Since I tend to view any writing tool as a potential sketching tool, decided to try first the
J. Herbin glass dipping pen and
the "1670 Rouge Hematite" 340th Anniversary Ink first from the latest batch of
Exaclair review samples.
Both the ink and glass pen were made in France. The red colored wax covering the aluminum cap did not seal it to the bottle, and just seemed to serve a decorative purpose. Thus I have been able to open and close it a few times without damaging or crumbling its wax covering.
Loading the glass nib with the rich scarlet ink can be a tad messy since the mouth of the bottle is a bit narrow. Just make sure to keep a moistened towel handy for wiping any stray paint from the pen body. The wet towel can easily clean the glass nib once you are done sketching with it.
The first test run was done on a blank card stock card that had a light texture and probably little to no sizing, for the inked lines tended to spread and feather on it right away.
The
1670 ink strokes also ran and spread into heavier lines when used on the
Clairefontaine GraF it 90 g Sketch 40 lb paper. One or two dips of the glass pen nib in the ink well were sufficient to sketch an image that comfortably fit within the 5.8" X 8.3" sheets of the No.16
Rhodia pad. This pad and glass pen combination can work well for quick ink tests and creative breaks of speed sketching in anyone's busy schedule.
The glass pen laid down much crisper lines on the
Exacompta sketchbook paper as shown in this
video. The initial lines right after dipping the pen come out heavier, and they get progressively thinner as the ink load in the grooves of the glass nib get used up. Turning the glass pen can provide a few more ink strokes between dips. You can actually hear a light scratching sound with every sketching stroke, for the glass nib did not glide quite as smoothly on the paper as I had expected.
According to the glass pen box instructions, a blunt glass nib can be restored by sanding it down with a fine 400 grade sand paper. Thus it might be worth trying if you prefer a less scratchy feel.
While I ran out of memory in my SD card before I could finish video recording this sketch on a
Rhodia dotPad, you can still check the first minute of this speed sketch test
here.
The
Clairefontaine Triomphe paper was another fine support choice, for the the lines remained crisp and clear without feathering on its glass-like surface.
My second test doodle on
Triomphe paper.
And a fan art sketch of
Master Jedi Plo Koon on
Triomphe paper. So far the
J. Herbin glass pen and
1670 anniversary ink have been quite fun to use with the papers designed for fountain pens.
This last sketch was drawn on a Sterling Publishing Co. hardbound sketchbook from
Barnes & Noble. The
glass pen might not be the most practical choice for sketching in the field, but it certainly provides a unique creative experience and a nice change of pace for speed sketching in the comfort of your studio. How cool is to be doodling with a tool that was already in use hundreds of years ago. Going to have to dig up one of my sketching
Rotring Art pens and a converter to conduct further tests and try other papers with them.
UPDATE:
video of test doodles drawn on the
Exacompta sketchbook with a glass pen and a
Pentel Neo-Sable calligraphy brush.
This time shook the bottle vigorously right before loading the glass pen and brush to ensure that any gold particles that might have settled to the the bottom return to the mixed ink suspension.
Wanted to see if I could get the same gold flecks effect shown by
Gentian on her recent
review, but I guess I need to keep trying different papers with heavy applications of the anniversary ink. Even with the larger amount of ink delivered with the
Pentel Neosable #6 brush, the
J. Herbin 1670 ink did not bleed through any of the pages during this doodle test.
The next item that Karen from Exaclair graciously sent me for review is the Quo Vadis Habana blank notebook. Simply click on this link for the 3-minute video review and speed sketching demo.
Used the recently reviewed J. Herbin Creapen Refillable Marker to christen this anise green Habana blank journal. It seemed appropriate since they both arrived together.
Both the Rotring Art Pen with a F nib and the Platinum Carbon Fountain Pen glided effortlessly on this paper. The former was loaded with Liquitex Acrylic Carbon Black Ink, and the latter has its own proprietary waterproof carbon ink cartridges.
Quickly discovered that it wasn't such a great idea to use the J. Herbin Encre de Chine India Ink with the glass pen since it took quite a bit of scrubbing and soap to get it clean again. Certainly happy that I did not put India Ink in a fountain pen by mistake. The glass pen and the J. Herbin 1670 Anniversary ink did work quite nicely on the Habana notebook as shown on this video.
While its Clairefontaine 90 g paper might have been designed to be "the best paper in the world for writing", it also makes for a mighty fine sketchbook for drawing with its smooth ultra white surface. While I would prefer for the notebook covers to be more rigid, they seem sturdy enough to withstand the regular stress of being thrown in a backpack for sketching on the go. The Quo Vadis Habana would certainly make a fine choice for a sketchbook to keep in the studio and work with fountain pens.
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