pen 33: bic cristal

today's pen is another one of those pens that you find pretty much anywhere, at $2.29 +tax for a package of ten, it's not all that surprising. some of you might be wondering why i am even bothering with such a cheap pen. there was this guy i knew in art school, all he used were these cheap bics, when all of the rest of us were using expensive pens, and marveling at their results, he sat quietly in the back with his bic sketching things that would give either lovecraft, dali, or poe nightmares and advice to seek professional care. to this day i don't know how he managed to squeeze those overly rendered scenes with a common ball point but i remember feeling a little bit inadequate when i would see his work.the pen itself is basic, no frills, a bit uncomfortable to use for extended periods especially if you have a firm grip style when holding pens or pencils. the plastic is a little brittle so i wouldn't recommend using it to pry something open or stabbing anything tougher than a pumpkin (yes, i stabbed a pumpkin with once while carving one for halloween).the pen has good bite, flows well and does a good bit of gliding when warmed up. the ink is light enough to build up tones and values and can also be used (i'm told) with a needle of some sort to do prison style tattooing... probably not a good idea that last part. the ink also dries quickly, it doesn't build up on the tip and it doesn't smear or smudge all that well which is either good or bad, depending on what you want to do with itso yeah, it's cheap - around thirty cents, it's versatile and universally available.go out and get a few and see what you can do with one. is really drove home the lesson that an artist should not be limited nor defined by the tools he or she uses