Color for Bead Artists

I’m an artist, calligrapher & writer, so I approach pens (and pen reviews) from these angles. I’m also a pen and pencil addict.

When erasable ink pens first came on the market I felt disoriented. Why would I want to erase ink? I use ink because it is permanent. But I’ve changed, and it is freeing to draw, doodle, and write in ink and know I can erase if I need to.

All in all, I like the Pilot Frixion color-Pencil-Like Erasable Gel Ink Pens. Especially for doodling. They erase well, and the eraser is on the end of the pen’s cap, which I like. The pen feels very good in my hand: I like the friction grooves etched into the body.

Color: the yellow is too pale to see, the green is a lovely  dark forest green.

Beware Disappearing Ink (Good for Undercover Ops!): I was drying a drawing next to paper I’d written on with the pens, and some of the air reached the paper… and the ink disappeared!

What I like:

• Ink is smooth, applies easily
• Very little skipping (only when drawing fast long lines)
• Erases well, leaving only a slight ghost of the drawing/writing

What I’d like better:

• If the ink were a little more saturated in color (especially the black)
• If the ink didn’t skip at all when making longer lines quickly (this is a minor point: I was making long lines with a ruler, and there was too much slippage for that purpose)