One of the most common questions I get is about brush pens and which pens are best for beginners. So I decided to make a video that explains the different brands of brush pens I recommend, both large and small brush tips that can be used with my tracing guide worksheets.
There are many more excellent brands that I haven’t covered here, and I will probably do so in future videos. There are so many brush pens and so little time! If you have a specific question about a brand, leave a comment or send me an email.
Here is the video. You can also click HERE to watch it on YouTube and subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss out on future tutorials. Below the video are the affiliate shopping links if you are interested in purchasing any of these pens.
Here are the pens I use in the video:
Janet Ingraham
March 7, 2017 at 10:22 pm (7 years ago)Wouldn’t ZIG clean color brush markers fall into this category? Seems They are very popular among you designers so wondering why not included. Thank you for your work and sharing.
Kelly
March 8, 2017 at 1:46 pm (7 years ago)Janet, there are lots of different brush pens I didn’t include, and the Kuretake Zig Clean Color brush markers are very nice. I didn’t include them because the brush pens with actual bristles are more challenging to use for beginners. But I do love them!
teresa toledo
March 8, 2017 at 12:49 pm (7 years ago)YOU ARE BY FAR MY MOST FAV! WHEN I STARTED I ONLY USED THE TOMBOW, I LIKED THE SOFT TIP. I ALSO LIKED THE PENTEL TOUCH PENS.
SINCE I HAVE GOTTEN SO MUCH BETTER, I CAN USE ANY PEN NOW AND I LOVE IT. I FEEL LIKE I PRACTICE MORE THAN I WORK! LOL
THANK YOU!
Kelly
March 8, 2017 at 1:44 pm (7 years ago)Teresa, you are so sweet. Thank you! I’m really happy to hear that you’re loving lettering too.
Brande
March 8, 2017 at 8:58 pm (7 years ago)Thank you Kelly – I stand in front of the pens at the scrap store and go through confusion, excitement and back to confusion. I watched the video and am working in confident next time!
Kelly
March 19, 2017 at 12:46 pm (7 years ago)Love hearing this! Thank you for sharing Brande.
zahraa
March 13, 2017 at 4:25 am (7 years ago)Thank you so much for the video it helped alot and you also inspired me in handlettering/brushlettering and watoercolor… im gonna use your guide worksheet paper. thank you so much.
Kelly
March 19, 2017 at 12:45 pm (7 years ago)You’re welcome, Zahraa. I appreciate your positive feedback.
zahraa
March 13, 2017 at 4:32 am (7 years ago)i looooooooooooooooooooove your videoes and you are so good at handlettering and you inspired me in handlettering art.. but i cant afford the expensive pens!
could you do a video were you try cheap/afordable handlettering pens, brushpens…? please
Kelly
March 19, 2017 at 12:39 pm (7 years ago)Thank you for your kind comment! A lot of brush pens only cost a couple of dollars, depending where you live. But I will do a video about faux calligraphy which you can use with any pens. Coming soon….
Shweta
October 30, 2018 at 11:39 pm (5 years ago)Hey Kelly!
You haven’t included any of your pens in this blog.?can you please which of your pens can be used as a beginner?
Kelly
November 12, 2018 at 7:52 am (5 years ago)Hi Shweta! I wrote this blog post before Kelly Creates pens existed. I believe that choosing a pen is personal preference but if you are a beginner, then I recommend a few options: the 3-Pack of black brush pens (different sizes to try), the Deluxe Lettering kit (lots of different brush pens to try and learn with), the Multicolor Small brush pens (some beginners say the small pens are easier to control), and the Dream Pens (2 different large brush tip sizes on both ends). Hope this helps!