Knitting, Crochet and Crafts

Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic Gel Pens – Overview, Product Review and Project Ideas

Are you hoping to draw, doodle, letter or write on any of your art or paper craft projects?


If so, Sakura ‘s Gelly Roll Metallic gel pens should be on your radar. Whether you’re into journaling, sketching or embellishing your projects by hand, these pens are excellent choices.

Sakura‘s Gelly Roll Metallic gel Pens Are Sold Singly and in Collections.

There are bunches of different ways you can purchase Gelly Roll gel pens.


Some online art and craft stores like Dick Blick and A Cherry on Top Craft Shop sell single pens, so you can buy just one pen to try it out, if that’s what you want to do – or you can buy a single pen in exactly the color you need.


These same craft stores and other stores also sell sets, bundles and / or collections of Sakura Gelly Roll pens.


Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll Pens -- Set of 10
Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll Pens — Set of 10

You can buy themed pen color collections that are packaged together, and that’s a fantastic option to consider if you need to get your hands on pen colors that are compatible with each other and work well together. You might want pen color collections like these if you’re an artist or illustrator, and you’re making multicolored art projects.


In my experience, Gelly Roll pen collections sometimes, but not always, offer you a better value / better per-pen-price than you’d get by buying single pens. But that varies a lot, so if you are price conscious, I recommend considering your actual needs and checking several sources’ prices before making a purchase.


For example, if you only really need one pen, there’s no point in buying a whole pen collection just to get a better per-pen price.


But if you use colored pens frequently, you’re likely to find that you’ll want more than one of these.


Personally, I go through a lot of these pens, so I’m habitually and systematically always on the lookout for the best per-pen price on them.

Ideas for the Kinds of Craft Projects You Can Make Using Sakura ‘s Gelly Roll
Metallic Gel Pens

The Gelly Roll pens are suitable for use with many craft techniques. Try using them in any or all of the following types of crafting activities that you enjoy working on:

  • Drawing or illustrating;
  • Hand lettering;
  • Kids’ craft projects; these pens are intended for adults, but if your kids are responsible enough to be trusted with colorful pens, these are easy to use, and kids can have a lot of fun with them.
  • Bullet journaling;
  • Planning and making planner layouts;
  • Mandala art;
  • Art trading cards;
  • Journaling of any kind: junk journaling, art journaling, travel journaling, daily journaling, morning pages, etc;
  • Collage or any other mixed media art;
  • Scrapbooking;
  • Card making;
  • Or any other art or paper craft techniques you have in mind.

      • Project Examples:

      I’ve made hundreds of pages and projects using Sakura ‘s Gelly Roll Metallic gel pens, and I have been delighted with the results. I don’t have photos of every project available to show you right now, but I’ll share pics of a few of my favorites that show off these pen’s capabilities to their best advantage.

      Cards I Made Using Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic Pens

      DIY Floral Greeting Card


      I often use Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic pens to color parts of hand-stamped images. Here you can see a card I made using Pinkfresh Studio floral stamps; I mostly used Distress Oxide inks for coloring the flowers, but I also added little highlights and bits of detail using the Sakura Gelly Roll pens.
      I often use Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic pens to color parts of hand-stamped images. Here you can see a card I made using Pinkfresh Studio floral stamps; I mostly used Distress Oxide inks for coloring the flowers, but I also added little highlights and bits of detail using the Sakura Gelly Roll pens.

      More Cards (Not Pictured):

      Scrapbooking Layouts I Made Using the Gelly Roll Metallic Gel Pens by Sakura

      Sailboat Themed 6×8 Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout With Hand-Written Journaling


      I wrote the journaling on this 6x8 Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout using a Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll Pen.
      I wrote the journaling on this 6×8 Pocket Page Scrapbooking Layout using a Sakura Metallic Gelly Roll Pen.

      6″x8″ Scrapbooking Layouts Documenting a Farmer’s Market Visit in the Mediterranean Region

      6x8 Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Journaling and Photo of a Farmer's Market Visit
      6×8 Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Journaling and Photo of a Farmer’s Market Visit; I did the journaling with Sakura Gelly Roll Pens.
      6x8 Scrapbooking Album Featuring a Farmer's Market
      6×8 Scrapbooking Layout Featuring Journaling and Photo of a Farmer’s Market Visit; I did the journaling with Sakura Gelly Roll Pens.

      More Layouts (Not Pictured):

      Planner Layouts I Made Using the Gelly Roll Metallic Gel Pens by Sakura



      These are just a few examples of the types of projects you can make with these pens. There are unlimited possibilities besides these.

      Things I LOVE About the Gelly Roll Metallic Gel Pens by Sakura

      • These pens come in a wide variety of gorgeous, shimmery, on-trend colors that I adore!
      • Most of the time, the ink flows smoothly and rapidly out of these pens and onto the paper. Very occasionally, this doesn’t hold true; once in awhile, I’ve ended up with a dud pen that just doesn’t work that well. But overall, I’ve been exceptionally pleased with the ink flow and the writing experience from these pens.
      • These pens are super affordable. Because you can buy single pens, you don’t have to pay a lot to test them out and see if you like them. I think they are really an amazing value for the money.

