Fountain Pen Review: Platinum PTL 5000A Balance

Review by Jessica Coles The Platinum 5000-A Balance caught my eye a couple weeks ago when I noticed it had a gold nib.  That’s not actually a remarkable thing in itself; Platinum makes many excellent gold nibbed pens. However, I was looking at pens sorted by price.  There was no way I had scrolled down far enough…

Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen (AKA The Kung Fu Panda)

Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen (AKA The Kung Fu Panda)

Oh, Platinum! Why did you name such a beautiful pen with a name that sounds so awful to English speakers? I trie to resist the Platinum 3776 Kumpoo UEF Fountain Pen on the name alone but when everyone kept telling me how stunning the color was, I couldn’t hold out any longer. Then Lisa Vanness…

Ink Review: Waterproof, Permanent Inks

Ink Review: Waterproof, Permanent Inks

During an episode of Art Supply Posse, Heather mentioned that she didn’t realize that most fountain pen inks were water soluble. I held my tongue because I already had a pile of waterproof fountain pen inks in my arsenal and I was ready to test and share them with folks but I didn’t want to…

Review: Platinum Maki-E Nylon Bristle Brush Pen

Platinum Classic Brush Pen with Mt. Fuji and Cherry Blossoms Pattern ($52) is a nylon fiber brush pen with a beautiful slender black body. It features a gold toned clip and gold accents and a painted Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms designs. Its one of the most traditionally Japanese motfi pens I’ve ever owned and…

Fountain Pens for Sketching

Fountain Pens for Sketching

As I’ve been spending more time using my pens, inks and notebooks for drawing, I thought I’d put together a post about the best fountain pens (and inks) for sketching. I did a good deal of research for this piece. My favorite is Liz Steel’s 7-Part Fountain Pen Sketching article. Her Part Two: Why Draw…