This is a medium that I think is more expensive. Pens can range from $4 a piece all the way up to $15 a piece. The only way you can keep your work from looking flat is to have multiple shades of a color. That is a lot of money $$$$. So if you are beginner, I recommend not doing this medium first. You can get the same effect from watercolor and pen. It won’t be as smooth, but it will cost less. I love the dual brushes (one side is a thin line while the other side is like a brush lettering pen) As with other mediums, I suggest getting a draft started on paper with each marker with both sides. This way you can see how opaque they look and how you can layer them with other markers. You can get the cheaper markers, but the art will not be as smooth. You may see your brush lines.
You also need to consider if the marker is alcohol based. What are you putting the markers on – watercolor paper, drawing paper, bristol paper, resin/epoxy? I love the painters markers that sell almost anywhere (Hobby Lobby, Walmart, etc) to add on top of resin. They are clean and can be sealed without bleeding. On resin if you make a mistake, sometimes you can even take an xacto knife and scrape it off. My favorite maker for paper is Prismacolor. They have been in the forefront of brands for years. They even have a pen that you can use to blend your colors. If you are going to try and not have paint lines with that pen, you must apply it before the other color dries. But it is smooth.
In choosing lettering, you have so many options it is almost difficult to even list here. You have calligraphy pens. Some are already packaged with ink while others are the old fashioned pens with ink wells. When we took classes on lettering, we had to purchase the pens that had different size nibs. We had to learn to fill up our ink. I remember a lot of bad mishaps where I was trying to get ink off of the desk, my shirt, my artwork. You also have brush lettering pens. This has become a HUGE movement in the lettering field. Everyone is trying to learn how to do brush lettering. I’ve seen some good wedding signs, and I’ve seen some bad fails. Not everyone has the talent, but everyone tries. Again, I would recommend doing a draft page with all the pens and see how the lines look when you stroke the pen up and down. I love brush lettering. I took a class about five years ago. I will say this is a craft that you must practice. It isn’t one that you can put down and pick up at the same place two years later. You will find that you have to work to get back to the same quality.
To see Examples of Colored Pen artwork, click the “See Examples Here” link below.
