Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with Nick Stewart from @quinkandbleach . I've been a long-time admirer of his work and so it was a very nice surprise when he got in touch with an interest in trying the Studio Pen with the flex nib fountain pen nibs to create his fantastic illustrations. I gladly sent him one to test and he came back with this:
He commented:
"Am still test driving @tomsstudio Spark Flex nib fountain pen. I’m using Octopus Violet Giraffe which is a fountain pen friendly pigment ink which is loaded into the converter. No blobbing, burping, leaking! Regular flow and great line width variation."
Thanks Nick!
He used octopus fluids pigment and waterproof ink for fountain pens. Which means he can lay a lighter wash over the ink without fear of the ink smudging. We sell a very similar ink (SketchINK) but I'd love to try octupos ink too (especially if they have names like Violet Giraffe!)
His artistic style is a joy to behold and seems effortless despite the precision of his strokes. You can see more of his work on his site, amongst some brilliant product reviews as well as his own courses where you can learn more about how you can incorporate fountain pen ink into your artwork. As he puts it:
"Fountain Pen Ink Art is a project that re-imagines an already existing product originally intended for a now increasingly obsolete purpose and exploring possibilities to enhance its potential for uses within other creative contexts. Where taking risks and making mistakes is encouraged, to create exciting visual outcomes."
As if his talent wasn't enough, his partner Cherry @prune_and_fork is also an incredible botanical artist. After taking the flex nib for a spin he very kindly decided to gift her a Studio Pen with the same nib installed and this is what she created:
Wonderful stuff here from Cherry @pruneandfork ! I initially designed the pro-flex (extra inky) to be the go-to fountain pen nib for calligraphers, but Cherry couldn't have shown off its versatility any better! She's used line variation in these illustrations with panache and a gloriously loose style it's an absolute joy to behold. I really love the vibrancy of the colour washes she's used for each flower too, especially on a slightly grey day in ol'blighty.
Thank you, Cherry and @quinkandbleach for showing me what's possible with this pen and nib combination!