Editing The Pen Addict 272/transcript (section)

== San Francisco Pen Show ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So what we're going to do today, we're going to we're actually going to talk a lot about the San Francisco pen show because I want to get some feedback from your perspective. And then we're also going to talk about, you know, your artwork, you know, what you're up to these days, because, you know, I consider you a friend, but I'm also a fan of your work. And, you know, I love it very, very much. So I want to talk about that. But what I'm really interested in right out the gate, and maybe our listeners are too, is how did you get into this fountain pen community to begin with? Because you've been an artist for quite a while, right? And then all of a sudden, just like a few years ago, you're like knee deep into fountain pens. And now you're just like super active in the fountain pen community. How did that fountain pen love begin for you?

'''Joey Feldman:''' Well, I like to think of myself as a very passionate person, like, and when I get into something, I like to do it right. Like, I just like to go all across the board. You know, there's no half measures, if you know what I mean. So I, you know, I've always been attracted to fountain pens. I've had fountain pens over the years, but I never really got into the community or anything like that. And then, you know, online and social media and stuff changes everything. And, you know, I started buying more and more stuff. I've always used like dip pens for my artwork. You know, I use old style dip pens and, you know, and nibs and stuff like that. And I would carry a fountain pen around with me, but nothing, you know, too fancy or whatever. And, you know, as I started getting into it, I, I went on the chat, I found your podcast, and then I found the chat. And I had this pen that I wasn't happy with, which is a pattern of mine. I buy something and I say within like three days. And somebody had said, why don't you join up on the pen addict slack? And I got on there and I met a bunch of people on there. And they really just started steering me in the right way of how to spend my money and a lot of it, you know, so it just sort of took off from there and listening to the podcast, you know, each week and just, you know, finding out stuff that I never knew existed. So, and, you know, that was how that started.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So before you got into this community, what kind of fountain pens were, were you using fountain pens at all? Like you mentioned you were using dip pens and inks. Were you like even into fountain pens whatsoever?

'''Joey Feldman:''' I've had a couple over the years that were fountain pens that like probably the pen community wouldn't consider like the Rotring art pen. Sure. I mean, you could use, that's a cool pen. They make it for calligraphy, but I would draw with those, you know, that would have a converter. Um, I've had a couple of lambies over the years, some pilot, uh, falcons and stuff like that. Um, but that's about it. I never went, you know, I was always intrigued by like the Mont Blancs and, and all that, but I never got into it because I thought it would just mostly be for writing.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So you talked about how, once you get into something, you know, you kind of have that deep dive, like right out the gate. How, how deep did you go once you kind of found like this, this family online of, of pen addicts? How, uh, how quick did that escalate?

'''Joey Feldman:''' It went so quick that I was, I was waiting for like intervention that show to show up. Cause I mean, there was like a week where I bought like six Franklin Kristaps. Um, you know, it just starts, it doesn't stop. And then, you know, you think you like something else, you try it. And then the ink thing, the ink things like I've always been obsessed with ink. So that's not a problem, but you know, the pens, it's like one person mentions one thing. And then, you know, you're in the middle of the day. I get like a thought and you know, the thought is, well, if the pen was a little bit longer, but it was a bigger nip. So then you go on Slack and you put that out there and somebody like Tony, who I think is on Slack 24 seven will answer. And, and you just go and you just buy something else. It's, it doesn't stop, man. It just doesn't stop.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' So why, how did you decide or what was the feel like when you, when you started putting these fountain pens to paper? Or why did that become like kind of a, I know it's not your primary medium you work in, but how did you, why is a fountain pen, you know, good for the type of art that you produce? Why did you, why did that really click with you?

'''Joey Feldman:''' Well, what had happened was originally I was, I started journaling, um, you know, Guillermo del Toro, the director. He had this book that came. Hellboy. Yeah. Well, he directed Hellboy, but, um, you know, he's done like Pond's Labyrinth, uh, Pacific Rim. Yeah. You know, that guy, he's cool. So he had this book that came out and it's all about him, how he, you know, he has these journals that he keeps with them and he uses a fountain pen. And, and I was like, just looking at them. They were just so beautiful. And I love, I love cursive handwriting. I love old, old school. I'm not, I just love looking at type and stuff like that. And, and I had ordered some pens, I ordered some fountain pens, but I was actually journaling every morning because I wanted to feel with a dip pen. And I would do like three or four pages, uh, with a dip pen. And then I said, Oh, you know what? I think I'm going to move up to a fountain pen. And, and, and I started getting them and then I experimented with Noodlers, um, you know, went up to pilot and, uh, you know, it took off from there, but I was writing mostly with them. Um, and then I started drawing with them and then I started looking at some of the artists that I admire and cartoonists. And a lot of them actually used fountain pens besides the dip pens. They, they did a lot of work with fountain pens. So I started investigating that more. And, um, I found a couple that I, that I actually use now in a lot of my work because the technology now that we have waterproof inks that can go in a fountain pen. Um, I, I don't think, you know, several years ago and I could be wrong that there weren't, you know, too many waterproof inks out there.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Mm. Mm. Mm. So did you, did you find the output was different than like using a brush or using a pencil or using a marker? Was there something, you know, like specific, like I see you, you, I want to, we're going to dig into like some specific art stuff later. Cause I'm very interested in that, but I know like you're very kind of wild and off the cuff. And it seems like a fountain pen is a good fit because you can really sling that ink across the page. And I watch you do it. Is that, how did that come about? Is that like something you just kind of latched onto? Like, this is messy and it's, it's all like what I want to do.

'''Joey Feldman:''' No, I mean, the way that I've always drawn has always just been with ink. Like I never use like a pencil and, uh, I actually, um, can I tell a really quick story about that guy? Yeah, of course. That pencil podcast guy. Um, yeah. What's his name?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Andy, Andy Wellfle.

'''Joey Feldman:''' Yeah, he's all right. But we had a little confrontation, you know, um, at the pen meeting ad up. He, uh, you know, he, he said to me just straight up, I, I think I might've said hi to him once. I never met him. And he said, Hey, one day when you get a chance, I'll, I'll show you how to use a real art supply. I'll show you how to use a pencil. I wasn't asking for it. I walked into it. So I looked at him and I said, Hey man, one day when you're ready for commitment, I'll show you how to use a pen. And, but, uh, cause I think that's what intrigues me so much about it. I love black ink on paper, but I love the mistakes. I love the marks it makes. And I love the sudden death and the commitment. Like once you make a line, it's there, you know, but if this isn't something new to me, like, you know, the, one of the artists who I admire the most, you know, he, he uses a fountain pen. He throws ink around, he works out of his mistakes. Um, you know, so it's just like a combination of ideas and all, but it is probably the writing tool that I feel most comfortable with like outside of the studio when I have to use it for drawing and stuff.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So when we first met, we first met online and we talked for not all that long, you know, maybe a few months, maybe a year. And then I swiped right.

'''Joey Feldman:''' That's how I met you. Yeah.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You totally swiped. Right. Um, you know, I, I fell in love immediately and we made sure to meet up at the, the 2016 LA pen show. I think that was the first time we met in person, right? Was that your first pen show?

'''Joey Feldman:''' That was my first pen show. Yeah. Yeah. And I had intentions to go the year before, but it was really weird. It was like, I think as that happened, that show like happens on like Valentine's day weekend or something.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yep. Yeah. It was difficult. It does. Yeah. Well, I mean, you were going to, you had to break up with someone to come meet me that weekend, right?

'''Joey Feldman:''' Yeah. You know how I roll. Yeah.