pen 25: uni-ball jetstream

today's pen is a bit of an extension from last week's battle over the smoothest ball point in the whatever. the uni-ball jetstream makes only the claims a smooth ink flow and ink that dries quickly. i can confidently tell you that it delivers on both selling points.

while it isn't as "slippery" as the velocity, it lacks the "bite" of the profile. it falls somewhere in between the two. this pen looks nice, it looks professional without costing a fortune, it does get a lot of ink in the paper like the velocity, but not as fast so that it is possible to build up tone and value. once you're committed to a line all you have to do is press a little harder and you get a nice solid line. the 1 mm blunt tip does mean that it works better in larger format but small detail work is possible if you're careful and patient.

these pens are a bit more expensive, you can get a four pack for just under ten dollars, but not too bad, especially when you consider that the pen is comfortable to hold for extended periods of time and, to be frank, looks like it could kill* someone if necessary.

*please don't go around killing people with this pen, it's just not cool.

week four recap

pen 24: paper mate profile

today's pen creates an awkward moment here on a pen a day. the paper mate profile is clearly paper mate's answer to yesterday's bic velocity. on the packaging is a bold yet less audacious claim that it is the the world's smoothest pen. now as well all know, the world exists in the universe and since bic has claimed dominion over that, the question must be asked: who is full of it.

now for one i respect paper mate's claim in it's scope, even if not true it does allow for other yet unknown civilizations among the stars to have come up with a smoother gliding pen.

i appreciate their restraint. but now i just have to know which of these is worthy of the world title, but i'll get to that a little later.

so i sat down and decided if i need to compare this to the previous post id have to do something similar, a darker style heavy on the ink. this pen is nice in that you can lightly sketch with it before having to commit to a line, i like that. it allows one to build up values by going over it a few times, it's much more flexible when it comes to laying ink on paper, it is definitely not an all or nothing pen.

the profile is also a clicky pen, which means that it doesn't require a cap that will eventually be lost, it had a nice comfort grip and in addition writes well.

so now we get into the "smoothe" issue.

without really knowing how to quantify smoothness (it kinda seems like it might be more than a little subjective) i decided to rubber band the two pens together and draw. below is just one of those tests.






in addition i did curly-q's, loops, stairs and scribbles, in all fairness i did notice a slight difference in the velocity, it seemed to glide better than the profile... BUT... while it may have the right to claim the title it doesn't necessarily mean that it is a better pen, ever hear of too much of a good thing?

the profile has more traction, more bite, it doesn't slip around so much which makes detail work a lot more precise, as i mentioned it doesn't gush ink with every stroke, and while it does have a tendency to build up ink on the tip like the velocity, it doesn't seem to deposit the excess like its competitor. as someone who hates getting things like ink all over my hands i see this as a huge plus!

so okay, it may not live up to the claim on its box, but it is a pretty good pen, and at between two and four dollars for a pair it really is worth the cost.

pen 23: bic velocity

 today's pen is one that i probably would not have bought save for the bold declaration on the package claiming it was "the smoothest pen in the universe." if you don't believe me on this by all means go here.

okay, you back yet?

good.

so yes, i was intrigued by the packaging and the relatively low price, a package of four cost $2.98 at walmart. i bought these pens, came home, and promptly forgot about them.

it was a few days before i remembered them, abandoned, still in the box, just waiting for me to use them. and use them i did.

so the question that you are probably wondering is if it lives up to its claim. saying that it is the smoothest pen in the universe (that we know of) is big talk, and yes the pen is incredibly smooth, it glides effortlessly one the paper, is it the smoothest terrestrial pen ever made? perhaps, although i'm not entirely sure how they measure that, although the scenarios that are going through my head right now are rather amusing.

so here's the deal.

the pen is on the fatter side, it has a rubber grip, it's a clicky pen, and the tip is rather large and blunt. this pen does glide vet well but it also puts out a LOT of ink, so if you aren't careful you could easily have a mess on your hands (that wasn't intended to have been a play on words but it works so i'll take it.) there is a tendency to goop up on the nib and deposit blobs that happen so often it could make one wonder if it was intentional. the ink is standard (i believe) ballpoint ink, it smears and smudges like all the rest, perhaps even more so.

