February 12, 2019

A Quick Guide To The Best Brush Pens For Inking Comics

Resources

MATTHEW CHILDERS

ARTIST, ILLUSTRATOR WRITER

Finding the best brush pens for inking comics is really about trial and error. Drawing doesn’t require the greatest tools but inking well sometimes demands we find tools that fit our needs.

Sure you can ink a page with a ball-point pen if you want to, but only a select few can pull it off and make it look masterful.

There is a reason why most comic inkers use either dip pens, brushes and ink, or brush pens. It’s because they give the art thick to thin lines which gives the line a sense of life an energy that simple mechanical lines do not.

In this I’ll talk about a few of my favorite brush pens. I have tried and used all of these pens to varying degrees and I base all of this on my own personal experience with each brush.

You may have a different experience depending on your drawing style. So should you pick up any of these pens for yourself feel free to experiment and draw with them as you would use them.Finding the best brush pens for inking comics is a process of trial and error. While drawing doesn’t require the finest tools, inking often demands instruments that suit our specific needs.

Technically, you could ink a page with a ballpoint pen, but only a select few can make it look truly masterful.

Most comic inkers rely on dip pens, brushes with ink, or brush pens for a reason—they create dynamic, thick-to-thin lines that bring energy and life to the artwork, something mechanical lines often lack.

In this article, I’ll share some of my favorite brush pens. I’ve personally tested and used all of them to varying degrees, and my recommendations are based on my own experiences.

Your results may vary depending on your drawing style, so if you decide to try any of these pens, experiment and see what works best for you.

Disclaimer: In the article below there are Amazon links to the pens I have used and recommend . As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copic Gasenfude

This pen is easily one of my favorite brush pens. Whenever I try a new brush pen, I compare it to the gold standard—Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes. This is the closest I’ve found to that level of quality in a brush pen.

It offers excellent line variation, a responsive and snappy brush tip, and just the right ink flow. Since the brush is made of nylon, it also seems to last longer than many other brush pens.

The only drawback is that it’s not technically refillable. However, there are several videos online showing ways to refill it. That said, I’ve been using mine for quite some time, and it hasn’t come close to running out of ink—another major plus.

I can’t say enough great things about this pen. It allows me to work smoothly without slowing down, and I’ve truly come to rely on this piece of inking magic.

Pentel Pocket Brush Pen

There are plenty of pros who swear by this beauty. It’s a great pen and it is easily refillable. Unlike the Copic Gasenfude, you can buy refills rather than having to hack the pen to refill. It has a nice brush tip and gives great line weights. For me this pen has a few drawbacks; the ink feels much wetter and flows more easily which is a bit of a drawback for me. I also don’t feel it handles detail work as well as the Copic Gasenfude, which could of course be because the ink flows faster. I prefer ink to flow and dry quickly as opposed to soaking the tip of the brush so this is all about personal preference. But again, many pros love this brush and it is top tier.

Zebra Disposable Brush Pen

Am I allowed to gush? Seriously. I almost hesitate to call this a brush pen but it is, in many ways, not only a great pen but a great brush pen. It doesn’t have great variation in line width but what it lacks in variation it more than makes up in awesomeness. I use this brush pen for a lot of my line work, not for shadows or blacks but everything else. I don’t know where this pen has been all my life, but it seriously speeds up my inking time by a factor of ten. When I combine this pen with the Copic Gasenfude I’m literally set to ink a page. They make a Fine and Super Fine, but I go Fine all day long. The Super Fine seems much more like a regular pen than a brush pen and I like the extra variation I can get with the Super Fine. The brushes are quite durable, but after some time you will get the brush tip becoming a bit soft so try to keep a few new brushes in stock when you can if you enjoy this brush as much as I do.

Kuretake Fudgokochi Brush Pen

This pen is loved by quite a few pros. I’ve tried it and I do enjoy the lines it makes. It has some nice line variation but also produces a nice crisp line. The downside for me is that the ink seems to gather at the tip and if you don’t wipe it off every so often it can lead to smudges or drips. It could be that I’ve had some defective pens and that’s not how it’s supposed to work but that kind of stuff bothers me. If you do give it a try and you find it doesn’t do that for you feel free to let me know. I will probably try this brush pen again just to give it another shot because I do love some of the lines it makes, but personally this type of wet tip brush bothers me.

Kuretake No. 50 Fountain Brush Pen

Let’s talk downside. This brush is pricey. As in around $30-$50 pricey depending on where you get it from. But this brush is not a disposable brush. It’s mean to last. The brush gives excellent line weights and the ink flows fairly well. The ink isn’t waterproof and depending on what you plan to do might be an issue but you can also get adapters to allow you to use different inks. For me, the ink flow can be a little inconsistent and I’m not comfortable doing detail work with this brush but it’s still a worthwhile investment, especially when at a convention or on the road

Akashiya Sai Thinline Watercolor Brush Pen

I’m adding this pen because I’ve used it. I don’t love it. The thinness and build of it would make it seem like it’s great for detail work, and it could be. It is a watercolor ink so it’s not really suited for my type of comics. It definitely handles well and is quite nimble. I liked the brush on it, but it’s the ink that killed it for me. Of course I think I got one with the charcoal grey color instead of full black so it may have biased me a little. The link below is to the full black, and one day I’ll try this brush again. Again nice tip but I like waterproof inks.

Pentel Color Brush

I actually inked a whole comic with this brush once. I’ve encountered two versions of this brush, one with a water-based ink and one with a dye-based ink. I definitely preferred the dye-based ink as the water based version smudged badly. The dye-based, when it works well is a great tool. The big upside is that this brush has great line variation and can handle huge areas of blacks. The downside is that the inkflow is a bit inconsistent and can lead to really dry brush type lines. This may or may not be good for your style. If you like dry brush techniques then this is a great tool to have in your arsenal. But if you like clean crisp lines this may be one to shy away from.