The Best Acrylic Paint Pens: A Paint Marker Comparison

Today I will be sharing my journey in finding the best acrylic paint pens for my creative practice. I generally avoid using the words “perfect” or “best” when I talk about art supplies. I believe that there are good supplies available at a variety of price points.  

However, when it comes to acrylic paint pens, this is not the case. There are a lot of brands out there, but there are very few pens that I have found that work as advertised. We will be exploring the different brands that I have tried and what I have discovered is the best acrylic paint pen for my creative practice.

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What is a Paint Pen or Paint Marker?

I am calling these paint pens, but paint pen or marker can be used interchangeably when talking about these types of acrylic paint pens. They are usually called paint markers when you are using a thicker, more bullet tip marker to be used for drawing. They are more often referred to as paint pens when using them for writing. For the sake of this article, when I refer to paint pens, I am including both paint pens and markers.  

An acrylic paint pen is basically a pen or marker filled with fluid acrylic paint. They write similarly to a marker or pen that holds ink. Ideally, when using a paint pen, there should be a steady flow of paint coming from the pen. There are a variety of tips and sizes for markers including brush, fine, bullet and chisel tip. Acrylic paint pens that have very fine tips are great for writing and very wide chisel tips are great for large surface areas.  

My Journey with the Paint Pen

I discovered paint pens several years ago and immediately fell in love with them. The idea of writing on a canvas or in art journal project with acrylic paint was inspiring to me. It provides a different look and feel than using a brush. It is also a great way of adding in fine details on a journal page or painting.

I loved the concept of the acrylic paint pen and purchased a wide selection of paint pens. Unfortunately, I often ended up very disappointed. The pens were hard to get the acrylic paint flowing through properly. When I finally had them flowing, they would leave big splotches of paint on my page. I found them inconsistent and hard to use.

I often only got one use out of a pen. The nibs would get dry, and I could not get them to flow again. I tried washing the nibs, changing out the nibs and still did not get good results. I was so frustrated I stopped using acrylic paint pens and started using a dip pen to add fluid acrylics to paintings instead.

What Changed?

Earlier this year, I was in a creative journaling class and my teacher recommended her favorite paint pen. It was a brand that I had not yet tried, and she said that they were amazing. I was skeptical given previous experiences but I was willing to give paint pens one more attempt.

When I tried them, I was completely blown away! I completed an entire art journal page with the paint pen without any problems. Just to be sure, I used it again the next day and it worked perfectly. I was elated! I could start using acrylic paint pens again in my work and was so excited.

Paint Marker Comparison

I want to share this paint marker comparison to show you the best acrylic paint pens from my personal experience. I will also be sharing what acrylic paint pens have not worked for me. My hope is that this will help you find the paint pen that is right for you and can avoid buying products multiple times. Acrylic paint pens are a great way of incorporating paint into your journals and art pieces, especially if you are not comfortable painting with a brush.

Posca Paint Markers

Posca paint markers and pens are the only paint pen that I can honestly recommend. They are easy to use, do not leak or drip and are easy to get the paint flowing. They come in a variety of tips and sizes which are useful for painting in large areas or creating details on your creative projects. The paint in these markers is also very opaque, which allows you to get the strokes that you want in one application.

Molotow Paint Markers

I have a collection of Molotow paint markers that work, but they do not perform as well as the Posca markers. They require a bit of work to get the paint flowing. The paint is more translucent which means that you may need to go over the area several times to get the result you are looking for. They are also almost twice the price of the Posca markers.

Liquitex Markers

I have a few Liquitex acrylic markers in my collection. They take a bit more effort to start than the Posca markers, but they work as advertised. The Liquitex acrylic markers are only available in 2mm and 15mm sizes, so they are larger markers. They are great for putting down large areas of color if you do not want to use a brush, but are not meant for detail work.

Pebeo Deco Markers

The Pebeo Acrylic Markers I cannot recommend as they have not worked for me. I usually only get one or two uses out of these acrylic markers before they are unusable. Some of these markers come with an extra nib and my experience is that you get one use out of each nib. I have cleaned the nibs and tried a variety of trouble shooting techniques without success. When using them a project, they require priming again after 2-3 strokes to keep the paint flowing. Overall, they are hard to use, inconsistent and I would not recommend them.

Dylusions Paint Pens

Dylusions paint pens come in beautiful colors, but I would not recommend them. They only come in sets and some pens work well while others do not. Some I have been able to get many uses out of while others have clogged and dripped after one use. When the nib gets clogged and if you are not able to clear it, the paint starts dripping around the nib, which creates a mess.

In Conclusion

I hope that you have found this comparison useful and will save you time and money when deciding on a paint pen. Please note that I do live in a dry semi-arid climate, so I am aware that acrylics often dry out quickly where I live. I still stand by my recommendations because if they work for me in a dry climate, they should work even better in a climate with higher humidity.

Looking for a Less Expensive Option?

Are you looking for less expensive paint markers? You can find my recommendations in this article: The Best Inexpensive Acrylic Paint Markers.

Questions?

Do you have any questions about what I have shared today? I would love for you to comment below if you have any questions or have other paint pens that you can recommend. I would love to start a dialogue and understand what works best for you. I hope that you give paint pens a try in your creative projects and that you take time for some creative self care this week.