What are the best brush pens for beginners? If you’re interested in calligraphy or the art of making letters come to life, you’re probably on the search for the right brush pens, which can help you practice calligraphy and hand lettering and develop your confidence in it.
You need quality brush-pens to explore this art form and master the design and execution of lettering using these writing instruments, but wait. I recognize it is uneasy to choose from a broad range of choices on the market. So, in this buying guide, I’m reviewing the top picks among beginner brushes and their pros and cons.
Contents
What is the Best Brush Pen for Beginner
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Tombow Beginner Lettering Set Our #1 Pick
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Arteza Watercolor Brush Pens Set for Beginners
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MISULOVE Hand Calligraphy Brush Pens for Beginners
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Pentel Arts Sign Pen Brush
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Watercolor Markers Pens for Beginners and Advanced
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Tebik Calligraphy Brush Pen Markers Black Ink
Top 6 Best Brush Pens for Beginners Reviews
1. Tombow Beginner Lettering Set
Get yourself ready with calligraphy with the Tombow 56190 lettering set. It comes with everything to get started, so don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money to get your first set.
The Tombow 56190 Beginner Lettering Set also includes a pamphlet containing a few tip and tricks to learn lettering and be inspired in your journey.
Also, this kit includes dual pens with a flexible brush tip for bold and large letters, as well as a fine tip for smaller details.
This kit also comes with a Fudenosuke Calligraphy Brush Pen that was developed to offer you with an easier way of writing Japanese characters, including Kanji.
If you’re looking for a quality set of calligraphy beginner brush pens, you should check out this Tombow lettering set.
Pros
- Ideal for beginners for its ease of use
- Dual brush pens, quality eraser, and smudge-proof pencil, and twin tip permanent marker
- Affordable and high-quality materials
Cons
- Some complaints about receiving dried pens
2. Arteza Watercolor Brush Pens Set for Beginners
The Arteza Real Brush Pens is one of the best sets you’d buy in this category. It gives you real value for your money because it comes with 48 different colors to choose from and use to explore your creativity.
The 48-piece value pack is a set of premium pens with richer colors and more flexible tips than more expensive brands are. It’s also versatile to help you achieve different effects like water color effects. The pens are also for sketching, dry-brush painting, calligraphy, and coloring.
The watercolor brush-pens/markers offer you with precision control, so you can do more with them without the mess. They’re also easy to use for gradient and shading. I also liked that the pens are with nontoxic and safe materials. The Arteza drawing and lettering pens ae also ACMI-certified for safety.
Pros
- Tips made of soft and durable nylon brush hairs
- Non-toxic and safe materials
- Mess-free and fuss-free use and offers precision control
Cons
- Some beginners find the pens a bit tricky to use
3. MISULOVE Hand Calligraphy Brush Pens for Beginners
Do not miss the MISULOVE Hand Lettering Pens if you’re looking for premium and easy to use lettering pens for beginners. The brush pen kit is perfect for drawing, design, scrapbooking, bullet journaling, and illustrations, to name some.
Besides being multipurpose pens, the set also comes with eight pens, including brush, soft brush, extra fine, and fine, and 1-3mm sizes.
The brush pens for calligraphy and hand lettering are also suitable for decorating different product surfaces and printable invitations, calendars, planners, and wall arts.
The pens are also with nontoxic, safe, fadeproof, and waterproof black ink, adding to their quality features. More importantly, I find them very convenient to use because they’re non-bleeding.
Overall, you’ll appreciate the marker pens for a wide range of applications, including hand lettering, diary, calligraphy, and notes. They’re just better than any other pens in the category. Check them out for yourself.
Pros
- Archival quality, nontoxic black ink
- Comes with different sizes and tips
- Multipurpose for drawing, illustration, bullet journals, and so on
Cons
- Ink not dark enough on some surfaces
4. Pentel Arts Sign Pen Brush
Another to consider for beginner pen brushes to consider for its quality is the 12-pack Pentel Arts Sign Pen brush. I liked its saturated and rich colors for vivid letters and is versatile because you can easily blend it with water and different sign pen brush colors.
