The Search for the Best Permanent Pen

Have you discovered the best permanent pen for your creative practice? If you haven’t, then you are not alone. It can be overwhelming. There are so many choices for permanent pens! When choosing the best permanent pen for you, it is a very personal decision. Today I will be sharing some of my favorites and what I consider when purchasing a pen.

Permanent or Water-Soluble?

For today, I will be focusing on permanent pens and will leave water-soluble pens out of the discussion. What you look for in a permanent pen versus a water-soluble pen is vastly different. If you would be interested in my thoughts on water-soluble pens, let me know by leaving a comment.  

I use permanent pens extensively in my mixed media practice and they are not all equal. When choosing a pen for your mixed media practice, look for a pen with minimal bleed when used with wet mediums that will also write smoothly on top of acrylic and other mediums.

When Choosing a Pen

Finding a good permanent pen can be challenging. There are a variety of pens out there and it can be hard to determine what is worth purchasing and what is better left on the shelf. When choosing a pen, I ask myself the following questions.

What Kind of Surface am I Using it on?

What kind of surface is the permanent pen being used on? Are you using rough or smooth paper? Are you creating with multiple layers or ink sketching in a notebook? Is the pen being added on top of other mediums and what are the properties of these mediums (are they smooth, chalky, rough, etc.)?

What Style of Pen do I Enjoy?

There are many styles of pens including brush style pens and micro pens with fine tips. Do you prefer to sketch loosely with ink, or prefer detailed strokes? Do you want fixed line widths or something with more variation? Some pens are available in multiple styles, like Pitt Artist pens.

How Long will the Ink take to Dry?

Do you want a pen that will dry in seconds so that wet mediums can be added immediately, or are you open to a longer drying time? Not every permanent pen will dry immediately. Some are better left for a few hours or overnight before adding other mediums.

My Favorite Pens

I have such a variety of black permanent pens that I created a page in my sample book to keep track of them. I love pens and it is very tempting to find reasons to purchase new ones. This sample book helps me remember what I own and prevents me from buying similar products or duplicates.

After I created this sample page, I let the ink dry overnight. To see how permanent the ink is, I added water with a brush down the left-hand side of the page. This indicates how waterproof the ink is and how much bleed to expect when using very wet mediums like watercolor.

Fineliner Permanent Pens

There are a variety of fineliner permanent pens available, and it can be hard to choose between brands. Fineliner pens have needle point tips and come in a variety of sizes from .005mm to 1mm widths. I find these pens useful for details and more defined drawing.

In my creative practice, I find these pens work the best in pen and ink drawings and on smooth surfaces. I will generally use them on hot press watercolor, mixed media, and smooth Bristol paper. These are my favorite pens to use with watercolor as they are permanent and allow me to add details and color.

Fineliner Brands

I use 4 different brands of fineliner pens in my creative projects. There are many other brands available, but these are the ones I have chosen for my creative practice.

Alvin Techliner & Sakura Pigma Micron

The Alvin Techliner and the Sakura Pigma Micron pens are filled with pigment inks that are considered permanent and waterproof. In my sample book I found slight bleeding with the micron pens and no bleeding with the Alvin Techliner when a large amount of water was applied.

Sakura Micoperm

The Sakura MicroPerm pens are solvent based pens which makes them impervious to water. These are a good choice for using on mixed media surfaces as they will write on almost anything. According to the Sakura website they will write on metal, glass, plastic, wood, and cellophane. I have not tried this personally, but as an artist’s drawing pen, they work extremely well.

Pitt Artists Pen Fineliner Nibs

The Pitt Artists pens are filled with India Ink and come in a variety of sizes. They are lightfast and waterproof, but they tend to have slight bleeding when used with a large amount of water. They are my favorite pens for detailed sketching as I find their nibs work better on a variety of surfaces.

Brush Pens

I love brush pens because based on the pressure you apply on the nib this can give you a variety of thick and thin lines. They are fun to use but they do take practice. Unlike the fineliner pens that have a fixed line thickness, the brush pen line thickness is based on pressure. This makes choosing a brush pen a very personal decision as it is based on feel.

Brush pens come in a variety of brush stiffnesses, ink types and colors. When using a brush pen in my creative projects I look for a pen that has good ink coverage, allows me to vary my line size and works well on top of paint and other mediums. I also look for a pen that is easy to control and isn’t too pliable. Learning to use a brush pen with a soft brush takes some practice, so if you are new to brush pens, try one with a stiffer brush.  

Pitt Artists Pens Brush Nibs

Pitt Artists Pens come in 60 different colors of India Ink which makes these pens great for illustration and drawing. They also have different brush stiffnesses depending on your preference. They are lightfast, have beautiful color, but tend to bleed slightly when used with a large amount of water. When purchasing these pens, pay attention to the nib type as there are 9 different nib styles available.

