Best Brush Pen For Intermediate Level of 2023
For those of you who have already mastered the basics of calligraphy and are able to write using small and hard tips, I invite you to read the next part of the series about recommended brush pens.
If you are just starting the adventure of brush lettering, I invite you to take a look at my previous post in which I presented the best, in my opinion, brush pens for beginner brush lettering enthusiasts.
Time To Jump To a Higher Level
I know from my own experience that at some point, brush pens for beginners are not enough. Having learned the skill of drawing letters, we want to create larger inscriptions, rewrite sentences, make greeting cards. Tiny felt-tip pens are not very suitable for this, so it’s time to step up a higher level of initiation.
When you decide that this is the moment to face the slightly larger and more flexible brush pen tips, take into account my suggestions for intermediate calligraphers – I tried them on my own skin and I can recommend with a clear conscience. Despite the relatively soft tips, they are not difficult to control.
Note: These pens will also work for people who did not write with brush pens, but practiced traditional calligraphy with nib and ink, as well as for cartoonists, architects, and holders of the so-called “light hand”.
Is it time for Tombow ABT Dual?
Not just yet! I know people who learned brush lettering with these – very fashionable – pens, I like them myself, but I consider them a tool for more advanced calligraphers. They are popular, they can be bought in a hundred colors, but the size and softness of the tip require considerable skill.
If they tempt you very much, (I know they tempted me when I first started) buy one and see how you like it. I will come back to them in the third part of the series when I will talk about the best brush pen for advanced calligraphers.
Best Brush Pen For Intermediate Level
Brushmarker PRO Karin
I am one of the lucky ones that had the opportunity to test these Polish brush pens before they conquered the world. I use them both for calligraphy and for drawing.
Most popular brush pens have nylon tips, these are distinguished by nylon-polyester – more durable and more resistant. This is important if you are still learning because there is no fear that they will destroy quickly in untrained hands.
Brush markers are filled with liquid paint (based on dyes or – in the case of neon colors – pigments), the carrier of which is water. The colors can be mixed by touching the tips of two pens or using a colorless blender. This gives calligraphy the opportunity to experiment and create multi-colored inscriptions.
Brush Karin pens are very “juicy”, which is why they are not very suitable for use in ordinary notebooks (paint can stab and paper wavy when exposed to moisture). It’s best to use them on thicker pages like Bristol or watercolor paper (smooth, i.e. hot pressed ).
Ecoline Royal Talens
In Royal Talens brush pens you will find the same concentrated liquid watercolor paint as in jars. Unfortunately, the colors do not mix well – these pens will work rather in monochrome inscriptions. The tips are very large, but easy to control.
On paper, Ecoline pens behave like Karin Brushmarkers, because they are also very “wet” – so they will not be suitable, for example, to decorate a Bullet Journal.
Note: Do not hold the brush pens near the tip, but slightly higher. It will be easier for you to write long letters such as F and J. In calligraphy, you do not work with your fingers alone (as in ordinary handwriting), but with your wrist and arm.
Edding 1340
Edding 1340 is the latest on my list, the smallest and easiest to use brush pens from the three described today. Their tip is admittedly much larger than in beginner pens, but quite small compared to Karin and Ecoline. You can write with them in notebooks or school notebooks – the ink is water-based, so it doesn’t stick through the paper.
Note: The Edding can also be used by beginners, especially those who have practiced building letters using “deceived calligraphy” and pencil calligraphy.
Do you use brush pens for beginners or already intermediate? If you have recommended pens, let me know in the comments!
