Review on Graphic Liner Needle Point Drawing by Jennifer Roberts

Once upon a time I drew with a set of Rapidograph pens. Arguably the finest mechanical drawing tools ever made, they produced the perfect crisp pen lines that gave any work the technical feel of the mechanical drawings of the 1920s through 1980s. The downside was that they were very high maintenance. I used to dedicate every Friday to cleaning my ink liner. As computer-aided drafting came along, it became increasingly difficult to justify the time spent tending to the ink liner compared to the time spent on AutoCAD using a computer plotter. Back when drawing by hand was justified or desirable, it often wasn't done because it meant pulling out the ink liner and all the hassle. Now I have her. This is the first disposable pen that is close to the liner. They're not perfect, but they're close enough and always ready to go. I don't spend hours cleaning them like Rapidographs do. The thin line and the sharp edges of their lines allow me to reintroduce hand drawings into my repertoire when a 70's-80's flair is required, which would require more time and effort to reproduce with digital media than simply with to draw Ohto pens. They work. well on various papers without being clogged with fiber and ink. Regular rubbing of the tip will give you a crisp, clean line. On very low absorbency paper care must be taken not to smudge the ink - some things never change - but the ink is no worse than what we used professionally 40 years ago. They are less suitable for painting on acetate unless the right type of surface is used. As with older pens, attention must be paid to the point angle, but for the line they produce, it's a small price to pay. .