Kelly Kilmer Artist and Instructor: My Pen List 18/12/15, 14:41

My Pen List

Oh, how I love my pens. Here's a little blurb I wrote about my favorite pens-you know,
the ones that work and really write on acrylic paint and what not...

Just so you know, my first criteria in using anything in a class is that I must *buy* it for

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myself. I must buy it, try it and LOVE it.

Another criteria for a pen to be "good" for me is that it *must* write on (obviously,
dried) acrylic paint without skipping, jumping or getting all gunked up!

My final criteria for a pen to be "good" is that it's non toxic or doesn't have an odor to
it. I can NOT use a pen that smells in any way. Regular sharpies-NO! (Besides they
leave a halo effect on your pages over time). Anything oil based-NO! Anything with
xylene-NO! Anything with a bad, scary warning label-NO! I might sound like a pain in
the ass, but really, it's what works for me. My boy only has one kidney and I'd like to
keep both of mine in case he needs one-or both ;)-one day.

You should also know that I work for ME. I am not sponsored nor do I represent ANY
company. I buy my pens from a variety of sources-

Soooo in no particular order, here are my favorite pens:

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Gelly Roll Glaze and the Gelly Roll Souffle Pens both from Sakura-

Glaze pens
Souffle pens

All gel pens are NOT alike! The Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze and Souffle are the *only* gel
pens that I have found to work 100% and NOT skip. I go through the black and the
white pens though a lot (I use them a lot though!!)

The difference between the Glaze and the Souffle is the glaze are a "gloss" finish. The
souffle are a "matte" finish. They write on most surfaces (including glass, but I don't
care about that, I just want to use them in my journals!) The Souffle will write and
actually show up on virtually any background-I love them. Keep in mind though, with all
of the pens, how they "look" on a page, depends on the background color and the pen
color you are using. That means if you are using a red pen on a red (or pink or orange)
background, the color will not pop or be as vibrant as if you were using a green pen, for
example...

Another thing you need to know, the Glaze pens-there is a white pen and a clear pen.
The clear pen is a "resist" pen -think of it like invisible ink, write with it, let it dry and
then use a brush marker over it, voila! The white pen is a real white pen (the following
is true for both the Glaze version and the Souffle version): it will write clear but dry
white! It is a REAL white pen. It is the BEST white pen on the market, IMO. It's $2 of
easy love.

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Also another plus, you can paint over these pens! YAY!! They are permanent.

One thing: the slower you write the more "raised or embossed" the pens become. You
have to write reallllly slow for them to be really embossed. I don't care about this
feature of the pens. I just love the pens!!

The only thing I don't like about the pens: they don't label the damn pens. To find out
which of the pens is clear vs. white, I have to hold the pens side by side to figure out
that the cap that is the most opaque is the real white pen.

The other thing that I don't like about the pens: there aren't any new colors. C'mon, it's
January 2010 (I was told that there's a rumor afloat that there may be 3 new colors
debuting at CHA this year. Three? Ok, I'll be happy if it's true, but three? Really? With
the whole line of COLOR in the Sakura pens and products only three?). WHERE are the
new pens?!?! I'll never forget asking one of the "suit men" at CHA a couple of years ago
if they were coming out with new colors. He looked at me strangely and said "Aren't
the 20-something colors we have enough?" Um. Are you frickin' serious? No. Come on.
Get off your lazy ass and come out with some new colors. NOW. please.

CONFIRMED 1/14/10: Sakura IS coming out with TWO new colors!!! Woot Woot!

They will debut at CHA this January!

I *LOVE* these pens. If you only buy one kind of pen, I would strongly suggest either of
the glaze or Souffle! I've used other Sakura pens and other gel pens but they are not
the same as the Glaze and Souffle. Trust me on this one.

Update September 2013: BIG TIP: Like most gel pens, the ink should flow from the
pen. A few people have had problems with these pens. I've noticed that the majority of
folks who have problems with the pens are pushing too hard when they write. Write
normal and let the ink flow from the pen. Make sure they're capped and stored flat
when you're done.

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Uniball Signo white gel pen- I started using these several years ago when they first
came to the U.S. I loved how vibrant and crisp the pens were and cheap, too. About $2
a pen. I recommended them to everyone I came across. They were a great pen. The
bad thing is: they dry out/run out very very quickly. Also, they are NOT permanent.
Once Sakura came out with white pens in the glaze and souffle, I tend to lean towards
those instead.