Zebra Zensations Brush Pen

The Zebra Zensations Brush Pen is a new addition to my collection. I enjoy this pen because of the brush tip. I find it easy to control as the tip density is perfect for the way that I like to draw. The pigment ink has great intensity and there is no bleed when water is added.  

Tombow Fudenosuke

Tombow Fudenosuke pens contain pigment ink and come in a hard tip and soft tip. This is an excellent pen to use in calligraphy, but the line size and color intensity is also great for sketching and drawing. These tend to have a very slight bleed when water is added.

Sakura Pigma Brush Pen

Sakura Pigma Brush Pen uses pigment ink and have a very soft brush nib. I enjoy these pens, but they take a bit more practice to get consistency with this brush tip. They do get slight bleed when water is added to the ink.  

Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Pen

Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Pen is one of my favorite pens. This is a refillable pen with pigment ink that has an intense black color. Be aware that this is not the easiest pen to work with as it has very pliable bristles, but I love that it creates very fine to very thick strokes. When I use this pen, I try to think about using it like a brush instead of a pen to draw.

I love using this Pocket Brush Pen on top of paint and other mediums because it gives such intense black color with just one stroke. I would not suggest using this pen with a lot of wet mediums, as there is a fair amount of bleed. It is fantastic for the final touches and for adding drawing on top of thick and uneven surfaces.

Which Brush Pen to Choose

I find each of these pens has a different strength and different use to my creative practice. I would say for ease of use, waterproofness, and color, I would suggest the Zebra Zensations Brush Pen. For a fun pen to grow into, I would suggest the Pentel Arts Pocket Brush Pen. The other pens are also excellent and what you choose may depend on if you prefer India ink or pigment ink.

Random Pens

I have a few other random pens that I would like to share with you today.

Platinum Plaisir Fountain Pen

The Platinum Plaisir fountain pen I purchased specifically to use with carbon ink. Most fountain pen inks are not waterproof, and I was looking for a pen that would take permanent ink without clogging. I love fountain pens, so this pen is not necessarily one for everyone, but is my personal favorite for loose sketching.

Sakura IdentiPen

Sakura IdentiPen is filled with solvent ink and is a dual tip pen. This pen will write on any surface and the quick drying time makes it great for adding color on top immediately after sketching

Speedball Elegant Writer

Speedball Elegant Writer Calligraphy Pen is filled with permanent ink that does not bleed. It has a square nib which is meant specifically for calligraphy. I use it for sketching in places where I want intense color and a bit of variation in the line sizing.

When a Permanent Marker Doesn’t Work

I find there are several surfaces where a permanent pen does not work well. I have ruined many pens by using them incorrectly, so I have discovered several surfaces that you should avoid using permanent pens.

Pastel Pencils and Pan Pastels

Pastel pencils, Pan Pastels and chalk inks have beautiful finishes, but they can be death to your pens. The chalkiness of the medium will draw up into the pen which blocks the nib and prevents ink from flowing. Usually when this happens, it is very hard to revive a pen and get it flowing again.  

Gesso

When working on thin book paper I will often gesso the surface, then add pen and other mediums on top. As gesso is meant to add tooth to the paper and the roughness of the surface is hard on pens. If I use pens on top of gesso, I usually allow the gesso to dry for 24 to 48 hours before adding pen on top. I would suggest being very careful when you do this as the roughness of the surface can destroy your pens.

The Solution

For any surface where I am worried that my pens will be damaged, I use a dip pen and a bottle of ink. If you have never used a dip pen, I would suggest giving it a try! Make sure to purchase a decent quality nib so that you will have good success with a dip pen. If you would be interested in seeing my tutorial on how to use a dip pen, please click here.

Any Questions?

Any questions about these pens or how to use them in your projects? There are so many great choices available when it comes to choosing a permanent pen. I do hope that this helps you narrow down the best permanent pen for your creative practice. I would love to hear what pens you have or what pen you have decided to try! Please leave a comment below or contact me directly.

Project Supply List

• Zebra Zensations Brush Pen – Fine – Permanent
• Alvin Techliner Size 01, 03 & 05 Technical Drawing Marker
• Sakura Microperm 01 & 03 – Ultrafine Permanent
• Speedball Elegant Writer – Permanent 1.3mm
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen- Hard Tip
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen- Soft Tip
• Pitt Artists Pens Sizes 0.1mm to 0.7mm
• Pitt Artists Pens1-5mm Brush
• Pentel Art Pocket Brush Pen
• Sakura Pigma Micron- Archival Pigment Ink Sizes 005 to 1
• Bristol Paper