My Honest Review of the Awesome Liner with Microscopic Tip - What I Loved About It

Hello!

I'm super excited to share my thoughts on the Vista-Artista liner, which I absolutely loved - but it ran out way too quickly, so I'm writing this review while it's still fresh in my mind. To be upfront, this is one purchase I'd definitely make again.

The Vista-Artista Style BPL-01 liner is an essential tool for creating illustrations, sketches, and graphic design, allowing for crisp and delicate lines.

Penzensky PlanetariumBrand: VISTA-ARTISTA.Country of origin: China.Price: 200-200 rubles. However, I've seen the same liner for 400 rubles on Ozon and up to 600+ on Yandex, which is way overpriced - you can find it cheaper.Where to buy: You can find it on marketplaces or in any art supply store. I bought mine at the Leonardo art supplies store in Penza (Московская ул., 83, ТЦ «Пассаж»).Liner packaging

When I bought it, it came in a pack of 10 or 12, but I only bought one, so it was just in a plastic cup near the cash register. I'm not sure if anyone had used it before, but I know they try to protect the small items.

The liner itself looks like a pen (it's basically a pen with a capillary tip). The body is made of gray plastic with a slight silver sheen, and the cap is black.

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mm The body is a rounded shape, not too thin, and it fits comfortably in your hand - it's roughly the same thickness as a pen or a cosmetic pencil, so your hand doesn't get tired. On one side of the body, there's the brand name, its purpose with a note about the water-based formula in Russian, the series name, and a picture of the tip shape. Honestly, when I was at the checkout, there were people in front of me who didn't even look at the body - they just opened it and checked the contents. On the other side, there's the product code and barcode.

I saw somewhere in the description that it has a 10-year shelf life, but I'm really skeptical about that.

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mm The cap has rough sides, so it's easy to remove and put back on - it's a plus because it's really tight. You need some effort to remove and reattach it with a click. Probably, it's designed to be this tight to prevent the tip from drying out. And it's not ventilated. By the way, the cap also shows the diameter - 0.05 mm (this is one of the thinnest liners out there).

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmWhat I love about this liner is that the tip doesn't have a harsh line where the nib starts to taper. That's usually where the liner becomes too thin and starts to dig into your middle finger after a while. But this one's got a smooth transition, so your fingers stay happy.

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmNib DescriptionThe nib itself is thin and feels nice, and it's got a metal casing to protect it. It looks pretty standard.

I'm not entirely sure what the tip is made of, but it's round and feels a bit like felt.

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mm Ink DescriptionI've only got the black version, but it's a nice, dark line.

It's made with high-quality materials, water-based ink with pigment, and it's waterproof.

I was bummed I couldn't take the pen apart to see the ink reservoir after using it. The color is super vibrant, and the pigmentation is great, but the depth of color depends on the paper. I noticed that on thicker, more textured paper, the ink absorbs more and the lines are less vibrant and more matte. On smoother, glossy paper, the ink absorbs less, and the lines are more contrasting and bright.

I didn't notice any smell from the ink, but I'm not sure how you'd even sniff a tiny little tip . Based on that, I didn't think there was any lingering smell on the sketches.

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmDescription of LinesAs stated in the description:

Line thickness from 0.05 to 1 mm

This means the thinnest line from this pen is thinner than a hair, but with enough pressure and at the right angle, it can produce a line up to 1 mm. In my case, I never got a line thicker than 1 mm.

The tip of the pen is long and thin, so even when tilted, it doesn't scratch the paper.

When tilted slightly and pressing down only in the top sections:

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmWhen I lightly touched the pen and pressed it evenly: VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmThe line dried quickly and didn't smudge. That's exactly what I needed from a liner - it shouldn't smudge from touch-ups or spread from wet paints. Right after drawing a line with a hard pencil (usually with some pressure), and nothing smudged: VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmMy usage and impressionsThis pen is recommended for drawing on any paper or fabric, but not on plastic: The liner is designed for writing on paper, cardboard, and other absorbent surfaces.

I used the liner on various papers, so I'll show how it performs in different cases. In my review of the acrylic textured sketchbook, I mentioned making sketches with bleeding ink, so I won't dwell on that here.

