Peacock pens

Since I started collecting fountain pens, my path has started to the point where I am now: sketching with water color, in combination with the use of a fountain pen. I don’t need to convince many people how fun and relaxing it is to write with a fountain pen. The fountain pen industry is booming and the enthusiast is overwhelmed with fountain pens for everyone’s wish.

My collection has over 100 fountain pens, many of which lie unused, waiting to be inked, waiting to write with them. The wait is too long, which is why I have temporarily put new purchases on hold. The ROI (return on investment), if it can be determined at all, would cause a lot of headaches for the accountant. At the moment my buying frenzy is under control and mentally I still feel good 🙂 When reviewing fountain pens, I really tested them from head to toe. The nib was really put through its paces under various circumstances. And in the end, why is a fountain pen useful? Right, to write with it… But I also made doodles with it, sketches and a bit of practice to write neatly.

I discovered that sketching gave me a lot of satisfaction. Ok, I wanted to try to sketch portraits, but as a newbie this was obviously too ambitious. Although I didn’t think I was doing this so badly – (now blushing).

While searching for information, I accidentally (you know: via via) came across the website of Taria Dawson (Urban Sketching World) on a post about minimalistic urban sketching. This could be it, I thought to myself. It looked simple (appearances can be deceiving), not time-consuming and with the possibility to let your own creative ideas take their course. I dug further into this and came across the site of Toby Haseler (Sketch Loose). I followed some of Toby’s tutorials on Youtube and Skillshare (paying) and to this day I have to admit that Toby’s way of drawing (he is also a lover of fountain pens) was a real inspiration to me. All praise for Toby, his explanation is very pleasant to follow and his technique of loose sketching is close to my mindset.

I am also convinced that Toby’s tutorials are ideal for the starting sketcher. The fear is easy to overcome, making mistakes is part of it and should not be a barrier. Loose sketching gives me so much satisfaction at the moment in the sense that I can use my fountain pen in a creative way and that I can lay my creative egg.

I started as a fountain pen collector in 2019 and now, almost 2024, I think my hobby has really taken shape in a way that makes me feel good. Achieving a goal doesn’t always have to be easy, but you should never give up, you have to be critical of yourself and ultimately do what makes you feel good.