Update as of September 2013: I'm not using these pens as much as I used to. I've
noticed that even after an extensive drying time, they are leaving white marks on the
pages that are next to them. If you do buy them, make sure that you buy the Japanese
version and NOT the America version as the American version tends to dry out very
quickly (often times after just a few uses) vs. the Japanese pen which lasts until there's
nothing left in the pen.

Uniball Signo DX 151-I LOVE this pen. It's tiny tiny tiny. I love it for tiny writing.
Waterproof, too! It doesn't always work well on acrylic paint.

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Update: September 2013: Another pen that I'm not using as much. When I want a
black pen, I reach for my .35 Rapidosketch. I can do wonders with it.

Uniball Signo Broad UM 153 Black-Unlike the white uniball signo, this one doesn't
tend to skip as much. The ink flows from the tip. Not permanent but if you want
something that writes smoothly on paper, this is a good choice.

Update: September 2013: Another pen that I'm not using as much. When I want a
black pen, I reach for my .35 Rapidosketch. I can do wonders with it.

I LOVE the extra fine pen. I Love all of the different tip size options. I love the colors-oh
wow, wow WOW. My favorites are the Black, White and Flourescent pink. I have them in
every color but those are the colors I use the most. I wish they'd make one in Paynes
grey...

One thing, if you buy them, make sure you get the WATERBASED and NOT the oil
based. I don't like using anything oil based. Nope, not for me at all.

Another great thing, unlike most sharpies, these don't smell!!!

When you first buy them, put them upright, and press down once on the nib. It's called
"burping the pen". It will help with the air that is inside the pen and makes them last
longer. Then shake and pump the pen like the directions say...If you have problems
writing with the pens and the ink isn't as intense as it was when you first used the pen,

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make sure you shake and pump the pen!

I loveeeeeeee these pens. You do need to try the different tip sizes-they rock!!

Update 6/18/2010-The Poster Paint pens have been replaced by what are now being
called PAINT pens. They are available in water based and oil based (personally, I do not
like to use anything oil based). You can get them in different tip sizes and colors as
well!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013: Water based Sharpie paint markers are still available
(phew!) I noticed the other day that the packaging is new. There are eighteen colors
available in extra fine tips (including their new (6) glitter and pastel colors), three fine
tip colors, eleven in medium tip and five in bold point (my least favorite of the group.) I
love, love, love these pens as they will write on a variety of surfaces and unlike regular
sharpies, they don't smell nor do they leave any kind of weird halo effects on my
pages. Extra fine is my favorite tip!
Another substitute (same ink, similar tip, same Sanford company) is the Uni Posca
Paint pen. I've only found one distributor for it in the U.S. so I've been keeping kind of
quiet on the pen. They are readily available in the U.K.. In the U.S.-(see above note on
Sharpie paint pens).
http://www.durablesupply.com/pospainmar.html

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Update September 2013: Molotow One4All Water Based Paint Markers-I LOVE
these markers! They come in a wide variety of colors (forty) and have tips that you can
change out! I tend not to buy them in colors that I already have in water based Sharpie
paint pen form (especially since I already have a lot of those.) I *love* their extra fine
tip (available in black, white and as a replacement/interchangeable tip to the 2 mm pen
case.) You can also buy refills for the pens! What's not to love? It truly is an excellent
marker.

First up, the lattes and the sweets which are similar to the Sakura Glaze and Souffle
pens. What I love about the Lattes and Sweets is the TIP. SKINNY. Also, the colors are
different! I never leave home without at least one pack of these! Oh yes, the whites
both write clear and dry white. The pens are also a matte finish. I LOVE these pens!!!

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LOVE! Finally, they do last a LONG time. I used my original set for several years before I
had to buy replacement pens. Keep the pens on tight and stored flat when not in use.
Keep them away from the heat, too.

Update on 12/9/2011 on the Sweets Pens. The Sweets have been discontinued but the
Lattes are still available. More here.

Update on September 2013: It looks like the Lattes have also been discontinued.
SNIFF.

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The Pentel Pocket Brush Pen-I love the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen. You can write on
dried paint with it (some times. It can be temperamental on paint. I'll write and then
write over it on top 'til it comes out) and paper (obviously). I LOVE the brush pen.
Expensive. Hard to find. But, I love it. Find it here.

Sakura Micron Pens-a huge favorite with illustrators. Again like the other pens, they
come in nine million colors but I love BLACK. I do like these pens but the tiny nibs give
me a hard time on acrylic paint so watch the nib sizes. I love how the pens are
permanent, crisp and intense with color. I love how they are also waterproof that I can
paint over them or use my Neo Art crayons on them. Watch the nib size though on
acrylic paint...tiny nibs tend to skip and gunk up on the paint...the bigger the nib size
the fewer problems you should have...

