Why I Built Pen Atelier Fountain

I am one of the many fountain pen enthusiasts out there, and very much a collector. According to the records I kept before building this app, I owned around sixty gold-nib pens alone. At some point I made up a convenient rule that steel-nib pens no longer counted, so I stopped tracking those.

The total has risen and fallen over time. I have reluctantly let several pens go, only to find myself wanting them back years later and checking auction sites and online stores day after day.

Since I started developing this app, the collection has begun growing faster again.

I still remember the first time I used a fountain pen. My junior high school required us to write our graduation thesis with one, so, knowing almost nothing about fountain pens, I chose an inexpensive casual model.

I did not understand how it worked, held it at the wrong angle, and pressed far too hard. I remember thinking that it felt scratchy and awkward, and wondering why the ink stopped flowing whenever I shifted the pen slightly. The pen was not at fault; I simply did not know how to use it yet.

I truly fell for fountain pens much later, after I started working. Like many people, my gateway was the LAMY Safari and AL-star: modern design, playful colors, annual special editions, and prices that felt a little indulgent but still approachable. I had noticed online stories about new colors and already owned a LAMY rollerball. Buying an AL-star on Amazon was the entrance to the rabbit hole.

• The ink flowed with an effortless, satisfying glide
• The line width felt just right
• Even my untidy handwriting somehow looked better
• I immediately wanted to try more inks and barrel colors

Within a month, one AL-star had become three. Within three months, I had moved on to gold nibs.

Whether I was writing words, drawing, or simply doodling, the act of putting a pen to paper became enjoyable in itself. Around the same time, beautiful handwriting was enjoying renewed attention in Japan, so I began studying penmanship. I have taken breaks along the way, but I still continue today through Pilot's correspondence course.

I also began sharing occasional photos of fountain pens, inks, and handwriting on Instagram. Looking at the work and collections of other enthusiasts I met there became another part of the pleasure.

With about ten pens, I could still remember each nib size and which ink was inside. Once the collection passed twenty, that became impossible.

I tried managing everything in tools such as Evernote and Notion.

Both are useful, but neither is made specifically for fountain pens. Small points of friction accumulated. Most of all, I could not arrange data and photos in exactly the way I wanted or browse the collection by starting from the photographs.

I wanted to build the thing I wanted to use.

The first version of the idea was a web app that could:

• Record, organize, and display details such as brand, model, nib material and size, barrel color, edition status, photos, acquisition date and shop, custom tags, ink, and notes
• Keep a wishlist for pens I might want one day, separate from the collection I already own
• Move a pen from the wishlist into the owned collection when it arrives

Pen Atelier Fountain now supports all of those ideas, along with many features that came afterward.

What I enjoy most is being able to browse the collection through its photographs. Some images are ones I originally took for Instagram, while others are new. The app has even made photographing the pens more enjoyable.

I have not registered every pen or filled in every detail, either. Watching the collection statistics build up on the Insights screen gives me a reason to return and add whatever is still missing when I have time.

And yes, the number of fountain pens is still growing.

Pen Atelier Fountain was not released because it was finished. It is something I want to keep shaping while using it myself.

I hope it can do more than keep an inventory. I want the time spent looking at each pen, rediscovering personal tastes, and imagining the next addition to be enjoyable too.

There are still many experiences I would like to add or improve. I would also be delighted to hear thoughts and requests from the people who use it.

The Free plan lets you register up to ten pens. Begin with one favorite already on your desk.