Pens

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The Pentel Rolling Writer is a great pen to cartoon with! It gives the same kinds of great lines as the Flair, but because it�s a roller ball pen, the nib is very hearty and won�t mash down!

This pen is the Sanford Liquid Expresso. It�s a cross between the flair and the rolling Writer. Its nib is as hearty as the Rolling Writer�s but it has the feel flexibility of the Flair.

A cartoonist friend recently introduced me to the Fountain Pentel pen and it is absolutely the most amazing pen I�ve ever used! Made by Pentel, it�s everything the first three pens are and more! It has a fountain pen shaped nib that holds up over a long period of time. It gives thin and thick lines, has a great looking ink...and unfortunately has been discontinued. If you can find these pens (they sell for about $2.00-$3.00), snap them up!

This is the Tradio pen. It�s the replacement for the Fountain Pentel. It has the same great fountain pen nib and a bolder ink. It uses replacement ink cartridges (whereas the Fountain Pentel was disposable) and is pretty pricey. It costs about $12.00 and the ink cartridges are approximately $3.00 each. But it�s a terrific pen and I use it and the Fountain Pentel all the time!

Finally, to cover up mistakes, I use a Bic Wite-Out pen. For major corrections, I�ll scan the artwork and digitally edit it in a graphics software application.

This graphic created using Serif�s DrawPlus

Click here for a brief discussion on digital tablets.

When cartoonists talk about pens, it sometimes becomes an inclusive word to mean markers, flair pens, porous tipped pens, dip and ink nib pens and everything and anything containing ink. I limit myself to two kinds of pens. Porous tipped markers and dip nibs. I like the following due to their ability to give thin and thick lines from varying your hand pressure. Here then, are the pens I use.

The Classic Flair pen. This is a porous nib marker and gives a nice quality of line. Like most porous nib pens, the lines fade over time, but if you scan your artwork, you�ll always have a nice crisp copy of your cartoons! The only problem with the flair pen is the nib tends to mash down and lose it�s crispness over time...but this, too is an advantage.of sorts.