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Update: September 2013: Another pen that I'm not reaching for as much as I used
to.

Pitt Pens from Faber Castell- Black.

I have bought these in every color but I only really use the black. They are a nice crisp,
permanent, vibrant black. My preferred tip is the "brush" pen. Love how you can paint
over them once dry, too. They now come in a big fat size, too which is fun! It also
comes in paynes grey-love!!!!

Update: September 2013: Faber Castell Pitt Pens recently came out with a Big Brush
pen in WHITE. It's not a truly opaque white and it's only available in a bullet tip but it
blends beautifully and adds that hint of white where you need it. I also tend not to use
these a lot though I know a lot of folks who LOVE the Pitt Pens. I haven't been using
them lately.

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Zig writer and vellum pens-Zig makes a damn good pen. Their Vellum Pens are
AWESOME. Not only permanent and waterproof but you can write on acrylic painted
pages AND photographs! Yes, photos! AND they don't come off!! The writer and vellum
pens come in nine million colors but BLACK is my favorite. I don't like a lot of the nibs
other than the "writer" pens which are a bullet shape.

KOH-I-NOOR Rapido Sketch Pens-

****MY FAVORITE BLACK PEN OF ALL TIME.*****
These aren't anything new. These pens have been around for a long time. Out of all of
the refillable pens on the market (that includes the Rotring pens which are fun to use-
love those tips, but the ink isn't dark enough for my liking and I haven't experimented
with it yet finding other cartridges for it), this one of is my most favorite. I love the
black India ink that comes with the pen (yes, I have used other inks with the pen as
well. I do prefer some inks over others and it mainly depends on the colors I want and
the ink consistency). I own a few of these pens (including the Rapidograph pens) for
the difference in tip sizes. The .35 is my favorite tip size. It's a fine, detailed line. I've
been hesitant to recommend this pen here because of all of the maintenance that is
recommended in taking care of the pens. Um. I'm lazy. I'm the first one to admit it. I've
had this pen for months now and I haven't cleaned it. I use it almost daily. I've had to fill
it a few times (easy to do-fill it about a third of the way, not all of the way!). I do keep
the pen stored flat. There is a ton of information on the web about the care and upkeep
of this pen (cleaning it often, being careful not to drop it, care of the tip, don't take the

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little wire out, etc...) that I'm not going to get into here. Google the pens and you'll find
it. What I love about the pen though is the consistency of the line, the thin detail
writing, sketching and drawing I can achieve with it. It doesn't skip and it hasn't failed
me yet. I love using it with a good permanent, waterproof ink. If you use it filled with a
good ink, you can write on dried acrylic paint with it! It's one of my favorite pens and I
rarely leave home without it. Well worth the money. Look around because I've seen it in
all price ranges from $25 to half the price.

Update: September 2013: Whenever I want a black pen, 99.9% of the time, I
reach for my Rapidosketch pen.

Updated and revised May 2014:

Some Tips on the Rapidosketch:
1. Make sure that you only fill the pen a 1/3 of the way.
2. Do NOT press hard on the tip or else you will break it! Write normal and the ink
should flow.
3. Have a rag handy. Fill the well only 1/3rd of the way. Sometimes (especially after
refilling it) you may need to wipe the top of the pen off with an old rag.
4. Keep the pen flat when not in use.
5. When you need to screw the cap back on (or the other bits of the pen after filling it),
gently twist and screw it back together until you can't twist anymore. Don't force it or
over twist it or else it can crack.
6. I can't stress enough that you have to be careful with the tip. If you have a heavy
hand, practice and be gentle with it. The ink should flow from the pen.
7. I never clean mine. I just make sure that I use it a lot (every few days.) I've had the
same pen for years and have never had a problem.
8. Have a piece of uncoated scratch paper nearby to test the pen if it gives you
problems. Sometimes just gently rolling the tip around as you write on scratch paper
helps.
9. The Rapidosketch ink works on paper, dried acrylics and acrylic mediums, tape,
transparencies and more.
10. If I could only recommend one black pen, this is it.

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Pentel Metallic Brush Marker-Another pricey pen but well worth the $9! These pens
last a long time. I like them for several reasons-it's a good, solid ink. If you write with it,
it pops off the page (no fussing to try to "see it"). The brush tip-oh it's just yummy and
soft-it flows and moves and glides across the page. It doesn't smell. I am a big fan of
non-toxic art supplies and the fact that this doesn't smell nor does it come with a
warning label about potential health problems are big pluses to me! I've been using
these pens since they came out and if you're looking for a great metallic pen with a
brush tip, look no further.

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