I actually like really broad nibs because it feels like a juicy marker, and they’re usually really smooth. At first I didn’t like fine because it’s scratchy but on the right paper it can be very nice.
It’s always a sacrifice between smooth and scratchy. I tend more to the f/ef range and have to live with some scratchiness… but I’m very open to playing with some other nib sizes after this one!
I think this kind of nib would be good for trying various comic art styles. Everything from Jim Davis to Mike Mignola. Great for clean lines and heavy shading. I also think this style of nib tends to do interesting things in hatching that can add some style that we might not get in a finer nib, and it can be fun to let the ink guide the style a little more and give up control in that way.
Mike Mignola style art with this pen would be super cool. Of course, at that point, you may also find it worth your time to look at a brush pen as well. I think if you have a good shading ink, there’s something in a BB nib that could be really unique as well.
@@stepheninks Yeah, I do tend to like a firmer brush pen for that sort of thing. But it’s quite a different feel. I think the line quality given by these big nibs is unique enough that it’s worth having one in the sketchbook bag, just in case!
I chuckled when you said it was cold in California. Here in Wisconsin it was 72 degrees this past Tuesday, and the next day the high temperature was 28. (And it snowed.) 😊
I suppose I should say that it’s cold relative to what I’m used to. 50s-70s F is the usual for the CA central coast. Not the middle of Wisconsin, for sure, but not the tropical paradise we’re made out to be.
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I use double broad with heavily shiny shimmering or shading inks, to show off the effects. Not so much for daily drawing or writing, definitely not for details 😅 So I'd say I use it like a brush, painting or decorating. What I love about my Sport BB is that it hardly ever dries up or gets clogged despite all the shimmer and stuff inside the inks I use with this pen.
That’s a good point (pun intended). I never use shimmering inks, but for those that love them, a wider nib should work better. Also, I feel like an ef is never really going to show off the shimmering qualities of an ink as well as something broad.
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@@stepheninks I like over the top things sometimes... 😌 It's surprising how much the nib size changes a colour. Like Summer Storm from Robert Oster looks lighter and bluer in a Parker medium but dark grey in my Kakuno fine. Conversely, One More Sleep by Diamine looks very light in the Kakuno but far darker with the Parker medium. I'm comparing these 2 because Kakuno is my favourite but I test all new inks with an old Parker Jotter medium for consistency.
I'm a professional illustrator and, as of a couple years ago, I switched over to exclusively using BB nibs, Fude nibs, and brush pens in my work. My BB Kaweco Special is by far my most used pen and I'm also slowly going back to my other fountain pens and either swapping in broader nibs or selling them off because I just eventually realized I don't need or want fiddly little tiny F and EF nibs for my work hardly ever. Plus, when I DO want a thinner line, I can flip my broads and Fudes over and get that too.... but my fine nibs just CAN'T produce thick lines or lay down heavy ink.
I appreciate that perspective. These days I do go a bit wider with my nib choices, even though I actually do like getting into the nitty gritty details. With a BB, brush pen, and Fude nib, you’ve pretty much got the full spectrum of line weights anyway! I still like fine lines, but I get the appeal of these nibs. Big lines are fun!
Funny you mentioned fude nibs cause as soon as I saw your first lines I thought of the fude. Thick lines like that are definitely useful at times for certain textures and outline. I'd get a broad/double broad but for now will stick to my fude.
Yeah, it definitely gave me some of the fude vibes when using it. The main difference is that the BB nib is a consistent, flat line that’s thick with no variation, whereas a fude can give you a wide line variation (with a significant learning curve)
I definitely did some reverse drawing in the Timelapse portion of the video. It’s pretty sped up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed it. You get a thinner line when reversed. I think on the vein of a medium or broad. Still a thick wet line, but reverse drawing did help me to retain a bit of control.
1. Based on this one drawing, I'd have to say the BB suits you just fine. 2. In my mind, if a nib is, say, 4 times wider than your normal nib, you can make the same style of drawing just by working 4 times larger. What is non-translatable is that larger nibs by their nature are smoother, wetter, and may be used much more rapidly. It all comes down to what inputs define the scale. 3. Coming from the dark side of the moon, pen-&-ink-wise, for single drawing I routinely use a range of nib widths, with a range of ink colors, to get whatever sharp-edged lines that please me. So take whatever I say with a grain or two of salt.
1. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. 2. Agreed. You also could dial back the detail a lot and leave some of the lines to the imagination. There you would be talking about fundamental changes to your style., which can be a very good thing. It helps you decide what you really value in a drawing (pun intended) 3. I like that idea, but I’m too lazy to grab more than one pen at a time when I’m drawing. Once I get wrapped up in it, I might as well be on another planet. That might be what I like about drawing the most, actually.
Once and awhile, I like to do minimalist line drawings which stub nibs are well suited for. They give that calligraphic look I like. Thanks for the video. I’ll have to give a double broad a try. Like you mentioned though, double broad nibs do give a drawing a “marker look.”
I actually like really broad nibs because it feels like a juicy marker, and they’re usually really smooth. At first I didn’t like fine because it’s scratchy but on the right paper it can be very nice.
It’s always a sacrifice between smooth and scratchy. I tend more to the f/ef range and have to live with some scratchiness… but I’m very open to playing with some other nib sizes after this one!
