I started my lettering journey by attending a workshop. It was a great way to learn the basics and to explore some of the techniques required. I have since learned lots from following the lovely Milly from Blink Lettering who wrote the beginners' guide included in our lettering box.
When starting a new hobby, it is easy to get carried away and to splurge on lots of supplies. The idea of this blog post is to guide you through what is available to help you make informed choices before letting you loose in the shop.
If you are a complete beginner, why not try our Brush Lettering Beginner Set?
Important questions to ask yourself before deciding 'What sort of brush pens should I buy?'
- What level of skill do you have?
- What sort of paper are you going to write on?
- What will the end results be used for?
If you are just starting out, it takes time to get the level of pressure right. You may find that your pens don't last as long as the tips can become damaged by being dragged over the paper. This can also happen if you use cheap copier paper. Expensive pens need good quality paper in order to perform well and last a long time. Read more about choosing the right paper here.
You also need to think about the end results; does your design need to be colourfast? Will it be displayed in direct sunlight or are you just practising?
I started not with a pen at all but with a brush. The size will depend on the end results you want to achieve but a No. 4 is a good place to start. You can use a brush with waterbased or acrylic inks as well as paints. It provides you with great flexibility and is cheap to replace if you damage the bristles. The downside would be that it is much messier (can drip on your work, needs to be washed) and less portable.
An alternative to a traditional brush is a water brush. You can fill it with water and use it with ink or paint. Alternatively you can fill it with ink; once you've done that you will only be able to use it with ink going forward. They are available in different sizes and with different tips but tend to have synthetic bristles. Much more portable than a regular brush but can still be a little messier.
If you don't fancy a brush, don't worry. There is an almost endless range of pens out there to try. I'm going to talk in this post about pens I have personally tried. Yes, I do have quite a collection!
What sort of brush pens will suit me best?
You need to consider:
- Colour range;
- Flexibility;
- Size;
- Ink type;
- Ink flow.
If you are new to lettering Pentel Brush Sign Pens are my top recommendation. They come in a wide range of colours (30 currently) and definitely won't break the bank. A small but flexible nib makes them ideal for beginners. The water-based ink can be watered down and blended. These pens have a slower, drier ink flow for a consistent colour. Produced with 81% recycled material. Available to purchase individually or as sets of 12. Be careful not to confuse them with the Pentel Sign Pen which does not have a flexible nib.
Pentel have now introduced several different versions of their classic brush pen including both twin tip and pigment ink versions.
My next step after a brush was the Tombow Fudenosuke which is available with soft or hard tips. The hard tip is ideal for smaller lettering as the brush tip has less flexibility enabling you to be more precise. The ink is waterbased and they pens are made from 50% recycled plastic.
The ABT dual brush pen is one of the best know brush pens on the market. The 'dual' refers to the two tips: one flexible mid-firm brush tip and one fine tip (ideal for touching up your lettering and adding finer details). The ink is also waterbased and so can be used with water or a blender pen to create watercolour effects. Availabe in 107 colours plus and colourless blender.
Ideal for larger lettering projects; the large flexible brush tip makes it possible to work on a larger scale. The odourless ink has a wet flow enabling colourblending but it is not lightfast.
Karin Brush Markers
Karin are a Polish company whose range is expanding year by year. Their original BrushMarker Pro is available in 60 colours as well as 10 metallics and 12 neons. The Pigment Decobrush comes in 84 colours and the new Realbrush Pro with a finer real brush tip in 72 plus 12 metallics. Prices range from £3 to £5.95 per pen, reflecting the quality of the tips and the amazing ink which lasts for ages. The pens are designed to make the most of every last drop.
If you want to write on dark paper or other surfaces, the pigment pens are what you need with an intense colour and an opaque finish.
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