VISTA-ARTISTA Style Water-Based Liner BPL-01 0.05 mmCheck it out up close. The idea behind the drawing was to capture a carefree vibe, so I varied the line pressure and kept them pretty light. I just wanted to rough out the outline so I could fill it in with color later. When you zoom in, you can see the lines are pretty matte and sometimes a bit choppy, but still nice and clear. That's perfect for when you don't want to double-line anything. The capillary tip is amazing - it doesn't bleed when you get it wet. That's exactly what you want in a water-based liner. The ink is pretty sharp, even compared to regular watercolor. But even when I got it wet, the line stayed put.This is after it dried - not a single smudge. All the lines are still in place. The paper's 300 gsm and instant drying are a winning combo. When it comes to portraits, the sketching pen's ability to maintain a crisp line really shines. I've found that it's perfect for capturing the subtleties of facial features, where a bit of softness can be a deal-breaker. That's where this pen's property of not bleeding too much comes in handy. A watercolor painting of a planetarium This is also true for portraits. If a landscape, for example, can get away with loose, abstract lines, portraits need a bit more precision. So, this pen's ability to hold its line really helps. If I'm working with a thinner paper, a light touch with the pen leaves a barely noticeable impression that acts as a 'dip' for the ink to pool in. But with thicker, textured paper, that's not an issue, so I rely on the pen's ability to quickly bond with the paper. Hwang Hyunjin art Plus, this pen is great for tiny details, like the microscopic door handles on a car or the wing above the wheel. And on this same paper: A New Year's watercolor painting It's also fantastic for adding subtle shading with a coarse, loose stroke. Same with this Sketchbook page with watercolor The second material I used with this liner was a sketchbook with 200g watercolor paper. This paper is dense and thin, stiff and almost smooth, with no texture to it. I was skeptical at first whether I'd be able to use it with pencils and pens, but I managed to. For example, on top of these graphite pencils, I also used a 0.5mm ballpoint pen and this liner. If you zoom in on the photo, you can even see my eyelashes, eyebrows, and stray hairs.

Lee Dong-uk (pencil drawing) That same scheme, but with colored pencils and watercolor pencils: Lee Seung-gi art The same thing, layered with multiple rollerball pens: The thickest lines are from rollerball pens, while the thinnest are from fine liners: Portrait of Han Ji-sun The same thing with the next two drawings. But there's a catch. I used a white gel pen from Crown and a correction fluid to get the white highlights. When you layer the correction fluid over the black lines, the rollerball pens leave a faint purple line on the dried layer. Fine liners, on the other hand, leave nothing behind. So, you can use any correction fluid, as well as white gouache, watercolor, or acrylic on top of a fine liner layer: Portrait of So Chan-bi Fine liners aren't afraid of a blunt eraser or a kneaded eraser, and they don't smudge when you try to blend them with a charcoal brush. They're also impervious to smudging with a finger and graphite. The text is just from a fine liner. It's very dark, and on a surface like this, it's almost three-dimensional.

One thing I noticed about this fine-tip liner is that it doesn't clog easily, even when used on smooth paper.

Portrait of Kim Sun-min A pro tip for beginners: don't press too hard on the liner, as this can deform the tip and reduce its lifespan. After using the liner with pens or dry media like watercolors, it's a good idea to wipe the tip clean with a tissue or a piece of clean paper to prevent pigment buildup. T.O.P. art The liner performed well in a sketchbook with a relatively low density of 100 g, which is actually the lowest density I have. While it's best to use a heavier weight paper or a blotting sheet for complex, multi-layered artworks, the liner worked fine on its own in areas where it was the only drawing tool used. However, I did notice that the liner would have been even more effective if used with a spirit-based ink, as it would have helped to prevent bleeding. Kim Seung-min In my hair, I used the liner on top of a marker and a rollerball pen, while in my eyes, I used the rollerball pens first and then the liner. Reference image, just in case it's helpful to someone:

Kim Seungmin artVista-Artista Style Liner ReviewI've gotta say, this liner left me with nothing but good vibes. No complaints whatsoever when it comes to quality. Here's the lowdown:

The ergonomic design makes it a joy to holdThe cap is super practical and doesn't get in the wayThe tip is top-notch and glides effortlesslyIt produces super fine, smooth linesIt's waterproof and won't smudgeIt writes smoothly on any paper, no skips or hesitationIt's water-resistant and won't run when exposed to waterAnd the best part? It's resistant to eraser marksMy only gripe is that it ran out of ink way too quickly. Maybe it's just me, but I'm guessing the packaging might be the culprit. If you want a brand-new liner, it's best to buy directly from the manufacturer in bulk. But if you're buying one at a time, you can't expect the same level of quality control.

This is an amazing liner that I'd definitely buy again if I had the chance. Quality meets price, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks for sticking around, folks! That's all from me.