      Things I Don’t Like About the Gelly Roll Metallic gel Pens by Sakura

      The ink from these pens can take awhile to dry, particularly if you use them in a humid environment. I don’t recommend them to impatient crafters because of this. If you need a pen that offers the fastest drying ink, this is not it. In that case, you’ll be happier buying something else instead.


      For North American artists and crafters, these pens aren’t really a sustainable or earth-friendly purchase. I don’t love it that these pens are plastic, non-refillable and disposable. But that’s most pens for you.


      If you have the mindset of someone who habitually uses disposable plastic items, the fact that this is a disposable plastic item won’t probably be a deal breaker for you. However, I urge you to consider the possibility of buying items, including pens, that are re-usable and not disposable.


      I live in North America, and so I also don’t love it that these pens have to travel all the way from Japan to reach me. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE Japanese products of all kinds. Up until just now, I’ve been a consumer of Japanese everything, from cars to cameras to stationery, markers and pens.


      So, I love and ADORE Japanese products, but I don’t love the environmental toll that it takes, shipping containers full of goods back and forth across the globe.


      If there are suitable options for comparable products made closer to home, I honestly think that it’s in our best interests to use the locally-produced options.


      With all of the above in mind, I have personally recently revised my own goals and shopping habits, and have set a goal of prioritizing the purchase of locally produced, refillable pens and earth-friendly, non-disposable items, in general.


      At this point, I’m not sure how that’s going to work out, because the refillable options I’m aware of are all coming from overseas.


      But regardless, these pens are disposable, and I can do better than that, because there are non-disposable alternatives. So, as I use up my Gelly Roll pens, my plan is to phase them out of my art and craft projects and replace them with refillable, non-disposable options.


      I feel strongly that I need to do this, but I also feel a little sad (and conflicted) about the decision, because I really and truly love these pens so much.


      So this will be a tough transition for me.

      Surfaces That You Can Use With Sakura ‘s Gelly Roll Metallic gel Pens

      These pens are recommended for use on porous surfaces like paper and chipboard.


      They ARE NOT recommended for non-porous surfaces like acrylic, glass or metal.


      The Verdict: I Recommend the Gelly Roll Metallic Gel Pens by Sakura, With Caveats

      So far, my experiences with Gelly Roll Metallic gel pens have mostly been positive. I have enjoyed using these pens for planning, doodling, drawing, journaling and writing notes in my greeting cards. The pens are an outstanding value for the money, in my opinion. I’m delighted to recommend them to other crafters.


      BUT!


      If you’re shopping for new pens, and you have the resources to pay more upfront for refillable, non-disposable pens, I encourage you to look at some of those options as a possible alternative to these Gelly Roll pens. You might find it worthwhile to make an investment in refillable pens and / or markers instead of these.


      Important Note: I am a real person, and this is an authentic product review. I paid full price for my Sakura Gelly Roll Metallic pens, and I think they were worth the price.

      Where to Buy the Gelly Roll Metallic gel Pens by Sakura

      About Sakura :

      Sakura is a manufacturer of high-quality goods from Japan. Their offerings include bunches of other types of pens, including many more types of Gelly Rolls, plus some others like Sakura Pigma pigment ink pens.

      Find More Art and Craft Supplies by Sakura

      If these pens appeal to you, you might also enjoy using other supplies by Sakura. Here are some suggestions for other craft supplies you might want to check out:

      • Find Sakura Pigma Pigment Ink Pens HERE.
      • Discover Sakura’s White Pens HERE.
      • Check Out Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Pens HERE.

      Discover More Japanese Art and Craft Supplies

      Pilot is another Japanese manufacturer making similar pens and other art and craft supplies available. Pilot ‘s offerings include refillable fountain pens, disposable plastic ink pens, and a broad variety of others. You can shop for Pilot’s refillable fountain pens HERE.


      Marvy Uchida is yet another Japanese competitor to Sakura. Marvy Uchida makes lovely pens, highlighters, markers and pens available. I’ve been using their PastelLiner highlighters and their LePen Flex pens in many of my art and craft projects; I invite you to check out my reviews of those items if they sound interesting to you.

      Over to You:

      Have you tried using the Gelly Roll Metallic gel pens by Sakura? If so, how did you like using them? Which project(s) did you use them for, and how did your project(s) turn out? Let’s talk about your experiences in the comments.


      By Amy Solovay


      About Your Product Reviewer: Amy Solovay is a content creator and educator who holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor; she has also earned a separate degree in textile design. Amy learned to draw as a small child, and she still enjoys drawing techniques all these years later. Beyond that, she enjoys introducing other crafters to the best new craft supplies, and she also loves helping crafters learn new techniques for making the most of the craft supplies they buy.


      As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles.


      Nowadays, Amy uses online platforms to teach digital courses to craft pattern designers, content creators and influencers all over the world. If you’re an artist, crafter or DIY enthusiast who is interested in earning income from your creative work, you’re invited to visit Crafterprise.com to learn more about monetizing the arts, craft(s) and / or DIY projects you do.


      Thanks for visiting!


      This page was last updated on 9-22-2024.