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While doing illumination & sacred geometry work, I realized I had no tools to properly draw a circle and fill it with gesso. I did some research and came across precision drawing tools intended for engineers and architects. One brand particularly caught my attention: Rotring, a German brand (which has since become American).
In the past, drawing tools were limited (pens, brushes, pencils). Architects and engineers mainly used ruling pens, which allowed them to draw lines of constant thickness. These instruments had the additional advantage of being adaptable to a compass, which proved very practical for drawing windows, arcades, etc., as in my example.
Later, isographs (technical pens) appeared. These pens work with ink and offer a line of regular thickness with very little pressure. Unlike ruling pens, they don’t cause accidental stains and don’t require constant ink refilling. Their ingenious design even allows for the purchase of spare parts. These instruments are so robust that they can last about thirty years without any problem, which explains their high price.
Rotring College Set
I was able to get my hands on a set on Vinted (search for Rotring College Set, you can also buy new on Amazon but it’s more expensive, Amazon link). I paid a bit more to have a complete set, which also includes a compass adapter. I’ll show you later what the compass adapter is used for. On Vinted and similar sites, a set like this sells for between €20 and €40.
The 3 isograph pens in the set have various thicknesses: 0.2, 0.35 and 0.70. Since I draw very fine lines, I mainly use the 0.20. When I showed this sheet to JB, the sharpness of the lines and the quality of the ink made him ask if I had printed the pattern 😀 Switching from fineliners to isographs, I feel like I’ve been upgraded to 1st class 😀 The lines are sharp, the ink is very black and you don’t need to apply too much pressure, the pen width is perfect, very comfortable for my fingers. I find it fascinating to discover such high-quality tools that can be passed down from generation to generation.
However, I found cleaning very time-consuming and I’m always afraid that my pens will clog, so every day I have to draw a few lines, just to keep them alive 😀
Here are the brand’s instructions for using the pen for the first time and cleaning it:
I find the set particularly interesting financially because if you bought each pen separately, you’d be looking at €30-40/pen. The ink is very difficult to find, so having it in the set is very convenient. For other colored inks, I buy them on secondhand sites (Vinted and similar platforms).
I find the mechanical pencil quite average. It doesn’t have cool features like other mechanical pencils from the brand; and you can’t even use it with Rotring compasses. So if you come across a set without this mechanical pencil, it’s still worth it because the real value is in the pens and ink.
Mechanical Pencils for Compass
This set of 5 mechanical pencils for compass cost me €30 but it’s such a rare product that the price is almost cheap. Unfortunately all the mechanical pencils are 0.5mm size. I would have liked to have different widths. These mechanical pencils are my favorites, there are two places to screw, like the pens. Thus, you can really attach this mechanical pencil to a Rotring compass in an ultra-secure way.
Compass Set 1
I found this set on Vinted for €1 and since it also includes ruling pens, I jumped on it. Of the two compasses, only one is precision (you adjust the width using a screw), but it can’t make a circle larger than 6.6cm in diameter.
The other compass has a little bit a plastic and doesn’t have this safety feature and can move. But it has an extension and by adding the compass adapter I bought with the set, I can use it with a dedicated pen or mechanical pencil.
If you come across this set, buy it, if only for the ruling pens.
Compass Set 2
I almost never bought this one. But since I bought another compass set and someone stole from my mailbox (yes indeed!), I bought this set while browsing on Christmas Day on Vinted. I’m happy because it’s quite rare (or expensive). I got it for €22! Lucky! Unlike other boxes which are plastic, this one is in a box covered with faux leather. It’s very classy.
The reason I buy vintage Rotring compasses is that older models are entirely made of metal and offer greater precision, while their newer plastic compasses don’t appear as reliable.
In addition, this set contains a 0.5mm mechanical pencil compatible with Rotring compasses. If you haven’t found this mechanical pencil individually, at least with this set, you’ll have one compass mechanical pencil.
I find it complements compass set #1 very well (and can replace set #1 if you don’t need ruling pens). It can only be used with isographs or mechanical pencils. But it’s a very high precision compass (there’s a screw to adjust the compass opening to within 0.5mm). And with the extension & the parts that can be brought together, you can make circles between 1cm diameter and 38cm diameter (approximately).
Compass Set 3
What about circles less than 1cm in diameter? There is a special compass called a “bow compass”. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s the demo of this compass. I found it for €25. A bargain, knowing that the purchase price 15 years ago was €42.5. Once again, a screw allows precise opening of the compass. The pen or mechanical pencil is screwed to the compass securely. And let’s dance!
It’s my favorite even though it’s the least useful to me. But well, in illumination, there are lots of small details and I’ll surely need it.
What I really like is that all Rotring accessories are compatible with each other, so there are elements from one compass set that I can use for the other set. And as you’ve seen, if you have a compass adapter in the college set, you can also just make do with one compass set (#1).
I hope you enjoyed this article. I’ll leave you with a little drawing I made using my Rotring tools.
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