This one definitely made me chuckle out loud (after I walked away from the computer for more than 10 minutes while your all-jpg entry was loading on my dialup).
[...] I’m a fan of cartoonist Stephanie Piro’s fluid pen lines. On the Six Chix blog, she recently posted a cute comic of sorts showing just what her magic little pen can accomplish: Cartooning Versatility. [...]
[...] I’m a fan of cartoonist Stephanie Piro’s fluid pen lines. On the Six Chix blog, she recently posted a cute comic of sorts showing just what her magic little pen can accomplish: Cartooning Versatility. [...]
Thank you! It’s a Koh-i-noor Artpen from the mid-70’s. Sadly, they are pretty hard to find. It was really the perfect pen with a flexible nib. Matt Groening had a blurb on his website searching for them, so I assume he draws “Life In Hell” with one.
The nib is flexible so it can be thin or heavier. Really, I can’t emphasize enough how incredible this pen is to draw with! Unless Matt Groening has snapped them all up, you might be able to find one on ebay or someplace like that.
The pen also came with a black barrel, same point. I have both.
They replaced this pen later on with a pen of the same name that had a long pointy barrel and you had to buy different nibs to do the same thing this pen did with one.
The only other pen I’ve found that is nice to draw with is the Schaeffer calligraphy pen with the fine point. I use this as my work pen at the library. It uses cartridges instead of having a refillable well, but it gives you a nice line.
Didn’t find any in ebay.
I’ll keep searching for them.
My goal is to get the line quality of the german illustrator Heinrich Kley. I don’t know what kind of pen can help me reach that, but I am willing to try everything.
Heinrich Kley? His work was amazing. He probably used a crow quill or some kind of fine nibbed dip pen I would imagine. That’s a great goal to strive for. Let me know what pens you come up with.
I too like your line work (and Kley’s and Ronald Searle’s too). I’m a fan of the ol’ dip pen, as well. My favorite drawing nib is the Hunt 100, very flexible and capable of drawing a line that is thin, thick, or in between, depending on the pressure. These nibs are still available new. A new nib and holder will set you back $3 or so. Pentalic Paper for Pens is great stuff to draw on too.
If you don’t want to dip out of an ink bottle, another choice would be the Ackerman pump pen with say the Gillott 303 nib. (Google it.) These are refillable pens, a little learning curve compared to the old dip pen, but good.
Today we live in a world of dead line. We have big factories churning out Micron pigmas and the like. An artist like Stephanie using a very “live” line stands out. They still make stuff that does this. They’re called flexible steel nibs. Added bonus: while you’re learning, you get to try and make monsters out of your ink blots.
O my. Thanks, P Donovan, for the compliment.
Ronald Searle is a cartoon GOD. I grew up on the St. Trinians books.
You know, I really wanted to believe in the pump pen and tried a couple of them, but it didn’t quite work for me. I’m also a fan of dip pens, but gave them up when I started using the artpens. I draw on copy paper and I press pretty hard when I draw, so the quills etc sometimes go through the paper. I draw best on a very smooth surface so I am always looking for the perfect copy paper to draw on. Any suggestions, anybody?
Stephanie, sounds like copy paper doesn’t work for you. Although it’s more expensive, Pentalic Paper for Pens is a treat. It’s specifically for people who use steel nibs.
Art tools are like selection forces in nature. If Kley or Searle had been limited to fixed-width pens or toothy paper, it’s impossible to imagine them doing what they did.
And though I like my Ackerman, I’m not about to give up the simpler and more reliable dip pen. They have a bad reputation for difficulty these days, for reasons I can’t fathom. Use a cardboard tray, make a secure place in it for your ink bottle so you can never knock it over. Have a rag and water nearby. When you are done, dip your pen in water and wipe with rag, cap your ink bottle, and you’re done in 10 seconds, ready to start again in 5. Compare this to the amount of messing around we do with reservoir pens.
oooh, you make dip pens sound pretty darn attractive! I have a bunch of nibs and pens. I may give them a try again and see what it’s like to draw with them again.
