Copic Multiliner Pens vs. Prismacolor Premier Pens
October 28th, 2008 | Published in Products | 1 Comment
Recently it came to my attention that there are better drawing pens out there than Sigma’s Micron pens (which are pretty good pens). An artist friend of mine (Serpenthes) recently broke down and bought some Prismacolor pens to replace her Microns for her amazing pen-shaded drawings. Right after she announced this, a few of her other friends told her that she should try some drawing pens from Copic. Well, I decided that it was up to me to try them both and give my input on which pens I think were better. Hopefully this can help some of you decide to make the jump to some different drawing pens when you feel the need to do so.
First, I have to say it, the Prismacolor pens were a lot easier to get a hold of, in person, that the Copic pens. The Prismacolor pens are available at most art supply stores here in the States. I was only able to find the Copic pen set at one of the four (or more) comic book stores here in Sacramento, California. Not only that, but it was the only set of Copic pens that they had, in addition to a fair selection of individual Copic Sketch pens. I could have gone to the only Utrecht store in Sacramento and probably have found the pens. However, that store is a considerable distance from my home, the comic book store was easier.
(Copic Multiliner Pens in black: 0.03, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 0.1)
(Copic Sketch Pen in black: Chisel tip on one side, brush tip on the other)
The two finest tips (0.03 & 0.05) had the hardest time writing, the tips seemed too small, like you could break them just by using them. The rest of the pen tips felt sturdy and went on plenty dark, which I loved. I love the general design of these pens. The black, silver and gray glitter body, white typeface and black accents to the pens make them quite pretty and stand out. While the tips of the finer pens felt a bit strange when writing, and you wouldn’t want to do an entire drawing of outlines with these pens (over time finer pen tips can fray, as I’ve found to be true with Micron pens) they certainly hold up to shading quite well.
(Prismacolor Premier Pens in black: 0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8. Brush, Chisel)
The finest tip on these pens (0.05) felt sturdier when writing with these pens. They all work really well when drawing and shading. I love the chisel tip, the brush pen is not my favorite though I feel like the tip moves a bit too much for me (I’m pretty spoiled by my Faber-Castell pens when it comes to brush pens). These pens aren’t quite as dark-black as the Copic pens when they dry, but they are pretty black.
I like the overall design of these pens. They’re all black with white writing on them. They’re a lot more cluttered as far as the actual writing on the pens that the Copic pens, but that really doesn’t matter.
Overall, I love both of these pen sets. They’re both really good for drawing projects, and each of them have a slightly different assortment of sizes. My favorite part about these pens though? They don’t bleed through the pages of a Moleskine sketchbook! You can definitely see the lines from the pens on the backside of the pages in the other Moleskines I have tried them in (Cahiers & reporter). You can also see a bit of the pen on the backside of pages in the Storyboard Notebook, but not as bad as the Reporter or Cahiers (which have much thinner paper).
I have a few more types of pens that I’m going to review soon. Any requests or suggestions?
November 19th, 2008 at 12:12 pm (#)
I use the Micron and the Prismacolor pens. I have never tried the Copic, but I might now. That sketch pen looks pretty cool. I also use Presto pocket correction pen by Pentel. I love it, however, the fumes from it are so ridiculous. I have to wear a mask as my allergies freak out. I would love for any suggestions for a different, comparable or better correction pen!