rOtring Fountain Pen, ArtPen, Sketch, Fine Nib for Lettering Drawing and Writing

Product Information

Convert the pen into an “eyedropper” pen, allowing you to use the whole barrel as a large reservoir.

The design has the added benefit of being easy to clean. In a conventional fountain pen, the feed presents a problem, because, no matter how far you disassemble the pen, you just can’t get at the narrow capillary channels. In a parallel plate design, the capillary action takes place between the plates. It is often enough to wipe between the plates with the supplied tool (a thin rectangle of flexible plastic), but if that fails, the whole pen can be taken apart and you can clean each part, including the bare plates, separately. I really like the Rotring Art Pen. I wasn’t sure that I’d like the length of it but once I was working with the pen, I forgot all about it. The weight is pleasant – it’s barely there at all but heavy enough to use comfortably. I’d like to give it a try on a full-size A4 piece to see how taxing it might be over an extended period. Once I do so, I’ll update this review accordingly but I don’t expect it to be an issue. Line width variance was pleasingly simple – a slight turn of the nib produced a noticeable change in stroke size and I’m looking forward to putting the Art Pen through its paces on a larger test piece. You can see this in the foliage of my tree doodle. Hatching and shading

The amount of ink flow may prove limiting for closely-spaced hatching as I noticed a trough of ink forming – in a cold room, this may spread, reducing the white space between the lines but this is behavior to become accustomed to rather than an issue. It certainly offers plenty of ink to work a wet brush into! Price and value This means that you can put Indian ink in a Pilot Parallel without worrying about the pen. It also helps that the pens are not expensive to buy. Like all the best Rotring pens, its premium construction means it's designed for a lifetime of use, and breakages are minimal. This makes it a great option for anyone needing a precision instrument for frequent writing, drawing and/or sketching. The knurled grip is comfortable over long hours, and it comes with a built-in eraser too.

ArtPens and Carbon Pens can use each other’s inks with no apparent problems, and I have seen a report that the ArtPen is capable of running unmodified Indian ink. I haven’t tried this, but I would be reluctant to leave such ink in the pen for any significant time. Other special designs Indigraph The Indigraph is an otherwise conventional fountain pen with a humidifier in the cap, preventing the feed from drying out. It’s a relatively recent innovation and the pen looks very well made, but I haven’t – so far – been tempted to buy it. It’s the most expensive pen listed here and, while it doesn’t come with a flexible nib, it seems that it can be fitted with one. I had no problems with hatching (other than the already mentioned hook marks if I wasn’t careful) and the smooth flow of the ink made shading a joy. Lines were consistently strong and unbroken and the width was easily controlled as required. In my opinion, this is an excellent pen for drawing and sketching that offers some wonderful opportunities for adding controlled washes on suitable paper (as long as you’re careful to avoid the lines you want to keep). Adding the optional converter extends thoseopportunitiesas you can then use a much wider range of inks to suit your creative urges. In this article, we bring you the best Rotring pens available today, across a range of pen types, so you're sure to find what you're looking for.

You’ll find a comprehensive, unofficial guide to the Pilot Parallel here, including details of how to convert it into an eyedropper pen. Safety pens