How to Journal with Fountain Pens

1. Introduction : Have you ever been curious about fountain pens, but not sure where to start? I get it. That was me when I first started. This writing instrument may seem intimidating at first, but I'm here to show you that using fountain pens can become one of the most enjoyable and meaningful parts of your journaling practice. Hi, I'm Abby C. I'm an artist, author, and creator. I've been documenting my life and travels for 15 years and counting, filling numerous journals with my experiences. I've written and illustrated several books on hand lettering and journaling, including the Art of the travel journal. Welcome to my Skillshare class, How to Journal with Fountain Pens. In this class, you'll learn how to use a fountain pen, explore different ink properties, and swatch them. And incorporate fountain pens into your journaling practice. Analog documenting is at the heart of my creative process, and fountain pens have been an essential part of it. Using fountain pens is the perfect companion, as it allows you to slow down and pay attention. This class is perfect if you feel intimidated but or curious to know more about fountain pens. If you're looking for journaling ideas or inspiration, I recommend taking my first Skillshare class, everyday journaling, five creative ways to document your life, as this class is a more in depth look at fountain pen usage. The end of this class, you'll have a newfound understanding, a fountain fans, and why it is such a well loved writing instrument. I'm so excited to geek out with you on pens, paper, and inks. Let's get started. 2. Your Project: For the class project, you have two options. The first one is to complete the provided worksheets and the second one is to create a journal page using a fountain pen. I'll guide you step by step in the upcoming lessons on how to create these projects and complete them. To make the most out of this class, I invite you to complete one or two of the projects in order for you to practice your writing skills. When you're ready to upload your project, go to Projects and Resources and click the Submit Project button. First upload a cover image to make your project stand out. Then add a title, along with any other additional photos and videos. Finally, click Publish. Make sure to check the project and resources tab as I have a downloadable PDF with my favorite fountain pens and inks, some inks watches, as well as the worksheets I mentioned that you will complete for the project. I'd love to see your work so I can provide feedback and share more ideas. I can't wait to see your projects. 3. Things You'll Need: To get started on the class, you will need these materials. First, you will need a fountain pen of your choice. I am using the sailor T Zoo and medium name in this lovely red color, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand and something that you feel comfortable writing with. It can be at entry level one or higher end one anything goes. Next, of course, what is a pen Without ink? You will be needing ink for beginners, I recommend using a cartridge first. But if you have a bit of knowledge or want to just dive straight into converters, I will also have a lesson on that later. So I highly recommend getting a bottle of ink and obviously the converter that matches your pen. Right now, my pen is inked with Lennon toolbar, Coastal Village, which is a nice, like, muddy olive color, so we're going to be using that for the sample journal page. Last but not least a notebook or journal of your choice. I am using an A five size notebook right here. This has dotted pages, and I wanted to use an A five size just so you can see how I journal on a bigger format. So here is an example of a previously completed spread. I also want you to make sure that the paper you are using is fountain pen friendly and thick enough to hold ink. Of course, you don't have to use an A five size. You can also use A six or B six or whatever size is more comfortable to your liking. I also recommend having stationary such as washi tapes or stickers are optional. But if you would like to decorate your journal pages, I recommend having them as well for our project. By the way, just a disclaimer, you don't need to have the exact materials that I have or the most expensive fountain pen. Just grab your tools, and I'll see you in the next lesson. 4. Why Journal with Fountain Pens?: Before we begin, you're probably wondering why journal with fountain pens? Good question. That's also something I asked before I started using them. But first, let me explain how a fountain pen actually works. Inside, there's a simple but brilliant system, an ink reservoir that stores your ink, a feed that regulates flow, and a nib that delivers it to the paper through capillary action. As you write, ink flows down while air moves up to balance the pressure. This delicate balance makes every stroke feel smooth and consistent. Once you understand the mechanics, you can appreciate why fountain pens creates such a unique and special writing experience. They make writing feel effortless. Fountain pens glide smoothly across the page, requiring far less pressure than ballpoint pens. This reduces hand strain and lets you write longer, perfect for daily journaling or extended reflective entries. Also, with consistent practice and conscious effort, writing with fountain pens may improve your handwriting over time. You can express mood through ink and nib choice. Pairing your ink colors with your mood, the seasons or your personality adds a creative dimension to your journaling practice. Your choice of nib width also shapes your writing style and personal aesthetic. I love how the fountain fans and inks I use are a form of self expression, just like how I put together an outfit. I look at a pen or ink bottle that I like and think, Ah, this is so me coated. They're sustainable and long lasting. Like disposable pens, fountain pens are refillable and often last for years. You can swap inks instead of replacing pen bodies all the time, reducing waste. And the best part is with proper care and cleaning, it'll definitely last you a lifetime. 