For more creativity, you can also dilute its tip with water if you want to create different values. It is also suitable for different strokes and techniques, such as cross hatching, feathering, calligraphy, outlining, and detailed lining.
This pen brush also has a flexible tip and is pressure sensitive, making it easier to use. Not to mention, it is also wear-resistant for long-lasting use. You also don’t need to worry about it drying out if you left it uncapped. You can also find it convenient to clean this pen brush sing only a paper towel.
Pros
- Pressure sensitive and wear-resistant
- Does not dry out even left uncapped
- Easy to clean using a paper towel
Cons
- Some users reported bleeding through issues
5. Watercolor Markers Pens Set for Beginners and Advanced
The Good Stuff Store’s Watercolor Markers Pens are exciting additions to your calligraphy and lettering tools! It is a 24-pack set of quality brush pens for beginner and advanced users.
The nontoxic and child-safe brush-pens are in different vibrant colors to choose from and use. They have real brush tips that make paper and pen drawing simpler and fuss-free. These pens are also ideal for writing, painting, and coloring.
You also don’t need to worry about messy color pallets or spilling water pots. All you need is to pick your pen and start making art! The pen set is also convenient to use because they require no difficult clean up. Now, you or your kids can spend more time in crafting and creating, not on spills to mop.
Pros
- Child-friendly, nontoxic, and safe to use
- Beautiful, vibrant 24 colors
- Mess-free and fuss-free painting, coloring, or lettering
Cons
- Colors not blending well when layering
6. Tebik Calligraphy Brush Pen Markers Black Ink
These brush pen markers are fun and easy to use. They can help you a lot in practicing hand lettering and calligraphy. They are also versatile and can be used in illustrations, art drawing, signatures, journaling, and lettering.
This set already comes with 14 tip sizes of black ink, including fine and extra fine, allowing you to use it for a wide range of applications and purposes. They’re also coded, so it’s easier to find the right pen to use for a specific purpose.
The pens are also quick drying, fade-resistant, smear-resistant, and waterproof. I also liked the rich dark color of the black ink, which makes it ideal for use in ultra-fine lines, anime, writing, detailed spaces, and architecture.
Pros
- Suitable for architecture, engineering, detailed spaces, illustrations, and more
- Rich black ink color for lettering and drawing
- Smear-resistant, fade-resistant, and waterproof
Cons
- Might bleed through when used on thin paper
Brush Pens for Beginners Buying Guide
If you don’t know what to look for in a brush pen for a beginner, this guide has your back. Check out the factors to consider when choosing your first set.
Waterproof or water-soluble ink
In buying a brush pen, you must consider which ink you are going to use. Waterproof and water-soluble inks differ in quality and usage. Waterproof inks cannot be easily dissolved by water, while water-soluble ink can be.
Ink flow
Tips of brush pens are either wet or dry. Brush pens with wet tips are known to have better ink flow compared to dry ones. Wet tips create rich lines once it touches the paper. Dry tips take some time to spread but are excellent for managing the ink supply. Ultimately, look for a brush pen that dispenses ink more efficiently without the ink going through the other side of the paper.
Brush pen tips
The different types of brush pen tips are synthetic bristle, felt tips, or natural hair. For beginners, highly recommended are brush pens with felt tips because of their firmness. If you are still yet to master the technique of creating smooth strokes, felt tips give you more control. Meanwhile, natural hair and synthetic bristles are softer and therefore, more difficult to control.
Tip size
Tip size determines the size and quality of your lines as well. If you prefer thin lines, then you should look for a brush pen with fine tips. For broader lines, you need to get a broad tip pen.