when it comes down to it, i feel like the pen is more trouble than it's worth. writing is just as big a pain as you drag your hand from left to right (and may god have mercy on the heel of your hand if you are a lefty.) and drawing as well. it is a smooth ride but a messy one. i would hate to accidentally wash one of these with a load of laundry (yes, it does happen) or have it leak in a pocket during the day. if you're looking for a ballpoint that can fill space a little faster, go ahead and try it, and there are people who do like to use the inks ability to smudge to blur or shade their drawings and i would think it would be ideal for that as well.

if i liked getting materials over my hands i'd have stuck with conte crayon, pastels and charcoal.  overall, wasn't really all that impressed with this pen.

pen 22 staedtler triplus fineliner 0.3mm

 

so, these ones you can get for under six dollars at target, they come in a pack of four.the only size i saw offered were the 0.3 mm tip size which makes it fairly good for inking and detail work. 

staedtler id a german company and from my experience has a good history of making quality products. i'm pretty sure i was introduce to the pens in college, my roommate and i had a coke vs pepsi debate between this brand and the microns. i eventually came around and decided to give them a try. the price is pretty fair, a little over a dollar a pen. 

the triplus fineliner is a very skinny and long pen, the attribute that stands out the most to me is it's shape. it's a triangle. this feature was undoubtedly chosen to counter the pen from rolling out the table or shallow inclined drafting table. it unfortunately makes it awkward to hold, this may not be the case for everyone, i just found it a little annoying, the could have made 80% triangle and the part near the tip more cylindrical; or, barring that, put a rubber grip on the pen where its held.. 

now bear in mind that most of these pens are drawn on regular index cards, i did this because i wanted to show as close as possible how these pens work. that is also a factor in the sketches i make, i've been trying to limit the variables to the pen itself.

so the good: cheap, fine tip and won't roll off tables. the downsides are that they not only bleed, but also bleed through (gah! lame!) they don't feel comfortable in my hand and it takes ages to ink with such a small tip size.
in regards to the ink, i don't know how much use you'll get, i have pens from the same company that have lasted over ten years, granted i didn't use they all that often.

is it worth it? these pens may be a bit sturdier than the micron and copics, but the price is around the same.  i did just buy these pens last night so maybe i should do an update on them when ive had more experience with them.

pen 21: tul permanent marker (fine & ultra fine tips)

 so when is a sharpie not a sharpie?

when it's a tul.

i first saw this brand around a year ago, i had bought some ballpoints that were in the clearance bin at one of the bix box office supply stores, half off and like four pens (i think it was four anyway) i really didn't want to spend more than five dollars that day and for whatever reason i didn't have any pens on me at the time. so i bought them, and HATED them... at first.

the first pen i tried was spotty gummy and tore the paper, but i refused to admit defeat and the second pen worked like a charm.

after that experience i looked into a few other products from the german company, you can see their products here.

it wasn't long before i had gone back to the store in hopes that i would find even more of these little treasures in the clearance bin, i was disappointed.

i did, however, find the aisle where the rest of the line was stocked and brought home several new additions to my "big box-o'-pens.

today i'm going to talk a little about the fine and ultra fine
permanent markers.


all in all they are really more or less the same as a sharpie, they wear about the same, the ink is pretty similar, except the sharpie has a stronger smell, it does bleed through the paper, in fact, it bleeds more than the sharpie, and it dries pretty quickly. the pens are good for inking outlines and the fine is good for large areas of fill. the tips tend to wear down fairly fast, i find that the fine tips are really only good for a drawing or two before it goes into the blunted background filler coffee mug next to my desk.