5. Getting to Know Nib Sizes: Mm. The nib is a pointed tip of a fountain pen which comes into contact with the writing surface in order to deposit ink. If you take a closer look at your pen's nib or body, some of them will have the corresponding size there. These are the most common nib sizes you'll encounter when picking out a fountain pen use. EF extra fine. F, fine. M, medium. B, broad. One tip I highly recommend is to analyze your handwriting style and size and if possible, visit a store in order to test the different nib sizes. I think this is really crucial in order for you to pick out a nib size that suits your personal handwriting the most and you don't have to adapt to it. Personally, since I have smaller handwriting, I tend to gravitate towards finer nibs to suit my needs. The examples I showed are Japanese nibs, but a rule of thumb is western nibs are a bit thicker for the same nib size. Some brands like Sailor have exclusive nib sizes, such as medium fine that are worth checking out as well. If you're insured with finding a nib size that suits you, take a look at your favorite rollerball or gel pens, and you're probably going to be finding a corresponding im size for that. 6. All About Inks: Mm Okay. Just like fountain pens, not all inks are made the same. Each comes with their own different property and different types of colors to boot. The variety is perfect for specific spreads or, as I mentioned, expressing your mood or personality. There are several ways to ink your fountain pen, but for this class, we're focusing on two main ways you can do that using a cartridge or a converter. For beginners, I recommend using a cartridge as it's super easy to add your pen and ready to get your writing immediately. Loading cartridges are super straightforward and the easiest way to get into fountain pens because they literally are these little ink cartridges that you plug in your pen body and you're good to go. I personally love using these cartridges from platinum. They are carbon ink, which means they are actually permanent. So if I write my to do list or I need to draw over some kind of painting, I love using these ones, and I keep them on hand with me all the time. We're going to be loading a cartridge into a platinum preppi. This is another entry level pen that I love. So with cartridges, you just want to literally plug it in like this. Make sure it's tight, and make sure it went through the entire pen. Sometimes you need to squeeze it a little bit more, and then you'll start to see the ink sort of penetrate throughout this feeding area. Close it like so. I always like to test it before closing it just to make sure that I really loaded it properly. So this is the platinum preppy. It's in fine, or it says on the pen body, it's 03. So I will also write that. And platinum carbon ink. And your all set. Once you get used to a cartridge, you can try out converters to have more freedom with your ink options. I think this is the most fun part about using fountain pens. Here are two pens with two different filling mechanisms. I want to show you each of them before we load them to their corresponding pen bodies. So for loading fountain pen inks, it's kind of similar with cleaning. You will need I just like to have a jar of water like this handy. And then I have the ink bottles that I want to ink these pens with I also have a roll of tissue paper just in case it can get messy. And last but not least, if you prefer, also recommend having like a piece of cloth to kind of block things over so that you won't stay in your table. So these are two different filling mechanisms, both allow ink to flow through your pen. This one is specifically a vacuum pump. And the thing is you press it up so that the ink goes up to the container as to where you will put your ink in order for it to flow well on your pen. This is a Pilot 70 converter loaded into a pilot cakunoPen. And then here we have the typical converter that you will see. This type of converter is pretty typical for most fountain pens. You basically twist it up and the ink goes up. I think you can see here that the vacuum one definitely holds more ink than the typical converter, but both of them do a great job at making sure the ink flows through the pen. So now let's start to fill it together. We'll start with the cacuno pen first. So before anything, you want to insert the converter on this part of your pen. So the idea is it will load up here to the nib and then to the converter itself. So for the pilot cacuno, I wanted to use this Kobe ink in Shin kaichiGl another thing I recommend is having, like, a paper tester nearby, so you have a space to write out your swatches. So as I mentioned earlier, you want your hands to kind of mimic this repetitive motion here, that is going to induce pressure for the ink to flow up. It's a slow process, but as you can see here, the ink is starting to pile up. And the more you press on it longer, the more it extracts up. So you also want to make sure to keep that resistance. Also make sure your nib is not touching the edge of the ink bottle. You don't want to damage it. Okay. I think that's pretty much enough. Once you see that it's filled pretty much to the brim, I like to take it out, and I like to wipe the nib portion with my cloth or tissue just to make sure it doesn't get messy, although this is really really a messy process. You want to close your ink bottle, and then we put back the pen body. Of course, before we put on the pen cap, let's try writing and seeing if it turns out good. H. Pilot Cocono F CB number 22, ShingihiC. Now you have a freshly inked pen using the vacuum filler. Definitely want to give a disclaimer. I think the regular