From a young age, we all learned a very important fact about ourselves. Do we colour inside or outside of the lines? The way in which we engaged in this simple craft-based activity would go on to shape the rest of our personalities as we grew older.
Do we fold and put away our washing as soon as it's ready, or leave it in the basket for a week? Do we delicately place fruits and seeds onto a bed of yoghurt before consuming breakfast, or do we shovel porridge into our mouths before running out the door with mismatched socks?
Whether you’re an inside or outside-the-lines kind of person, if you’ve found yourself reading this article, creating art has likely weaselled its way into becoming a permanent fixture of your personality.
Even if you haven’t been lucky enough to have some formal artistic teaching, you may have already experimented with the likes of watercolour, acrylics, oil and chalk pastels, ink, pencil and more. The vast majority of contemporary artists find themselves engaging with a combination, rather than sticking to just one.
Sometimes, however, returning to a more childlike medium can produce our best work. Felt tips and colouring pencils can be used in surprising ways to create intricate, layered artworks which evoke a sense of that inner child – whether that inner child is a messy artist or a neat one.
Not everyone still has a few old pencil pots filled with their secondary school art supplies, so returning to classic colouring pens as an artistic medium might just result in a virtual trip to the art supply shop.
From felt tips and markers to fibre tips and brush pens, the choices are endless, and each type serves a different purpose.
- Markers by brands such as Copic are made using alcohol-based ink and have been formulated to be highly transparent and remarkably blendable. This makes them an invaluable medium for intricate layering and shading.
- Brush pens are designed for soft, smooth and supple application, brush pens mimic the feeling of using a traditional paintbrush. Many artists prefer using brush pens for their consistency, their finer fibres and the natural effect that they produce.
- Felt and fibre tip pens are used for more solid applications and aren’t as useful for layering. Instead, they are often employed for producing highly saturated and concentrated areas of colour. Felt and fibre tip pens are also popular tools for journaling and sketching.
- Paint pens from brands such as Posca produce an acrylic paint-like effect and are compatible with most surfaces. They are highly popular when it comes to DIY crafting thanks to their water-based formulation and permanent, glossy finish.
Without further ado, we’ve curated a selection of the best colouring pens on the market for all your artistic and crafting needs. Shop our top picks below.
Copic Sketch Markers Set of 72
The set of felt tip markers to rival them all, Copic may be eye-wateringly expensive, but these pens are a sure-fire investment in your artistic career. The ‘sketch’ pens are the most popular model and are available in the widest range of colours. They feature a medium-broad and flexible superbrush nib combination. Choose between three different sets of colours which feature slightly warmer or cooler tones, depending on what suits your colour palette.
Our personal favourite is set A, which we feel offers a brilliant combination of tones. Set B, on the other hand, is better suited to those who work with darker colours and heavy outlines – such as manga and comic designers. Set C offers all brightly-hued colours and no blacks or greys.
Buy now £399.99, Cult Pens
Staedtler 3200 TB120 Design Journey Double-Ended Fibre-Tip Pens with Thin & Wide Nibs
A fantastic assortment of double-ended colouring pens from cult-favourite brand Staedtler, this pack of 120 is offered at an incredible value-for-money price. Whether used for writing, drawing, illustrating or colouring, these versatile pens are sure to support your artistic journey.
Buy now £39.43, Amazon
Tombow Dual Brush Pens Shonen Manga Set of 10
Ideal for those who prefer to stick to a capsule colour palette, this set of 10 Tombow dual-ended brush pens is ideal for Manga and comic book creators. Both versatile nibs can be interchanged for broad strokes and intricate detail work, while the water-based ink makes for easy blending.
Buy now £26.95, Cass Art
Stabilo Pen 68 Premium Fibre-Tip Pen – Pack of 65
When it comes to traditional felt tips, you can’t do much better than the Stabilo Pen 68. Offering highly saturated colour with streak-free, water-based ink, these are a back-to-school essential, no matter whether you’re in primary, secondary or university education.
The classic Pen 68 features a versatile 1mm fibre tip, though it’s also available with a metallic, brush or precision tip. The ink is water-soluble, which means it takes roughly 24 hours to dry fully – so make sure to properly store your work and take care with potential bleed-through.
Buy now £62.48, Amazon
Staedtler Calligraph Duo - Assorted Calligraphy Marker Pens
Filled with high-quality, light-fast, water-based ink which won’t fade over time, these colourful calligraphy felt tips are double-ended for both large (3.5mm) and small (2.0mm) lettering.
Buy now £17.85, Art Discount
Pentel Arts Sign Pens with Brush Tip
Fantastically flexible, these colourful brush tip pens from Pentel will add glorious technicolour to all of your work – whether it be professional or personal. A particular favourite amongst journal enthusiasts and avid notetakers, these acid-free pens produce a 0.7mm line which may vary depending on the pressure applied to the nib.
Despite their lovely, sparkly shells, these pens produce solid colours without glitter.
Buy now £29.86, Amazon
Uni POSCA Marker Pen PCF-350 Brush Set of 10 Assorted
Posca pens aren’t your traditional type of brush pen. Filled with permanent, opaque water-based pigment ink, Posca markers produce an acrylic paint-like effect and can be used on any surface imaginable.
The PCF-350 brush-tipped pens are a newer addition to the Posca range and have been designed to give the tool a more flexible feel and a fluid finish.
Buy now £40.00, Cult Pens
Zebra Mildliner Double Ended Brush Tip Pen & Fine Tip Marker
These pastel-hued pens from Zebra offer the best of both worlds, with a dual-ended brush and bullet tip. The versatile, acid-free colours make this set a back-to-school essential in our eyes.
Buy now £13.00, Amazon
Verdict
When it comes to colouring pens, there’s no competition. Though technically considered markers, Copic pens offer a wealth of artistic opportunities – from high-quality intricate artworks to personal sketches and journaling.