the cost is around five dollars for a four pack (yup i checked my facts) and they come in a limited variety of colors, the caps of these pens have a hoop in in them, whice looks cool and al;l future-y but aside from their custom marker stand i dont really see much use. these pens last and last, i have yet to bleed one dry, but then again i do a lot of big fills in photoshop. they arent as in many places as sharpies are (read: everywhere) so if you happen to come across one (like at office max, hint hint) it might be worth a try, and trust me, i would be the first to tell any of you if this pen sucked. they are cheap (the sharpies i priced are about the same cost but there are five to a pack), well made pens, tehy work well and look nice on you desk or pen holder of choice. go ahead and try one, you may end up falling for this brand (like me).

pen 20: sharpie liquid pencil

today's pen, isn't a pen, they call it a liquid pencil  but i would say that it is more a hybrid.

going back to sixth grade, i believe this was around that point that i got my first experience with erasable ink pens. i recall them being difficult to draw or write with, you had to press down hard, and the darkness of the ink made it so that you had to go over the lines again and again. then when it was time to erase, these dull gray erasers would more than likely tear through the page than erase what it was supposed to be able to do.

i bought these liquid pencils about ten days ago, i was in cvs and saw them as i walked down the pen aisle. figuring that it was a sharpie brand and therefore decent. the results were mixed.

to start, the ink was light, and i had to make several passes before i got the lines as dark as i wanted.

i made some minor errors and tried the eraser. it was like i was eleven again and holding that first blue pen while i erased and erased and still couldn't get the ink to go away.(edit: i went back and tried this pen again, this time on an index card, i pressed light and heavy and got better results when i erased, not sure if its a function of the paper or if i was just biased going into it.)

i discovered a little bit later that the ink will erase quite nicely, you just couldn't press down so hard. this isn't the problem i was expecting, i usually do a light sketch of what i'm drawing first, then ink it after i'm happy with the sketch.

one other thing that kinda irked me, they flow wasn't all that great, the ink in consistent, and it has a tendency to move in ways you weren't expecting (see the date on the side of this paragraph and you'll see what i'm talking about

so the final word: these pens come in a two pack, the price is around $5, the ink claims to be #2 but i haven't tested that, also if you really want a pencil, why not use a pencil, mechanical or otherwise? the erasable ink is a neat trick (when it works) but i know that i have better ways to spend my money for a novelty pen.

pen 19: copic multiliner

so yeah, i've been sitting (not literally) on this one for the last eleven days. what could make me hesitant to come running out of my house, onto the foothills of the alps singing praises and extolling the virtues of the mighty magical, most sought after pen available to the artist community?

well, for one, i only discovered their existence a little under a year ago, for another it wasn't, until very recently, able to afford or borrow/use one.

i know that ten days more or less isn't really a long time to be using something and i do have a few reservations about featuring it here today.

so i guess ill just take a deep breath and get to it... if anyone has more experience with this brand, please feel free to comment and let me know, i love learning things in general, and art specifically.

to begin, this is their website: copic markers

okay so yeah they are a little bit on the expensive side, they average around four dollars a pen for the multiliner individually, they do come in sets, the A-2 set ($27.93) has seven pens that range in size from 0.03mm (nice) to 1.0mm. the B-2 set ($35.91)has all seven pens in the A-2 set and includes a small and medium brush pen. i'm assuming that these pens are meant for people like me, who have interest in the product but have limited funds and cannot make the decision to invest in them without some serious thought and consideration.

if you go to their website, you will see the more expensive sets that they have to offer as well as markers and airbrushing tools. if you have the money to spare, and i know for most of us, or at least for me at the moment, forty dollars is a lot to spend, thats like a half a tank of gas, dinner for a few days or a good portion of some utility or cell phone bill. if you are on the fence you could try getting one of the pens and  test it out, they aren't that much more that the microns. 