converter is relatively easier than the vac filler, and it's a no nonsense process of just twisting up and down until you get the ink. I think the main difference of this is that you can't really get so much, and the tube is particularly narrower than the one we used earlier. So this is a Sailor T Zoo fountain pen. It is also beginner friendly, and I really love this particular pen model. So we're going to put in this converter to the pen. Body where the nib part is. Make sure it's pretty tight like this. I also want you to get used to this twisting motion. We're going to be just doing it once. So you got to kind of familiarize yourself with, like, twisting down means the ink is being expelled. Twisting up means the ink is being loaded onto the vessel. Once you have that going on for you, I want you to get your ink bottle. For this pen, we're going to be using this non toolbar autumnal inspired ink. And of course, you want to open your ink bottle, and, like, so we're just going to put the whole thing in. I know it looks stupid, but promise, it really does the job. So with something like this, you don't want to put it all the way to the bottom, all the way to where you can see that the nib has penetrated the ink pool. You want to slowly twist up the converter. Okay, can you see that some ink has entered the converter. Now we have a really messy name. So we're just going to wipe that with a cloth. I think it was filled pretty well. And let's just put back the pen body. Can you see how chaotic my hands have become? Okay, now that we have that ink, I think we are good to go. So this is a particularly smaller one that fits a smaller pen body like this. And the larger one we loaded earlier is relatively longer. So make sure when you are looking for converters, they are the ones corresponding to the pen that you own. If not, you're going to have to get a pen that fits it because you won't be able to use the converter. One of the most fun parts of fountain pens is choosing and using different types of inks. As I mentioned earlier, not all inks are created the same. There can be a lot of properties that comprise each ink, but some of the most common ones you'll probably encounter would be the shading inks, sheing inks, shimmering inks, and permanent inks, which all have different ink properties. Different brands carry different ink types and properties that may suit your needs. For example, some inks are archival, some inks are floorscent, forgery system, and all of that, depending really on what you prefer to have in your collection. It's important to note that fountain pens are designed to only hold fountain pen specific inks, most of which are water based. So make sure to check that out if you're looking at an art supply shop because in the ink calligraphy ink, some of these might actually damage your nib and your pen in the long run. I personally am always on the hunt for the best brown or green inks. And over the years, I have kept a swatchbook to reference back in case I need to look for similar shades or study certain properties of the ink. I mean, this is totally optional, but I personally love the swatching process. I've been keeping different types of swatch boooks and ways on how I can look at the different inks that I own or samples that I've used. Also, these are some swatches that I have borrowed from friends collection, and who doesn't love a very color coordinated swatch book. Also love having a reference of swatches, so I don't end up buying the same ones. Once you find ink colors that you love, you will definitely enjoy exploring more and diving deep. It's definitely a fun rabbit hole to get into. 7. Writing with Fountain Pens (Demo): M. Before we get to journey with fountain pens, of course, we got to do some warm ups and start with some fountain pen writing. As I mentioned, this is one of two projects you can complete to finish this class. I printed these worksheets out using a five size, loose TomoiRiver paper sheets. They're fountain pen friendly and it has a grid layout for you to practice on. I also have it in an A four format, so it depends on your handwriting style and preferences. If you also want to, you can always just format it to an A six when it comes to printing. Make sure to download these print ready worksheets at the projects and resources tab. By the way, for this lesson, I'm going to be using different types of fountain pens, nib sizes, and ink so you can see the differences. I'm going to be putting all the information on the screen, as well as in the Projects and resources tab, so make sure to check it out as well. My personal rule of thumb when it comes to writing is how I postie my hand is similar to how I write with a regular pen or a pencil, but my grip is relatively not as intense. Do you know what I mean? Like, usually when you're writing, you're very tight with your grip. I try to loosen it up specifically with fountain pens. We're going to start with basic strokes. The template I created has, like, a tracing area and also one that you can kind of make your own depending on your needs. And since my handwriting is not that big, I decided to tailor fit it to something similar to what you are seeing right here. This is also an invitation for you to exercise, how tight or how loose of a grip you have with pens, especially with fountain pens, because the different bodies also have different weights. So for example, the pen I'm using now is a Twisbe. It's relatively heavier than, say, a sailor T Zoo because of the pen body. So this is something to consider if you're looking to upgrade your pens as well, or if you prefer something light and airy to start, especially if you are beginner and you would like to just explore and be able to try out the different types of pens and how they feel on your hand. 8. Journaling with Fountain Pens (Demo): Oh, Okay. Now that we've warmed up with the worksheets, let's get to journaling. Make