Review on Akashiya Brush Spring CA200 5VA by Doris Tran

I love these pens. I have used them on handmade postcards (watercolor paper). Various techniques can be used with them, I used a piece of plastic to apply the pigment and a Pentel WaterBrush to pick it up and paint the watercolor effect. I've more than succeeded getting it straight to paper and trying to dilute it with water, especially as I prefer a softer look. I recommend Jennifer McGuire's YouTube video, which demonstrates and inspires how to use these brushes. I love that they mix! A note on ink supply: if the user prefers bold, heavy pigments or uses them as regular markers to colorize, I could see how quickly the ink ran out. I think it has to do with the way the pen is spread (more like a brush than a marker). However, if you like the soft look I find them extremely economical and have tried many different art mediums over time. If you apply ink to a piece of plastic or a paint palette and then dilute it with water from a brush pen, the pigment expands very, very far. For the two cards I've attached images of, I really only had to open the highlighter once and load the water brush 2-4 times to paint the entire image. The nature of the markings allowed me to mix blue and purple for the narwhal and brown and orange for the deer. Of course, this means the result will be easier given the dilution, so whether this is a long-lasting tool for you may come down to personal preference and your favorite technique. Bought a set of 5 to try and can't wait to upgrade to a larger set to get the red and green tint, especially. Even with 5 colors as others have attested, great variety can be achieved with this product by mixing a range of colors. Very effective for traveling light and drawing on the go.