Brush pens

Brush pens have a flexible brush tip instead of a hard nib, so you change the line width by adjusting the pressure of your hand: a light touch produces a thin stroke, while firmer pressure creates a broad one. This makes them suitable for lettering, calligraphy, drawing, bullet journalling and colouring. Here you'll find individual colours and sets from Lyra, Faber-Castell, Ecoline, Akashiya, Kreul, Sakura, Uni Posca and DOMS. You can choose between watercolour pens with water-based ink, permanent pens with India ink and dual-tip pens with a fine tip at the other end.

Watercolour or permanent brush pens?

Watercolour brush pens contain water-based ink. You can mix and blend the colours on paper and work them into washes with a damp brush, giving your drawing the look of a watercolour painting. Ecoline Brushpen, Sakura Koi, Akashiya SAI, Kreul Aqua Paint Marker, DOMS Aqua and Lyra Aqua Brush Duo work this way; you'll find more among the watercolour pens.

Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Brush uses India ink that becomes water-resistant once dry. You can paint over your finished drawing with watercolours without smudging the line. Uni Posca PCF-350 contains opaque pigment ink that also stands out on dark paper.

A single brush tip or a dual-tip pen?

A dual-tip pen has a brush tip at one end for broad strokes and a fine tip at the other for outlines, small lettering and details. Lyra Aqua Brush Duo, Daler Rowney Simply and Ohuhu sets use this design. You don't need to turn a single-tip pen around as you write, so choose one if you mainly draw or create lettering with a brush tip. A black brush pen and a few colours are enough to get started, while sets of 12 to 48 colours are useful for colouring and illustrations.

What paper should you use with brush pens?

Smooth paper is suitable for lettering and calligraphy because it doesn't wear down the brush tip and gives your lines clean edges. You'll find it among the sketchbooks for inks, markers and pens. When you blend watercolour brush pen strokes with water, choose thicker watercolour paper, which handles water better than a regular sketchbook.