so as far as long term usage goes, i'm not really qualified to weigh in on that. i don't know how long they last, used or unused, i've read a few reviews and it seems like the typical mixed bag of feedback, basically if you like them you really like them, if not, you don't. i know that sounds kinda dumb but most of the artists i know are very loyal to brands, in some cases it seems to be on the same level as dumbo and his magic feather (no i'm not judging, i'm guilty of that too.) and use certain materials or tools when they get stuck or hung up on some project. if that is what these are for you, then be grateful that your "go to pen" isn't some kind of platinum tipped gold embossed pen that uses iron based ink made from the salvaged civil war era ironclad warships mixed with gypsy tears. if the price is too high for you, you can do what i did and look on amazon for a lower price, it doesn't hurt to look.

so the nitty-gritty (something about that term makes me feel like it's not politically correct anymore). these pens are disposable, they are waterproof, they are archival quality, photocopy safe. they have very little bleed, they are laser precise, good for crazy amounts of detail and the smaller sizes are the smallest that i have found that isn't a rapidograph, and less messy for that matter as well. these pens feel sturdy, i haven't wanted to intentionally test that, i figure i'll eventually find out their limits unintentionally at some point. the ink is nice and dark, the line quality is high, it glides very well on smoother paper, cardstock or bristol board, and i'm sure would make for a good pen for additional detail for watercolor work.

all in all i would have to say that i am a fan of these pens so far, and i look forward to the day that i can afford to but the more professional sets that have replaceable tips and refillable ink. until that day i am content with experimenting further with these new pens.

pen 18: pilot g-2

i believe that this is the first gel pen that i've featured here. according to the back of its box, the pilot g series is the #1 selling gel pen... although it doesn't seen to specify the scope of the survey, does that mean in the world, the united states? meh whatever. these pens also boasts that they write twice as long as other gel pens, that they are refillable, they do have a rubber comfort grip, that they are super smooth when writing and they come in several sizes: ultra fine, extra fine, fine, and bold.

one of the things i have yet to really decide for this project is that many times the pen i am featuring comes in a variety of sizes, and sometimes color.

this particular pen is a great example of this, the drawing to the your right (stage left) was drawn (very quickly) with the bold, and largest, pen in this particular family, it seem good for things like laying down heavier lines, filling backgrounds, it flows well, (sometimes too well) and gets ink on the paper in a relatively short amount of time. the remaining drawings, the last six, were done using an 05, which i believe is the extra fine version.

okay. so i'm going to talk about the elephant in the room. gel ink.

there are two camps really to this issue, those who love them and those who don't.
i don't know if it was an urban legend or if it were true that the gel ink was toxic, all the research i've done (googled it and went to the first five listed result, exhaustive, i know) seem to all say that the are not toxic now... so i don't know what to make of it, however, as artists many of us handle toxic materials frequently so really it seems academic anyway. you probably shouldn't write on your arm (although i do all the time) anyway.

while i'm not a huge fan if gel pens, i will give the g-2 series it's props. these pens, especially the finer point ones, are great for fast sketches, blind (and non-blind) contour, and gesture drawings. the ink flows well and dries fairly fast, they dont weather an eraser very well so if you are erasing a graphite under-sketch you might have to go over the lines on more time, not the end of the world but then again not really ideal.
i think that these are pens that would go well in your sketchbook, especially if you ride public transportation, like to hang out in coffee shops and people watch, or out and about and have that thought that you just have to record before it wanders off and you forget.

for what they are these pens are pretty good, they are versatile, they last for a while and i have yet to have one spring a leak on me, and that alone can mean the difference of a pair of jeans with huge black stains on your thigh, and not looking like you just peed black...

as for price, you can find a two pack most places for around $5, they do come in four packs as well at around the $10 range. these pens come in at least three other colors that i know of, those being blue, red, and green.

i would recommend that  you try out one of the smaller sized pens, if only to see what it does to your style, i often find that i draw differently with different pens, it might bring out elements of hidden style that has yet to be untapped...

or not, it might just be a good pen, and isn't that what we are searching for?

week three recap

pen 17: pentel rsvp fine

okay, so a few of you monkeys have been on my back, chattering, nay, screaming about today's pen: the pentel r.s.v.p. fine point.

