Uni-ball Color Pencil Lead Review
I like reviews! And okay I am procrastinating.
I've started using mechanical pencil color leads and I am very happy with them. I have Uni-Ball .5 orange, pink, and soft blue. They are all erasable and light enough to remove from scans when the picture has been inked.
Pros:
1) Soft lead but light color
I am pretty heavy-handed, but this combo means I avoid dark lines or deep gouges in the paper.
2) Erasable
I tried Pentel .5 red and found that it did not erase much, but all the Uniball leads I have tried do erase pretty well.
3) Easier to ink
I can see my black pen lines against the color sketch and tell what my inked drawing actually looks like.
4) Light enough to photoshop out
I scan at a higher resolution than I would otherwise and apply the threshold filter. All ink areas should become solid black and all pencil areas should become white. Sometimes I do get little white bits inside the black lines, and use the cutout filter to fill it in.
5) With multiple colors can distinguish layers
orange rough with blue refinements
6) Lighter color makes it feel more private when you are drawing on the bus
Cons:
1) Sometimes can't be erased fully
The first 95% at least erases well, the rest seems to depend on the paper. Doesn't bother me though since the part I draw on paper usually isn't the finished picture.
2) On some paper, does not scan clearly
In one of my sketchbooks the pencil brightness and color brightness are too similar and it is difficult to adjust contrast too make the sketch legible.
3) Lead sticks break all the time
They sure do. I use a pencil that holds the lead firmly, and just put in one lead stick at a time. Since you can't push out too much lead, a needle-point tip is also good.
I've started using mechanical pencil color leads and I am very happy with them. I have Uni-Ball .5 orange, pink, and soft blue. They are all erasable and light enough to remove from scans when the picture has been inked.
Pros:
1) Soft lead but light color
I am pretty heavy-handed, but this combo means I avoid dark lines or deep gouges in the paper.
2) Erasable
I tried Pentel .5 red and found that it did not erase much, but all the Uniball leads I have tried do erase pretty well.
3) Easier to ink
I can see my black pen lines against the color sketch and tell what my inked drawing actually looks like.
4) Light enough to photoshop out
I scan at a higher resolution than I would otherwise and apply the threshold filter. All ink areas should become solid black and all pencil areas should become white. Sometimes I do get little white bits inside the black lines, and use the cutout filter to fill it in.
5) With multiple colors can distinguish layers
orange rough with blue refinements
6) Lighter color makes it feel more private when you are drawing on the bus
Cons:
1) Sometimes can't be erased fully
The first 95% at least erases well, the rest seems to depend on the paper. Doesn't bother me though since the part I draw on paper usually isn't the finished picture.
2) On some paper, does not scan clearly
In one of my sketchbooks the pencil brightness and color brightness are too similar and it is difficult to adjust contrast too make the sketch legible.
3) Lead sticks break all the time
They sure do. I use a pencil that holds the lead firmly, and just put in one lead stick at a time. Since you can't push out too much lead, a needle-point tip is also good.