Top Brush Pens for Lettering and Illustration: Our Picks

By the Joybuy team, your creative hobby experts

The brush pen has established itself as the go-to tool for artists, calligraphers, and DIY enthusiasts. Whether for hand lettering, manga illustration, bringing a bullet journal to life, or creating watercolours, its flexible tip offers nearly endless creative freedom. However, with the vast array of models, ink types, and tip flexibilities available, choosing the right brush pen set can quickly become overwhelming.

This guide is here to help you make sense of it all and find the perfect brush pen for your artistic practice.

Essential Criteria for Choosing the Right Brush Pen

Before you dive in, let's review a few technical criteria that will make all the difference in the final look of your creations and your overall user experience.

Ink Type?: Pigment-Based, Water-Based, or Water-Soluble??

The type of ink is crucial?: it determines the longevity of your artwork and the scope of your creative possibilities.

• Pigment-based ink?: Made of solid pigments in suspension, this ink is permanent once dry. It is resistant to water, light, and time. It's the preferred choice for artwork meant to last, such as manga drawing or professional illustrations, as it won't bleed if you layer water-based colours on top.
• Dye-based ink (water-soluble)?: This water-soluble ink offers vibrant, transparent colours. A watercolour brush pen is ideal for creating gradients, colour blends, and watercolour-like effects. All you need is a wet brush or a blender pen to work the colours directly on the paper.

The Tip?: Flexibility and Dual Functionality

The tip is the heart of the brush pen. Its flexibility directly influences the variation in line width.

• Flexibility?: A very flexible tip allows you to easily transition from a fine line to a very broad stroke, which is highly sought after for calligraphy pens and expressive brush lettering. A firmer tip offers more control, which is often more reassuring for beginners.
• Dual tip?: Some models offer a dual-tip pen, combining a brush tip and a fine tip (like a fineliner). This versatility is highly valued for bullet journaling, sketching, and illustration, as it allows you to outline, colour, and write with a single tool.

Our Recommended Brush Pens

Now for our selection of products that cater to different needs, whether you're a beginner or a seasoned artist.

SAKURA Pigma Brush Pen Set of 9

Why it stands out?: This set uses the famous archival-quality Pigma ink, renowned for its exceptional durability. It's the tool of choice for artwork that needs to stand the test of time without deteriorating.

Key features?:

• Archival-quality ink?: The pigment-based ink is water-resistant, fade-proof, and chemically stable (pH neutral).
• Expressive brush tip?: The flexible synthetic tip responds to pressure to create a wide range of strokes, from the finest to the boldest.
• Versatility?: Perfect for lettering, calligraphy, illustration, and outlining manga drawings.

Who is it for?? Artists, illustrators, and calligraphers who require a permanent and reliable ink for their final pieces.

Ecoline Brush Pen Primary Set of 10

Why it stands out?: This set offers all the intensity of Ecoline liquid watercolours in the convenient form of a brush pen. Its bright, blendable colours make it a tool that's as fun as it is creative.

Key features?:

• Vibrant watercolour shades?: The ink, based on dyes and gum arabic, produces transparent and brilliant hues.
• Flexible brush tip?: Ideal for creating flat washes of colour, smooth gradients, and expressive lettering.
• Blendability?: The colours can be mixed together, diluted with water, or worked with a blender pen to create an infinite range of shades. A dried-out tip can even be revived with a little water.

Who is it for?? Creatives who enjoy colourful lettering, watercolour, or bullet journaling, and who love to blend colours and create watercolour effects.

Bruynzeel Dual Tip Marker Set of 24 (Fineliner & Brush)

Why it stands out?: Versatility is the key word for this set. Each marker combines a brush tip and a fine tip, offering an all-in-one tool for a multitude of projects.

Key features?:

• Dual-tip marker?: A flexible brush tip for lettering and colouring, and a 0.4 mm fine tip for details, outlines, and precise writing.
• Wide colour palette?: The 24-colour set provides a full spectrum for rich and varied illustrations.
• Water-based ink?: The smooth, nearly odourless ink is easy to use for sketching, creative journaling, and drawing.

Who is it for?? Fans of bullet journaling, urban sketching, and illustrators looking for a versatile brush pen set to combine lettering, detail work, and colouring.

Looking for Other Options??

Our selection highlights a few gems, but the world of creative pens is vast. If you want to explore a wider range of colours, brands, or tip types, feel free to browse our full collection to find the perfect tool for your style.

Discover all our colour sketching pens on Joybuy

Frequently Asked Questions about Brush Pens

Which brush pen is best for starting lettering??

When you're starting out, we recommend choosing a brush pen with a tip that is neither too flexible nor too stiff. A medium-firm tip provides good control for learning to master pressure and form upstrokes and downstrokes. A dual-tip model can also be an excellent investment for practising both lettering and fine writing.

What is the difference between a pigment-based ink pen and a watercolour pen??

The fundamental difference lies in how they react to water. Pigment-based ink (like that in SAKURA Pigma pens) becomes permanent and water-resistant after drying. A watercolour pen (like the Ecoline) contains a dye-based ink that remains soluble, allowing you to rework it with a wet brush to create wash or watercolour effects.

How do I care for my brush pens??

To preserve the longevity of your pens, a few simple steps are essential. Store them horizontally whenever possible to ensure even ink distribution, especially for dual-tip models. Always replace the caps firmly after use to prevent the tips from drying out. If you blend colours, clean the lighter-coloured tip on a scrap piece of paper before capping it.