“Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered

I’ve seen lots of funny men;

Some will rob you with a six-gun,

And some with a fountain pen.”

-Pretty Boy Floyd,

Woody Guthrie. 

A new month and a new toy: Noodler’s Ahab Standard Flex pen ($18.50).

In the past I have worked with nibs that required frequent dipping into ink (think Shakespeare composing a sonnet). I have always loved their expressive lines caused by the amount of pressure applied to the nib. The downside is that you have to continually recharge the nib which requires an open inkwell. This approach does not lend itself to field sketching. I think of the many times I’ve dropped a pen, pencil, or journal and dropping a 3 ounce open container of jet-black India Ink would be catastrophic.

Into this dilemma comes the Ahab flex pen.  With this fountain pen, the ink is contained in the barrel. This pen sucks up ink like a hummingbird drinking nectar.  I filled up the reservoir with black ink and now I needed a subject for a field test sketch.

Enter the Women’s World Cup Final, the United States vs Japan and a pizza/brew pub on Clement.

I first needed an anchor (not the beer) for the spread and a pint of pale ale did the trick. Sketching with the Ahab is a dream, it is expressive, free flowing, and I didn’t run out of ink. This pen really is three pens in one, depending on how much pressure you apply. No pressure: thin line, lots of pressure: thick line.

I look forward to many more sketches with my new toy!

A portrait of my new pen (not done with the Ahab Flex).