Can any artists recognize what type of drawing pens he is using? I would guess something expensive like Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph or Rotring, but does anyone know for sure? I like fine gel pens, like Uni-ball Signo DX 0.38 mm. They are water-proof and very archival. Not sure how the Koh-i-Noor compares... Some pens smudge and fade horribly over time like Pilot Precise.
shareYeah, it's a koh-I-Noor Rapidograph (in the UK they're made by Rotring), notice how he shakes it every few strokes? There's a little ball-bearing or something in the cartridge, actually, sorry, it's in the nib-housing that you push into the cartridge...they're absolute cnuts to maintain, though, but only if you don't use them every day, even if it's making a few squiggles on scrap to keep the ink flowing nice and freely. U.S Rapidographs are white; British/European versions are a maroon colour. I'm absolutely certain because I've seen pics of them in other cartoonists studios--Jaime Hernandez uses three of different widths, one for lettering, one for panel borders and one for speech balloons. The last one I bought (a 1mm) ran me about £23. Recently though I've been getting into Hunt Speedball lettering nibs, look into the A, B and C types if you're interested (you won't get as fine a line as you can from the finest Rapidograph, though), India ink stands up to erasing a lot better than the Rotring/koh-I-Noor ink (I've used both and they're a tad grey for my liking. But I fill mine up with the drawing ink I use, Daler Rowney FW Acrylic Ink and the pens take it fine, been doing this for five years with no problems. NEVER buy the Koh-I-Noor white rapidograph ink, it's terrible siht) Looking at Crumb's sketchbook stuff it looks like he uses a 0.30 or thereabouts.
And the pen Crumb is seen using in his studio (drawing from his highschool yearbook "they're all probably housewives now") and for "finished" work is the comic-industry workhorse the Hunt 102, a pretty reliable, nicely flexible crowquill (although not as flexible as the 108, but I happen to like 'em both! Scratch that, LOVE them both!) that loads and load of cartoonists ink with.
So, yes, you were right the first time, sir!
"How perfectly goddamned delightful it all is, to be sure"
Watching it recently on blu-ray, I think you can see the name on the pen in one of the shots.
shareHow do those Rapidograph pens hold up to water or light or smudging? I test pens by writing on the page and trying to smudge the ink, then soaking it in water to see if it fades or bleeds. Most pens fail those tests. Sharpie PENS are all water proof and they dry fast too. Very resistant to smudging. Uni-Ball Sigmo DX take a little longer to dry but are water-proof and smudge-free once they dry. They don't seem to degrade with time. I have kept notebooks for years that still look like new.
shareSo, I uh, totally misread the title to your post.......
. Ephemeron.