Uncomfortable's Advice from /r/ArtFundamentals

Drawabox Pens are back! Round 2 sold out fast, so this time we've ordered 3 times as many. A pack of 10 high-quality fineliners, all 0.5mm, for $16.50 USD (free shipping in the US).

http://drawabox.com/shop/pens?reddit

2019-08-19 16:15

Uncomfortable

Uncomfortable

2019-08-19 16:19

Our first two rounds got an amazing response - and in the interest of shrinking down restocking times, we've reinvested most of the revenue to get three times as many pens this time around.

/u/ScyllaStew has been livestreaming the lessons and has so far been able to get through all of lesson 1 on a single pen - and it's still going strong. The pen's taking a break for now as she tests out twenty-something different pen brands through the box challenge (she's posting those short reviews to YouTube), but she'll be back to pushing that pen to its limits once she's done with her boxes.

If any of you have purchased the pens in the past and want to offer your experiences/opinions on the quality and price point, feel free to do so in the comments!

SickVV

2019-08-19 18:28

Kind of off topic - but thinking about maybe picking these up just in case. Is it strange that I don't like the feeling of how a fine liner feels and when I compared even just ellipses drawn from a mechanical pencil, I can do them about 10x better compared to the FL? I think I bought some .5 fine liners I saw someone else using, but yeah, not sure if I can explain it better; just honestly feels weird to get.

Uncomfortable

2019-08-19 18:51

Fineliners are a hell of a lot less forgiving than a mechanical pencil, or even a ballpoint pen, so that weirdness is pretty normal.

It's also a big part of why I recommend them for these lessons specifically. They complement the concepts being taught, forcing the student to get used to drawing confidently and thinking through each mark before they actually put it down on the page.

Keep in mind that the focus here is less about how well your end result for each exercise is - it's about what the exercise and how you execute it teaches you.

SickVV

2019-08-19 21:43

Appreciate the detailed answer mate, especially that last sentence.

jettisonartplane

2019-08-19 20:58

Dang this would be a great deal of I wasn't Canadian

Uncomfortable

2019-08-19 21:05

As a Canadian myself, I feel your pain. What kinds of pens do you usually use, and how much do you get them for? In my experience, the prices we're subject to are insane.

jettisonartplane

2019-08-19 21:13

I definitely prefer the Micron .05

But at 3.50-4 a pop it's a bit $$

I've done a lot with the pilot fineliners, but they do bleed a bit so the line quality isn't as 'crisp'.

It used to drive me crazy but I've just started to remind myself it's all practice work and doesn't need to look perfect

jettisonartplane

2019-08-19 23:02

I can't say exactly how long they last though, because I use them fir a lot of other art as well .

[deleted]

2019-08-20 12:53

I'm lucky enough to be able to go to a nice art store and pick my pens individually (as I live in a city with multiple art schools and probably too many artists), but even then buying ten of the same size feels like I'm clearing their stock out. This is really nice if you don't want to buy a ten pack of different colors or different sizes.

Uncomfortable

2019-08-20 13:34

It's always great to hear of students in areas with a lot of access to supplies. If you don't mind me asking, what kinds of pens do you usually purchase, and how much do they generally cost?

[deleted]

2019-08-20 23:31

Oh I just started doing all this! Like, last week. I'm just doing pencils atm for the basic line drawing steps. But I go to Blick for other supplies (screenprinting materials primarily) and always walk through the other sections, often finding myself stopping at drawing stuff. I imagine myself as someone who can sketch. So here I am. I haven't actually purchased any yet though!

Uncomfortable

2019-08-20 23:43

I miss blick...