blue ink

Colors Review: BIC Velocity Assorted Colors, Ballpoint, 1.6mm

by Andrew

BIC Velocity Color Pens

At 1.6mm, these BIC Velocity ballpoint pens are terrible for writing, but their colors make them all right for drawing. For ballpoint pens, which tend not to have the greatest-looking colors, the pink stands out quite nicely, and the purple takes a good dark note. The green and blue are bright, but they seem to come out a lighter on the page.

IMG_2971

Just like the Velocity Gel pen, the clip feels pretty flimsy, and I’m not a fan of the way the grip flares out near the tip. However, they are still relatively comfortable to hold. There is plenty of blobbing up with the ink, so be prepared for some smearing, but the ink flow is both smooth and consistent.

Because of the thick 1.6mm line and the blobby ink, I can’t imagine artists enjoying these Velocity colors. On the other hand, this seems more like a set of colored pens to give to kids. Keep in mind, however, you may need to replace them soon because these pens don’t have a very large ink cartridge.

IMG_2969

P.S. My apologies to How-To-Draw-Funny-Cartoons.com for butchering this hippo. And, yes, it is supposed to be a hippo.

Colors Review: Pilot G-2 Metallics (Blue and Gray)

by Andrew

IMG_3034Walk into any convenience store and you’re bound to find a plethora of color options for the popular Pilot G-2 line of gel pens, but the G-2 Metallics purport to be a bit different. According to the packaging this ink is “infused with micro-metallic pigments” that give it a “beautiful and unique shine.” In essence, they’re normal G-2 colors that have a bit of shimmer – which, as a matter of fact, do turn out to look pretty darn good.

IMG_3032

I picked up the 2-pack of metallic blue and gray, but a few different color options are available. They are great for doodling and coloring, as the ink really does seem to pop out of the page. They come in a 0.7mm tip size, so detail work might be out of the question, but they seem to fill an area fairly well.

These have the same basic design as the normal Pilot G-2 pen, so they are comfortable to hold, though a bit boring to look at. The ink does smear, but it didn’t seem to skip or stutter at all. Overall, the Metallics are a good addition to the G-2 line, and they are fun colors to own..

IMG_3031

Colors Review: Pilot G-2 Mosaic Collection (blue, green, red, and purple)

by Andrew

IMG_2960

If nothing else, the Pilot G-2 Mosaic Collection improves upon the original G-2 design in at least one important way by hiding the ugly G-2 refill. The barrel is instead covered in a pattern of broken hexagons, mimicking mosaic artwork (hence the name), and each barrel matches the color of the ink inside.

In addition to black, there are four colors: blue, red, green, and purple – all of which are quite dark. The green, the lightest of the bunch, is something like a darker shade of aquamarine. The red is more of a “blood red,” and is actually a great color for standard writing.

IMG_2958

They write like typical Pilot G-2 pens, which is a mostly positive experience, and they come in a 0.7mm tip. There is some smearing, especially with the black ink, but I had no issues with the pens bleeding through the page. If you’re looking for darker colored gel ink pens, these are a pretty good choice – especially that beautiful dark red.

IMG_2957

Colors Review: Sharpie Pen, Basic Six Color Set

by Andrew

Sharpie Pen Colors

Lately I’ve been a big fan of the Sharpie Pen – they draw such clean lines, it feels like my handwriting always looks better when I use one. So I was excited to play around with this set of six basic colors: black, blue, red, orange, green, and purple.

The blue and green look fairly standard to my eye, but the orange and red are quite bright. On the other side of the scale, the purple is fairly dark. In fact, I would actually consider using the purple in place of a black pen for writing.

IMG_2910

These pens aren’t the greatest at filling an area with color. However, this might be a good addition for anyone using Sharpie permanent markers in their artwork, as it could allow for adding more details. And luckily, I didn’t have any bleeding issues with these colors like I did with the standard black Sharpie Pen.

IMG_2909

Colors Review: Zebra F-301 Assorted (Blue, Red, and Green)

by Andrew

(note: this is a review of the Zebra F-301 color pack; click here for the full review of the Zebra F-301)

The Zebra F-301 is a very utilitarian pen, and so it’s no surprise that the only colors offered are pretty standard: black, blue, red, and green. The colors aren’t exactly eye-popping, and the lack of variety isn’t great for an artist. But if you already use and enjoy an F-301, these other colors might come in handy for taking notes or marking up papers.

IMG_2881
Each color pen has trim matching the inside ink, and though I like the black trim against the stainless steel, I feel that the other colors make the F-301 look a little cheaper. I’d be happy with a more subtle color indicator, perhaps only the print on the barrel and the color on the top of the knock/clicker.

IMG_2878

All in all, not a bad set of pens if you’re already happy with your standard black Zebra F-301.