For those who've had trouble getting fineliner pens for a reasonable price (and who've been settling for multi-size packs), Drawabox is finally selling them in packs of 10, at $1.65/pen
https://drawabox.com/shop/pens
2019-05-27 23:53
Uncomfortable
Uncomfortable
2019-05-27 23:58
For years I've had students asking where to get pens, which brands are good, etc. There are a lot of options out there, but generally speaking they can get quite pricey, and a lot of students get duped into buying packs including many different sizes, resulting in getting a lot of pens that won't be too useful for Drawabox.
So we've spent several months, testing the offerings of different suppliers, and we settled on a pretty solid quality brand (in my opinion, they feel better than the Staedtler Pigment Liners I usually use). Then we did our math, figured out the wonderful world of shipping, and finally settled on $16.50 per pack, with free shipping in the continental United States. We do ship internationally, but those prices vary.
This effort has mostly been shouldered by long-time drawabox student and more recently, teaching assistant, /u/svendogee.
Now if you can get to an art supply store - especially one that lets you test your pens individually - then I'd still recommend buying them from there. For those who can't, we're doing our best to keep our prices reasonable, and we test the pens on a card that is provided in the pack to ensure that they're all working as intended. We've currently got around 200 packs to sell, and if things go well, we'll restock. If it goes very well, then eventually we can get some properly drawabox-branded high-quality fineliners.
EVO-is-drawing
2019-05-28 00:52
Finding the pens at a reasonable price has always been the most difficult part. Local stores stopped stocking individuals quite some time ago and they're sparse even in online stores, where the cheapest I've seen is about double your price. This is fantastic, especially for those who are just starting and are worried about a potential waste of money on something they may find they're not really interested in.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 00:59
I genuinely hope this works out! I long for reasonably priced, drawabox branded pens to disrupt the market!
[deleted]
2019-05-28 01:49
Awesome! I just bought a pack of slightly overpriced ones online, but next time, I'll definitely get them here!
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 01:49
For curiosity's sake, what brand did you get, and how much did they cost you?
[deleted]
2019-05-28 02:07
I got a 4-pack of the non-refillable Copic Multiliners in different sizes for around $13. It's not an awful price since they seem high quality, but it's always nice to have alternatives.
Theofizan
2019-05-28 04:04
Are you guys planning to make a video or something of the sorts that compares these to other fineliners, such as Sakura Microns or Copic Fineliners?
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 04:06
Hm.. that's certainly something we could (and probably should) do. That said, I think I might get my girlfriend to do it, once she moves here next month. I'll add it to the list of things, and I'll start picking up pens from different brands for comparison.
[deleted]
2019-05-28 06:48
- subtly brags about having a girlfriend and she's moving in with him
crim-sama
2019-05-28 23:32
Check out jetpens if you haven't already, they have a really good formula for demonstrating and comparing pens and other art products. Congrats on the launch of this, hope it goes well!
Srenyti
2019-05-28 05:09
Hey just grabbed a pack, thanks to the both of you for setting this up.
I always felt that those 4 packs of staedlers for 8 bucks was ridiculous, even worse were the copic refill pen which was like 5 bucks for one lol.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 14:02
I'm glad we were able to help! The 4 packs are definitely annoying as hell, especially if you're not going to find a good use for the other 3 sizes. The refills do end up having a pretty high up-front cost, but I'd assume that'd mean their refills should be cheaper... although a quick googling suggests that maybe they're not. What kind of a racket is this?!
DorkHarshly
2019-05-28 05:22
I get mine on Ali Express cheaper but you usually have to make a few tries before you hit the right ones.
[deleted]
2019-05-28 06:47
Link?
DorkHarshly
2019-05-28 07:59
This is the last pack i recieved
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/cnoncvgG
$8.3 for 12 pack of Micron Sakura. Most of them are fine, but 0.01 broke after a couple of months (maybe cause I misused it) and a brush is a bit dry. The same store sells singles as well.
Also, there are many many other options of other brands. Just sort by number of orders. Do share if you find something nice. All the poor/amateur people I know order from here cause prices here are higher for the same brands. DO NOT order something unpopular(little or no orders) even if it costs 10th of price.
Edit: not 0.01 but 0.05
preypredator
2019-05-28 10:40
How long is the shipping
DorkHarshly
2019-05-28 12:00
Long enough not to trust it. I think it took me a couple of weeks (to Israel) but some other items such as Wacom i ordered took me a couple of months.
