pen 62: papermate 1.2

today's pen is the papermate's version of the bic cristal. at $1.75 for a pack of ten at walgreens this particular pen is on the lower end of the pricing scale. this pen is not messing around, it is cheap it is basic and it does the job... if the job is putting ink on paper.

this pen doesn't have the smoothest glide, for me that's not really a problem as i do like a pen that interacts with the paper, resistance, that sort of thing. the ink is dark, when applied with force it has a velvety sort of sheen to it, which is just classy... the pen also has a full range of value between black and white and works well with tasks like shading, writing lightly (like for a crossword puzzle, and makes for a nice alternative, albeit permanent, to the mark one pencil.

i have to say that pens like these hold a special place in my heart, it may be nostalgia, of just that i had to make do with them for so long growing up not really knowing that there were pens that were specifically made for art (aside from makers) or it could be some sort of repressed childhood trauma where a ballpoint pen swooped down from out of nowhere saving me from whatever it is im repressing but was probably an overblown sense of peril or impending doom... impending... imPENding... just noticed that... huh.

anyway, this pen is a solid choice. its plain and simple, not may moving parts to break and these things will last you forever... i've also been told that these pens are sometimes used as the source of ink for all the underground tattooing that that take place in middle/high school and prisons... and the sad thing about that is that isn't the only thing those institutions have in common...

clearly my brain is broken and i am in desperate need of sleep.