Common Challenges of Gel Pens and How to Overcome Them

Compared to ball pens, gel pens are still relatively new to the market, but they have been well received by artists for sketching purposes. They can be lots of fun, and come in a wide selection of colors, including metallic, acid-free archival pens. They are sold in a wide variety, like soufflé, pastel-colored pens that puff up a little on the page when dry; moonlights that are neon colored and more opaque; Gelly Roll Stardust; Gelly Roll Metallic; Glaze; and even some smear-resistant options. Generally, gel pens leave great color on pages, and are a favorite for filling doodles.

Modern black gel inks contain a blend of dye-based and pigment coloring, and consumers can easily identify the color of a pen by checking through the semi-transparent barrel. Not all varieties are suitable for arts and graphics, though their color diversity makes them very popular among artists and children. Like roller ball and ball-point pens, the ink in gel pens is delivered using a housed metal ball. Consumers can easily differentiate its ink line from that of other writing instruments by tracking the effect along the outer edges of the ink stroke. This effect is not always visible for the entire writing process though it is a common occurrence which indicates that the ink is being pushed by the ball to the outer edges of the stroke.

Gel pens are great for artwork, but like many other things, there are a few complaints. Some people claim that their pens skip a lot and don’t make nice lines, or they are not visible enough, and attribute the inconsistency to a poor brand. What they don’t realize is that good results can only be achieved under certain circumstances:

Faded lines are influenced by the surface. The darker the surface you are working on, the better and shinier the drawing will be. Generally, drawing over too transparent watercolor layers will make the lines less visible, and cause you to riffle the paper.

Skipping is a common occurrence among most types of pens, including gel pens. It will definitely happen. So, when it does, carefully overdraw the riffle to make your line continuous. Before starting the painting, it is recommended that you scribble on a piece of paper to get the ink flowing.

When you experience too little or too much ink, it is probably because you changing the drawing direction too frequently. Gel pens don’t like this. The best way to draw a continuous line is to move the pen in one direction, and then clean the nib before starting another line. Changing the direction causes skips, while drawing too many lines in the same direction without cleaning the nib causes ink blobs.

A new pen usually works well with few or no skips. But the more it is used, the tougher it gets to work with it. It can be very frustrating to have a pen with just a little ink left, and the nib is barely able to let any ink out. To avoid such challenges, you should consider having a few nibs at hand when working on an important painting to ensure that you see it through with minimal challenges.

Now that you know how to use your gel pens, all that is left is to get a reliable vendor to buy from. Elkos Pens are one of the leading global manufacturers of gel pens, and provide a wide variety of colors and sizes to suit your art needs. For more information on their varieties, visit their website at www.elkospens.com 

Pens you can rely on: Ball Pen versus Fountain Pen

With over one billion sales of ball pens a year, they have successfully replaced fountain pens in everyday use in homes, schools, offices, banks, and stores. Ball points are not refillable, so one has to replace it once the ink ends, or when it just refuses to work. So, how can a consumer be certain that the next ball pen they buy will not cause them any trouble?

Ball-point pens have many benefits over fountain pens. They are not only more affordable than their better-grade counterparts, but are also not as delicate when it comes to handling. Users can press down on their pens harder to produce a better carbon copy compared to most fountain pens. A well-made ball point also offers months of service without ink running out, plus the ink dries out on the paper instantaneously, which eliminates the need for blotting. Users also find themselves jiggling a fountain pen that has not been used for a long time, but a ball pen can be used promptly, even when it has not been used for an extended period.

The pen also has one or two shortcomings, with the most notable one being that it occasionally leaves an uneven and pale line. It is also difficult to write over greasy smudges with a ball-point, plus they tend to leave a blob or dot of ink when the rotation of the ball is reversed, like the top of a script “h”.

Despite being in the market for many decades, ball-point pens vary widely in their longevity and writing quality. Some models skip, blob, and falter, while others run out of ink too soon. There is a lot more to consider when buying one, beyond the attractive shell and luring advertisements, if you don’t want to face the annoyance of a short-lived pen.

A certain study performed by a laboratory that tests products for the procurement agents who purchase office equipment and supplies for various institutions and companies sought to compare the performance attributes of popular ball-point throw-aways, as well as some expensive, gold-plated choices. In the tests, the laboratory used a machine that holds the pen at a writing angle while strips of paper were made to move slowly beneath the point in various patterns until the pen was incapable of making a solid line, or the ink ran out.

According to the study, the “gift” pens (gold-plated) provided longer service, though the fact that they were refillable made them a less economical choice compared to the short-lived throw-aways. As for the writing quality, it was found to be consistent among all types, though there was some blobbing. In addition, no feathering was detected with the machine, though it was reported in ordinary use, especially if the point was not clean. With regard to prompt start-up, the results were inconsistent, with some writing immediately and others experiencing momentary delays.

The results were consistent with what one would expect from a ball pen, including the lower quality when writing over wet spots or invisible oily smudges. That said, ball-points are still your best choice: they are affordable, reliable, and an excellent choice for typical daily writing needs. Since not all ball-point pens are alike, it is best that you buy from a reliable company that ensures consistency of performance. For more information on this, consider Elkos Pens by visiting their website on www.elkospens.com.

