It took me nearly 100 days of daily drawing (and buying pens) to land on a pen that doesn’t leave me wanting more.

I follow a lot of artists who’ve come to very different conclusions, and I’ve tried plenty of their recommendations. None of them did for me what the Tombow Brush Pen Fudenosuke with soft tip does. This is obviously very subjective, so no promises you’ll feel the same.

But for me, it just works. It looks good, feels great, gives me a lot of control over my lines, and it’s surprisingly cheap.

I’ll let you know if that changes. That would be breaking news.

My 2026 is the Year of Art and to make sure that I stick to this theme I started drawing a daily visual journal on the first of January. Up until now I only posted these on social media but I figured it would be nice to give these little artworks a place of their own. Introducing: Dailies!

In the last few weeks, I spent quite a bit of money on art supplies. My hobbies are cyclical. The interest fades, but it always returns. This time feels different. Sketching and painting have a cathartic effect on me. It feels necessary, not just fun.

Normally, perfectionism makes me quit quickly. Frustration comes fast when your artwork looks nothing like what you expected. I have been working on that, but lately, I find myself loving the imperfection itself.

Maybe that shift is connected to AI.

Sure, it is neat to generate a Studio Ghibli version of an image. But as someone who knows he could create something unique by hand, it feels hollow.

Every line of ink on paper carries more tactile character, more direct connection to the body and emotions, than anything made on a screen. That was always true. AI just made it more obvious.

I want to harvest that truth for my otherwise very digital life. I feel like it will be essential for my wellbeing going forward.

Something about a sketchbook as a daily companion for life has always fascinated me. Sitting somewhere and sketching what’s around you feels like the purest form of mindfulness.

Pages and pages full of visualized memories. What could be cooler than that?

Here’s a small sketch I did yesterday while sitting on a bench at the Alster, talking to an older woman about her allergies.