Y'all ready for this?
The Hopefully Helpful and Sort of Comprehensive Brush Pen Comparison!
Yeah, it's been in the works for a while, but I wound up running into walls with how detailed to get and how many to try and what to test and blah blah blah
HOW 'BOUT THIS
We'll keep it simple and if there's anything else you'd like me to include, I'll edit it later or do a follow-up post. ALL RIGHT.
Why brush pens?
What good is a brush pen?
What is a good brush pen?
If you're coming from a fineliner background, a brush pen gives you the ability to vary the thickness of your lines without having to go over an area again or switch pens.
If you're coming from brush and ink, it gives you a similar effect with added portability, no cleanup and without the danger of upsetting an inkwell on your pants.
A good brush pen is one that does what you want it to, feels good in your hand, and doesn't crumble under the might of your meaty artist hands within the first few weeks.
At the time of writing, there's a pretty limited selection of brush pens in the average Canadian art supply shop, and a giant inexorable morass of them online.
Your mileage may vary of course. I've got a bit of both in this list.
I'm covering a couple of pens from what I see are the big four brush pen categories, but first:
Disqualified Pens
The Copic Multiliner and the Pilot Futayaku double-sided pens have been cut from the lineup, even though I kinda reviewed them before. Basically, I don't think either of them are worth putting through their paces.
In Copic's case it's because I really think this is just a terrible, terrible pen. If I put it in the comparison I'd just be saying "don't buy it" over and over. It's expensive, it wears out and frays like crazy and the replacement components aren't worth the hassle, the ink is smeary, the tip is fragile and difficult to control and, perhaps most importantly, the Copic brush pen is not Copic-proof.
Miserable. End of story.
The Futayaku is just... odd.
The thin tip is nice and it's held up well, but the fat tip frayed immediately and then dried out faster than any other pen on the list. I'm not sure what else to say about it. If you REALLY feel the need for a double ended liner, go for it. It's your $3.30.
Onward!
The Pens
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| Pictured: Tombow |
Firm, fine tips.
Like a bridge between a regular felt-tip pen and the world beyond. These are small, usually sturdy tips that give you line variance without sacrificing any control. Probably a good choice for people who prefer pens to brushes.
The Tombow Fudenosuke is pretty standard pen-size and from what I can tell it's an artist favourite.
The Pilot Petit3 is kind of an odd one out, as it's not really meant to be an art pen. I bought it for art-use because it is just a super convenient size to carry around.
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| Pictured: Sakura |
Medium felt brushes.
The brush pen of choice in pretty well any art/stationary/scrapbook shop. Generally fine and flexible.
The Sakura Pigma is hands down the brush pen I've seen most recommended in "how to draw manga" books. In fact it's just recommended a lot. Local art shops run out of the black ones immediately without fail.
The Marvy LePen is similar in tip to the Sakura, and slightly larger overall. I've used this brand's felt pens (very nice) but the brush pen is new to me.
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| Pictured: Kuretake |
Fat felt brushes.
Big, bold lines with the benefit of flexibility.
The Kuretake No.33 was the first brush pen I bought online (it seems so long ago~) and is the slimmest of the bunch. I still have a bit of trouble with my desire to post the cap, an effort met by an ominous crunching noise.
The Faber-Castell Big Pitt pen is the rather burlier cousin of its more common counterpart, which is equivalent to the Sakura and LePen tips. I've had my thinner Faber-Castell brush pens run smeary and fray on me pretty quick, so I wanted to see what this one would hold up to.
The sudden influx of artistic Sharpies is pretty interesting to me. Let's see if it compares!
Fiber brushes.
Bristles in natural or synthetic material. The closest thing to a traditional brush.
The Pentel is a fat, but pretty light pen with a squishy body to increase ink flow. It's a bit longer than the average pen.
The Akashiya New Fude is slim and simple, with shorter bristles than the Pentel.
And now, the challenges!
