Art gives us joy. But choosing the right pens for your artwork may be a bit of a challenge. You could be pulled by many extremes—fine or wide tip, bold or light, permanent or not, expensive or cheap, scented or unscented. The selection goes so crazy you’d be tempted to buy all the pens you see. Pens could range from $1 to $1,000+. But as smart buyers, we follow some rules on shopping to keep our spending low while keeping our artworks still awesome.
Follow these tips when buying pens.
- Know what you want but still, think out of the box
Imagination will get you far. Visualize what your artwork could or would look like. Keep that mental image and use it as a basis when choosing a pen. Artists like you are mostly intuitive so it would help if you try to tap into your intuitive side—feelings, guesses, likes, dislikes, and what makes you happy.
Go back to that mental picture and think of what outlines, colors, embellishments, and details you would need to manifest that image. Then try to explore. It would help to know what lines you’ll need to make. Curved? Extra fine lines? Thick and bold lines? This would tell you what pens you would need to draw what’s in mind.
2. A price is just a number. Features and benefits are all that matters
Art making is about being resourceful. The greatest works of all time are surprisingly from scratch. When artists grab anything—even anything unexpected—amazing things just happen. Coffee art? Magnifying glass art? ballpoint pen art? Chalk art? Low-cost art does not mean “cheap.” Spending too much on art doesn’t assure aesthetic success.
More coffee art pieces HERE.
Filipino Artist Jordan Mang takes his creativity to the highest extremes. He uses the sun and a magnifying glass to produce an internationally acclaimed art (and art technique).
Artist Arsh grabs an ordinary ballpoint pen then makes amazing pieces of full on passion and artistic wit.
Amazing chalk art by artist Edgar Müller. Who would’ve guessed this was made of “just”chalk?
Artists grab markers and make it possible to have a 3D effect. Indonesian artist Elfan Diary creates breath-taking pieces with the help of markers. Pretty amazing.
You would need a pen that functions just the way you want it to. Pricing is a matter of brand marketability. Make sure to buy a pen based on what it does, not based on brand names and popularity. There are a lot of pens out there that could do more than the typical and expensive ones. Like this PEN.
- Art techniques tell the right pens to use
Go back to that mental picture and ask yourself these:
Do I need a pen with fast drying ink?
What texture should the ink make?
Will I need colors and shades?
Will I need the lines to be a mix of narrow and wide, bold and fine, feather-like, etc.? Will I need thick lines to emphasize? Will I need to make fine details with a fine-tip pen?
Will I make a 3D effect? Should the pen bring out some shades and movements?
Note that these questions are based on what you feel would bring more appeal to your artwork. It’s best to know the techniques you would want to apply in making the finished product. Just remember, keep on asking yourself.
- Try something new
Make the most out of your time to explore other possibilities. Browsing some artworks on Deviant art, Pinterest, Artists2artists Social Network, and the like will give you tons of ideas and know-hows to complete that mental image. These social networking sites encourage sharing and learning art techniques and ideas as valuable takeaways.
Or do it old style. Tap into your creative side by allowing yourself to be creative. Nobody can teach you how exactly to be creative. It just happens.
If you feel a bit stuck with your ideas, ask yourself. “When am I most creative?” Read THIS.
- It’s not the pen. It’s you.
Remember: a pen is nothing without you. Your passion will bring life to your works so it’s okay to use whatever you’ve got. Be smart and understand what your pen does. Evaluate if every penny spent on pens is well spent. Look for alternatives or try to stick to a brand that works and brings more than what you’ve expected.
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Check out these pens.
Read on some interesting stories:
http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/the-pen-salesman
http://www.jetpens.com/blog/guide-to-drawing-pens/pt/423