Hi and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy designs blog. One of the things I find most helpful as an artist are honest product reviews. Sometimes I might need a product I’ve never used before (like the permanent waterproof markers with a fine tip I needed recently). Google is my best friend where this is concerned, because I enter the search terms for what I’m looking for, and then I will pour through the search results Google gives me. When I’m not sure of exactly what I need, an honest product review helps me decide just about every time! With that in mind, I’m going to jump on board and carry out a Tangle Road Test of Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens to provide you with an honest product review. I’m hoping you’ll find the review helpful.
Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens – Lets look at the basics
Let’s look at the basics before we get into things in greater depth.
- They come in a set of 36 colours
- Flexible Dual Tips – one tip is a fine liner (0.4 size) the other end is a brush pen
- Permanent ink, so they are waterproof
- Non toxic, acid free and odourless
- Fast drying, nudging them towards being smudge proof
And I’d also recommend checking out my short Tangle Road Test of Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens video that touches on some of the basics I’ve mentioned above. Sometimes it’s easier to convey things, particularly anything size related, with video. So the video gives you a better understanding of things like the pen and nib sizes and the flexibility in the brush tips etc.
Their Physical Appearance
Let’s begin with their physical appearance. They are a plastic lightweight pen that is a really comfortable size in diameter. The pens don’t feel oversized in your hand, they feel normal, which is great for lengthy days zentangling.
One end of the pen is slightly thicker than the other. The brush tip end has a wider cap (in diameter) than the fine liner end. The difference is noticeable, as you can see in the image above, because I’ve put the alternating ends beside each other to demonstrate the difference. The difference isn’t anything that hampers your work though, it’s just part of the pen’s overall design.
The Colour Range of Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens
There’s 36 colours in the pack. In the photo below I’ve laid the pack down to try to photograph all of the colours for you.
I’ve also created a colour chart in my Tangle Recipe Card Book of all the colours in this pack. As I prepared the colour chart, I wanted to capture the difference between shading with Fineliner nibs versus shading with the brush pens. So each little square in my chart captures both, Fineliner at the top, brush pen at the bottom.
And this brings me to ink intensity…
Ink Intensity
I am really pleased with the intensity and consistency of the ink with these pens. The brush pen filled squares above are smooth, not streaky. They are consistently filled with great overall coverage. As I mentioned in my video, the ink behaves very much like a water based ink, so it covers well, and it produces a smooth finish.
Personally speaking, I love bright vibrant colours and the ink in these pens can be a little on the dull side. The only drawback I can foresee, would be if you were going to use the pens as your only method of fill. They might not deliver the vibrancy you desire. However, using the pens in combination with other media will produce high quality results. As I rarely use one medium only for colour fill, these pens will become a regular tool I reach for in my work.
Line Weights you can achieve with Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens
The Fineliner tip is an 0.4 size, so it’s fine enough and delicate enough to apply some delicate details to your zentangle designs.
The brush pen can achieve quite a wide range of line weights. The brush tip is very flexible, so when you apply different pressures, many line weights are achievable.
Varying line weight is another great technique to have in your arsenal for zentangling, and having a reasonably priced set of brush pens to deliver this technique is a real bonus!
What about Ombré Effect?
The ombré effect is a “must-do” when it comes to calligraphy and brush pens. Ombré means ‘shaded’ in French, a gradual change from one colour to the next. There’s many pens on the market that claim to deliver the ombré effect through pen pressure, so I thought I’d test the Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens for this as well.
So to test, I started applying a lot of pressure to the pen, pulling the pen in a downwards motion. As the pen moved, I gradually released pressure to see what kind of difference was visible with the ink. With the Ohuhu pens the difference is slight as there is some tone difference in the stroke. It’s not prominent, but it’s there, meaning it’s something you can work with.
Zentangling with Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens
I tested the Fineliner Nib with some zentangling too, and they held up well. My favourite pen for zentangling is the Unipin Fineliner, I love it because it delivers consistent “black” black ink. The ink goes down easily and it’s so opaque you can’t see through it. The nibs are durable and hold up well to pressure and rough surfaces.
The Ohuhu Nibs aren’t as firm as a Unipin, but they are still very comparable. The Ohuhu Pens I used for my Colour Island Tile above pulled up well after such heavy use on a rough surface. The ink was a consistent colour, although it’s not opaque, so you can see through it. There’s not much more I can add here other than to say I will be using these pens for tangling in the future. I’m am sold and I love the range of colours that have opened up for me.
And what about Hatching and Shading?
I tried some hatching techniques with them as well, and I felt they held up the same, if not equal to a Micron.
Now I have to be honest here and say that where I’m concerned that’s not necessarily a good thing. You see, I have a confession…. I am not a huge fan of hatching or shading with Fineliners….. period! Mostly because I struggle with the technique. I seem to wind up with soggy paper under where I’m shading or hatching. If you look closely at my work you might see places where the paper has been damaged by my heavy handed hatching attempts. This happens to me with my Unipins, my Microns and yes, even the Ohuhu’s… so they performed the same as any other pen I’ve ever used where hatching and shading is concerned.
The end result of my Tangle Road Test of Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens
I bought these pens for $25 AUD on EBay. So by using the price as a guide, you can see they are not in the same class as Copics or Tombow’s. They are very affordable in price and depending upon the tasks you have planned, they might be a great alternative if the high quality markers are out of your price range.
I was after a waterproof marker that would compliment my existing line work, but hold up well under the application of water. These markers did that and they did it well. The Dual Tip was a bonus for me, as I only really needed the Fineliner nib. Having another set of brush pens will come in handy.
The only thing I’m unable to test for you, is how durable they are. Will they stand up to the test of time? I’m not sure. I’m not sure how these pens will fare in the long term, but at $25 AUD a set, I’d be quite prepared to purchase another set in the future if the need arises.
So if you need a set of permanent markers at a very reasonable price, I’d recommend them. Just don’t expect them to perform like a Copic Marker or Tombow Brush Pen, because they won’t. But as another tool to be used in a mixed media piece, these pens might be exactly what you’re looking for. At $25 AUD, why not give them a go.
Want to be more Expressive?
Join my Expressive’s List to begin to learn ways you can start to express yourself creatively. There are no moulds or limits with the Lord, just possibilities and the promise of one day unearthing who you were created to be.
Expressive Subscribers receive an email each month that contains creative inspiration and ideas, links to helpful resources and a month’s worth of journal prompts to stimulate creative expression. These prompts are a great way of learning to express yourself when you’ve never really tried it before. Fill in your details below to sign up.
Until next time, listen to your heart and sharpen your coloured pencils. A masterpiece awaits!
Bless you my friend
Chrissie xx
3 thoughts on “Tangle Road Test of Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush Pens”