Heart of Darkness Ink on Strathmore Aquarius II Watercolor paper using a Noodler's Flex Nib Fountain Pen

New toys tools! The latest batch of Noodler's Flex Nib Fountain Pens released this past Monday, and you may be wondering what the big deal is......

....it's the nib. Actually, it's the nib that makes any pen what it is, but there are other elements to be considered such as the materials used to make the pen, aesthetic appeal, weight, balance and so on.

In this case, the nib is very flexible, making it easier to get a wide variety of line widths from one pen. It makes for lovely writing with thick and thin strokes as well. The nib allows for more expressive writing or drawing.

Since the advent of the ballpoint pen, we're used to being able to press down with a lot of pressure as we write. Flex nibs quickly fell out of favor because it takes controlling the pressure on the pen to create the line variety and too much pressure could damage/ruin the nib.

In our hurry-up world, a slow-down like this was not welcomed. Manufacturers took note of the consumers' preferences and quit making these nibs.

Finding an older, flexible nib depends on a good amount of money and an even larger amount of luck. It is considered dicey at best. However, since whatever is old is new again, the flex nibs are seeing renewed interest.

My main interest in the pen is for it's drawing capabilities. I was pleasantly surprised by the pen's versatility to create very thick (2mm) to very thin (hairline) lines.

The quick sketch above is the first test with the pen straight out of the box. If you look at the eyelashes, individual pieces of hair and the eyebrow, you can easily see the variety of lines, all created with the one pen.

Of course, not being able to leave well enough alone, I went in with a waterbrush to add some shading.

The pen is lightweight, the cap fits securely on the end when the pen is in use and the nib glides across the paper. All this for the princely sum of $14, depending on where you purchase. If I were to lose it, I'd out the dollars, but that's better than $200 or more than one might pay for an antique flexi nib.

Kate Johnson has also done a review of the pen over at the Artist's Journal Workshop Blog. Speaking of the Artist's Journal Workshop book, it is now available as a download for your Kindle! Check out the details here! The paperback will be shipping June 27th! Can't wait to see it!