Rating My New Neuland Stash
My friend received my Neuland stash at the IFVP summit in Montclair this year and I was very excited to try them out. I swatched each pen and marker (including Heather's freebies) on camera and recorded my ratings (video here).
In addition to my video, here's a written review of each item from the collection:
1) Neuland FineOne® Art Outliner, Brush Tip 0.5-5 mm
This marker feels like it'll take some getting used to, but I can already imagine the possibilities of what I could make with it. It's so flexible it reminds me of a brush pen with an extra fine brush tip.
I tried it with my alcohol markers and the inks didn't interfere with each other, so I think I'll use this to line my alcohol marker drawings. I also think this will be great for some large-scale character sketches and live-drawing.
2) Neuland No.One® Art, Brush Tip 0.5-7 mm - (500 BRILLIANT YELLOW)
When I first received this marker in the full set, this color stood out to me. My assistant and I had referred to it as 'pleasant yellow' throughout our collaboration, and it's just as pleasant as I remember it.
This yellow is warm and pigmented enough to use for some understated lettering but it's gentle enough to be used for highlighting words and phrases. This would be my choice of yellow for drawing light bulbs, French fries, many types of fruit, and the sun. I also started using it as a regular marker in my sketchbooks or while graphic recording.
For projects where I want minimal colors, I see myself only taking this brilliant yellow and a light grey.
3) Neuland FineOne® Sketch, smudge-resistant (0.7 mm)
This is a decent pen: the pigment is alright and when it writes on regular print paper, there's no 'ghosting' on the other side. With some twisting around of the pen, I got some line weight variation, which I like.
The pen is comfortable to hold and the cap is a nice upside down truncated cone shape.
4) AcrylicOne FINE, Round Tip 1.5 mm - (White)
I mainly wanted to test this product against other white pens and markers that I've been collecting, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The marker bled a little too much when I pressed it against my pad (gently), but I guess that may be how all acrylic markers behave.
I tested it beside my new white Posca marker and I believe this acrylic maker outperformed it. The brushes are similar but the coverage this AcrylicOne provides is stellar—unlike the Posca, this marker still looks very opaque even after the ink has dried. This makes all the difference on something like kraft paper, where you can use all the contrast you need. So, this gives you great control with the fine nib and great coverage. (This rating may change, though, because the white doesn't look as opaque as it used to, several days later now).
5) Neuland No.One® Art, Brush Tip 0.5-7 mm - (108 GREY 5)
It was a little tough to decide on a grey shade from the greys in the art marker collection. Should I pick a grey that's dark enough to double as a 'subheading color' in my graphic recordings or should my grey only be for adding shadows? Do I get a warmer grey or a cooler grey?
In the end, I decided on this light, neutral color which won't be very visible on larger graphic notes; it may only show up as a hint of a shadow, which I think will be perfect for most of my needs. I'll also be using this on my sketchbooks and when making concept drawings or architectural plans.
6) Neuland TwinOne® Outliner, wedge and brush tip
The wedge side has two main edges you can draw with and, if you're careful, a third smaller edge. The pigment feels the same as the No. One Outliner: very saturated with a nice sheen.
But the star for me is the brush nib. It's a little smaller than the No. One Outliner brush tip, and makes it the better choice for drawing on smaller sheets like in sketchbooks.
There are little illustrations on the barrel that show which side has the brush and which has the chisel tip.
I just wish the caps could be secured on the marker end so you never lose it.
7) Neuland No.One® Art Outliner, Brush Tip 0.5-7 mm
This marker is a beast! It was my main marker in my first graphic recording job. For two days, I used it to make drawings and write texts of different sizes two 4m by 1.2 m sheets. It would fade a little bit when I would write or draw very quickly for a while, and I would believe that I might have exhausted all the ink. But after giving it a short break with the cap on, it would come back to being as juicy as it was.
I really liked that I could pause with the marker on paper and it wouldn't blot. The black is very saturated and it tends to have a little sheen to it—like the ink on a decent printout.
The marker body also has a little stopper These are little details but with so much attention paid to the body, it makes it feel much more worth it to invest in refills for a long time to come.
That's all for this collection, and I hope something here helps you decide what item to get from Neuland next. I hope you have a fruitful week ahead.
—w
- Winta Assefa Weldekiros's blog
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