Buy Brush Pens and markers – but which?

Brush Pens and markers are well suited to many creative projects. The two pen types have different tips but complement each other perfectly. It is precisely this mixing of styles and techniques that produces great results – as well as fun and variety when painting or writing. With pens that have two tips, even more applications are possible. They are ideal if you want to combine big and small words or combine cursive writing with block letters. You can also achieve a greater depth in terms of the lettering using shading and decoration. This is why pencils with two tips in the same colour can be used in a particularly versatile way.

Do you want to create a sweeping stroke that resembles a brush stroke? The tip of the pen is what determines the result. Brush Pens combine the advantages and properties of pens and brushes. With their flexible brush tips, you can write or paint in a dynamic way and it feels like a brush stroke. And that’s a great thing, particularly for handlettering. But Brush Pens also have the advantages of a pen: the colour (or ink) is integrated into the shaft. This means that you can paint and write evenly without putting the pen down.

In addition to the brush tip of the Brush Pens, there are other pen tips that are suited to various applications: some markers have a chisel tip for the flat application of colour, fine tips for intricate drawings or fine writing and bullet tips for general colouring.

Some markers such as the MONO edge and the ABT PRO have a defined chisel tip that you can use to draw exact lines. And if you like working with a ruler for even more precision: the chisel tip of the MONO edge is enclosed in a protective plastic sleeve. This keeps your rulers or stencils nicely clean during use. Another advantage: the plastic sleeve also keeps the tip in perfect condition even with frequent use. If you want to achieve a defined line, MONO edge highlighters are the right choice.

Water-based pens produce significantly less odour. They also have other advantages: their ink will not penetrate most types of paper. Water-based colours are therefore suited to bullet journaling. If you use colours that do not penetrate, in most cases you can also paint or write well on the next page.

Water-based inks can be divided into inks with dyes and inks with pigments. The advantage of water-based inks with dyes, such as the ABT Dual Brush Pens, is that they are ideal for use in watercolour painting. For watercolour painting, we recommend the use of watercolor paper. Water-based inks with pigments such as in our Fudenosuke are water-resistant once they dry and are therefore suitable for outlines.

Alcohol-based inks are waterproof, so there is usually a very wide range of different colours – a separate pen for each colour. However, alcohol-based inks can be layered on top of each other by superimposing different gradations of a colour family.
For alcohol-based pens, it is advisable to use special paper that absorbs the ink as little as possible and is coated accordingly so that the ink does not bleed through. The advantage of alcohol-based pens is that no unpleasant dark edges appear when painting the surface.

Oil-based markers are perfect for outlines

Oil-based colours such as MONO twin are waterproof and smudge-proof. The pen is therefore ideal for robust outlines and contours and in combination with coloured Brush Pens. The pen dries very quickly and thanks to its oil basis, it presents well on metal, wood, stone, ceramic, plastic and fabric. (Note: the MONO twin is not suitable for labelling CDs.)

If you want to highlight something, markers like the MONO edge are well suited – hence their name. Use markers or highlighters to highlight text or other sections. Printed writing or even pencil can also be easily read through the transparent, coloured marking. Some markers have a chisel-shaped tip with which precise, straight lines can be drawn. They come in different widths.

Markers are ideally suited for the functional marking of important passages and for colour coding. To make it clear at a glance what the colour coding refers to, clear, bright colours that stand out from each other but also create a pleasantly harmonious overall impression are important. Bright but pleasant colours – it doesn’t always have to be neon. If you want an even greater variety of colours, you can also blend the markers.

Very smooth paper is best suited for writing and painting with Brush Pens because it protects the sensitive brush tips. Either choose extra smooth premium copy paper or very smooth writing and drawing paper.

Normal copy paper is less suitable if you are working with the Brush Pen.