All About Trading - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
Artist Pens
Disposable or one-use artist pens, like ZIG Millennium, Pigma
Micron, and Faber-Castell PITT artist pens represent a newer line of
artist pens. These pens are the most readily accessible of the pens
discussed in this article and they are often found in scrapbooking
sections of hobby and art supply stores. Artist pens produce a very
consistent line, but come in a limited amount of sizes and colors. The
biggest benefit to these pens is that they are not messy and are the
easiest to use and purchase. The negatives of these pens is that
they run out extremely quickly, are wasteful, are limiting in pen sizes/
colors and can be very costly over time. Most of these pens feature
archival, waterproof inks.
Our favorite of the artist pens is the Faber Castell PITT Artist pens
and the Micron pens because these pens clog less frequently on
mixed media work and seem to last longer than their competitors.
Who should use these? Individuals occasionally doing pen work,
those who do not want to deal with the cleaning of the technical pens,
or those who do not have the funds to invest in a more expensive
technical pen.
What do they cost? Although the initial investment per pen is only
$2-4, if you use ink pens a lot, the cost of each pen adds up. At one
point, Dana (one of the authors of this article) was using 8-12 pens
a month, amounting to $40-$50 per month. After that, she switched
to a technical and dip pen combination and has saved substantial
amounts of money in the long run. In less than 2 months time, her
technical pen set paid itself off!
Conclusion
Overall, we find the technical pens to have the most consistent line,
the least amount of clogging over mixed media work, the best flow,
and the best value for your money over time. We highly recommend
the Rapido Sketch Koh-I-Noor line of pens if you are a serious pen
and ink artist. Keep an eye on online retailers for sales—we recently
scored a set of 7 technical pens for less than $60.
It’s important to know that there is not a “perfect pen” for everyone.
Rather, as you develop your own working style and needs, different
types of pens will work better for you. Some people will enjoy working
with an older style dip pen or technical pen, while others will prefer
the newer felt-tipped artist pens. If costs are a major factor, weigh the
short-term low-cost artist pens with the long-term technical pens and
decide which is the best for you. We hope this article provided you
with possibilities for your pen needs!
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