Pen Porn: Iron Feather Creative Commission

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for pen envy or impulse purchases resulting from viewing this post.

Per usual, you can click on the images to view them larger. I do my best to provide you with high-quality pen porn. 😉

Backstory and Review

Feel free to jump down if you’re just here for the photos.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’ve been waiting for my turn on Brian Weaver’s — Iron Feather Creative — commission list. Earlier this month, my turn came up.

My request was a Mayan-themed pen with a stylized hummingbird and the goddess Ixchel — Mayan goddess of the moon, fertility, childbirth, pregnancy, medicine, rain, womanly crafts, and war, among other things, depending on the site you read — and I sent him two initial reference images. Ixchel can be portrayed as a young woman or an old crone, and I specifically wanted the young woman. The hummingbird tattoo I found was actually a stylized version of the Aztec hummingbird god Huitzilopochtli, but I liked the general idea of it. Beyond those two elements, I pretty much left the rest up to Brian.

He and I had a bit of discussion at BWIPS earlier this year about what he realistically thought he could do. He wasn’t sure how to incorporate Ixchel in addition to the hummingbird. I let him know that was OK, my greater focus/interest was the hummingbird.

At the beginning of the month, Brian sent me a video — see below — of a finished pen without any carving. He felt the material would be a good base for my pen. To be honest, I wasn’t 100% certain, because it wasn’t what I originally had in mind. But, the material was pretty, and I trust Brian completely, so I gave him the green light.

About a week later, he sent me another video, this time with the hummingbird carving complete, included in the video below starting at 00:07. I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone who knows his work that it was stunning.

We had another conversation about options to fill the remaining space, and I sent him some additional Mayan imagery to hopefully serve as inspiration. And oh boy, did it, because a day later, Brian sent me a final video of the finished pen, included in the video below starting at 00:22.

Pen Porn

And, to be frank, as good as the video makes my Mayan pen look, it still doesn’t do it full justice. What you can’t see well in the video are the textured areas.

That texture is especially impressive on the hummingbird. Each feather has texture. Even better, Brian created feather-like texture on the face and throat. The tail feathers and headdress feathers also have appropriately directional texture.

That’s actually a feature on the whole pen. Brian definitely pays attention to details, with larger textured areas having appropriately directioned lines.

I love how he integrated the hummingbird on the barrel with Ixchel on the cap. It’s especially masterful, in my opinion, given the difference in scale.

Also fabulous is how he referenced the sun rays of the cap in the bars at the end of the barrel. I don’t know if it was purposeful — I should ask — but the bars bring to mind the carved stone columns that are so prevalent at Mayan sites.

As if the beauty of the pen wasn’t enough, Brian also surprised me with an engraved nib. And I don’t mean his standard feather nib. He included the bars on the nib face and even added some engraving to the sides.

Last, but not least, is Brian’s relatively recent addition to his pens, a cap finial with his logo. It has a matte look, but when it catches the light, the feather really shines.

This pen is the sixth Iron Feather Creative pen to join my collection, and I won’t be surprised if it’s not my last.

Many thanks to Brian for making such an amazing pen!

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Do you own any pens from Iron Feather Creative? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

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