Pen and ink is an ancient drawing medium that has been popular with artists for centuries. Nowadays, we have access to all kinds of wonderful pens that artists of days gone by could only dream of! From fineliners and dip pens, to markers and brush pens– there are so many of these drawing tools to choose from. Each offer their own unique properties for pen and ink drawing. Two Thatched Cottages with Figures at a Window (c. 1640) by Rembrandt van Rijn. Pen and brown ink drawing, corrected with white gouache Contour shading works similarly to Hatching, but your lines will follow the curves of the object you are drawing. If you are drawing a curved object then using contoured lines over simple hatching will give more illusion of shape. Hatching can leave your drawings looking a little flat. As with hatching, the closer together the lines, the deeper the shadow effect. Don’t worry about your lines being perfect – little imperfections will give your drawing character. