Pen and Ink
The two main pens I currently use to draw are the Uniball-eye Designer and Pilot v5. It took me several weeks of research and testing before deciding on these pens. I would like to share with you a few of the things taken into consideration before finally choosing these lovely ink pens.
Experience
One of the most important factors in the decision process was my experience of drawing and how they felt when using them. It was extremely important to have a pleasurable experience as this energy would transfer to my work. Both types of pens provided a nice smooth line and didn’t skip or smudge, which delivered a lovely drawing experience. Happy with the experience I researched further into their technicalities.
Colour
My vision was to create vibrant drawings with colour at the centre of the design. I like to express myself through the use of colour so there needed to be a wide enough range of colours available. I found Uniball Designer to have eight colours, black, blue, red, green, light blue, pink, violet and wine, and Pilot V5 seven colours, black, red, green, violet, pink, light blue. So far so good, both sets of pens had a nice variety of lively colours.
Ink
The ink flowed nicely from both the pens allowing a continuous line with no blotchiness or skipping. However, I did find the Uniball smudged a bit on certain types of paper, so I decided to work a bit slower at about 1-2 seconds before moving on. Also, it was important drawings would stand the test of time and I found both pens to be waterproof and fade-proof.
Nib size
Next, I investigated nib size as it was necessary to find the correct size for the level of detail required in the art. I discovered Uniball Designer to have a 0.7mm nib tip with a 0.5 line, and Pilot 0.3. This was exactly what I was looking for to produce the desired effect I envisioned.
Eco friendly
Finally, with the environment in mind, I wondered if the pens were reusable and identified both are refillable. Although, refilling will take some practice and extra research will need to be done about different types of ink and methods of refilling.
Tip
If you are thinking about drawing in ink ensure you take notice of the subtle detail in pen names, for example, there are a Pilot ‘V7’ and a Pilot ‘V5’ and Uniball-’mico’ and Uniball-’eye’, all have very subtle differences in nib sizes. Study and test before you buy - enjoy the world of pen and ink.
For more information see:
Pilot website for V5/V7 pens. Available to buy on Amazon.
Uniball website for Designer pens. Available to buy on Amazon.