this was actually one of the first pens that i drew for this site, but got caught up in the flashy pens like the sharpie magnum and the shiny cross. i can say that without a doubt this pen is the jack of all trades, and one that i favor for most tasks. it glides well, the ink sometimes tend to gum up on the tip causing blobs, the ink dries fast for a ball point, the line is consistent, it lasts forever, its fairly cheap and the tip is very precise, making things like taking notes or drawing very crisp and clear. really the only things that i'd say to watch out for is tearing through the paper (it's pretty sharp - i've used it in place of a stiletto in a few pinches), lending it out because its a good chance that you'll never see it again, and the tendency the bottom cap seems to have of unscrewing and coming apart in your bag; granted, this doesn't happen very often, but i've noticed it enough to mention here.

i have yet to see them sold individually in stores, mostly i've seen them sold in packages of four to twelve, ranging in price between $5-$11... except once where i saw them for a buck at the local dollar tree.


so if you're an artist, writer, or just need a dependable pen (sorry i couldn't help myself on that one.) this is a solid choice.

pen 16: staedtler lumocolor

there are several things that remind me of the relationships i've been in over the years: the obvious being movies, music, books, smells,video games etc... and then theres things like coffee mugs (stolen from all night diners or bought in second hand stores) a ring or two here and there and, i just realized, pens.

i found this pen back in 2006, i was sitting in the bar on the corner near my apartment, sketching, drinking, and listening to purple rain and paint it black for the billionth time when the pen i had been using ran out. this in itself was a rare occurrence, i usually lose them before the run out. so of course i didn't have another on me at the time, which was also rare, if you you know me in real life you know that i'm usually toting a messenger/ammo bag that contains like 95% of a working office... right, focus.


so i asked the bartender, who happened to be the owner as well, if there was a pen i could borrow while i was there.

she handed me this pen.

i know this is completely random and probably not all that interesting but if you knew the bar i am talking about you would be as shocked as i was to have that be the first place i had ever seen or heard of that pen, to put it another way, budweiser was $3 a bottle and well shots of vodka was $2, and this place exists in san francisco.

so i used this pen and fell in love, i tried to hint that it was awesome and going to waste just writing out drunks' phones numbers and balancing the till, but the owen wouldn't have any of it, and i should point out that she is/was a generous woman.

so around that time i met a girl and she visited on vacation, i took her to my usual haunts and she had heard me going on and on about the pen before coming out, she brought with her a wretched bottle of white australian wine, and a full color set of these pens with a few extra black pens for good measure.

so, yes, this pen has a special place in my heart. it is a brush-ish type tip, they do bleed a bit but not so much as long as you keep the tip moving, they say that they are non-bleeding but...  idont agree with that claim. they are durable within reason, you can press harder on them than most pens i've used, they are good for filling moderately large spaces, covers up pencil marks, they don't fade if you need to erase the under sketch, they saturate to a true black (or whatever color the pen is), they take ages to dry out, especially if you take measures to make sure that they are stored properly, and they smell nice. they claim to be "dry-safe" meaning that "they can be left open for days and not dry out," i just shrug and say whatever, i've never felt the need to test this feature. they will write on nearly everything you can think of, including watercolor and acrylic (once dry) although i've never tested it out on gesso. the last thing that is kind of neat is that these pens are supposed to be refillable, again it's something that i have never tried so i can't tell you how well that works (and here i fail as a reviewer).

i can't say that i've ever found them in retail stores, or art stores for that matter, but i can't say that i've actually bought one, and haven't needed to be looking for one. you can get them online, the random site that came up first when i googled "staedtler lumocolor" has list prices that run from $5.19 for two black pens to under $19 for the eight color set. if you are willing to pay a little under $30 you can buy a box of 12, you with choices of super fine, fine, medium, and broad. the same website has its own pricing which they say is 30% off list, i'm not sure what the shipping costs are but i would have to say that this pen is worth trying, for under six dollars for two, we are talking about a pen that is more durable than the micron and copic and produces a line that is somewhere in between a brush and fine point pen.

*update* yes, i am aware i spelled it wrong in the drawing... i'm just too lazy to fix it.