Common Challenges of Gel Pens and How to Overcome Them

Compared to ball pens, gel pens are still relatively new to the market, but they have been well received by artists for sketching purposes. They can be lots of fun, and come in a wide selection of colors, including metallic, acid-free archival pens. They are sold in a wide variety, like soufflé, pastel-colored pens that puff up a little on the page when dry; moonlights that are neon colored and more opaque; Gelly Roll Stardust; Gelly Roll Metallic; Glaze; and even some smear-resistant options. Generally, gel pens leave great color on pages, and are a favorite for filling doodles.

Modern black gel inks contain a blend of dye-based and pigment coloring, and consumers can easily identify the color of a pen by checking through the semi-transparent barrel. Not all varieties are suitable for arts and graphics, though their color diversity makes them very popular among artists and children. Like roller ball and ball-point pens, the ink in gel pens is delivered using a housed metal ball. Consumers can easily differentiate its ink line from that of other writing instruments by tracking the effect along the outer edges of the ink stroke. This effect is not always visible for the entire writing process though it is a common occurrence which indicates that the ink is being pushed by the ball to the outer edges of the stroke.

Gel pens are great for artwork, but like many other things, there are a few complaints. Some people claim that their pens skip a lot and don’t make nice lines, or they are not visible enough, and attribute the inconsistency to a poor brand. What they don’t realize is that good results can only be achieved under certain circumstances:

Faded lines are influenced by the surface. The darker the surface you are working on, the better and shinier the drawing will be. Generally, drawing over too transparent watercolor layers will make the lines less visible, and cause you to riffle the paper.

Skipping is a common occurrence among most types of pens, including gel pens. It will definitely happen. So, when it does, carefully overdraw the riffle to make your line continuous. Before starting the painting, it is recommended that you scribble on a piece of paper to get the ink flowing.

When you experience too little or too much ink, it is probably because you changing the drawing direction too frequently. Gel pens don’t like this. The best way to draw a continuous line is to move the pen in one direction, and then clean the nib before starting another line. Changing the direction causes skips, while drawing too many lines in the same direction without cleaning the nib causes ink blobs.

A new pen usually works well with few or no skips. But the more it is used, the tougher it gets to work with it. It can be very frustrating to have a pen with just a little ink left, and the nib is barely able to let any ink out. To avoid such challenges, you should consider having a few nibs at hand when working on an important painting to ensure that you see it through with minimal challenges.

Now that you know how to use your gel pens, all that is left is to get a reliable vendor to buy from. Elkos Pens are one of the leading global manufacturers of gel pens, and provide a wide variety of colors and sizes to suit your art needs. For more information on their varieties, visit their website at www.elkospens.com 

Useful Tips for Drawing with Ball Pens

Fine drawings created from ball pens are simply magnificent. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to go about creating the perfect images with ball points. It would probably be easier to learn with documented photos, close-up video capture, and narration, but the following tips can be just as useful to learn one or two things about the technique used.

First, artists should always have a variety of ball pens to create the details of fine drawings. So, one ballpoint can be used to fill areas, and another one for the half-tone detailed areas. Usually, the ink starts to flow out easily after using the pen for some time when filing areas, causing a build up to occur. This is not good for developing detailed areas since a blob of ink can appear on the paper without warning. On the other hand, the build ups may be advantageous for those looking to cover an area in that particular color.

Second, artists who want to create photo realistic effects should be willing to spend the extra time needed to work on a small area, beyond what it would normally take them on other effects. This particular task is time intensive, and artists should be well motivated to gather the needed energy. It would help a lot if the artist was able to create a vivid image in their mind.

Third, right-handed people should always start a drawing from the top left side. This is because the right arm will be brushing over the surface or paper as you work, and it could fade down or ware any ink already on the work surface under the arm. On the same principle, left people should start on the top right side, for the same reasons.

Fourth, it is recommended that artists start their drawing with the hardest or most critical part. For instance, eyes and central features draw a lot of attention, so they should be good starting points for a couple of reasons. If you leave it until you are done with other parts and make a serious error – it being the most challenging bit – you would have wasted a lot of time and effort to that point. However, if you make a mistake at the beginning, you can just start again without having advanced too much. Another reason to start with the hardest parts is to raise your confidence. You will appreciate your work as you proceed with the easier bits.

Fifth, avoid touching the paper or work surface as much as possible. Your hands and skin has natural oils that can easily transfer and be absorbed by the work paper, and over time, the buildup of grease and oils in the paper will impact the application of ball-point pen ink. So, only rest your hands on tissue or some other pieces of paper.

Last, but not least, choose your work surface carefully depending on the desired outcome. Many good artists use bleach white flat surface cards. Rough surfaced papers, like those intended for watercolor and charcoal artists, can interfere with the shading because of bumps in the paper, unless you are drawing something with that kind of texture, like brickwork. When doing solid colored drawings, you should consider card or thick paper that can absorb the pressure without damage.

There are many ball pen manufacturers, but if you use Elkos Pens, you won’t have to use any other pens for your art work. They are fine enough to allow sharp detailing, and loose enough to release ink at a steady rate when you need to fill certain areas. For more information on Elkos pens, visit www.elkospens.com.