enough pens, or shoes! One really never needs another pen or more shoes, but when the perfect specimen appears, one must indulge.
When lettering is used as creative expression, it’s logical to use a variety of pens that create specific effects and letter looks. Be in constant pursuit of the “perfect pen.” I might suggest a certain pen that I love, but you have to decide for yourself what you’re most comfortable with and what works for you and your budget. There are hundreds of pens and writing tools to choose from, each with a specific promise of performance. Different effects are achieved with specific tools.
Waterproof Pens
An absolute necessity and the most basic lettering tool is the waterproof pen. With a waterproof pen, you can letter, doodle, draw, and add paints and water media without worrying about the ink bleeding. There are many styles and many brands, and any are fine as long as they don’t bleed or smear when water media is added near them. Microns, Pitt, and Uniball Vision pens are waterproof, permanent pens and are ideal for fine writing and lettering. They come in various colors, but black pens in particular are my favorites for lettering and adding doodled embellishments. I always have an assortment of black pens at my fingertips that will function perfectly for specific techniques. It’s important to build a personal pen collection that includes a variety of tip styles, such as broad, fine, chisel, calligraphy, brush, etc., so you always have the perfect pen to achieve a certain letter look.
Magical Markers
There are dozens of types of markers in hundreds of colors and styles for writing and lettering techniques. There are alcohol ink markers that are permanent and waterproof, such as Copic, Prismacolor, Sharpie, and Spectrum Noir. Dye-based Tombow markers create intense watercolor effects. These markers have nylon or felt tips in bullet, chisel, and brush styles and are great for creating assorted thicknesses and letter variations.
Fountain Pens
Get reacquainted with the beauty of an “old school” fountain pen with assorted waterproof or traditional inks. A fountain pen is economical and refillable, so your favorite lettering look is always consistently available. There is something so pure and wonderful about watching wet, fresh ink glide across paper creating beautiful letters.
Paintbrushes, Paint, and Inks
Watercolor brushes in various sizes are an excellent choice for hand lettering. Loaded with inks or watercolor or acrylic paints, the soft bristles make it easy to create interesting letterforms. Depending on the size of the letters I’m creating, I prefer size #4, #8, #10, and #12 watercolor brushes. The best assortment of these brushes is usually found in a fine-art store.
Photo by Ann Swanson
Some of my go-to lettering tools—clockwise from top left: watercolor paints, brushes, and lettering inks; waterproof pens; fountain pens, and markers
Here’s a spread from one of my journals in which I tried out many different kinds of pens and markers.
Caligraphy Pens
Created for traditional italic and decorative writing, calligraphy pens have metal nibs that are dipped into India and acrylic inks. This book doesn’t go into detail on calligraphy, so if this traditional style of lettering interests you, perhaps a formal class or instruction would be beneficial. But by all means, play with them to explore some of the techniques.
Parallel Pens and Ink
This is a contemporary calligraphy pen with a crisp metal nib. It has a flat stainless steel tip that allows ink to flow through the tip to make thick and thin calligraphic pen strokes. The ink for these pens comes in cartridges with refills in a variety of colors. My personal preference, and the most popular brand of parallel pen, is the Pilot Parallel Pen, which comes with pre-loaded cartidges.
White Pens
Make a dramatic, bold statement with white ink on dark paper. I like Signo UM-153, Sakura gel, and Souffle white pens. Write slowly
When lettering is used as creative expression, it’s logical to use a variety of pens that create specific effects and letter looks. Be in constant pursuit of the “perfect pen.” I might suggest a certain pen that I love, but you have to decide for yourself what you’re most comfortable with and what works for you and your budget. There are hundreds of pens and writing tools to choose from, each with a specific promise of performance. Different effects are achieved with specific tools.
Waterproof Pens
An absolute necessity and the most basic lettering tool is the waterproof pen. With a waterproof pen, you can letter, doodle, draw, and add paints and water media without worrying about the ink bleeding. There are many styles and many brands, and any are fine as long as they don’t bleed or smear when water media is added near them. Microns, Pitt, and Uniball Vision pens are waterproof, permanent pens and are ideal for fine writing and lettering. They come in various colors, but black pens in particular are my favorites for lettering and adding doodled embellishments. I always have an assortment of black pens at my fingertips that will function perfectly for specific techniques. It’s important to build a personal pen collection that includes a variety of tip styles, such as broad, fine, chisel, calligraphy, brush, etc., so you always have the perfect pen to achieve a certain letter look.
Magical Markers
There are dozens of types of markers in hundreds of colors and styles for writing and lettering techniques. There are alcohol ink markers that are permanent and waterproof, such as Copic, Prismacolor, Sharpie, and Spectrum Noir. Dye-based Tombow markers create intense watercolor effects. These markers have nylon or felt tips in bullet, chisel, and brush styles and are great for creating assorted thicknesses and letter variations.
Fountain Pens
Get reacquainted with the beauty of an “old school” fountain pen with assorted waterproof or traditional inks. A fountain pen is economical and refillable, so your favorite lettering look is always consistently available. There is something so pure and wonderful about watching wet, fresh ink glide across paper creating beautiful letters.
Paintbrushes, Paint, and Inks
Watercolor brushes in various sizes are an excellent choice for hand lettering. Loaded with inks or watercolor or acrylic paints, the soft bristles make it easy to create interesting letterforms. Depending on the size of the letters I’m creating, I prefer size #4, #8, #10, and #12 watercolor brushes. The best assortment of these brushes is usually found in a fine-art store.
Photo by Ann Swanson
Some of my go-to lettering tools—clockwise from top left: watercolor paints, brushes, and lettering inks; waterproof pens; fountain pens, and markers
Here’s a spread from one of my journals in which I tried out many different kinds of pens and markers.
Caligraphy Pens
Created for traditional italic and decorative writing, calligraphy pens have metal nibs that are dipped into India and acrylic inks. This book doesn’t go into detail on calligraphy, so if this traditional style of lettering interests you, perhaps a formal class or instruction would be beneficial. But by all means, play with them to explore some of the techniques.
Parallel Pens and Ink
This is a contemporary calligraphy pen with a crisp metal nib. It has a flat stainless steel tip that allows ink to flow through the tip to make thick and thin calligraphic pen strokes. The ink for these pens comes in cartridges with refills in a variety of colors. My personal preference, and the most popular brand of parallel pen, is the Pilot Parallel Pen, which comes with pre-loaded cartidges.
White Pens
Make a dramatic, bold statement with white ink on dark paper. I like Signo UM-153, Sakura gel, and Souffle white pens. Write slowly
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