The Pilot Falcon and "The Song of Roland."

The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving work of French literature; dating from the twelfth century. It tells the story of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass where the rear guard of Charlemagne's army was slaughtetered to the last man... so it's a "feel good" book as well. Penguin USA wanted a fresh cover design for this new edition, I used my Pilot Falcon for the job.

This is hands-down my favorite fountain pen to draw with. It's got an beautiful flex nib; I could not believe my eyes the first time I gave it a try. Fantastic line quality, thick to thin with a generous flow of ink. The Falcon II is all metal and lists for $280.00, but Goulet Pens carries a more economical resin version; the Pilot /Namiki Falcon. It's the unusual nib that really make the difference.

These are four of the proposed cover designs.

Below is the approved design for the edition that will be in bookstores in March, 2012.

My thumbnails were the guides to the finished drawings. They were sketched quickly with a combination of the Falcon and Pentel brush Pen. It was important to sketch out the type design as well to determine the proportions I needed for the final layout.

I used a combination of my Pilot Falcon and a Pentel Brush pen for this design.

The Pilot Falcon II uses cartridges or fills with an

included converter. I used Aurora black fountain ink.

The line variation is awesome.

The Falcon II is just a great feeling pen; it's hefty, nicely balanced with a smooth finish. The nib is fantastic, besides the very economical Noodler's Flex, this is the only flex pen that I've found. Works like a dream.

 The Pentel Brush Pen did most of the work on these two design with the Falcon adding the sharp details.

The Falcon and brush combo really helped capture the carnage.

Pilot Envelope Address Gel Ink Pen

These Pilot Envelope Address Writing Gel Ink Pens were a great find at Jet Pens. They are designed specifically for kanji writing for postcards and letters during holiday time in Japan. It has an oil based, waterproof ink that dries fast and works without smearing. I tried them out with Pitt Brush Markers in a Moleskine sketch.

They draw really smooth with a nice dark wet line and come in three sizes Fine, Extra Fine and Broad. And for two bucks each they're not a bad buy.

 They're great for quick sketches on location, like capturing this dancing hippie.