So I remembered that I have a set of (expensive qwq) alcohol markers, and only after having drawn the void of space remembered that ink seeps through paper...

Also wanted to switch it up and try using my Polish rollerball pen!

Barry from Pokémon. ~photo version below~

Heyo, my fellow stationery lover! 🥰💕🖋🖊

It's so nice of you to ask about this, and I totally understand how it all sounds confusing depending on who and where you take your information from. I, myself, had a long run over the years to learn the differences and what works best with my writing style.

So, I'll start retroactively and sort of correct your friend there, because fountain pens and rollerball pens both need good paper to give their best performance. However, as a beginner I'd tell you to work with what you have, which means adequating your chosen pen nib to the paper you have at your immediate disposal.

As an example: I started writing on printer paper and normal everyday notebooks (those you buy in bulk from dollar store to be more precise). Sure, I didn't have the luxury of writing on both sides of the pages, because both fountain pens and rollerballs are usually heavy on the dispense of their inks in this kind of paper, but it taught me about size and flow.

Tip/Nib Size:

Fountain pens work on the range of Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, Double Broad and Stub (stubs often go from 1.0 to 3.0 size, the bigger the number the larger it'll be, they're usually associated with Goth Style calligraphy). The stub nib is also known as the italic nib, it writes thin on the horizontal and diagonals, but when doing a vertical, downward stroke, it becomes thick. (You can see some different nib sizes on the image bellow)

Rollerball pens work on a range of 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.8, 1.0, 1.5, and 1.9 tips, with the easiest tips to find going from 0.3 to 0.8. And their tips will always be just simple round ones with not much variation in terms of colors. (I'm sorry for not having a photo to explain this one, but my rollerball has given up on me this Monday morning and ran the last of its drops of ink 😂 I need to get a new one)

Flow:

Fountain pens and rollerballs work in kind of the same manner in terms of dispensing their ink, they work through capilary mechanisms and gravity. You have to have them down in contact with the paper to make the ink go down to the tip/nib in order to make it work.

The flow usually derives from the kind of ink that are being dispensed and the kind of nib/tip on your pen. The bigger the nib/tip size the more ink will be dispensed on the paper and so the faster you'll need to fill the fountain pen back or buy a new rollerball/refill your rollerball.

About fountain pens not being worth it...

That's a common misconception, because in today's world a lot of people prefer to exchange customization for practicality.

Fountain pens require a little bit of maintainance, because most aren't disposable, the biggest number of them, even the cheapest ones, are meant to last if you don't simply throw it in your bag and have the bag be benchpressed by a rollertruck or be in the way of an explosion (et me tell you, I've yet to find an every day hurdle that can break a Lamy Safari PBS body and stainless steel nib @-@ it scratches and fades, but doesn't break, and I have this baby for around 10 years now, it faced two college degrees with me). A fact that becomes more evident when you see the fact that most brands design converters for their pens.

Most fountain pens can be customized to your liking, from the nib, to the feeder (the part that brings the ink from the cartridge/reservoir/converter) to the nib, to the body, to the ink you write with. They become a sort of statement of your style.

From top to bottom:

- Majohn Moonman C1 (10USD) (can be used with a converter, but I prefer to fill the body with ink for maximum capacity, around 5ml)

- Lamy Safari (20-30USD)

- Wing Sung 3008 (5USD) (built in piston sucks the ink into the pen for maximum capacity, around 2.5ml)

- Pilot Kakuno (15USD) (with Con-70 converter, around 1.7ml)

- Jinhao Centurion (10USD)

- Jinhao 9019 Dadao (10USD) (biggest converter I've ever seen, carrying up to 3ml of ink)

- Jinhao 82 (3USD)

- Tramol T100 (4USD) (full body holds 2ml)

A comparison between the nibs of the Jinhao 9019 Dadao, Jinhao 82 and Majohn Moonman C1. As you can see, I have the heartbit limited edition fine nib on the Dadao, while the 82 has a dual color nib and the Majohn has a long and slightly narrower nib. These are all customizations.

As you can see, there are fountain pens for all styles, likings and price ranges. From the thicc ones with double and triple Cs (I'm looking at you, Dadao) to the more minimalist and sturdy ones, like the Lamy Safari, which is a model that's been around in the market since the 80s and, if you want to be even more conservative, there's always the Pilot 78G and 78G+ that's been around since 1991; if you're one to love traveling, it's hard to go wrong the brass body Traveler's one too.

About the ink not lasting, spillages and all that jazz...

When you buy a fountain pen, they usually come with an ink cartridge, which in my experince last around 2 weeks with me writing daily for 8 hours a day (for my daytime job). However, that depends on the size of the cartridge, smaller ones won't last as long, but they're often the ones you can find more easily on your local stores, since this makes for a bigger compatibility between pen and cartridge due to the thickness of certain barrels (some brands have their own style of cartridges, like Parker and Pilot).

Personally I remedy this by simply having a bottle of Noodler's Ink (this one of the link even comes with a nice beginner friendly pen in the package) on the side and a make-up siringe to suck all the ink from the bottle to the cartridge that comes with the pen. It's much more enviromentally friendly than the rollerballs that usually aren't refillable.

The whole spillage happens because of mishandling. I personally only had one single episode when I was a newbie and brought a fountain pen on an airplane, the pressure change made the ink go kaboom in the pen, but my cap held up well and all I had to do was wash it once I landed. I know some people who are heavy handed also have ink spillage accidents, but again, that's due to mishandling, as fountain pens don't require pressure to get the ink writing on the paper. And, of course, like any liquid, if you shake it hard enough, it will, eventually, spill everywhere in one way or another, but that is a risk that also exists on rollerballs.

Which one is better: Fountain Pens or Rollerball Pens?

I can't emphazise enough that this is an opinion and I enjoy most writing instruments, for each has their very own beauty.

Personally, see fountain pens as a long-time commitment while the rollerballs are more of a shortterm "save me in a pinch" type of pen.

Fountain pens often help correct writing vices that cause harm to the hands and wrists, they train you to slow down for a moment to mind your grip and angle, and in exchange give you the beautiful experience of premium writing with an instrument that's all your own, if not by nib and body, by ink, because every single fountain pen lover has their very own favorite (if not beloved) shade. They give you a freedom that other pens don't usually give in terms of color, you can even like a simple everyday blue, but you can choose from a Pilot Kon-peki to a Waterman Inspire Blue, and don't get me started on the inks that change shade once they dry out or that have metalic shimmer mixed in their composition.

Rollerballs will save me if I don't have my fountain pen with me (I carry a Lamy Safari everywhere I go) and need to jolt down some quick notes, but not write for a long while. They don't feel so good, because my angle of writing (near 45°).

In summary: I wrote this post defending the fountain pens, because I know the discourse of them being obsolete and inpractical that's everywhere, but I see both rollerballs and fountain pens as excellent writing instruments that deserve equal space in our lives, pen pouches and pencil cases 🥰💕🖋🖊

I hope this helps you a little, my fellow writing friend.

i was obsessed with bunnies even before mdzs

Finally got around to make a couple of pen kits with a CA finish. It was well worth it.

Will give them a try and check if can be added to the collection of art supplies.

Fountain > chechen