affordable.
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Converters and cartridges both have smaller ink capacities than built-in filling systems, meaning you’ll need to refill your pen more often. That said, starting with a cartridge and moving to a converter is a good way to dip your toes into the vast and vivid sea of inks. If you still feel intimidated, read our beginner’s guide.
The Pilot Prera had our favorite nib of the pens under $50 we tested, precise and slightly springy. The pen is light in the hand and zippy to draw with, with an ink flow that keeps up with fast movements of the hand. It uses Pilot cartridges but can take converters.
The Prera is a more polished older sibling to the weightier Pilot Metropolitan, beginner-friendly Pilot Kakuno, and long-bodied Pilot Penmanship, all of of which we highly recommend as affordable options. The clear options in this family are a particular favorite for showcasing inks. The Kakuno and the Penmanship even have extra-fine nibs. Feel free to mix and match—all nibs can be swapped between members of this family of pens.
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The Noodler's Konrad Flex has a broad nib with a hint of flexibility to it. While you have to apply significant pressure for line width variation, it’s a great way to get an idea of what a flexible nib can do for your art. Noodler’s pens are best for those who enjoy tinkering with their fountain pens, and may not work exactly as you wish if you haven’t spent a little time on customization. The piston filling mechanism can hold more than a converter and makes it easy to use your favorite ink.
For additional flex, but wetter lines that aren't ideal for drawing on the go, investigate the Noodler's Triple Tail. If you want a less-finicky flex option and are willing to invest in quality, look into the Pilot Falcon.
If you aren't sure whether a fountain pen is for you, experiment with the affordable, disposable Zebra Zensations. It works right out of the packaging with no cartridge installation necessary (with the trade-off that you won't be able to customize or refill its ink). The Zensations writes smoothly and comes with water-soluble ink in a range of vibrant colors, suitable for further experimentation with ink washes.
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The LAMY Safari, made out of sturdy ABS plastic, is practically indestructible. If your primary concern is a pen you can adventure with, add a Safari to your kit. We’re especially enamored with its metal clip, perfect to slide over the edge of a page or into a spiral binding. The Safari writes smoothly, though it isn’t our top pick for detail or line weight variation—European nib sizes are larger, as we note below. The Safari uses either cartridges or a LAMY converter and comes with a cartridge of blue ink instead of the usual black.
The Pilot Parallel isn’t a conventional calligraphy pen, as its nib is made of two parallel metal plates. Ink flows smoothly through the space between them. We recommend its smaller nibs (1.5 mm and 2.4 mm, pictured here) for an impressive yet still controllable range of line weights. The corners of the nib can be used for fine detail, and the full width can easily shade a large area. It comes with cartridges of black and red ink and, as a bonus, it's one of the most affordable pens in this guide.
The PenBBS 469 Double Nib Fountain Pen’s unique design includes two separate eyedropper-filled ink reservoirs, making it possible to carry two inks in one pen. As you flip it in your hand, you can switch more quickly than you would by putting down one pen and picking up another. If both nibs are already saturated with ink, flow is perfectly uninterrupted, though drawing with one nib for an extended period can cause the other side to dry. While this pen is furnished with one fine nib and one medium nib, we found the line widths from these nibs are similar enough that they’re not jarring to combine in one drawing. A rollerball tip that creates a wider line is also included.
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The caps of the PenBBS 469 Double Nib don’t post, so have somewhere safe to store them if you’re sketching while out and about. We also found the medium nib to write with a bit more feedback, so if you’re particularly sensitive to that, be warned.
The Pilot Falcon (also known as the Pilot Elabo) has a special beak-shaped nib made from 14k soft gold that creates lines like brush marks. Unlike a brush pen, it's still easy to precisely control fine details. Artists all around the world laud the Falcon. Though the gold nib comes with a larger price tag, it dramatically out-flexes almost all steel. If you're ready to invest in a gold-nibbed pen, make the Falcon your pick.
The Pelikan Classic M200 has a nib made of pleasantly bendy stainless steel plated with gold. It’s more flexible in the fine size than the extra fine, so be aware of your selection. With that said, Pelikan nibs run wide compared to Japanese brands and even to other European nibs.
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The Classic M200 is compact and lightweight, but still has a generous ink reservoir that’s easy to refill with its piston mechanism. Drawing with it is easy and joyful, and if there’s room in your budget it’s worth the price.
Most fountain pen nibs have round tips, but italic styles used for calligraphy can add dimension and surprise to your drawings. Round nibs write with lines of more consistent width, while lines drawn by italic nibs dramatically change width depending on the angle of the pen and direction of the stroke.
A few rarer nib shapes, not pictured here, include zoom nibs, which are thicker at the very tip. They let an artist control line width by changing the angle between pen and paper.
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The more flexible a nib, the more variation your lines will have. A more flexible nib is also likely to be more expensive, as the best way to combine softness and durability is by making a nib from gold. Generally speaking, Flex nibs made from steel are less expensive but require more pressure (and potentially more hand fatigue) to create dynamic lines.
An extra fine nib like this Pilot Kakuno and a broad nib like the Noodler's Konrad Flex have very different effects in a drawing.
Your nib size should be selected with an awareness of the scale at which you like to draw. If you usually draw in a tiny portable sketchbook, pick a fine or extra fine nib. If you have big dreams, scale up and pick a medium nib or a calligraphy nib. Check the brand of the pen as well as the name of the nib size, as Japanese brands typically have much smaller nibs than other brands. You can also use fountain pens with different nib sizes in the same drawing to combine strong outlines with delicate details. Be aware that broader lines will take longer to dry–careful, don’t smudge them.
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Before you pick an ink, double-check to see if
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