The Best Black Brush Pens for Calligraphy and Ink Painting
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Brushes and brush pens are an integral part of Chinese and Japanese black ink painting and calligraphy, and it’s worth every penny to invest in premium brushes. Natural bristles, such as weasel or sable hair, are springy and responsive, ideal for making fine, thin lines and sweeping thicker marks, but high-quality nylon bristles mimic the excellence of natural bristles and are more durable and affordable. Brush pens are a convenient alternative to traditional brushes, combining the responsiveness of a flexible brush tip with the ease of a fountain pen or marker. Browse our picks of the best brush pens to find the one that’s right for you.
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Brought to you by the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world, ARTnews Recommends helps you make the choice that suits you best from products in hundreds of art and craft supply categories. Our offerings are based on intensive research, interviews with artists and craftspeople, and the accumulated experience of the site’s editors and writers. We provide trustworthy and helpful advice about materials to artists ranging from beginner to professional.
ARTNEWS RECOMMENDS
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens
You get four different brush tips to cover a range of needs when you buy this set. Included are soft- and hard-tip brush pens with black ink and a twin-tip instrument with black and gray ink. Each is filled with water-based ink that you can blend on the page with water without losing vibrancy. The pens also blend very smoothly when used together. Because the brushes retain a fine tip, it’s very easy to maintain a thin line with these pens—particularly with the hard-tip tool. Their thin barrels also make them comfortable to hold and easy to control.
Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen Set
WE ALSO LIKE
Copic Sketch Marker
Copic’s markers, which were originally developed for manga artists, are a top-notch option if you are looking for black pens for coloring. One end features a paintbrush-like tip and the other has a chisel tip. While they can certainly be used to execute fine lines, these alcohol ink markers excel at laying down uniform coverage across larger areas and blend seamlessly when used with other Copics. This Black 100 appears as a slightly bluish black that features a high concentration of dye. We especially love Copics because they are virtually odorless, and because the nibs and ink cartridges can be replaced.
Copic Sketch Marker
ANOTHER GOOD CHOICE
Sakura Black Pigma Pen
Sakura’s technical pen is loaded with the Japanese brand’s proprietary ink, an archival formula that is waterproof and fade resistant. It features a fine-tip brush point that is made of a rather soft felt to produce a great range of strokes, from medium-wide marks to ultrathin lines. The ink dries impressively fast to reduce the chance of smearing, doesn’t feather, and doesn’t bleed through most papers. The black color is opaque and lays down evenly.
Sakura Pigma Brush Pen, Black
STUDENTS’ CHOICE
Pentel Fude Brush Pen, Medium
Pentel designed its brush pen with traditional Japanese calligraphy brushes in mind. This pen is affordable and convenient, an ideal pen for introducing calligraphy to students. The nylon brush nib has an extra-fine tip for creating extremely thin yet nuanced lines. Its handle serves as its inkwell, and the amount of ink that flows to the brush nib is controlled by squeezing the handle. Refill handles are available; just unscrew the old handle and replace it with a new one. The pens hold a lot of ink and won’t run out quickly. Teachers love these pens because they are affordable and durable.
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
TOP OF THE LINE
Kuretake Brush Pen
Kuretake’s brush pen is the best you can buy. You can create smooth, controlled strokes with the tip, which is made of superfine and highly resilient nylon bristles; varying the width of your lines is also a breeze given the brush’s flexibility. The flow of water-based dye ink is steady and ideal for producing highly expressive lines with no sudden skipping. This is also a wonderful pen for calligraphy. It comes with three cartridges of jet-black ink.
Kuretake Brush Pen
Brought to you by the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world, ARTnews Recommends helps you make the choice that suits you best from products in hundreds of art and craft supply categories. Our offerings are based on intensive research, interviews with artists and craftspeople, and the accumulated experience of the site’s editors and writers. We provide trustworthy and helpful advice about materials to artists ranging from beginner to professional.
1. Tombow Brush Pen Set
This trio of pens vary in tip style. One is hard, another is soft, and the third has twin soft tips and both black and gray ink. The set is a great option if you’re seeking variety or trying to decide which stylus type is best for your project. The pen barrels are thin and easy to maneuver, and they provide a clean and simple way to practice your calligraphy without worrying about messy jars of ink.
Tombow Brush Pen Set
2. Kuretake Sumi Brush Pen
Kuretake’s affordable Sumi brush pen features a durable nylon tip with bristles so fine and responsive, you will think they are made of all-natural, premium hair. The tip retains its shape over time to create fine, thin lines and thick, sweeping ones. This set comes with three replacement cartridges of non-waterproof ink. However, the pen is compatible with the Platinum Fountain Pen Converter, which allows most types of inks to be used, including waterproof.
Kuretake Sumi Brush Pen
3. Pentel Fude Brush Pen
Pentel designed its brush pen with traditional Japanese calligraphy brushes in mind. This pen is affordable and convenient, an ideal pen for introducing calligraphy to students. The nylon brush nib has an extra-fine tip for creating extremely thin yet nuanced lines. Its handle serves as its inkwell, and the amount of ink that flows to the brush nib is controlled by squeezing the handle. Refill handles are available; just unscrew the old handle and replace it with a new one. The pens hold a lot of ink and won’t run out quickly. Teachers love these pens because they are affordable and durable.
Pentel Fude Brush Pen
4. Kuretake No. 40 Brush Pen
The tip of this high-end brush pen is made of authentic sable hair, which makes applying ink seamlessly easy and true to classic calligraphy. Also setting it apart is a durable, all-metal body, which is coated in thin rubber for a comfortable hold and no-slip grip. The pen comes with three ink cartridges, and replacement sable tips are also available. This pen is not for the beginner, however, as it takes practice to learn how to achieve the strokes that you desire.
Kuretake No. 40 Brush Pen
5. Kaimei Sumi Brush Pen
The bristles of Kaimei’s much-beloved brush pen are made of resilient, responsive weasel hair, which can produce marks ranging from ultra-thin lines to sweeping strokes. The pen’s ink cartridges, three of which are included, are easy to replace and the ink within is a deep black.
Kaimei Sumi Brush Pen
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