Definitely a good size for outlines and shadows.
True. Style is informed by choice of tool as well, so a nib like this has a fundamental effect on how your draw outlines and shadows too.
I think this kind of nib would be good for trying various comic art styles. Everything from Jim Davis to Mike Mignola. Great for clean lines and heavy shading. I also think this style of nib tends to do interesting things in hatching that can add some style that we might not get in a finer nib, and it can be fun to let the ink guide the style a little more and give up control in that way.
Mike Mignola style art with this pen would be super cool. Of course, at that point, you may also find it worth your time to look at a brush pen as well. I think if you have a good shading ink, there’s something in a BB nib that could be really unique as well.
@@stepheninks Yeah, I do tend to like a firmer brush pen for that sort of thing. But it’s quite a different feel. I think the line quality given by these big nibs is unique enough that it’s worth having one in the sketchbook bag, just in case!
I chuckled when you said it was cold in California. Here in Wisconsin it was 72 degrees this past Tuesday, and the next day the high temperature was 28. (And it snowed.) 😊
I suppose I should say that it’s cold relative to what I’m used to. 50s-70s F is the usual for the CA central coast. Not the middle of Wisconsin, for sure, but not the tropical paradise we’re made out to be.
I use double broad with heavily shiny shimmering or shading inks, to show off the effects. Not so much for daily drawing or writing, definitely not for details 😅 So I'd say I use it like a brush, painting or decorating.
What I love about my Sport BB is that it hardly ever dries up or gets clogged despite all the shimmer and stuff inside the inks I use with this pen.
That’s a good point (pun intended). I never use shimmering inks, but for those that love them, a wider nib should work better. Also, I feel like an ef is never really going to show off the shimmering qualities of an ink as well as something broad.
@@stepheninks I like over the top things sometimes... 😌 It's surprising how much the nib size changes a colour. Like Summer Storm from Robert Oster looks lighter and bluer in a Parker medium but dark grey in my Kakuno fine. Conversely, One More Sleep by Diamine looks very light in the Kakuno but far darker with the Parker medium. I'm comparing these 2 because Kakuno is my favourite but I test all new inks with an old Parker Jotter medium for consistency.
I'm a professional illustrator and, as of a couple years ago, I switched over to exclusively using BB nibs, Fude nibs, and brush pens in my work. My BB Kaweco Special is by far my most used pen and I'm also slowly going back to my other fountain pens and either swapping in broader nibs or selling them off because I just eventually realized I don't need or want fiddly little tiny F and EF nibs for my work hardly ever. Plus, when I DO want a thinner line, I can flip my broads and Fudes over and get that too.... but my fine nibs just CAN'T produce thick lines or lay down heavy ink.
I appreciate that perspective. These days I do go a bit wider with my nib choices, even though I actually do like getting into the nitty gritty details. With a BB, brush pen, and Fude nib, you’ve pretty much got the full spectrum of line weights anyway!
I still like fine lines, but I get the appeal of these nibs. Big lines are fun!
Funny you mentioned fude nibs cause as soon as I saw your first lines I thought of the fude. Thick lines like that are definitely useful at times for certain textures and outline. I'd get a broad/double broad but for now will stick to my fude.
Yeah, it definitely gave me some of the fude vibes when using it. The main difference is that the BB nib is a consistent, flat line that’s thick with no variation, whereas a fude can give you a wide line variation (with a significant learning curve)
Curious what it would do reversed (pen flipped so you're drawing with the nib "upside down"). Very interesting nonetheless!
I definitely did some reverse drawing in the Timelapse portion of the video. It’s pretty sped up, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you missed it. You get a thinner line when reversed. I think on the vein of a medium or broad. Still a thick wet line, but reverse drawing did help me to retain a bit of control.
Great to know! I've been very curious about the broads/double broads as I've begun my fountain pen journey. Thanks!
1. Based on this one drawing, I'd have to say the BB suits you just fine.
2. In my mind, if a nib is, say, 4 times wider than your normal nib, you can make the same style of drawing just by working 4 times larger. What is non-translatable is that larger nibs by their nature are smoother, wetter, and may be used much more rapidly. It all comes down to what inputs define the scale.
3. Coming from the dark side of the moon, pen-&-ink-wise, for single drawing I routinely use a range of nib widths, with a range of ink colors, to get whatever sharp-edged lines that please me. So take whatever I say with a grain or two of salt.
1. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.
2. Agreed. You also could dial back the detail a lot and leave some of the lines to the imagination. There you would be talking about fundamental changes to your style., which can be a very good thing. It helps you decide what you really value in a drawing (pun intended)
3. I like that idea, but I’m too lazy to grab more than one pen at a time when I’m drawing. Once I get wrapped up in it, I might as well be on another planet. That might be what I like about drawing the most, actually.
Once and awhile, I like to do minimalist line drawings which stub nibs are well suited for. They give that calligraphic look I like. Thanks for the video. I’ll have to give a double broad a try. Like you mentioned though, double broad nibs do give a drawing a “marker look.”
@@JoeRakstang don’t forget that some great art can be made with markers too!
i only have one broad nib pen, my grail pen. it unconsciously made me use the pen less for only special occasions😊
I’m the same way with most of my really expensive pens. Since I don’t ever take them out of the house, I tend to fill and use them less.
😇🩵🙏🙌