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Pressure/line variance, smudge, alcohol marker, water, coverage over a black line, blackness, white gel pen and more water (for the second water test I let the water pool instead of rubbing the paper.) Tests done on vellum-surface bristol. I did not include the Tombow or the Petit3 in the opacity/blackness tests because of their fineness.
Vellum bristol, medium tooth sketchbook paper, smooth brown recycled sketchbook paper, cardstock and cold pressed watercolour paper.
I ran my finger over the inks after a short time. The brown sketchbook and watercolour papers took the longest to dry.
Drawings done on cardstock and scanned in black and white.
Your brush pen requirements and preferences may be completely different from mine, so I encourage you to take a close look and draw your own conclusions. As for me:
The Breakdown
The Tombow
Firmness: Very firm, but sturdy. Not afraid to press down.
Line variance: Minimal.
Control: Very good.
Ink quantity: Moderate. Can run dry on thirsty paper and smear if used to fill space.
Blackness: Light black.
Smudge: None.
Marker: Good.
Water: Very slightly water resistant. Ink lifts but doesn't bleed heavily.
The Pilot Petit3
Firmness: Slightly squashier than the Tombow, but sturdy.
Line variance: Nice. A pleasing organic swoop with pressure.
Control: Decent, but the short, rounded body might be awkward for some hands.
Ink quantity: Wet, but not excessive.
Blackness: Lighter black on smooth paper, solid on a toothier surface.
Smudge: None.
Marker: Good.
Water: Not waterproof. Feathers and bleeds pale.
Refillable.
The Sakura
Firmness: Slightly firm base with thin, flexible tip. I feel a bit insecure pressing firmly.
Line variance: Thin to bold line.
Control: Not great. There's a sharp threshold between the thin and thick lines, and the very tip of the brush is flexible enough that laying down hairline strokes is possible, but not effortless.
Ink quantity: Light but consistent.
Blackness: Light charcoal type black.
Smudge: Not to the touch, but pressing firmly lifted some ink off and smudged.
Marker: Not marker-proof. Slight shadow into the colours.
Water: Water didn't fade the ink much, but it did shadow the surrounding paper. Resistant but not waterproof.
White ink: Good.
The LePen
Firmness: Squashy, springy.
Line variance: Bold. Slight struggle with hairlines.
Control: The tip feels sturdier than the Sakura, but the line it lays down is, on the whole, thicker. Its a trade-off.
Ink quantity: Moderate. Slightly dry on thirsty paper.
Blackness: Charcoal. A bit darker than the Sakura.
Smudge: Slight smudging/shadowing with firm pressure, but no ink lifting.
Marker: Good.
Water: Slight shadowing, no lifting.
White ink: Good.
The Kuretake
Firmness: Soft but springy/rubbery.
Line variance: Good. Satisfying transition from thin to bold lines.
Control: Decent. The tip is mostly thick with a very short, sharp point that lends itself to quick, organic strokes.
Ink quantity: Light. Shows up pale on smooth papers and watercolour paper.
Blackness: Blue-black with very responsive darkness. Light, watercolour grey to a light touch, bold pigment with firm pressure.
Smudge: Slight lift/shadow.
Marker: Good.
Water: No water resistance. Feathers and lifts dramatically.
White ink: Not great. Absorbs the ink to grey.
The Sharpie
Firmness: Mushy.
Line variance: Not great. Lays down a nice, bold line but any sharpness in the tip wore down immediately.
Control: Much the same issue with the frayed tip.
Ink quantity: Copious, but not wet.
Blackness: Very dark purple. Shiny on some surfaces.
Smudge: None.
Marker: Not marker-proof. Fades and feathers.
Water: Waterproof.
White ink: Good.
Bleed: This is the only pen I tested that bled vigorously through all the papers I put it on. Watercolour and bristol were the most resistant papers, but it bled through all of them to a degree.
Smell: Also the only pen I tested with a strong marker/paint type smell. Stronger than the average sharpie pen and very noticeable whenever it's uncapped. I did not find the smell to linger on paper, though.
The Faber-Castell
Firmness: Firm tip body with squashy point.
Line variance: Not bad, but this is another one whose tip wore down right away. No thin lines here.
