Copic Multiliner Pen Review

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter.)

With the Copic Multiliner, this is the first time that I have used a fineliner in a color other than black, and I'm totally in love with that, now. These have planted themselves squarely into the "things I didn't know I needed in my life" category. Unfortunately, while the ink makes these a fantastic product, the build of these pens makes me less likely to meet their price point unless I have a specific project in mind for them.

The strength of these pens lies completely in their pigment-based ink. It's waterproof, acid-free, bleed-proof, archival, and works with alcohol markers. It doesn't dissolve toner, so it's safe to use on printouts or photocopies. The colors are well-pigmented and leave solid lines. There's a range of ten colors available in neutral and natural tones that are perfect for sketching.

The tips are available in a huge range of sizes from .03 up to 1.0 in the felt-tips, and several sizes of sponge-tip brush tips. The long needle-point makes it easy to see your work as you sketch, and the tip runs over the paper with a good bit of feedback. The tips do wear out quite quickly on textured paper. Even on smooth paper, it feels like the .03 size, which is particularly fragile, wears out before the life expectancy of the pen. Because these are the disposable model of pen (unlike the refillable SP version), that life expectancy is more important, especially considering that these pens run $3.60 a pop.

These disposable models cost only a little more than a cartridge for the refillable version, and less than a refill and new tip for the SP model--which makes them, in general, a better investment than the refillable pen. That seems a bit backwards to me. But I think the issue here is that the ink and tip are really all you are paying for in the disposable version. It doesn't feel like much has been invested into the pen body at all.

The body is made of a slightly sparkly, almost granite-looking plastic. I think that's a bit misleading. When I first saw them, I assumed they were glitter gel pens. When I realized they were serious business copic liners, I was surprised. I certainly don't see an architect carryiCg these into an important meeting. The quality of the plastic feels fairly cheap. If they weren't branded, I'd be guessing these came from a line that costs pennies per unit. The molded plastic has rough seams and edges, and the clip is so flimsy I can bend it way back with barely any pressure at all. The cap does post, but with a friction that feels ill-fitted and unreliable.

Basically, I think these pens are unicorns in mule clothing. I'm not likely to spend this much for a disposable pen that might wear out before it runs dry. But I am very likely going to need to outline something in olive green or lavender on occasion--and for that, I am very glad these exist.

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

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Review: Copic Wine Multiliner and Brush Pen SP

This review is by Kalina Wilson, who can also be found at geminica.com.

I became interested in Copic's wine colored pens when Urban Sketcher Correspondent Matthew Brehm joined the Portland Urban Sketchers for a sketchcrawl and made this beautiful and very long drawing.  The purple segment really stands out to my eyes, and it was made with the Copic Multiliner in wine.

The Brush Pen in wine is much darker than the Multiliner - no matter how much I layered the Multiliner's strokes, the ink never got as dark as is generated in one quick stroke by the Brush Pen though it did layer nicely.

Copic's brush pens aren't actual brushes.  Like the popular Faber-Pitt Artist Brush Pens and most other brush pen options out there, they have a molded tip that mimics brush behavior by allowing a lot of line variation.  In some ways this style of pen is easier to use than an actual brush with a bunch of separate hairs that can get damaged or in disarray.  I find it easier with Copic's faux brushes to keep the line at a medium weight without unintentionally turning the brush the wrong way and ending up with a really thick line where I didn't want one.

However, there are some big drawbacks to these brush-mimic tips as well.  You can see in the sample above that using the full potential width of the brush resulted in a strange uneven shape at the end of the stroke.  You don't get that problem with the brush pens that have actual bristles  (such as the Pentel Pocket Brush and the Kuretake Hair Brush).   Also, it was a challenge to get a fine line with the Copic brush.

I love that Copic is so focused on making permanent tools.  Since I can order wine ink refills online and the brush tips and Multiliner tips are available at my local art store ($2.50), both the brush pen and the multiliner pen with their sleek silver bodies could potentially stay in my collection forever.

But will they?  

The Multiliner will.  It's got good waterproof ink, it's a lovely color that can layer to a darker tone, a good line, replaceable nib.  I'll use this pen again, and look forward to experimenting to adding watercolors in tones to complement the wine color.

As for the brush pen, I'm not so sure.  Actual hair brush pens make a nicer line, and the Kuretake can be refilled with any fountain pen ink.  The Copic's advantage then becomes that their ink is waterproof and replacement nibs are cheaper. Here's a drawing using the Copic brush pen with watercolors - I have no other purple ink that could take watercolors without running.

