Pentel Arts Colour Brush - Purple, XGFL-150X

These brush pens are great! They're perfect for if you want to travel, or if you have a quick project that you don't want to break out your whole watercolor paint set. The brush comes to a fine point, so it makes it easy to do fine work, as well as make much broader strokes as well. They blend well too, and while another brush might prove helpful to blend further, but having bought several of these brush pens in almost every color, they're definitely worth the money.The purple pen's color is more or less the color of the cap. It's a good medium purple that was a nice addition to the other brush pens I've bought in this series.

I first met these brush pens through a friend who was using one to try to refine her minimalist drawings of cats. She doesn't have a cat, but likes the way they look, and their grace, and figured that a Chinese or Japanese look to drawings, with a slight calligraphic sensibility about them, would capture the essence. I was impressed just how well they influenced her style, which normally employs acrylics and oils on broad canvases, to take her to an entirely difference place, arts-wise. She definitely seemed inspired by them, both texturally and also by their sheer convenience.On first use, they take a little while for the ink to flow down – don’t panic, doesn’t mean it’s not working, just takes a few minutes the first time you use them.Feels nice in the hand, well balanced, comfortable, barrel not too thick or thin for a confident grip which is really necessary for their purpose in situations where every line needs to be right first time. The barrel is quite long, so it feels a bit like a paintbrush in the hand, which encourages the right sort of graceful sweeping movement. They really reward artists that know how to use pressure for subtle effects. Drawing becomes even more meditative.They make a nice steady brushmark with attractive ‘feathering’ – or maybe it’s just because I’m not completely used to them yet! Pressure will help the dynamism you get from lines, but if you're looking to make broader lines in general, you're better off using the side of the brush rather than pressure. The way the tip goes on and back off the surface also offers a nice calligraphic quality for lines that can really be refined with practice and "muscle memory".I'd never used brushpens before, so I'm not yet getting full advantage of them. They've been used so far for a little calligraphy and some drawings – especially nice for Oriental-style work, but useful for other styles too. Lovely for ‘minimalist’ type sketches – but of course if you go wrong there’s no going back or hiding the mistake!The various colours are attractive, not overly powerful. I only wish that there were more colours available. They can be diluted with other media to some extent, but I've yet to explore those options because I'm getting more fun from making convincing Manga at the moment - I think these brush pens are made for that style despite doing so many others too.There's a definite knack needed to get the best out of them, so you'll need to practice. That said, if you're new to them, they have the potential to take your art in a new direction.

Overview (- : Negative, + : Positive, = : Okay/Indifferent)+ An overall good purchase.+ Would recommend.- On different types of paper drying times can differ, my Winston and Newton sketchbook can take hours on end to dry and normal cartridge paper dries within seconds.+ The line variation is pretty good, can go from thick to thin in single strokes.= Keep in mind the pen IS a brush so its good to be delicate with it and not apply too much pressure.- Ink flow when squeezing the brush pen isn't the best and requires multiple squeezes but once it comes out you get a sleek, dark black colour which is exactly all I need for the types of drawings I do.+ Delivery was prompt and on time, so no problems via supplier.The meatPentel did a really good job when it came to creating this brush-pen, it has quickly become my go-to when it comes to inking, I don't use it as a standalone tool as there's a lack of consistency when it comes to creating lines that stay with a specific line width, however it helps greatly to create a sharp look for your lines, you also don't get those annoying drawing marks you'd get with other brush pens like the Copic ones. This is probably due to it being black but it's still great. I use this while using my Rotring Tikky Graphics and it works well together, one small problem I've noticed is that if you go over pencil with the ink you may see some shine from below the ink, however it can layer up so if you go over that area with your pen when it's dry it becomes negligible, the photos below have been done with the mentioned tools.

These feel a little unusual when you first hold them because the main body of the pen is not entirely rigid, so it doesn't feel like a 'real' pen or indeed a brush. The main body of the pen is essentially the cartridge , so squeezing it allows you to push the ink to the tip once you've removed the red packing collar and are ready to start using it.The tip holds its shape extremely well, which means you can draw or write nice thin lines, go to thicker lines and then back again with ease and it's a pleasure to use for calligraphy. The ink is very heavily pigmented and gives good solid coverage without instantly soaking through the paper like a permanent marker such as a Sharpie might.Something to note is that the cap pops off rather than unscrews, which might lead to concerns about it coming off accidentally or it spraying ink when you remove it, but in reality I haven't had any problems with it in this respect.For the money I think it's an excellent addition to any collection of supplies whether you are interested in calligraphy or art or just feel like trying something a little different.Thoroughly recommended.

Great brush pen! For a beginner working with a brush pen I was scared at first that id ruin my drawings or work but its all in your oen control. The ink applies lovely and you can do great illusteation worth with this. Only downside is you run out of the ink quite quickly other than that 10/10 for me

I bought this one because i bought their sepia brush before. I like them. I like purple. I bought a purple one.I still like them no change there.

Great brush.. big, soft and hold a lot of ink. Also can be refilled. Highly recommended for all..