PENS

I've been struggling with my lightfast marker pen choices for awhile since lightfast markers use real pigments and not dyes like Copics do. And because the pigment has larger particles than dye/alcohol based markers, it is harder to find a very fine point tip marker that is good quality, will not wear out quickly, and has the rich black I like for inking.

It's pretty much impossible to show you what I mean with scans of the pen strokes because the differences are subtle and are based on feel and performance as well as final result. So I'm just going to tell you what I've found.

For many years I used the DELETER NEO PIKO LINE 2 .03MM for almost all of my inking, particularly on A Distant Soil. I stopped because I could never find definitive information about the lightfast qualities of the pens. Keep in mind I started using them 30 years ago.

In 30 years, I have seen no sign of fading, and recent information on the websites now shows that the pens are lightfast. I suspect they always were, but 15-20 years ago, people didn't seem as concerned and didn't list the info. Also, I've read the quality of the ink has been improved over time.

Another reason I stopped using them is that the quality of the point changed. It used to have a needle sharp tip, and later pens don't. It was so sharp, I have permanent tattoos on my fingers from where I stabbed myself with them.

I tried the LINE 3 .03 and found the rounded point not to my liking. I may have gotten a bum point, but this close up of the pen at the Deleter website looks very rounded to me. I suspect the point was made broader to allow better ink flow and to last longer, so I may switch to the .02MM and see what I can get out of it.

I did NOT find the ink was as resistant to smudging as the website claims. While it does stand up to erasure, I found it was not as water resistant as I would like when I tried to use watercolors over it.

Mixed feelings about this lightfast Prismacolor Premiere .005 Fine Line Marker. Lovely, tiny little detail lines.

However, it takes forever to dry. I have to leave pages sitting overnight to make sure the ink won't smudge when I try to erase the pencil underneath. I am not sure if the slow drying time is due to the ink sitting on top of the pencil. The more pigment, the longer it will take to dry. So I assume these pens are pigment rich. You will get a glossy ink color out of them. But I made so many mistakes smearing them because I casually wiped my hand over them or didn't wait long enough before I tried to erase pencil lines.

The ink is a blue black. This difference is VERY obvious if you use any other pens or ink on the page.

I did not test to see how well it stood up to water.

If you are mistake prone, because it takes so long to dry, you can erase most of your mistake with an electric eraser before the ink sets. That's a plus.

Smears left a noticeable bluish stain behind that I did not love.

Sakura Micron Pigmas are lightfast, and the .005 point is very fine for detail. The point seems to last a good while. They are relatively inexpensive. The ink is slightly lighter and greyer than other inks.

I can think of only one drawback re: these pens. They are so popular they are often counterfeited. Be sure to buy according to these guidelines.

In fact, when looking up Sakura Micron Pigmas on Amazon, I accidentally clicked on this lookalike which was the FIRST choice offered me by Amazon based on my specific Micron Pigma search term.

That is not what I asked for. The ad states that the pens are waterproof and fade RESISTANT when dry, but fade resistant and lightfast may diverge somewhat in the final. Who knows.

The finest of the Faber Castell Pitt Pens is the XS, which is twice the width of the Sakura pens. The ink is richer and deeper than the Sakura. It is highly light fast, and the manufacturer guarantees no fading in gallery conditions for a century.

The ink stands up better to water than other inks. None of the inks were 100% waterproof. If you’re going to ink something, might want to watercolor first, ink last, or just use a plain old crowquill and India Ink and call it a day. The point of the XS doesn't last as long as I would like. But for the rich ink black look, this is my go-to for medium/fine work.

For me, the Pigma Micron stands up best at the finest point for detail work. You just need to be sure you buy the authentic pens.

I’ve been using the Micron 02 point a lot lately, and I love the feel and the detail I can get out of it. You can order them HERE.

The Faber Castell stands up best under watercolor and for deeper blacks.

The slow drying of the Prismacolor drove me nuts. Very nice black can be achieved, but you need to make multiple strokes and there goes your fine line.