New year new #introduction!
My name is Ana! I’m an #artist with a #ComputerScience background working on a #GraphicNovel about #Latvians during #WWII.

I post a lot about #BlackMetal (my fav genre), #FountainPens and #journaling (my fav hobby). I read a lot of #fiction and #nonfiction, play a variety of #VideoGames ( #Rimworld, #Balatro, #Diablo4)

I’m also currently learning #ClassicalGuitar

Don’t be shy, say hi!!

New year new #introduction!
My name is Ana! I’m an #artist with a #ComputerScience background working on a #GraphicNovel about #Latvians during #WWII.

I post a lot about #BlackMetal (my fav genre), #FountainPens and #journaling (my fav hobby). I read a lot of #fiction and #nonfiction, play a variety of #VideoGames ( #Rimworld, #Balatro, #Diablo4)

I’m also currently learning #ClassicalGuitar

Don’t be shy, say hi!!

New journal!
We had a Leuchtturm1917 in 2025, we'll see which one we prefer. The Rhodia lacks a couple features compared to the Leuchtturm, but we either don't need them or we can work around it

#journaling #diary #notebook #fountainpens

New journal!
We had a Leuchtturm1917 in 2025, we'll see which one we prefer. The Rhodia lacks a couple features compared to the Leuchtturm, but we either don't need them or we can work around it

#journaling #diary #notebook #fountainpens

So fountain pen ink, which has to be thin so as not to clog the workings of the pen, is formulated differently from India ink (like what you use for calligraphy with a dip pen and nib), which has binders that make it a tiny bit thicker and, when dry, more permanent. In my experience, at least, fountain pen ink doesn't work as well for dip pens and in some cases doesn't work at all, as it flows out too much and bleeds and feathers on paper that would otherwise be suitable.

This made me very sad, as there is a far wider range of fountain pen inks. So I got a bottle of gum arabic, a traditional paint binder made from tree sap, and adding just a drop to a little bit of fountain pen ink makes it much more tractable!

A nice side effect is that it makes the sheen in sheening ink really pop.

#calligraphy #FountainPens #FountainPenInk

I bought my first fountain pen today!

#fountainPen #fountainPens #vampires

I made a thing! A purple pen roll to hold my fountain pens. Now I can take all of them traveling.

Purple thread-dyed cotton, yellow blend for the lining, quilt batting inside.

#FountainPens #IMadeAThing

So fountain pen ink, which has to be thin so as not to clog the workings of the pen, is formulated differently from India ink (like what you use for calligraphy with a dip pen and nib), which has binders that make it a tiny bit thicker and, when dry, more permanent. In my experience, at least, fountain pen ink doesn't work as well for dip pens and in some cases doesn't work at all, as it flows out too much and bleeds and feathers on paper that would otherwise be suitable.

This made me very sad, as there is a far wider range of fountain pen inks. So I got a bottle of gum arabic, a traditional paint binder made from tree sap, and adding just a drop to a little bit of fountain pen ink makes it much more tractable!

A nice side effect is that it makes the sheen in sheening ink really pop.

#calligraphy #FountainPens #FountainPenInk

I made a thing! A purple pen roll to hold my fountain pens. Now I can take all of them traveling.

Purple thread-dyed cotton, yellow blend for the lining, quilt batting inside.

#FountainPens #IMadeAThing

I bought my first fountain pen today!

#fountainPen #fountainPens #vampires

Haha but serious: those fountain pens that cost thousands of dollars are collectible art pieces that aren’t actually optimized for a good writing experience. They’re CEO bait.

Serious hand-writers use fountain pens that mostly cost between $30 and $200. You can get decent ones for $10 but they tend not to be very airtight and quickly dry out.

My #1 practical recommendation is the TWSBI Eco, which is generally around $40 in the west.

#fountainpen #fountainpens #writing

I can definitely put my mouth where my money is re: recommending TWSBI Eco as my #1 practical pen.
#fountainpen #fountainpens #writing

Haha but serious: those fountain pens that cost thousands of dollars are collectible art pieces that aren’t actually optimized for a good writing experience. They’re CEO bait.

Serious hand-writers use fountain pens that mostly cost between $30 and $200. You can get decent ones for $10 but they tend not to be very airtight and quickly dry out.

My #1 practical recommendation is the TWSBI Eco, which is generally around $40 in the west.

#fountainpen #fountainpens #writing

I don't see myself getting lots of Fancy Ink because 1) it's super expensive and 2) I can't possibly use all that ink, but I think it would be nice to eventually get a nice blurple (violet-blue is one of my favourite colours) and a pigeon neck colour (like, teal with magenta sheen). Recommendations okay but not necessary, I also enjoy finding stuff on my own and am not in a hurry to buy anything.

#FountainPens

I got my first Fancy Fountain Pen Ink! Octopus Fluids' Medusa, rich purple with a green-gold sheen that comes out on less absorbent surfaces.

The first thing that came to mind (aside from like the literal Medusa) was post-structural feminist Hélène Cixous' famous 1975 essay about the revolutionary and erotic power of écriture feminine.

Pen: this Muji fountain pen (I just emptied and refilled the cartridge with a syringe with a blunt fill needle, which I have for HRT)
Paper: $3.75 stone paper notebook from Dollarama

#FountainPens

Happy Fountain Pen Day!

New stuff! Platinum Preppy Wa Edo-Monogatari in Purple / Neko inked with Akkerman #13 Simplisties Violet. My first Akkerman ink. The bottles are neat! They look cool and the top is an inkwell sealed off by a marble. Main problem is they're tall and won't stack, so storage is tricky. The ink seems good so far, especially the color.

The new Preppy is as good as ever, and can't go wrong with cats, however (1/2)

#FountainPenDay #FountainPens #FountainPenInk