I also tried using the multiliner and the brush together in one drawing.  It would work better if I could get a finer minimum line width with the brush.  

 This was supposed to be Benedict Cumberbatch, star of Steven Moffat's new BBC Sherlock Holmes remake, Sherlock.  Note how it's very clear whether each line was made with the brush pen or the multiliner!  Ah well, I'll keep the Multiliner in my travel bag but the Brush Pen will probably get relegated to the "occasional use" pile, only because there are some phenomenal brush options out there if you go through the bother to track them down.

Thanks to Copic for generously providing these sample products!

Brown Pen Battle

This review is by Kalina Wilson, who can also be found at geminica.com.

 It can be hard to find a good brown pen for sketching.  While there are a lot of beautiful brown fountain pen inks, they aren't waterproof (with perhaps one or two rare exceptions).  When buying a disposable brown pen, it can be hard to predict the color - they range from rusty orange to ashy sepia, and the color on the label or even the pen cap is often no clue to the tone of the ink.

While my collection is by no means exhaustive, this examination includes several of the most common and most recommended brown pen options.  

The Candidates

• Pilot Hi-Tec-C .03 Brown


• Uni-Ball Signo DX Brown Black


• Zebra Sarasa Clip Tea Brown


• Copic Multiliner Sepia


• Pigma Micron Brown 05 (product site) 


• Pigma Micron Sepia 05 (see above)
  

Visual Comparison

In the line tests above, I pressed harder for the bottom three lines - you can see it clearly in the case of the Pigma Micron 05 Sepia.  Note that some pens showed no variation based on pressure.

Like many Pen Addict readers, I'm a big fan of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C despite it seeming to be waterproof only on certain papers.  At least when it runs, it runs in an attractive way which is usable for art.  Note that the almost purplish hue of the Hi-Tec-C brown turns to something like burnt sienna when wet. I love these colors, though of course since it isn't waterproof I often don't choose it for sketching.  Also see Pen Addict's Hi-Tec-C review for a writing sample in blue-black.

The Zebra Sarasa had some conspicuous problems while I was making the comparison chart above - it wasn't giving a consistent line.  Since Pen Addict's reviews show good consistency with this pen,  it may have been a rare glitch.  I went through several test pages before it worked itself out, but now that it has I like this pen a lot and it allows for more line variation than most of the other options.  I drew the more distant towers here lightly to imply distance - it's subtle but you can see the difference.

  

The Zebra Sarasa also does very well with water - I'd say it's totally waterproof. The "tea brown" color is nice and rich. All in all, a very good pen for sketching.

The Uni-Ball Signo DX in Brown Black is very consistent, has good ink flow, and is also almost but not entirely waterproof.  On some papers, a little surface ink can pick up when the ink is still relatively fresh; you can see a slight cast here as I went over it with a waterbrush.  The line isn't pressure sensitive at all, but like I said... consistent.  I really like this one as a writing pen, actually.  Without pressure sensitivity or a particularly rich tone it's not my favorite for sketching but is a fine pen albeit with some body issues (I agree with Pen Addict's assessment).

I had trouble with the Copic Multiliner in sepia.  It's very pale, and the tone isn't strong or beautiful enough for me to want to use it for adding color.  I really want to like it, since the Copic Multiliner is built to last - metal body, replacable tip, refillable - what's not to love? The Pen Addict agrees.   This sepia (which is far from what I would call sepia) is the weak link in their collection, and I look forward to reviewing some of their other colors here soon - I've enjoyed those much more.

The Pigma Micron in brown performed very well though I've only found it in their 05 size, which is larger than I'd like, and I prefer less of a yellow cast. Still, totally waterproof and a good pen.

The Pigma Micron in sepia is much darker, but it's a tone I found very visually pleasant.  It's a shame that once again I only had a larger tip (05) available for testing.  See Pen Addict's thoughts on the smaller 03 size.  

The Final Verdict

If it were even halfway waterproof, the Hi-Tec-C would have made it to the top due to its lovely purple-leaning tone and versatile line.  Instead it is relegated to "special use" but can't be a primary tool. The Pigma Micron in sepia serves well as a warmer substitute to a black line.  As a truly brown pen, the nice rich tone of the tea brown Zarasa won me over - that's the pen I'm grabbing when I'm laying down a brown line with some watercolors and want the line to sing.