Choose Coloring Pens

Depending on the variety of coloring pen you choose, your art will take on different characteristics. Pens now come in a few variety of inks. Water-based inks are bright but other types of ink hold up better on a variety of surfaces and work better for color blending. Pens are also made with different tips. Short, hard nibs give you precise details but wider, felt nibs cover page space quicker. Choosing the right coloring pens depends on the type of ink that works best for your project and the nib size that gives you the precision you desire.

Steps

Choosing Pens by Ink

1. Pick water-based pens for beginners. Water-based pens are the most abundant pen variety. Brand names such as Crayola offer felt-tipped marker pens which are affordable and available at any general store. They are safe for children but can tear paper when added in layers. They will provide your drawings with bright colors, but don’t work well for shading techniques.
2. Switch to alcohol-based pens for advanced work. Alcohol-based pens, such as Copic, are useful for putting down a lot of color. Many can be used for detail work as well. These are professional-grade markers typically found in craft stores and can be purchased individually. They work well on thicker paper and allow for color shading and blending, but will bleed through paper.
   • Oil-based pens also exist and function similarly to alcohol-based pens.
3. Get pigment-based ink for durability. Pigment-based ink pens, including acrylic pens and some India ink pens, have been improved over time to rival alcohol-based dye pens. These pens give you clearer colors, bleed through paper less, and resist water and light better than dye pens. However, they are generally more expensive than alcohol-based pens.
   • Examples include the Sakura Pigma Micro pens and Montana acrylic markers.
4. Get gel pens for fine details. Gel pens are water-based and come in a variety of finishes such as metallic or glitter. These pens are ideal for making small details. They run out of ink faster than other pens and tend to skip when not pressed hard enough against the paper.
   • Gel pens dry slowly and are difficult to color over, so other coloring implements should be used first when you desire to fill in underlying space.
   • Examples of gel pens include Fiskars and Sakura Gelly Roll.

Picking Pens by Tip

1. Choose plastic tips for smooth lines. The tip, or nib, of the pen controls how much ink is left on the page. Pens with traditional plastic tips leave thin, even lines. This makes them best for outlines and detailed coloring.
2. Get felt tips for versatility. Pens with felt tips function like markers. When held flat, they impart lots of color to fill in wide areas of paper. When held upright, the tips can be used for finer details. These tips use more ink and lose their shape faster.
3. Choose the appropriate tip size. Pens can also come in a variety of tip sizes. A finer tip leaves small, precise lines and is good for detail work. Broad tips are good for thick lines and filling larger areas of paper. Medium tips are a combination of the two.
   • The definition of fine, medium, and broad tips differ between manufacturers due to the type of ink and tip used. For example, gel pens and plastic tips leave finer lines than marker pens and felt tips.
4. Use marker pens for broad coloring. Marker pens have tips similar to markers. While some varieties have finer tips, most have broader felt tips that allow you to fill in more space without running out of ink as quickly as when using a gel pen. These pens come up in all varieties of ink and are practical for beginners and professionals alike.
   • These pens put down a large amount of ink, which often bleeds through paper and colors the other side.

Considering the Coloring Surface

1. Use water-based pens for double-sided images. When you use a coloring book, the paper quality is chosen for you. However, alcohol and oil-based pens will bleed through paper, ruining the image on the other side. Water-based pens are safer to use in this case, although if you attempt to layer colors you may tear thin paper.
   • One trick to reduce bleeding is to place a second surface, such as cardboard or another piece of paper, under the sheet you’re coloring.
   • You can also try more bleed-resistant pens, such as pigment-based pens, for detail work.
2. Choose alcohol-based pens for thick surfaces. Thicker paper, including watercolor paper, Stonehenge paper, Bristol board, and illustration board absorb more color than standard paper. This limits the bleedthrough by alcohol and oil-based pens.
3. Look for smooth paper with a high GSM number. Smooth paper works better for pen drawings since rough spots break up lines and colors. You can see the smoothness of the paper by looking for bumps. However, look at the package for a GSM (grams per square meter) number. A larger number means thicker paper, which retains ink better.
   • GSM goes from 74, which is standard copy paper, to 260, which is heavy cardstock.
   • There is also low GSM bleedthrough-proof paper that is designed for alcohol-based pens and is used for comics and other designs.

Tips

• When working with paper, place another piece of paper or cardboard underneath to prevent color bleeding.

Sources and Citations

See also

• Use Copic Markers
• Make a Pocket Sized Pencil Drawing Kit
• Get What You Need for Manga