I’ll also look into that paper.I think I’ve always been intimidated by “good paper”!
Thanks for the info.
I didn’t mean to give a lecture on dip pens but there’s one more thing that I’ve noticed in people’s discouragement with the dip pen. If a nib doesn’t work right, do not assume that you’re a failure as an artist, or can’t master the dip pen. The nib goes in the trash. Not in your nib box or container. When you find a nib you really like, get a dozen. Some last far longer than others. A few never work right in the first place. Some may have a slight burr that catches the paper when new. Use a loupe to investigate. A light stroke or two across a fine sharpening stone may do wonders, but don’t overdo it. Nibs are delicate. If you use a glass ink bottle, don’t let the tip hit the bottom hard.
The Pentalic paper is cheaper than Bristol board, and pencil lines erase well. It is not as heavy as Bristol.
May 4th, 2009 at 6:49 am
Steph -
This one definitely made me chuckle out loud (after I walked away from the computer for more than 10 minutes while your all-jpg entry was loading on my dialup).
May 4th, 2009 at 7:37 am
That’s great, Steph, alive! And a happy kitten ending.
May 4th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Thanks, Peg! That is quite a compliment! I always tell Margaret that I think of you as an honorary chick for all your wonderful comments!
Thanks, Benita! I hope you will be joining the blog before long!
Steph
May 5th, 2009 at 6:53 am
Stephanie’s magic pen is quite a dark little soul; I LOVE her!
Margaret
May 7th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Thanks, Margaret. She has a mind of her own!
Steph
May 8th, 2009 at 9:21 am
[...] I’m a fan of cartoonist Stephanie Piro’s fluid pen lines. On the Six Chix blog, she recently posted a cute comic of sorts showing just what her magic little pen can accomplish: Cartooning Versatility. [...]
May 8th, 2009 at 11:00 am
[...] I’m a fan of cartoonist Stephanie Piro’s fluid pen lines. On the Six Chix blog, she recently posted a cute comic of sorts showing just what her magic little pen can accomplish: Cartooning Versatility. [...]
May 8th, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Hi Stephanie,
I admire your art and I am curious what kind of pen is the yellow pen that is pictured?
May 8th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Hi there,
Thank you! It’s a Koh-i-noor Artpen from the mid-70’s. Sadly, they are pretty hard to find. It was really the perfect pen with a flexible nib. Matt Groening had a blurb on his website searching for them, so I assume he draws “Life In Hell” with one.
Stephanie
May 9th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Hi!
Is the nib thin?
Is there any chance to find a pen like this for myself?
Do you hae any idea for a pen with similar qualites, easier to find?
thank’s!
May 10th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Hi,
The nib is flexible so it can be thin or heavier. Really, I can’t emphasize enough how incredible this pen is to draw with! Unless Matt Groening has snapped them all up, you might be able to find one on ebay or someplace like that.
The pen also came with a black barrel, same point. I have both.
They replaced this pen later on with a pen of the same name that had a long pointy barrel and you had to buy different nibs to do the same thing this pen did with one.
The only other pen I’ve found that is nice to draw with is the Schaeffer calligraphy pen with the fine point. I use this as my work pen at the library. It uses cartridges instead of having a refillable well, but it gives you a nice line.
Good luck finding one!
Stephanie
May 10th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
thank’s!
Didn’t find any in ebay.
I’ll keep searching for them.
My goal is to get the line quality of the german illustrator Heinrich Kley. I don’t know what kind of pen can help me reach that, but I am willing to try everything.
Thank you again.
Matan.
May 11th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Hi Matan,
Heinrich Kley? His work was amazing. He probably used a crow quill or some kind of fine nibbed dip pen I would imagine. That’s a great goal to strive for. Let me know what pens you come up with.
