Had I never had my first ever “posh pen” which was the MB Starwalker Mystery Black, it would have to have been a 10. To try the pen out with different line widths and shading, I doodled a thumbnail sketch of a tree growing out of a boulder. The sleeve has the Rotring logo, Germany 1928, and the product name on it, along with pen details on the back.

When drawing, I look for a pen that has a smooth and reliable ink flow, preferably no leakage (leading to unwanted blobs on the paper) and that’s comfortable to hold for long periods. This is how the pen holder looks like on its own (the nib may be removed by unscrewing it from the top of the pen holder). The Lyra Art pen is available in 36 loose colours includingfluorescent and metallic gold and silver permanent, opaque colours which can beused on dark surfaces .

There are 3 pen caps for each of the nibs (although the top of each pen cap specifies the nib size it is to be used for, each pen cap fits all three nibs perfectly well). As you would expect of Lyra, the art pen is an excellent andversatile addition to any artists range. The grip section has a series of ribs the section being quite lengthy so the finger position can move up and down for a more comfy writing position. We believe that giving children the right materials, they will make and play with beautiful things that last a lifetime.

The pen features a high-grade stainless steel nib and is available in a variety of sizes, ideal for choosing the perfect size for your handwriting style. As an artist, I like knowing that my pen can be disassembled for cleaning because I like using waterproof inks like Noodler’s Black and Platinum Carbon black in them. The section looks like it could be painful to grip but the pen is light and does not require a tight hold to control it. I tried fixing the metal-end back to its plastic body, but I noticed that writing with it was no longer the same anymore – the ink-flow was permanently affected, being rather inconsistent.

The only downside I have found so far, is that the nib isn't as fine as you may expect - tested against Rotring fineliners, the line width is somewhere in the range of . Get this pen or the cheaper DP-1000AN if you want to explore drawing with really needlepoint crisp lines. Artpens are modern fountain pens, but their elegant design preserves the feel and balance of traditional dip pens.