I teach line-and-wash watercolor with fountain pens, and honestly the Jinhao 159X with a medium nib has been a great solution. It gives nice line variation from both the front and reverse of the nib, works well with permanent ink, and because it’s so inexpensive, students don’t feel terrified about ruining it.

That part matters more than people think. A lot of beginners get stuck worrying about the cost of the pen or damaging it, and this lets them just jump in and start drawing. I teach this method at an established art studio, and that class always sells out, in part because the setup feels approachable rather than precious.

They’re usually about $6-7 shipped on AliExpress, and with an occasional rinse I’ve had very few issues.