I also like pens that are brown or gray, because sometimes a black outline is too harsh. The pen I love fetishisticly is... (let me check) It says, "B nib" "pitt pen" by faber-castell, these have a brush tip that is sooo nice... not too soft to control, but deliciously tiny at the end. The little darlings wear out pretty quickly, though. I used to adore the micron pens because they do come in very tiny sizes, which is nice, but the tip is hard and flat and makes squeaky balloon sounds. Also, every line has the same thickness with the micron, which is good, if you want a lot of control. But using the brush-tip pitt pens feels like petting a cat on paper while microns feel like tapping a radiator. It is just a more sensually pleasurablet pen! these pens are like pastry.

LINE

Maybe because they become an extension of the arm. I find that making the the line hit where you want it to go (this is going to sound weird) requires SELF HYPNOSIS I can't actually train my hands to make detail, because they shake a lot. I have trouble holding cups...but after experimenting, it turned out to be all in my head. If I visualize the line I want to make as I make it, with perfect confidence...It always hits! I try this all the time, and it's incredible how being scared to mess up messes me up. When I have faith in how each line is going to come out, they always come out perfect! I just have to imagine how it's going to look while I make it. It's so weird. I can even ink them in a fast and violent manner, but with the right state of mind, they'll come out more accurate than my slow, careful work. You might have tried this sort of thing, and I've never told anyone about it... but the secret to control (and power! and speed!) and the PERFECT LINE (and by perfect, I mean the one you want to make, the one you see in your head) lies in feigning confidence. (this works with people too.)