Sakura Pigma Micron ESDK005 Review

Have you seen the new Sakura Pigma Micron yet? Or, should I say, have you seen the new paint job on the Sakura Pigma Micron yet? Very slick looking for sure, but is the pen any different at all from its predecessors?

There is no doubt that the Sakura Pigma Micron is one of the most popular drawing pens in the world. I love them, as do thousands of other artists, designers, and writers. You see the Micron in all kinds of product reviews and photo shoots. And maybe that is what this new model is for - to look pretty in pictures - because I don’t see any proof that the ink or tip is different than any other Micron. The good news is that you have the priviledge or paying $1 more for a navy and gold barrel.

Artists can notice subtleties better than I can, and Klio from SPQR Blues put the old and the new to the test. The results? Essentially no difference. Except the price.

This is one of those pens that makes me shrug. It’s a perfectly fine pen, as good as any Sakura that has come before it, but it costs more for no apparent reason.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Copic Doodle Pack Brown Ink Review

(This is a guest post by Nick Folz. You can find more of Nick and his work on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.)

Okay listen, I'm a black and white sort of fella. No no no, I like grey as much as the next person and life is so rarely as simple as the bright clear white and the rich dark black, but when I'm doodling I prefer the starkest of contrasts. Good ol' B & W.

That said, comfort zones are made to be stepped away from. Markers are decidedly outside of mine. Sure, as an awkward youth I burnt through many a flimsy yellow cardboard box of brightly toned cylinders, and had fun while doing so, transforming white sheets into worlds where the grass really was green and the sky always a brilliant blue. I think I was probably in high school when I abandoned colors in general in my drawings. Too much work! The thing was done and now I have to risk ruining it by coloring? No thanks. I have talked to many people who feel the same way about inking, which I have always found relaxing and a general refinement of the previous version, but I digress. Let’s get down to the business at hand - Copic Markers Doodle Pack in Brown. A fine way to test the swirling waters of color.

Here is the (my) thing about colors: when given all of the choices in the world, it is crippling. It can be overwhelming trying to choose the right color when there are limitless options. It is much easier and even more effective to limit a pallet and work within constraints. That is what piqued my interest in these packs. You are giving various tones of a single color group and a variety of tools as well. Let’s do a quick breakdown of the four items:

• Copic Ciao Marker - E31 Brick Beige: dual edge (one chisel, one brush) perfect for large area toning. A light (but not too light) brown.
• Copic Ciao Marker - E35 Chamois: dual edge (one chisel, one brush) perfect for large area toning. A dark (but not too dark) brown
• Copic atyou Spica Glitter Pen - Chocolate: Lays down a decent sized deep dark brown. 
• Copic Multiliner Pen - 0.3 mm Brown: Lays down a super fine deep dark brown.

For an analogy, let’s say you are painting a room: Your Ciao Markers are your rollers, Spica is your edge brush and the Multiliner is your tiny-detail-single-hair brush. They work wonderfully in concert with one another, each doing a job the other couldn't do and making the whole better.

To be honest I totally forgot how to use markers and started to do line work with one of the Ciao markers. Rookie move. Markers bleed like my nose in allergy season, what was meant to be a fine line wound up a broad stroke and I sat agape watching the pigment do it slow march outward. Oops. I shrugged it off, finished lining it with the marker and relined it with the Spica. Went back with the Ciaos to fill and then finished it up the details with the Multiliner. Suffice to say it was like riding a bike and before long I was grinning like that awkward child I once was (I am now an awkward adult, thank you very much).

One of my favorite aspects is the layering effect of the Ciaos. You might have only two colors but you can overlap the color for slightly darker shades of each, adding nuance to the shading. The Spica was my main outliner, the flow was solid and clean. Yes, it is a glitter ink pen but I hadn't noticed HOW glittery till the next day in better light. Glitter ink is, admittedly, not my bag, but it has a very nice look to it! The Multiliner worked well, but I am not wild about the tips on these types of pens. The super fine point is made of what feels like felt and they crush too easy for me, but tip works perfect for details and the shade is close to the Spica, so they work well together.

All in all I would highly recommend the Doodle packs to anyone interested in trying either expanding their marker knowledge or color palette. They are extraordinarily fun to use and will add some variety to an otherwise drab sketchbook. They can be purchased at JetPens and are available in a variety of color spectrums (I have my eye on the turquoise next).   Cheers.

(Disclaimer: This product was provided for me free of cost but I am not otherwise being compensated for this review. The opinions contained are my own.)

Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pen 003 Review

My love for the Kuretake Zig Cartoonist Mangaka Outline Pen is well known. My handwriting looks awesome, and the 02 size has become a regular part of my rotation.

Notice I said the 02 size. It's a wonderful writer, checking in around 0.35 mm line width, and even the 01 size sees a lot of use, leaving a line around 0.3 mm. But the 003 size Zig Cartoonist? Who do you think I am, Sam Larson?

I pick on Sam because I love his artwork. He does amazing work with some of the finest drawing pens on the planet, but I can't swing the 003 personally. I don't have the need for it. That said, compared to other tiny tipped drawing pens this Kuretake has a firmer tip than most. That's why I like the 01 and 02 sizes so much. Durability is important with this style of pen.

I'm curious how many readers out there have a use for such a specialized pen. It's clearly useful for many people, and honestly it's technically impressive that such a pen exists. How and why would you use a pen with a tip this small? Let me know in the comments section.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)