[deleted]
2019-05-28 10:44
Cheap and additional 3$ discount for new users! Basically free. Thank you!!
vlaba
2019-05-28 12:26
I bought mine from Aliexpress too, and they work fine. One of them was dry though, but I searched on the internet for a solution, and came up with a video of a guy saying to put the tip of the pen under hot water...I decided to give it a shot, since the pen was already useless anyway, and it actually worked! I don't know if I just got lucky, or if this will have worse effects later on, but now all of the pens are working well.
raustraliathrowaway
2019-05-28 07:56
People should check out Copic refillable as well. Really nice and a bit less plastic waste than disposable
Omaree9
2019-05-28 08:04
Great idea. Will refillable cartridges be possible in the future to reduce waste? Ill make sure to pick up a pack soon
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 13:58
I won't commit to that, but it's certainly something we can keep in mind as we move forwards. This first order we placed (of 2000 pens, the minimum order our supplier was willing to fulfill) is really to test the market out and see whether this demand actually exists. Right now our focus is on keeping prices as low as possible.
Alternative options may be added in the future, of course, as we flesh out the boundaries of what we're doing, though that will likely require us to go to other suppliers if our current one doesn't carry refillable pens.
crim-sama
2019-05-28 23:30
Having a pack that includes a coloured pen + ruler would also be a nice option, for correcting and checking boxes.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 23:32
Hahaha, a drawabox starter pack would be neat, but we're really just focusing on solving the problem of how pens are overpriced.. at least for now. Might look at ellipse guides after that.
KV_BRAT
2019-05-28 12:33
On the site it says that you ship 0.5mm pens only, which is fine by me. I am just wondering if you have plans for sizes (other than 0.5 mm) in the near future.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 13:55
Unfortunately we don't have any plans for that. We're not really looking to get into the general art supply business - instead, we want to try and solve specific problems our students are encountering, and ultimately lowering the barrier to entry to jumping into Drawabox (without compromising the lessons themselves).
KV_BRAT
2019-05-28 14:24
Thank you for Your Response and yes that makes sense.Keep up the good work.
TheDarkestCrown
2019-05-28 14:20
Im curious how these compare to Faber Castell Eco pigment pens? I use those or fine tip sharpie because they seem to be the only ones that allow smooth flow when doing the quick lines in exercise 1. Everything else gives a running out of ink look, including other Faber Castell pens.
Also I clicked the buy now button on my phone and it doesnt do anything. Maybe its just me? I thought I would mention it in case its broken
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 15:33
As to your initial problem, what kind of paper are you using? If all pens come out faded/scratchy, then that suggests it might not be the pens, but rather what they're being used on.
It doesn't seem to be broken on my phone, but there's a few things that come to mind. The resulting window opens in a different tab - is it possible that the tab is being opened and then immediately jumping back to the previous one? What kind of phone/browser are you using? I'd like to try to match your specific setup so I can test it out myself. And thank you for mentioning it, finding bugs like that is really important for us.
TheDarkestCrown
2019-05-28 15:40
Im using regular printer paper, I saw you suggest that and I find it easier to draw on since its completely flat.
I clicked the link here on Reddit in their app, so it opened in the Reddit app. Then when I click buy now it does nothing. Im using an iPhone. Im wondering if maybe the Reddit app cant open a link inside a link
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 15:42
Damn, you might be right about that. I'll try to test that out and see what happens.
TheDarkestCrown
2019-05-28 15:44
I just opened the link in the Safari browser and it let me click the buy now which redirected me to the PayPal order screen. I dont know if theres a way to fix it but for the time being you should put a PSA that people need to open the link in a browser and not the official Reddit app if they cant get it to load.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 15:48
Thanks for taking the time to test it out! It does seem to be app specific, though even there, it depends on your OS. On Android, the reddit app's browser seems to handle it fine, but not on iOS. So for now I'm adding a little warning to the button itself that says "opens in a new tab".
TheDarkestCrown
2019-05-28 15:52
Np! Glad I could help. :)
Side note: what pens are you selling? I want to see if I can find them here in Canada. Ordering them plus shipping would be around $28 USD and Im a broke college student so thats more than I want to spend on pens right now
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 16:17
They're something of a generic brand - basically our supplier also works with other major brands who change up the labelling/branding on the pens. The generic name is "Superior Needle Drawing Pen", and they're comparable to staedtler pigment liners and copic multiliner disposables.
