Silhouette Sketch Pens: Three Tricks for Better Sketching (and No Skipping)

Silhouette Sketch pens don't always get the best rap.

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They sometimes skip, they dry out, they leak...but there are a few ways to get a better sketch when using Silhouette Sketch pens with your Silhouette CAMEO or Portrait.

I've found three easy tricks that usually leave me with a better and more consistent sketch.

Scribble with Sketch Pens

Before you even put your Silhouette sketch pen into your cutting machine, scribble with it on a piece of paper. This will help get the ink flowing just like a regular pen.

Change the Force

If you're getting skipping, adjust the default sketch pen settings to increase or decrease the Force.

Not enough force means the pen isn't hitting the paper hard enough but too much force can also prevent the ink from flowing properly because the pen is being pressed down too much. Adjusting the force in either direction can help avoid skipping.

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Up the Passes

It's not uncommon for the Silhouette Sketch Pens to occasionally skip in places. But you can fill in any skipped areas by doing more than one pass. If the pen skips a small area on the first pass, it should fill it in on the second pass.

You can set the number of Passes in the Send panel.

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1 comment

Debbie FortenberryApril 13, 2018 at 3:24 PM
I love to use my sketch pens, so this is a much needed hint! Thank you!

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