Written by Paul Worrall
Most “best pens” guides are written for office workers and journallers, and they lump drawing pens in as an afterthought. That’s frustrating if you’re actually after something to paint rocks, outline a canvas, or letter a piece properly, because the pens that suit an artist’s hand are quite different from the ones that suit a to-do list.
I’m Paul Worrall. I spent nearly a decade running digital marketing for ARTdiscount, one of the UK’s larger online art retailers, and I now run Discount Art Supplies — a price comparison platform used by over 28,000 UK artists every week. Here’s the honest breakdown of the pens actually worth buying for drawing, illustration and lettering.
Quick Picks
- Best acrylic paint pen overall: Posca PC-5M
- Best acrylic pen for professionals: Molotow ONE4ALL
- Best budget acrylic paint pen set: Artistro Acrylic Paint Markers
- Best brush pen for blending: Tombow Dual Brush Pen
- Best brush pen for beginners: Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen
Acrylic paint pens — for opaque colour on almost any surface
Acrylic paint pens have genuinely taken off over the last few years, and it’s easy to see why: they give you the opacity and permanence of acrylic paint with far more control than a brush, on paper, canvas, wood, glass, ceramic and more. They’re particularly popular for outlining and fine detail over a painted base, rock painting, and mixed-media work.
Posca — the benchmark
Posca is the name most people reach for first, and reviewers consistently rate it as the strongest all-rounder for one-coat opacity, even on dark surfaces where cheaper pens leave a translucent “ghost” layer. The internal mixing ball gives a noticeably more substantial, properly-mixed pigment than budget alternatives.
The honest trade-off: the barrels are relatively thin, so the ink can run low faster than the price suggests it should, and it’s a genuinely premium product rather than a budget buy. It’s also worth noting from real buyer reviews that it isn’t reliably suited to plain paper unless the paper’s specifically rated for acrylic media — canvas, wood and rock are safer bets.
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Molotow ONE4ALL — the professional’s choice
Molotow’s ONE4ALL range uses a patented capillary system for a consistently controlled flow, and it’s fully refillable, which matters if you’re using it heavily. It’s UV-resistant and highly opaque, and professional muralists and illustrators rate it as one of the most reliable acrylic markers going.
The trade-off is mostly about handling: some artists find the twin-tip design takes a little getting used to compared with Posca’s simpler single-nib pump action, and it sits at a similar premium price point.
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Artistro — the value pick
If you want to try acrylic paint pens without committing to Posca or Molotow prices, Artistro’s dual-tip sets (fine and brush ends) are a genuinely well-regarded budget option, particularly for rock painting, fabric and general craft work. Reviewers rate the value highly even while acknowledging it isn’t quite at the same level as the premium brands.
The honest trade-off: opacity and lightfastness aren’t quite as strong as Posca or Molotow, so for a piece you want to last or sell, it’s worth spending more. For practice, gifts, or craft projects, it’s a sensible way in.
🛒 Buy Artistro Acrylic Paint Markers on Amazon 🔍 Compare Prices
Brush pens — for line variation, lettering and blending
Tombow Dual Brush Pen — the versatile favourite
Tombow’s Dual Brush Pen is probably the most talked-about brush pen among letterers and illustrators, and for good reason: a flexible nylon brush tip on one end and a fine tip on the other, with blendable, water-based ink that works for everything from bold calligraphy strokes to soft watercolour-style blending. It comes in a genuinely huge colour range.
The trade-off, echoed consistently by experienced users: the brush tip can fray on rougher paper, and it’s flexible enough that beginners often find it harder to control at first than a firmer-tipped pen. Ink can also bleed through thinner paper.
🛒 Buy Tombow Dual Brush Pen on Amazon 🔍 Compare Prices
Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen — the beginner-friendly option
Pentel’s brush pens, including the Fude Touch Sign Pen, use a firmer felt tip that’s widely recommended as an easier starting point than the more flexible Tombow. That extra stiffness gives more control while you’re still learning pressure and stroke technique, without sacrificing the thick-to-thin line variation that makes brush pens useful in the first place.
The trade-off is really a matter of preference rather than a weakness: a firmer tip means less dramatic line variation than a fully flexible brush, so once your control improves, you may find yourself wanting the extra range a Tombow or a genuine bristle brush pen offers.
🛒 Buy Pentel Fude Touch Sign Pen on Amazon 🔍 Compare Prices
Fineliners and calligraphy pens — for precise linework
Where brush pens give you variable line width, a fineliner or dedicated calligraphy pen gives you consistency and control. Fineliners hold a fixed line width throughout, which is exactly what technical drawing, inking, and detailed illustration need. Dedicated calligraphy pens, meanwhile, use a chisel or flexible nib rather than a brush tip, giving the classic angled-stroke look of traditional lettering rather than the more painterly effect of a brush pen. Which you reach for really comes down to the job: brush pens for expressive, varied lettering and blending; fineliners and calligraphy nibs for controlled, repeatable linework.
Quick guide: which pen for which job
- Painting on canvas, wood, rock or glass: acrylic paint pens (Posca or Molotow)
- Hand lettering and modern calligraphy: a brush pen (Tombow or Pentel)
- Blending and soft colour transitions: a dual-tip brush pen with water-based ink
- Technical drawing or consistent linework: a fineliner rather than a brush pen
- Trying acrylic paint pens on a budget: Artistro or a similar value set before committing to Posca or Molotow
FAQ
What are the best pens for drawing and illustration?
It depends on the technique. Posca and Molotow ONE4ALL are the standout acrylic paint pens for opaque colour on almost any surface, Tombow Dual Brush Pens and Pentel Sign Pens are the go-to brush pens for line variation and blending, and a proper calligraphy or fineliner pen suits controlled linework and lettering.
Are Posca pens good for artists?
Yes, genuinely. Posca is widely regarded as one of the best acrylic paint pen brands for artists and crafters, prized for strong one-coat opacity on dark and light surfaces alike. The main trade-off is that the ink can run low faster than expected given the pen’s price, and it’s a genuinely premium product rather than a budget option.
What is the difference between a brush pen and a fineliner?
A brush pen has a flexible tip, either felt or bristle, that lets you vary line width by pressure, which suits lettering, sketching and blending. A fineliner has a fixed, usually fine, rigid tip that gives a consistent line width throughout, which suits precise linework, technical drawing and detail.
Can you use acrylic paint pens on canvas?
Yes, acrylic paint pens work well on canvas and are increasingly popular for exactly that. They give the opacity and permanence of acrylic paint with far more control than a brush, which makes them useful for fine detail, outlining and mixed-media work over a painted base.
Whichever pen suits the job, the surface matters as much as the pen itself — acrylic paint pens in particular need a surface rated for acrylic media to perform properly. As always, check Discount Art Supplies before you buy — we compare prices across major UK retailers in real time, so you’re getting the best deal going.