I'm from Canada myself, and the prices for pens here are pretty friggin' ridiculous. Deserres sells staedtler pigment liners for $4.50 each individually, a pack of 8 different sizes at $33. Amazon sells them individually at $8.34 each as an add-on item (which is completely insane) and a pack of 6 assorted sizes at $19. The last one there seems to be your best bet, if you have a use for all the different sizes you get. That's more or less the racket - they pack in a bunch of pens to make it seem like extra value, but you're only likely to use a subset of them.
TheDarkestCrown
2019-05-28 16:38
Yeah prices here can be a bit brutal for art supplies. I did a few years of general art practice here in college before going into design and all the supplies were a huge drain on the bank account. I'm in Ontario so I thankfully have a decent amount of options, but looking online I still see ridiculous prices and so few options compared to walking into a store like Curry's.
I'm a Patreon to you and I want to get back into this since I'm on summer break now. Would I be able to use ultra fine sharpie for the homework critiques from you? They look like they're really close in size to the .5 fine liners I've tried and they are cheap and easy to find in both art stores and big box stores. They generally cost less than $2/ea which is great
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 16:42
Yup! I actually am weirdly fond of ultrafine sharpies as a cheap alternative. I mean, they're not great, but they absolutely get the job done. I even mention them in the lesson 0 section on pens. Generally speaking I prefer the ultrafines to the sharpie pens, even though they still have that sharpie smell. The sharpie pens are a little scratchy for my taste (but still will work for the lessons as well).
Since you mentioned you're a patron, make sure you check your patreon inbox as I'll have sent you a message to gather your reddit username and other such information.
[deleted]
2019-05-28 15:18
[deleted]
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 15:37
We'll be gathering different kinds of pens to test against, and will eventually put together some kind of video to show where they stand on the spectrum. Microns are definitely the cheapest option, but I've always found them to be sub-par in quality. Not so much their ink, but as you mentioned - those nibs don't hold up too well. Still, the price point is definitely why we've included them on the recommendations list alongside staedtler pigment liners and faber castell PITT artist pens.
These pens definitely compare better to the staedtlers and faber castells. I usually go for staedtlers myself, but I find these to be a somewhat more pleasant (but still similar) drawing experience to those. Anyway, we'll be working towards a way to properly demonstrate the comparisons, though it may take a bit to set that up and get a video out.
Archaga
2019-05-28 15:19
Essentially 1/2 the price Amazon vendors were gouging the pens at.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 15:40
There certainly are cheaper options out there, but we tried to keep close to those prices while offering quality that compares better to the more expensive ones.
I-can-edit-that
2019-05-28 00:41
Thank you!! This is super helpful!
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 00:43
Glad to hear it!
[deleted]
2019-05-28 00:47
[deleted]
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 00:55
I don't do much with watercolors, but luckily my girlfriend does - so I got her to climb out of bed and try them out. And the results are in!
They seem to hold up pretty well, though once she went particularly aggressively over it, it did start to leech the ink into the colour. The lines didn't smudge, but the paint did pick up a bit of the ink. Here's her tests. It's worth mentioning that she drew the lines and immediately went over them with paint, not really giving them any additional time to dry.
[deleted]
2019-05-28 03:22
Just a fun unrelated pen suggestion, Try out the uniball air. One of my favorite pens to date.
Solid, black ink that blends into itself. You can create actual solid black shadows with it rather than chickenscratch shading.
Pressure sensitive
Can write from any angle
And it's smooth as fuck!
My only, and biggest complaint with it is you have to wait for the ink to dry before using another ink or marker.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 04:04
I'll try and pick one up! I'm always keen to try out new pens.
The_True_Dr_Pepper
2019-05-28 09:47
Who produced these pens? I tried googling Superior Needle Drawing Pen because it was on the pens in the pic on your store page, but a few different things came up and none of them seemed first party.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-28 13:53
That really is the million dollar question. We're dealing with a supplier from Shanghai, but they still seem to be a middleman for their manufacturer. It's likely that the actual manufacturer isn't public facing, which is why it's so hard to find. Instead they probably deal with a variety of exporters to get their products in the hands of merchants.
thelastmanticore
2019-05-31 17:06
I'm not certain, but after a bit of internet sleuthing, these appear to be made by Cixi Super Strong Stationery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. I couldn't find their main website if they have one, but they did have a profile on alibaba.
Uncomfortable
2019-05-31 17:17
Wow, nice find! Pretty impressive sleuthing.