5 Pens that I Keep Around

I used to draw in pencil until an artist that I really respected said that he always drew in pen because it helped him be more confident and draw quickly rather than going back and correcting his mistakes. Depending on what I am doing I still draw in pencil from time to time but generally I sketch in ink. Here are the 5 pens that I LOVE right now.

The Cheap Everyday BIC

I can't tell you how often I see people sketching with a really expensive pen and I just die a little bit inside! Maybe I will be able to afford it someday but even if I could I don't know that I would. This BIC pen is what I use for my everyday sketching. It has a few things that I like:

1) It is blue. This means that once I get down the loose imagery I can go back over it in Black ink and the blue will kind of fade into the background.

2) It is inconsistent. Because this pen is pretty cheap it sometimes bleeds and leaves little blobs places. This helps be stay loose and see opportunities that I wasn't really aware of before.

3) It is cheap. Really this pen is just a symbol for the thousands of pens that float around and people don't really care about because they cost about ten cents apiece.

So here it is! If you are looking for a garbage pen that you can lose, forget on your desk, and let people borrow without worrying about them giving it back, get a whole bunch of these and start sketching!

Sharpie Pen

The other pen that is actually a lot nicer than the BIC that I use on a daily basis is the Sharpie Pen. I know Sharpie scares away a lot of people because of the horror stories about them bleeding through pages and such. They have done an AMAZING job with their pens though. If you can draw with a light touch then they actually give you a really thin line. I like this pen most because it can go from really thin to really thick with a couple passes. It is an amazing pen if you don't want to carry more than one pen with you.

Basically, if you want one pen that can do just about anything for you, I recommend the Sharpie Pen. It is actually super affordable too. Check it out!

Uni-ball Jet-stream 0.5

Okay, this pen is by far the best pen I have ever written with. Seriously, writing with this pen is a spiritual experience. It is 0.5 which is amazing. Not only that but they have a perfectly smooth line EVERY TIME! You know that awkward scribble that you see in the top corner of a page every now and then that tells you that the pen wasn't really working and you needed to warm it up? Yeah, that never happens with these pens. They aren't very good at giving you a thick line, but it gives you a crisp, clean and wonderful line every time. This is my preferred note taking pen by far. They are precisely manufactured in Japan and since they are imported you generally pay a little more for them at over $1 apiece.

Sharpie

I know, kind of a lame choice but it is true. I have access to a fresh sharpie at almost any given time. Granted, I wouldn't hand one to your 7 year-old artist, but it is a great inking pen. I guess you could call it a marker...but I use it as a pen. You will want to use this one last to finish up and bold in a drawing. You will see me using these frequently in my videos on Youtube. (go subscribe if you haven't already!) Just make sure that you have a piece of scrap paper under the paper that you are using at all times but This is true regardless of what you are drawing with. Pick up some fresh Sharpies for your collection to make you drawings pop!  I would recommend fine point first. Ultra-fine aren't great for sketching. I would rather have the Sharpie pen for that.

TOMBOW Brush Pen

Okay, last we have specialty pens. Tombow makes an amazing pen. Specifically I like their brush pens. I use them most for hand lettering, but they are fantastic for getting really lively strokes into your inked drawing. Energy in drawing usually comes from line width variation and these will put it in without you even really thinking about it. The color is dark and it doesn't really bleed so I would highly recommend getting a few. They are expensive though. If money is a factor that you are worried about then steer clear of these and get something else. Others are fine for the time being. These are more of a luxury item that you don't really need but are a nice to have every once in a while.

So you have favorite pens? Let me know in the comments and I will arrange a product review and potential edit to this article! I'm not saying these are the best in the world but these are the ones that have stuck around for me for one reason or another. If you are going to buy any of these on Amazon please go through one of the above links and help support The Balding Artist! Thank you!