Mattias Adolfsson And His Fountain Pens

Mattias Adolfsson is a Swedish illustrator who uses fountain pens for detailed drawings. I became enchanted with his work via Fountain Pen Network ten years ago when he posted a drawing done with a Namiki Falcon and Diamine Monaco Red. The duo is lovely for drawing and elegant for shading as well as simplicity.

Sometimes I let the nib release a little extra ink and move it around with a swab, toothpick or small brush. Otherwise, the expressive line from the nib is gorgeous on its own. Any ink will do, though J. Herbin Lie de The is an especially good alternative. My Stillman & Birn Sketchbook loves the attention and with Mattias for inspiration, it’s a win-win activity.

 

Tools mentioned are available at Amazon: Pilot Namiki Falcon SF, Stillman & Birn Sketchbook, Diamine Monaco Red, and J. Herbin Lie de The.

Warming Up To Red

After years of resistance, I am finally warming up to the color red. Call me biased, but red is not in my color wardrobe. However, last night I painted a birch tree and felt compelled to add a few red dots to the branches, leaves and a blush of it to the sky. Am I a convert? Not exactly, but I am open to possibilities beyond apples and stop signs.

It started about six years ago when I was introduced to Diamine Monaco Red, a dark, brooding color, that has good properties for drawing. Then Ann Finley sent a small bottle of Diamine Vermilion, a lovely orange-red. Eventually I purchased a bottle of Rohrer & Klingner Morinda, a more saturated slightly pink-red. With those three my red range was serviceable. Noodler’s Cayenne, a spicy, orange-red, sent for review by Jet Pens fit in nicely. Last year Dick Egolf of Luxury Brands sent Noodler’s Tiananmen, a saturated dark red, and my red rotation was set. Even so, red rarely got used.

Once a doodle journal became part of my routine, it was evident that I could go through a large quantity of ink in a very short period of time. Using paint was the logical next step. I could lay down a lot of color with a brush, but reserve ink for my pens. With the addition of watercolor to my casual sketches, closely matching some of my inks was the next step and promised to add more dimension to my doodles. I started with red.

These are similar enough to work together in a monochromatic drawing.

• Diamine Vermilion – Winsor & Newton Scarlet Lake
• Rohrer & Klingner Fernambuk – Daniel Smith Quinacridone Coral
• Noodler’s Cayenne – Daniel Smith Transparent Pyrrol Orange
• Rohrer & Klingner Morinda – American Journey Alizarin Crimson
• Noodler’s Tiananmen – Daniel Smith Anthraquinold Red
• Diamine Oxblood – Daniel Smith Perylene Maroon

So far I haven’t found a companion for Diamine Monaco Red. Neither have I found an ink that is comparable to Winsor & Newton Winsor Red, my favorite red watercolor. If you are a Cadmium Red fan, I tried to match the paint from Schmincke, M. Graham, and American Journey. They look like entirely different colors in my paint swatches book though they have the same name. Diamine Vermilion comes close to AJ Cadmium Red Medium. Nothing on hand matches the other two.

No one needs as many red inks and watercolors as I have. But if you have a favorite red ink, try a watercolor substitute in your journal. Anything from pink puppies to red skies goes. Make it reflect your imagination. After all, it’s your journal.

Take these as relative – not accurate colors.

Seeing Red – Ink That Is

No true red in this lot but they are the red inks I use most often.

What is your favorite red ink?

Thank you Tessa Maurer for images 2-5. The out of focus one at the top that required the most editing was my doing using Tessa’s old camera. Obviously, I have a lot to learn.