Pens need love
Posted: November 23, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alice drawing, fountain pen drawing, ink drawing, sketchbook 16 CommentsI haven’t done a pen drawing in a while and when I finally sat down to draw yesterday my good Pilot fountain pen was not performing as it should. I refilled the converter with ink and continued my drawing but it ran out of ink quickly and the flow of the pen was not great. It was time for a good cleaning.
I flushed it thoroughly with distilled water and refilled it again but it was still not working as I had hoped. So this time I went to the very trusty Goulet Pen website to see what I could do. I followed a long series of instructions to fill my particular converter — empty it, turn it again to prime it with ink, expel all the ink, then fill it partially, turn it this way and that — basically a series of clockwise and counterclockwise acrobatics for my pen. But it worked! The ink is flowing again, the lines are black, and there’s nothing like sitting down to do a drawing of Alice when the snow if falling outside my window and she is exhausted after a walk. Sketched in a tiny Etchr Hot Press sketchbook using a Pilot E95S pen and de Atramentis Document Black ink.
Alice should her own blog. janice bean
Haha, I never thought of that. I should have started that a long time ago!
Thank you! I love pen (and pencil) sketches. Good to know Goulet has helpful tips on pen cleaning.
Ginny, Goulet Pens has great tips and very useful videos too.
Lovely drawing of Alice. Goulet Pens is my go to for all things related to ink and pens. There’s such a wealth of information. And some of the videos are quite humorous too!
Jan, I love their videos and I’ve learned a lot from them too.
Lovely. I bet you can draw Alice with your eyes closed.
Mary, I’ve never tried but I bet I could. I could draw her head for sure but not certain about the paws that are always crossed and tucked in when she’s sleeping.
I love fountain pens and I’ve been using mine more recently, but I’m not always good on cleaning them either. I’m glad yours worked and you’re back in action!
Thanks Jean. I like seeing your ink drawings!
I am very lazy about cleaning my pens and I know I should take better care of them. Alice looks like a good nap is exactly what she needs. Getting to sketch her fairly regularly is such a blessing. Nice inking!
Thanks Joan. I am obviously lazy about cleaning my pens too. But this is such a good one, and a gift from my family, that I really want to take care of it.
Hope you are well.
Love Alice!
And she loved meeting you!
Hello,
Love the ink drawings! You were using a Pilot E95S – this is a pen I have had my eye on and am intending to purchase next month. Do you find the size convenient for plein air or do you only use it in the studio?
Thank you for all your wonderful content,
Christine
thanks Christine! I LOVE the pen!! It was a gift from my husband and sons when I became a member of the American Watercolor Society. When I draw or write with it I feel like the queen. It’s a Rolls Royce of pens for me.
At first I was too nervous to take it out and I would only draw with it at home. But I realized that was a bit ridiculous so now I take it out with me. I bought a hard case for it so I can carry a few good pens. I don’t want the good pen mixed up in a pencil case with other stuff.
I first found out about this pen from Brenda Swenson, and I tried hers and fell in love with it. Hope that helps you decide.