Elasticity
A good brush pen should have excellent elasticity. Good elasticity means that the tip should revert to its original form after applying pressure. If it does not, it should tell you a lot about the quality of that product.
For a beginner, having a quality brush pen helps boost confidence in learning the art. In selecting the best, you should go for comfort, quality, and a budget-friendly tool.
Other Things to Consider before Buying
What is a beginner brush pen?
A brush pen is a writing tool used to practice calligraphy or lettering. It has a pressure-sensitive tip. You can create broad or thin lines on a piece of paper according to the amount of pressure you put in.
A brush pen for a beginner suits the skills of someone who has never used brush-pens before or is new to the art of calligraphy.
Brush pens for beginners are usually those writing tools that are firm, comfortable, and easier to control, perfect for a person who is just learning the art and technique of creating quality lines and strokes.
Types of beginner brush pens
Brush pens for beginners may vary according to their firmness and type of tips.
- Felt Tips – Brush-pens with felt tips are the best for beginners. Its firm and marker-like tips give the user more room to control each line and create predictable strokes.
- Natural hair –Natural hair tips are made from animals and are much softer compared to felt tips. It responds to movements well but needs more practice for better results.
- Synthetic bristle –Synthetic bristles are commonly made of nylon. It has a soft feel and allows more flexibility creating smoother strokes.
Generally, these brush-pens could help you master your skill ins calligraphy. Over time, you will learn how to properly apply pressure to create the quality of lines you want.
Why Do You Need Brush Pens for Beginners?
A brush pen is straightforward and easy to use. You point the tip on a piece of paper, and you can create lines as you please. However, it might be hard to make precise strokes with a brush pen that’s too advanced for your skills.
Some brush pens have softer tips and are more sensitive even to the most subtle movements. It is harder to control the quality of each stroke if you are only starting to learn. That is why you need a brush pen that is appropriate for your current level of skills. It will help you master your strokes and improve your craft.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most popular beginner brush pen brands?
Figuring out what brush-pens to choose can be tricky for beginners. There is no question on this because there are many brands. One of the best ways to compare your options is to look for reputable brands. A few of those you can trust include Tombow, Arteza, MISULOVE, Pentel Arts, The Good Stuff, and Tebik.
How to use brush pen for beginner?
Practicing different strokes and lettering in general needs consistency and using the right tools. To use your brush pen, remember these tips –
Do drills using practice sheets to master different strokes and styles.
To practice up and down strokes, remember to use a pencil to write out the letters. When done, trace the letters with the brush pen. After, erase the pencil marks.
To get used to the different strokes, you can also use printable practice sheets, including sheets with angled lines, alphabet sheets, and plain sheets. There also lowercase alphabets, capital alphabets, and basic strokes downloadable practice sheets to find online, too.
Remember to maintain the angle of the brush pen’s tip, ideally at a 45-degree angle when holding your pen. Do not hold it upright because it will be difficult to achieve uniform line variations with this position.
While you’re writing, use your arm and move it instead of your wrist to keep uniform line variations.
Write slowly. Do not rush yourself. Try pausing at heavy strokes’ beginning and end for more precision.
Where to buy brush pen for beginner?
Buy brush pens for beginners in the manufacturers’ websites or online shops. But for a wider range of choices, check out marketplaces, including eBay and Amazon.
Read more:
- How to clean oil paint brushes between colors?
- How to Make White Alcohol Ink?
- Best Brush-Pens for Drawing
Conclusion
Finding the best beginner brush pens can be easier with an idea on the top picks and what makes each of them different from one another. It also pays off to check the factors and features that make brush-pens for beginners suitable for your needs and preferences.
We’re hoping this article has shed some light and helped you pick among the featured products here. We believe that it will help beginners like you figure out the right brush-pens for practice and learning calligraphy and hand lettering.
But again, be patient! Mastering the art of lettering takes time and requires effort. With the right tools, you can practice better and learn it. Buy beginner brush-pens today!
