"Suitable pens for sketching?" Topic

I'd like to sketch a few concepts for some modelling projects, besides trying my hand at reconstructing the appearance of some ancient Chinese warriors.

I understand that pencil may be useful for initial drawings of the latter, but think that both kinds of project should probably be finalized in ink.

What are some suitable types of pen / marker for sketching purposes? Ball-points, even medium ones, do not seem to be the best option …

Cheers!

I love drawing with Sakura's Pigma Microns. They are excellent felt-tipped pens that have waterproof ink in them. Plus they come in a huge variety of pen nibs and colors.

I also do a lot of drawing using Faber-Castell's Pitt artist pens. They have a brush tip so you can get some fabulous line quality and again, the ink is waterproof. The only problem I have with these is the point loses it's sharp tip really quickly so it doesn't remain useful for fine drawings for very long.

Thanks, nazrat!

I like to use a brush for my ink work with pens being my second choice. Using a brush takes a bit of practice but once you are used to it the versatility is better than anything else. If you are set on pens then get dip pen nibs and a holder. Finally if you must use a disposible pen then I like Micron technical pens.
For paper I find bristol board the best to work on but I don't like much tooth in my paper for my ink work.

Thanks, Rob!

I used to use art pens and the like (I still use dip pens.) But my favorite is the Parker Jotter (refillable). I like the the ball-point so I can change values by varying the pressure (though it's not good for reproduction)- but since you don't like ball-point, there are gel-ink cartridges available to the Jotter; these are smooth and will not skip- much like a rollerball. Very nice to write/draw with.

Sheaffers fountain pens (the cheaper plastic ones, not the $1,000 ones :) have always been on my desk when I cartoon (political) The Javelin is a good one, as are the School pens (if you can find them online).

Those are what I use for (non-archival) sketching and doodling- for finished art for publication; that's a longer discussion. I'm a political cartoonist/illustrator, so I've used about everything under the sun (even burnt sticks and and gritty rocks :) Over the years, I've learned there's really no way to go wrong. You just have to find something that works best for you, something that will compliment your style.

I recommend you try a Jotter with gel ink- that may be your cheapest/most available option if you just want to sketch.

Thanks, evilcartoonist!

Combined, there are clearly many choices …

For fine lines, I like Rapidograph pens. They use an ink well and are capable of making VERY fine lines.