Traveling with Phidon: Fountain Pen Sketching Kits and Tips

Picture from Phils sketchbook including all the tools he brought on the trip.

Bon journo tutti! Phil and myself are abroad on a month long trip to Italy, and of course we are bringing Phidon with us. Phil has been working at Phidon for a while now, but he is also a student at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, talented artist, illustrator, and has been sketching daily since 2021. This trip for him means an opportunity to learn about the culture and architecture of Italy, as well as practice his craft drawing the sites of Rome and daily life. 

Phil is a passionate fountain pen advocate and uses them in his art and illustrations. For this trip, he had to put together a concise kit of writing tools, art supplies, and sketchbooks - not an easy feat. With quite a lot of tools to pick from at home, he has chosen just what he needs for this month-long drawing excursion, and has some tips to share!

There are three main categories of tools to build your kit with if you plan to draw or write when you travel; pens and writing utensils, sketchbook and notebooks, and accessories.

Pens and Writing Utensils

Less is more when you’re traveling - and it can be hard to parse your own collection of pens, pencils, and writing supplies to decide what you will actually use when you’re on the go! 

The best advice is to first pick a pen, fountain pen or otherwise, that is your favourite to use. For Phil, he loves his Pilot Custom 74 for its buttery smooth gold nib, and is a pleasure for drawing and writing alike. He uses a medium nib that offers great versatility in line weight when drawing, and a smooth feeling to writing. 

If you want to add another pen, make sure it is giving you something the first does not offer - you want versatility in as few pens as possible! The Sailor Fude de Mannen is a favourite of Phils, as the unique bent nib gives 3 distinctly different line weights. The angled nib, in either 40 (or 55 degrees, allows for many different types of lines to come from the same pen - which saves you from having to switch between pens when drawing. This is Phil's go to pen for all his ink sketches and illustrations and is the best tool for those quick sketches around the city! His kit includes both angles of the Fude pen, and prefers the 40 degree Fude for standing drawing sessions, as it feels more ergonomic, and the 55 degree for longer, sitting drawing sessions. 

Both of his Fude pens use Sailor Converters and are inked with the Platinum Carbon Black Ink, a great deep black waterproof ink that can take a watercolour pass or ink wash overtop with out smudging or bleeding. Phil has inked his Pilot Custom 74 with the waterproof Platinum Pigment Ink in Brun Sepia for another colour option to the typical black.

Lastly, a tip is to always bring a back up pen! This could be another fountain pen, but Phil opts to carry the inexpensive Pilot G-Tec C4 Rollerball Pen in black, just in case. This is a great back up pen to have on you at all times - you never know when you may run out of ink, lose a pen, or have complications.

Sketchbooks and Notebooks

There are two things to consider when picking what books to bring with you when traveling; size and paper type. Both of these depend on what you want to be doing with your kit while traveling, and the type of trip. 

For size, consider the length of the trip, how much you will be drawing or writing, and how much do you want to carry. In Phils expert opinion, it is good to bring one small and one larger sketchbook or notebook. One pocket size sketchbook is a must have for Phil, as it is very mobile and allows for sketches whenever, wherever. The second is any size larger, to give variety in the types of drawings you may want to do. The size may vary depending on what you want to carry, and how much paper space you use. 

Paper type is a very personal preference as well, and if you take more than one sketchbook then variety and versatility is key. If you plan to use ink washes or watercolour, opt for heavier paper that holds water well and the roughness gives nice feedback to the pen. If you prefer just pen or pencil to paper, the smoothness of sketch paper really makes your lines pop.

For this month-long trip, Phil has brought 3 main sketchbooks. He uses the Stillman & Birn Epsilon Softcover Sketchbook in Landscape for the quality of paper and the softcover allows for it to easily be pocketed. The second is a larger 5¼ x 8¼" watercolour sketchbook by Hand Book Paper Co. Travelogue. This sketchbook features a nice hardcover easy to draw on when standing or sitting, and beautiful 200gsm watercolour paper that can take on watercolour or ink washes well. Lastly, he uses the even larger 7x10” Maclellan Books Hardcover Landscape Sketchbook for larger detailed pen drawings. Phil finds these landscape styles sketchbooks compliment urban sketching well, but the choice of portrait or landscape is always that of personal preference and subject matter.

Accessories and Tips

Lastly, there are some accessories that may not be obvious but will make your traveling sketching journeys that much easier! Bulldog clips are a great way to keep your pages from flying all over the place when you are drawing or flatten pages when it may need some time to dry. They can also be used to keep a pen close by, or your book closed for easy traveling. 

Elastic bands are a light solution for bundling everything together. Attach your watercolour brushes to your watercolour tin, or your pen to a sketchbook. A tip from Phil is the elastic bands you get around broccoli and asparagus in Canada work perfectly. Lastly, having a rag nearby helps to keep your pens clean, soak up extra water or ink, or save from any spill disasters! Phil says the blotches of ink and watercolour you build up on it over time can tell just as much of a story as your sketches themselves. 

Follow Phils art journey and travels on instagram: PCarrHarris. 

Whether you are traveling abroad, locally, or going out for the day, we hope this helps you with the tough decision of putting together a sketching kit and picking your pens. Happy writing, happy drawing, and we can’t wait to see what you make!