sure you take out your tools, and let's journal. As always, I like to start with my stationary, AKA, the visual part of this journal page. For today's journal page, I'm doing something pretty personal, which is a home improvement update page. So I've recently moved apartments, and that is the starting point of the journal page I wanted to write about in order for me to celebrate the small things that have improved since I moved. So I'm just adding in some stationary usually, I like to design the left hand side and the right hand side. You can definitely think about something long form that you can write and reflect on. It could be your daily documentation of how your day went, or it could be something like what I'm doing where it's more like grouped into certain categories. I think I actually have not journaled about this particular chapter of my life, so I think it was nice to use fountain pens and be able to highlight certain things that I wanted to write about. One thing I want you to examine while you're journaling, apart from the fact that you are journaling and writing words on paper, is how much of pressure you are putting on your grip for your fountain pen usage, as well as the speed in which you write. You don't have to write as quick as I do, but I tend to write really quickly because I think it allows for the pressure to be less intense on my hand while I'm writing. Although this is something I probably have discovered more as I continued writing with fountain pens. Personally, also, for me, I don't think there was a big adjustment when I moved from gel pens, slash rollerball pens or regular pens to fountain pens, except for the material change. So this fountain pen that I'm using the Sailor To Zoo, it's actually very lightweight, so I think it's pretty easy to get into. But once I tried my pilot custom 83 and more higher end pens that are heavier in weight, it gave me a little bit of strain, so I had to take breaks in between writing. So that is also totally fine and something you could examine and discover as you keep writing as this habit becomes consistent in your journaling practice. Another tip I want to share that I personally keep forgetting to do, but I think it's great if you want to track the inks that you are using is to write the ink swatch and the pen that you use on the lower right corner or at a corner of your journal page. If you want to record your ink swatch and pen of the day that you use for your journal, I think this is a great way to do that. And also, I like to write the nib sizes as well. So next time that I load this ink, for example, in a different pen, I want to see how the qualities are similar or different. So I hope you picked up some ideas through this journal of practice and here is the final page for your reference. 9. Taking Care of Your Pens and Inks: Fountain pens can last a lifetime or longer if taken care of properly. With ink, remember to store your pens, laying down flat or horizontally. If that's not possible, if you're storing them upright, make sure the nib is facing up. Some fountain pens can be fragile, especially those with more delicate pen bodies or made with a higher concentration of gold or steel. So make sure you are keeping them in a safe and clean place. For ink storage, to avoid complications or mold formations or anything that damages the ink properties, I recommend to store it away from sunlight, especially if you have a window that is direct to sunlight. I store most of my bottles and ink samples in this toolbox over here. It's made with steel, and I think it protects the inks very well. The concept of cleaning your pen is similar to how you load ink to your pen, which is called flushing. The only difference is we're cleaning it and adding water instead of ink. So you want to make sure that your converter is fully free of any ink residue from your previous ink. You want to avoid mixing colors, obviously and making sure that all components are dry and clean before you load a new set of ink to your pen. You haven't been using your pen for a while, there is a tendency for the ink to be drying out. So once that happens, it's very important to have everything thoroughly cleaned, especially with water to flush out inks, not only in the converter part of the pen body, but also in the nip part where you write. Cleaning pens is very messy, but it's very rewarding at the end. You will need a lot of tissue or a towel that can be designated for cleaning out fountain pens. You will also need water, and let's get started with some cleaning. Cleaning, you want to start by removing all the components of your fountain pen. I like to run everything through my faucet, and usually I start with the nib part because it's going to be, as you can see here, like, residue of ink will be stuck in the nib. And you want to make sure that it's fully washed out. My pen cap also had some residue, so I wash that out and, of course, make sure to wash out the ink from the converter. Depending on the ink type, some can get really nasty, so make sure everything is fully cleaned out. Once everything's cleaned out, I like to dab it a little bit in water just to make sure it's all clean and there's no ink remaining and I put it on top of a napkin or a tissue paper just to let it air dry. I like to leave it on my desk for a full day, but if you're short on time, maybe a couple hours just to let it air dry and fully empty out before you put in ink. And that's basically how you clean it. 10. Conclusion: Hey, you've made it to the end of this class. Thank you for sharing your time with me, and I hope you enjoyed writing and journaling with Fountain Pen. This is just the beginning of your fountain pen journey, and I can't wait for you to keep exploring ways to enjoy this writing instrument. I'd love to see our projects in the project gallery, and please consider leaving a review. Keep writing and always be creating. Bye.