The reed pen gets its name because it was originally in Western Europe made from stiff hollow reeds cut at one end at an angle and often split from the point for a short distance to aid ink flow. These days the Oriental version is usually sold and that is made from bamboo. They are very cheap to buy, but the reason for using them has more to do with the coarse but character filled line they produce. A knife can be used to customise the tip to suit individual requirements. The 2 great masters of the reed pen were Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Vincent in particular produced reed pen drawings of great sensitivity yet powerful, like his passion. They are beautiful.