What kind of nibs and other pens should I get for drawing manga?

Question

My sister's birthday is coming up soon, and I wanted to get her some pens to use when drawing. She usually draws with just normal pencil and paper, and then she uses a tablet and photoshop, but I know she wants to practice drawing and inking and stuff by hand. I'm kind of really clueless as to what kind of pens I should buy for her to start off with. She draws pretty well and has a very korean manhwa-ish style, like in 'chocolat' and 'very very sweet'.

a suggestion as to where to buy them from would be very much appreciated as well, be it store or online! =]

Answer 1

Obviously, there is a large amount of pens to choose from. I can say that my two favorite brands to ink my sketches with are Sakura Microns and Faber Castells. Microns are a popular choice. They leave a nice line and are very "obedient" to the hand. The nibs wear out rather quickly though. Faber Castells leave a fuller line. I've found that Microns sometimes leave gaps when I try to make a line and then I'll have to go over it again. I don't have this problem at all with Faber Castells. Finally, a brand I don't own but have heard fabulous things about are Copics. They are extremly well known for their markers and pens.

As for nibs, it's usually helpful to have some different sizes. It's quite possible to form a drawing with plenty of good varying lines with just one nib, but it is more time consuming. So, I would recommend getting a pack of pens for your sister. My Microns consist of nib sizes .05, 01, 03, and 05. For me, this is ideal. .05 is used for tiny details, 01 is used to make the outline of my sketch, and 03 and 05 help me to give the drawing dimention. I have a 4-pack of Faber Castell. S, F, M, and B. These work very well also.

You can buy these pens at any arts & crafts store. Mine are  A.C Moore and Michael's. Online, there's Amazon, or the art supply website dickblick. Here are the links:

Copic- http://www.dickblick.com/zz213/96/

Micron- http://www.dickblick.com/zz207/02/

Faber Castell- http://www.dickblick.com/zz207/59/

I hope I've helped some and good luck!