Wednesday, November 14, 2012

"When Is A Fountain Pen Not?" Or "Look, Ma, No Nib!"

a simple yatate of the Edo period

The fountain pen first appeared in Japan just over a century ago (introduced, according to some accounts by a sailor on a merchant ship) and quickly grew in popularity. However, unlike written languages of European/Western origin , the Japanese written language involves more painterly mark-making; aficionados were quick to point out that not even the most flexible 14k "wet noodle" could compare with the expressive range of a well-made calligraphy brush.


a variety of yatate designs

To this day there are in Japan (and no doubt in China and the rest of eastern Asia) staunch advocates and devotees of the yatate (including famed American ex-pat watercolorist and sumi-e artist, Frederick Harris) -- a "traveler's kit" consisting of brush, carrying tube, and portable ink pot. In fact, vintage yatate from the Edo period are highly sought after collector's pieces -- both as works of art, historical artifacts, and functional writing/drawing tools.

United States yatate advocates include Cathy Johnson, who has written of the pleasure of using the Japanese travel kit on FaceBook and her blogs. http://cathyjohnsonart.blogspot.com/2009/05/miss-lara-and-yatates.html

Unfortunately, the going price of yatate have put them out of the range of many who are simply looking for a highly versatile tool for everyday use. But, as the proverb goes, necessity is indeed the mother of invention.

measuring just __ inches capped, brush fountain pens can be ideal for carrying afield

To meet the demand for a small, portable writing (and drawing) brush with the functionality of the fountain pen, Japanese brush manufacturers introduced the brush pen -- for all outward appearances a fountain pen (when capped) that could be easily clipped into a shirt or jacket pocket, but when posted a sumi-e brush with built-in ink reservoir and wonderfully responsive sable (usually called "weasel" in Japan and China) brush tip.

with the cap posted the brush fountain pen is comfortable and responsive

Due to the fine craftsmanship and quality materials that go into these brush pens, however, they too can be a bit pricey for students and those on tight budgets. (The Kaimei Sumi Brush Fountain Pen pictured above can retail for $72.95.) Enter the creative folks at Sakura Color Products Corp. -- the inventors of the oil pastel, creators of the highly successful Pigma Micron pen series, and parent company of the Hayward, CA based Sakura Color Products of America. In 1982 the company combined the barrel and inks of their widely used Pigma Micron rigid-tip pens with a rugged, flexible synthetic "brush" tip that offered the user a range of water-proof, acid-free, fade resistant inks, combined with the astounding mark-making range of a sumi-e brush -- all without the fuss or muss of carrying a bottle of liquid ink, or the time consumption involved in grinding fresh ink from an ink stick, and at a very affordable price.



In 1984 Sakura expanded their artist's material line when the company invented the world's first gel ink roller pen -- and added white (a color not available in the Pigma range) to the artist's palette.

"hairlining" with the Pigma brush pen

coloring it with a bold and brilliant swash

So, if you incorporate ink into your artwork and/or are interested in experimenting with a wider mark-making range than pen nibs or ball points offer, think about giving the well-made but moderately priced Sakura Pigma Brush Pens a test drive. To paraphrase the line from Casablanca: it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!



Sakura Pigma Brush Pen Giveaway! How would you like a free set of Sakura brush pens (in 8 vivid colors!) to explore and experiment with? And what if we throw in a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen, and a red Sakura pen case to tote them in? OK, subscribe to this blog (by clicking the blue "Join this site" button at right) and post a comment to this post any time between now and Friday, November 30. On Saturday, December 1 one winner will be randomly selected and notified via PM. The lucky winner will then be announced here on Sunday, December 2.



Good luck everyone!

27 comments:

  1. Oh, my eyes are like saucers! I'd LOVE to win this set!

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  2. Too fun! Love giveaways! :) Also another great post! :)

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  3. My kids are very much into drawing right now and would love to surprise them with this set!

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  4. Whoa! I'd love to win. I'm subscribing now. I'd love to try these out. Great informative post!

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  5. Would love to win these as they're one of the few Sakura products I haven't tried. Besides, I'd love to own one of those Sakura carrying cases :-)

    Cheers --- Larry

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  6. I really enjoy my Sakura micron pens and would love to try these new ones on my Zentangles.

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  7. found your blog via Dion Dior and so pleased to have found another fan of drawing and sketching... great rendering work in this... the hands were fabulous... now happily following your blog and look forward to seeing many more drawings...
    thanks T xx

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  8. Great article thankyou. I love using ink in my artwork - have just tracked down a pelikano junior fountain pen, can't wait to use that in my sketchbook, art journal and zentangles - I think this was a recommendation of yours once too?

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  9. Oooh yay! I would love to win this set. I literally started drawing for the first time in my life last night. I had a set of gel pens with a spirograph and decided to try sketching some faces. I was surprised at how good I was. Then I found this today. Must be fate!

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  10. We* just finished a Japanese cultural workshop series, and one of the sessions was Japanese calligraphy. It was taught by a delightful Japanese woman who has been doing calligraphy for 40+ years. It was amazing how graceful her gestures were, and how difficult it was to replicate them. The participants were riveted!

    Judging by my efforts, practicing with these pens would be a fantastic idea. :)

    *We = the Quebec City Lifelong Learning Program, which I coordinate. Offered to folks over 50 years of age, it is an interactive continuing education program offered (almost) free, and in English. We do all kinds of neat programming, but the Japanese series (also including a tea ceremony, origami and kimonos) was a major hit! For more info: http://www.qcrc.org/lifelong-learning-program.html .

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  11. If international entries are allowed (I am in the UK), I would love to be included in this giveaway. I've tried quite a few brush pens, but not the Sakura ones. I already love many of their other products, though.

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  12. i love learning the history of art and artist tools. thanks

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  13. wow, me encantaria tener este juego de plumas.

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  14. Making a wish...caught up in the moment and momentum...hoping to win this beautiful set...Even if i didnt, this is a nice presentation of the product with some good drawings...Thank you.

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  15. Delicious, drool-inducing giveaway! Thanks so much for the chance to win :) I'm already a follower as well!

    <3 Fingers crossed!!

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  16. Another informative post. You're a great teacher, Ernest. I'd love to win this set.

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  17. I so appreciate all the information you share. I have one of these pens and now I know lots more about its use. Thank you so much Earnest.

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  18. The brush pens by Sakura are a stroke of genius! I would love to win this!

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  19. I've always wanted to try these. Thank you for this give away!

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  20. Ohhh oh ohhh!!! I'd love to try these pens out! I think brush pens need more exposure for sure! Um, I follow through Google Reader RSS so I'm not sure I'll show up but know that I am. :D

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    1. Hi Aisazia. FYI, since you have a Google account if you click the blue "join this site" button in the right column you'll be registered for the drawing. Good luck!

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  21. Thank you Earnest for another very interesting post, I'm learning so much from you! I've had a Pentel pocket brush pen for years but never really got into using it properly so now I've seen your sketches of how to hold it I'll be giving it a go. The colours look lovely and an extra dimension too for all sorts of sketches. My imagination is already running wild!

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  22. Our third graders just finished reading the book, Frindle, and I would love to raffle off this wonderful collection of goodies! Thank you for the opportunity!

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  23. I dont know why I never knew about these. I knew about both yatate and the pilot brush pen. Thanks for the info. And I am signing up to get more news more often.

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  24. I love, love, love Sakura pens. I haven't had a chance to use the brush pens...what a great Christmas surprise this kit would be :)

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