A Study of Pens

This is another line-play series I did, maybe 10 days ago.  These are all 5-1/2 inch square.  The fat gray line is acrylic paint, the other lines are pens ~ white Uniball Signo gel pen, black Pitt Artist pen, copper PenTouch pen.

Regarding pens in general, I've slowly been trying much of what's available, buying a couple or three different types with each order of supplies from Dick Blick.  In my experience, the ones that are often heralded as the next best thing since sliced bread, frequently disappoint.  Pigma Micron is one of those for me, although many artists regale them.  So be it.

The main thing about pens, though, is that you find you need a variety of types in order to use them on a wide variety of substrates and applied media.  Some are permanent but not waterproof, some are both permanent and waterproof, which you need if you plan to do anything on top of the ink.  Some write on anything, some won't write on crayon or pastels, like the non-paint markers (and especially the porous-tip pens like Micron, Pitt, Sharpie).
  

Then there's nib size.  Like with paint brushes, there's no standardization.  One brand's .5mm nib will be fatter than the next brand's.  So you end up buying a lot of pens just to find a few that work for you.

The ones I like best for laying down a good solid line and which write on anything are the acrylic paint pens.  Only a few brands have really fine nibs, most have wider nibs for applications on posters and other larger work.  My faves in this category are Sakura PenTouch, Sakura IdentiPen (dual nibbed, fine and ultra-fine), and Sharpie Paint ultra-fine.

Uniball Signo UM-153 in black and white are probably the best gel pens, their gold is a winner as well.  These write really well on most things, but they're not waterproof...which can be a problem.

I have countless other brands of pens in my collection, as well, and I'm always adding more.  Some I write with occasionally only.  And I weed through my collection periodically to get rid of the ones that don't work for me.  Another factor that I take into consideration is how the pen feels in my hand.  Some are simply too thin and hurt too much to write with for any length of time.

The ones I mentioned above are the best I've found for the art applications I've been using them for.  Pens for just writing have their own idiocyncracies and are too numerous to mention.  Except to say that I prefer my handwriting with Sharpie Ultra Fine Point pens, but the nibs break down easily and the pens run out of ink too quickly.  Thank goodness, though, they're only about a buck a piece at Blick.

The best selection of art pens is at Dick Blick.  The best selection of writing pens and many art pens is at Jet Pens.