Control: Like the Sharpie, this pen lays down bold, thick lines and not much else. Unlike the Sharpie, I also noticed a slight skipping of the tip at some angles, noticeable in the drawing test around the edges of the collar.
Ink quantity: Evenly thick. Not wet.
Blackness: Dark charcoal.
Smudge: Slight smudging under pressure.
Marker: Fades and bleeds a little.
Water: Very slight shadowing/lifting.
White ink: Good.
The Pentel
Firmness: Very soft and flexible, springs back nicely.
Line variance: Huge. Hairline to very bold.
Control: Good. Easy to maintain thin lines.
Ink quantity: Copious. Very wet and requires more drying time. Skips around the edges on thirsty paper.
Blackness: Deep neutral black.
Smudge: None.
Marker: Good.
Water: Not waterproof. Dramatic dark bleeding.
White ink: Absorbs ink slightly.
Refillable.
The Akashiya
Firmness: Very soft and flexible. A little softer than the Pentel and very slightly less springy.
Line variance: Very good.
Control: Good. Smooth transition to pressure.
Ink quantity: Slightly dry. Skips on thirsty and toothy paper.
Blackness: Deep blue-black.
Smudge: Slight shadowing under pressure.
Marker: Good.
Water: Not waterproof.
White ink: Absorbs ink slightly.
Best black.
The Pentel, with the Akashiya in close second and Faber-castell in third. The Pentel and Akashiya are darkest, but the Akashiya has slightly more visible strokes. The Faber-Castell has good coverage, but it's lighter overall.
Worst.
Probably the Sakura or the Kuretake. The Kuretake is palest, but it fills space better than the Sakura, which has very visible strokes.
Best control.
The Tombow and the Pentel. The Tombow is firm and sturdy and very predictable. The Pentel has a friendly, hairline tip and is forgiving of unstable hands.
Worst.
The Sharpie and Faber-Castell. Both have big, unwieldy lines and the Faber-Castell skips and wobbles unusually.
Best line variance.
The Pentel, hands down, especially with the ability to control your ink flow. Hairline to giant, sloshy strokes.
Worst.
The Tombow has the least flexibility, but that's part of the appeal.
Best wear.
The Pentel, which has been my workhorse pen for two sketchbooks plus and shows no signs of slowing down, and the Kuretake, which I have beaten up mercilessly for the better part of a year and hasn't run dry or frayed even a little.
Worst.
The Sharpie and Faber-Castell are tied. Both had a semblance of a narrow tip when I got them, but lost it and frayed out within a few drawings.
Most convenient carry.
The Petit3. It's the smallest when capped and the body is sturdy. Very pocketable.
Least.
The Pentel. It's length makes it a tight fit in a lot of pencil cases and the soft body makes it downright dangerous to carry in the pocket.
Best value.
The cheapest pen on the list is the LePen, at $1.59, but I'm going with the Kuretake at $3.30 because it's versatile and it just will not quit.
Worst.
The Pentel is undeniably the most expensive thing on the list, but the long wearing tip and long lasting refills make it good value. I'm going to cheat and say that the Copic Multiliner is the most disappointing bang for your buck. $9.20 on Jetpens and about $12.00 at my local art shops. Don't make yourself suffer.
Personal Favourite
The Pentel has won my heart fair and square. The thing is a beast and it comes closest to replicating the feel of a brush and ink. In addition to the black pen here, I own this brush pen in two shades of grey, steel blue, turquoise, and two empty bodies I fill with fountain pen ink. My pen case is... heavy, to say the least. I know bold strokes and splashy lines aren't everyone's deal, so in that spirit I also highly recommend the Akashiya as a lighter, cheaper, less messy alternative, and the Tombow for those who like a little more control in their lives.
Honestly, I recommend giving everything a go if you can. I've found uses for all the pens on this list (even the Sharpie, which has the distinct advantage of being able to make marks on ANYTHING) and you might find one that wins you over.
Just don't buy the Copic Multiliner.
<3
UPDATE: Tumblr version of this post.
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