Artistcellar Pen Review

Hi. My name is Lisa and I'm addicted to pens. Now admit it. You are too! We could start a 12 step program but what's the point, really?

I love the pen reviews Kelly Kilmer does on her blog, so I decided to do a pen review of all the pens that Artistcellar carries. We added a bunch recently! We've always sold the Pitt Artist Pens in the 4-pack, so I didn't review those. It's a basic staple for any type of artist. I always carry that pen pack around with me, along with a mechanical pencil and a little clear 6" ruler tucked in the pack. You never know when the urge to doodle will hit! 

I'll start out with my favorite new doodling pen set, the Hybrid Technica 4 pack by Pentel. They are smooth writing ball point pens. I have never been in love with ball-points, I'm super picky about how they write. But these are... divine!

 They come in 4 pen widths, 06, 05, 04, and 03. You can tell which ones I've been using the most!

This is what the line widths look like:

For regular journal handwriting, I prefer the 05. The 03 is a very fine line, perfect for detail work on tangles and doodles. I love that I have a choice in widths.

If you need a bigger, bolder pen width, look to the Fude Ball Pen. Check out that monster tip!

This pen has a big, bold stroke and also writes quite smoooothly. The tip size is 1.5, compared to biggest Hybrid Technica, which is 06. Mixed media artists love these because the ink is rich black and writes over layers of paint and ink. Make sure it's dry before you paint anything wet over it and it will prove to be permanent.

If you need a super bold, super versatile and super fun pen to use, here it is! It's the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. It comes with two ink cartridges to start with. (Soon we will have just the refill cartridges available.)

The tip is a soft flexible brush (a real brush, not a felt tip one) and it comes with ink cartridges you just snap on. No messes, no dipping in ink, just cap and go. Depending on the pressure you put on the tip, you can get different line widths. Manga artists love these! And think of the calligraphy you can create with this one!

A few 30-second doodles to show you the different line widths you can get out of one tip.

This probably isn't a pen you would use to write in a journal, but it's great to keep around for those quick face sketches and fancy lettering. It's just fun to use!

Another pen I discovered that is really fun to use is the Pentel Stylo. It has a really cool fountain pen-like nib. It's great for inky sketching and handwriting/journaling. It makes you feel a little fancy writing with it. You might want a cup of tea and biscuits while journaling with this pen.

The line width is variable depending on how you hold/angle the pen. The horizontal lines in the sample above show the different pen widths I got, just from holding the pen at different angles/pressures. This pen makes me want to write letters on stationary instead of emails!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my pen review. I am working on a review of our WHITE pens next, and then maybe our pencils? Let me know if you want to know anything about a specific product, or if you have any questions about a product.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Also in News