I never had a specific interest in vintage pens until I went to the Colorado Pen Show last year. (Here, I'm loosely defining vintage pens as any model that is no longer in production, mainly from the 20th century.) There was the usual garage sale thrill of finding cool old things, and the people selling vintage pens are always happy to regale you with stories about them.
I have an interest in pens from the 70s-90s because they usually fill by cartridge/converter so I don't have to worry about them degrading over time, but I've become interested in older lever fillers because you can find a lot of interesting nibs in those pens. In general, I've found that older pen nibs have a certain character to them that modern mass-produced nibs usually don't.
This is an excessively deep look at the vintage pens I have at the moment.
My new sketchbook, which uses the cover of Shivers by William Schoell. The cover features a painting of a gargoyle on a roof done in a warm grey palette. A green mist winds around the gargoyle and down to the bottom of the cover. The title is printed in large gold foiled lettering behind the gargoyle.
I love making book covers out of things that otherwise would have ended up in the trash, so I couldn't pass on one of these handmade book-sketchbooks from Arsenik Press. I don't have the time or energy to bind a new sketchbook right now, so I was happy to buy this one because it's still handmade and (importantly) it looks cool.
I love the ridiculousness of 80s book covers: the typography, the painting style, the corny catchphrases, the whole thing. The jacket synopsis is as follows:
Deep beneath the city streets lurks a creature hideous beyond description, powerful beyond imagining, a creature so dangerous that it can destroy its victims by the virulence of its thoughts.
The emanations of its computer-like brain invade every sanctuary, searching for those it would destroy. It is remorseless, cunning and inhuman. The pitiful human weaklings it has chosen as prey shudder with terror and disgust, but there is no escape from the ultimate torture that is far worse than death, unless...
The first spread of the new book. I've drawn some of my supplies on the first page. The book also came with an informational insert, which I taped to the endpaper.
Transcript of insert
Cover Shivers
William Schoell 1985
Cover artist Uncredited
Paper Fabriano 1264 Watercolor 140lb
I stole the idea to draw/paint an overview of my current favorite supplies on the first page from Apple Pine. I always struggle with what to put on the first page of a sketchbook, so I like this exercise. There's no pressure to make a masterpiece, and it helps give the sketchbook... context? I guess? My previous big sketchbook was a little more clinical because I was still relearning how to use one, but I'm hoping future books will be a bit more diary-esque.
My current supply rotation includes some stuff that I haven't found the time to talk about yet, so I'll merge that into this post while it's relevant.
The pen I commissioned from Rubato. It's a clear demonstrator with plants embedded in the resin and a green grip section.
I've been enamored with Rubato Pens for a while now and finally took the plunge on commissioning a pen a few weeks ago. And now it is here!
Rubato is operated by one woman, Emi, who makes fountain pens, nib holders, and other trinkets. Her pens are made of resin with decorative inclusions that give them a distinctive look (plants, glitter, charms). They're beautiful little art pieces in of themselves, but I was primarily drawn to their functionality. They take dip nibs!
I like Platinum pens. I have a few, and they've all been great and reliable. Platinum's budget pens all clock in at under 20 USD and the writing experience is phenomenal. If you have money to burn, there's also the Platinum 3776 Century, a pen that retails in the US for around $200.
I never would have considered spending so much on a pen, but I had my eye on the 3776 because of the "soft fine" nib, which has been described as springy by multiple people. I tried one at a local art store and was immediately sold on the springiness of it. I tried a few of its competitors at the same price point as well, but the 3776 was the only pen that offered a significantly different writing experience (which is my main priority when I'm getting a new pen). And it comes in green?!
I got the Sailor Compass 1911 as a Christmas gift. It's been on my radar because it's the least expensive Sailor pen, and it looks nice. It's the budget version of the significantly pricier Sailor 1911, which has a gold nib instead.
The Compass is made of clear colored plastic that has the fun kitsch of early 2000s technology without looking cheap. It comes in a wide array of fun colors, but I had my eye on the olive for obvious reasons. It even comes with a matching green converter.
