I keep forgetting to post this, but last year for five months I tested some of my favorite pens I use for art along with some of the inks I’ve been using in fountain pens, including the Indigraph pen which handles India ink. I think this simple test has proven what I suspected: pigment wins. If I want to draw with a ballpoint pen, it will probably stay in a sketchbook as most faded in direct sunlight.

The control was put in an envelope and kept in a second envelope in a closed closet. The indoor light test strip was in a north office out of direct window light. The south test strip was in a south window, and so it received a lot of light. I know that most people would never put their artwork in this situation, but it helped me understand whether or not a drawing would fade even a little bit over time.

The ballpoint pens I tested were Uniball Jetstream in black, red, and blue in 38 mm and .28mm nib sizes. I also tested Ballograf ballpoint pen. Because I sometimes use a little bit of water when I draw to pull out a hint of color, the right side of the test strips also had a small amount of water. The pens held up in indoor light but faded in the south window.

I also sampled Higgins Black Magic, De Atramentis Document, and Bombay India inks. I didn’t observe any fading with these inks.