Metallic gel pens have one job, and they do it well. They add shine. The kind that instantly makes a coloring page feel special. A little gold here, a bit of silver there, and suddenly your page has depth, contrast, and that eye catching sparkle.
So when we got our hands on the Color Technik Metallic Gel Pens, we wanted to see if they really deserved a spot in an adult coloring setup or if they were just another shiny novelty.
Here’s how they performed.
First Impressions
The set comes with 12 metallic gel pens. You get two golds, two silvers, and a nice mix of jewel tones like red, blue, green, and purple. The color range feels intentional, not random.
Each pen has a comfortable plastic grip and color coded caps, which makes it easy to grab the shade you want without testing every pen first. For the price, the set feels thoughtfully put together.
How They Perform on Different Paper
Paper makes a huge difference with gel pens, especially metallic ones, so we tested these on a few common surfaces.
On Coated Digital Copy Paper
On smooth, coated paper, these pens really shine. The ink goes down evenly, the metallic effect is strong, and the shimmer adds a beautiful finish without pooling or blotching.
One thing we noticed is that the rollerball tip can feel slightly scratchy, especially when coloring long, straight lines. Switching to small circular motions helped a lot and reduced skipping and streaks.
Overall, coated paper gave us the cleanest and most vibrant results.
On Double Sided Coloring Book Paper
On uncoated coloring book paper, the colors appear a bit more muted, but the metallic shine is still there. Two big wins here.
First, there’s no bleed through.
Second, the ink dries quickly.
That means you can safely use these pens in double sided books without worrying about ruining the next page or smudging your work.
The only real drawback is in very small areas. The metallic ink can sometimes cover fine printed lines if you’re not careful, which can slightly blur details.
Using Them on Dark Paper
This is where these pens really stand out.
On black or dark colored paper, the metallic effect is bold and highly visible. Gold and silver especially pop and work beautifully as statement colors or highlights.
Compared to other metallic gel pens we’ve tested, these are much more visible on dark backgrounds. Some metallic sets tend to disappear on black paper, but these hold their own.
Just keep in mind that streaks are more noticeable on dark paper, even when coloring in circles. It’s something to be aware of, not a deal breaker.
Can You Blend With Them?
We tested blending using a gel pen to gel pen method on coated paper. Because the ink dries fairly quickly, blending was challenging. The second color tended to streak instead of melting smoothly into the first.
That said, blending isn’t the main strength of metallic gel pens in general. They’re better used for accents, highlights, and bold areas rather than soft gradients.
If blending is important to you, glitter gel pens from brands like Sargent Art tend to perform better in that area.
Pros and Cons at a Glance
What we liked
- Beautiful metallic shine
- Strong pigmentation
- Very affordable
- Comfortable grip
- No bleed through
- Dries quickly
- Shows up well on black paper
Things to keep in mind
- Tips can feel scratchy
- Colors are more muted on uncoated paper
- Not ideal for blending
- Can cover fine lines in small spaces
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for smooth blending metallic gel pens, these probably aren’t your best match. But if your goal is shine, contrast, and eye catching detail, Color Technik’s metallic gel pens deliver.
They’re affordable, easy to use, and especially impressive on dark paper. For casual colorists or anyone who loves adding metallic accents without spending much, this set is a solid choice.
Sometimes a little sparkle is all a coloring page needs.