Stephanie
May 11th, 2009 at 6:27 am
[...] [Comics] “Cartooning Versatility” Link: Stephanie Piro [...]
May 11th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
thank you Stephanie!
I will
May 14th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Stephanie and others:
I too like your line work (and Kley’s and Ronald Searle’s too). I’m a fan of the ol’ dip pen, as well. My favorite drawing nib is the Hunt 100, very flexible and capable of drawing a line that is thin, thick, or in between, depending on the pressure. These nibs are still available new. A new nib and holder will set you back $3 or so. Pentalic Paper for Pens is great stuff to draw on too.
If you don’t want to dip out of an ink bottle, another choice would be the Ackerman pump pen with say the Gillott 303 nib. (Google it.) These are refillable pens, a little learning curve compared to the old dip pen, but good.
Today we live in a world of dead line. We have big factories churning out Micron pigmas and the like. An artist like Stephanie using a very “live” line stands out. They still make stuff that does this. They’re called flexible steel nibs. Added bonus: while you’re learning, you get to try and make monsters out of your ink blots.
May 15th, 2009 at 5:42 am
[...] This comic is pretty amusing, too. [...]
May 15th, 2009 at 8:23 am
O my. Thanks, P Donovan, for the compliment.
Ronald Searle is a cartoon GOD. I grew up on the St. Trinians books.
You know, I really wanted to believe in the pump pen and tried a couple of them, but it didn’t quite work for me. I’m also a fan of dip pens, but gave them up when I started using the artpens. I draw on copy paper and I press pretty hard when I draw, so the quills etc sometimes go through the paper. I draw best on a very smooth surface so I am always looking for the perfect copy paper to draw on. Any suggestions, anybody?
Stephanie
May 15th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
[...] respect cartoonists as legitimate artists in their own right. Stephanie Piro’s fluid pen lines are fodder for the creative [...]
May 15th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Stephanie, sounds like copy paper doesn’t work for you. Although it’s more expensive, Pentalic Paper for Pens is a treat. It’s specifically for people who use steel nibs.
Art tools are like selection forces in nature. If Kley or Searle had been limited to fixed-width pens or toothy paper, it’s impossible to imagine them doing what they did.
And though I like my Ackerman, I’m not about to give up the simpler and more reliable dip pen. They have a bad reputation for difficulty these days, for reasons I can’t fathom. Use a cardboard tray, make a secure place in it for your ink bottle so you can never knock it over. Have a rag and water nearby. When you are done, dip your pen in water and wipe with rag, cap your ink bottle, and you’re done in 10 seconds, ready to start again in 5. Compare this to the amount of messing around we do with reservoir pens.
May 15th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
oooh, you make dip pens sound pretty darn attractive! I have a bunch of nibs and pens. I may give them a try again and see what it’s like to draw with them again.
I’ll also look into that paper.I think I’ve always been intimidated by “good paper”!
Thanks for the info.
Stephanie
May 16th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I didn’t mean to give a lecture on dip pens but there’s one more thing that I’ve noticed in people’s discouragement with the dip pen. If a nib doesn’t work right, do not assume that you’re a failure as an artist, or can’t master the dip pen. The nib goes in the trash. Not in your nib box or container. When you find a nib you really like, get a dozen. Some last far longer than others. A few never work right in the first place. Some may have a slight burr that catches the paper when new. Use a loupe to investigate. A light stroke or two across a fine sharpening stone may do wonders, but don’t overdo it. Nibs are delicate. If you use a glass ink bottle, don’t let the tip hit the bottom hard.
The Pentalic paper is cheaper than Bristol board, and pencil lines erase well. It is not as heavy as Bristol.
Anyway, like your work, keep it up.
June 4th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Hi!
Thank you PDonovan for the good advices. I’ll try the Pentalic paper and thre ackerman pump.
Thanks!
October 17th, 2009 at 11:57 am
[...] Six Chix – Cartooning Versatility [...]