pen 123: sharpie fine point permanent marker

okay, so this is kind of embarrassing, today's pen, the sharpie fine point permanent marker, is a pen whose review is long overdue. part of the reason that it has taken so long to get here is that i assumed that i had reviewed this pen way back in the beginning. this pen is such an important part of my "artistic tool box" that i use it practically everyday. i guess it was hiding in plain sight.

the sharpie fine point marker is a solidly constructed pen, it is made of durable plastic, the clip on the cap is not easily broken, the tip is a fiber tip that comes to a nice fine point. these pens bleed, through and out, there is almost an "art" to drawing or inking with these pens, where you have to anticipate the bleed and make it work to your advantage. while this pen can be used for detail, i mainly use these for outlining, inking over pencils or working larger format pieces. i have noticed that these pens lose their tip pretty fast, even when pressing lightly these pens will get dull, historically i have found that i have gotten around three of four uses out of them before i retire them to inking large area fill pens, where the blunted tip isn't so much of an issue.

these pens tend to last fairly long, and this is really the only pen that i have used to the point of bleeding it dry on a consistent basis. the saving grace of these pens is that it is a well made pen that costs next to nothing to buy and can be found everywhere.

this pen is perhaps one of the most versatile pens that i have used. they will draw on nearly everything any surface and even over acrylic for a short amount of time, for whatever reason drawing over dry acrylics tent to dry the tip out pretty fast.

overall, this is a great pen, if you are looking for a jack of all trades that won't break your wallet, this pen is the pen to use.

pricing: 

price range varies, these pens are also available at dollar tree, for example.

sharpie.com 
$1.45 (single pen)+s/h
$6.99 (five pens) +s/h

website:
www.sharpie.com

what they say:
sharpie:

• The original pen style permanent marker.
• The Industry Standard
• Permanent on most surfaces
• Fade and water resistant
• Quick-drying ink AP certified nontoxic formula
• 25 assorted colors to make your marking unique