A Landscape Painter’s Perspective on the Pilot Parallel Pen for Urban Sketching

Cullen is a picturesque town near where I live in Scotland, and a place I have filmed many videos over the years. However I almost always paint the coastal view and the sea rather than the town itself.

But I’m actively trying to improve my speed and accuracy with drawing architecture on location so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity. 

The other day I was scrolling on Instagram and this pen suddenly appeared on my feed. I saw the most luxuriously juicy calligraphy and I was totally mesmerized by the line weights that a single pen could achieve.

I’m not stranger to fountain pens and I frequently use a variety of them for sketching, but this was different. I have always struggled with the limitations of my pens being too thin, even the widest nib I own isn’t thick enough for my taste.

Game Changer

This is the Pilot Parallel Pen, also known as a “lettering” or calligraphy pen.

They come in various sizes: 1.5mm, 2.4mm, 3.8mm, 6mm (buy them here). I bought the 2.4 and 3.8 version, along with a Pilot Con-40 Converter (sold separately) for each. I filled them various inks, one of my favorite is SketchInk Carmen (buy). Sometimes I also use DeAtramentis Document ink. Both are waterproof and made for fountain pens.

Each pen comes with two color cartridges if you don’t want to use a converter.

My Experience using the Pilot Parallel Pens for Urban Sketching

There was a bit of a learning curve when I dropped those first lines onto the page. As you might expect with a fountain pen, the exact angle and pressure dictates how much ink is released, and how thick the line is. But that felt intensified by the dramatic width of the metal nib. Where I would normally feel a small contact point with the page, this felt more like a chisel nib marker. In order to get a perfectly solid, wide mark you have to move the pen slowly and steadily without tilting it too much, something that will take practice. But after a few minutes I started to get the hang of it. 

What I loved most was the freedom to achieve both hair thin lines all the way up to large solid fills. I would normally draw with a pen then use a marker or brush with diluted ink to create my fills and shadows. Both of which are enjoyable and create unique results. But having a single tool for the entire job put me in a very relaxed mindset and allowed me to enjoy the setting without thinking about the supplies.

Sometimes I have decision fatigue when it comes to what materials I take with me outside. I admit I had a backpack full of supplies, just in case I hated these pens. I brought watercolors, markers, lots of other pens..I just wasn’t sure. And I’m sure many of you have been in that position where you go somewhere special to draw or paint but are plagued with FOMO that comes from wondering if it would have been better or more fun with a different tool.

So when I find something like this pen I am a happy camper. 

This pen certainly has a unique look. I’ve seen artists using it in beautiful ways, often very expressively. I think the results look similar to a brush pen.

I can tell that it will take lots of practice to get used to the various marks I can create in order to achieve the look I want in my drawings.

From a technical perspective the pen performed really well. Earlier I mentioned that in order to create a solid thick line you have to move a little slower and be careful not to lift either of the corners. But besides that the ink never faltered. It never felt like the ink stopped flowing, something I’ve experienced with other wide nibbed fountain pens. The tip of the nib has some ridges on it, which allows for some added scratchy textures if you move the pen quickly across the page. 

To draw a thin line you can use one of the corners. I still haven’t figured out if one corner creates a smoother line than the other but that will come with time. Otherwise it’s all about the angle. To go from a very thin to very thick mark, tilt it ever so slightly.

Despite using what felt like a ton of ink on location, I still had more than half of my ink left. The wider nib did use a little bit more which I expected (but just barely).

Dislikes

One thing I don’t like is that the pen caps don’t fit onto the handle (you can’t ‘post’ the cap) so when you’re outside drawing you just have to hope you don’t lose it. I immediately put my caps into my pencil case which helped but I am definitely on the forgetful side so I would not be surprised if my caps get lost eventually. On the plus side they are brightly colored so hopefully I’d notice them before packing up and leaving the location.

I also didn’t love how slick the plastic feels, I’m more of a fan of matte finish or something with an edge. I may sand down the handle to create more of a “grip.”

But I guess it’s a good sign that my dislikes of the pen having nothing to do with its performance. 

Conclusion

I really like how the pen feels on paper. I really love the smooth, reliable flow of ink. I was using the Hahnemule 100% cotton watercolor sketchbook which has a little texture, but the ink didn’t falter.

My favorite size (by small margin) is the larger 3.8mm nib, because I can so quickly fill in large areas with dark ink. 

Next time I’ll take these out with my watercolors and do some ink and wash painting.

I hope you found this review helpful, please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer in the comments.

Watch the video: