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I keep hearing about Sharpies and gel pens, and how good they are. I’m a staunch coloring pencil user but decided it was time I tried something a little more modern. I bought a pack of 28 Sharpies (same as the image above) and got to work.
Rich colors. There really are four shades of pink, green and blue in this pack. I expected the ink to flow like the original felt-tip pens (occasionally lumpy) but it came out smooth.
I colored each part separately – testing how Sharpies behaved in tight spaces. I gave each part “drying” time to avoid colors running or smudging.
I used pink (cerise?) to see if the ink covered the whole area without leaving gaps. Covered it well.
Impressed.
Then I tried the gel pens.
They looked and felt like ballpoint pens. Coloring with them was like coloring with a rollerball. The ink came out smooth like a rollerball.
Plenty of vibrant colors in this pack with neons, glitters, pastels and metallics. I’ve never used anything like them.
Smooth to use, non-skip (always a bonus), little bleed (another bonus) and comfortable to hold. Only light pressure needed to get a good covering.
Using the same design but coloring in a different way – see below.
I found the gel pens good on small areas but not so good on the larger ones, like the large triangle shape. The color there is neon pink and is much brighter. Maybe that’s the scanner but the other colors have come out well.
If I was coloring an intricate design with many small spaces, gel pens would be my first choice, but I’m besotted with those Sharpies.
Which do you like to color with?
Let us know in the comments what you like to color with.
Warmly,
Shan
Lucy says
That was an interesting post Shan because I’ve been seeing “Sharpies” everywhere since colouring took off but I’ve only used coloured pencils (apart from felt tip pens in my childhood which could be a big smudgy). Now I might be tempted – the colours are more vibrant than pencils which I like.
Shan says
Hi Lucy
I was a “dyed in the wool” colouring pencil user but those Sharpies have won me over.
They come in different sized packs. Go for it (and let me know how you get on with them!)
Thanks for commenting
Shan
Sarah Arrow says
I love my gold and silver gel pens, and last summer I had a bundle of blue and purple gel pens with glitter in. Needlessly to say, they lasted around 3 minutes with the kids, and I’ve only seen them in my dreams since *sigh*
Shan says
Hi Sarah
Awww! Hide them next time 😉
Thanks for commenting
Shan
Sarah Charmley says
Hi Shan,
I would not have thought of trying gel pens to colour smaller areas. Nice article, thanks.
Shan says
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for commenting
Shan
Heidi says
I have used Sharpies but not gel pens. Was afraid the pens wouldn’t cover the area very well or smoothly. Thanks for the info.
Shan says
Hi Heidi
Thanks for reading and commenting. Much appreciated!
Shan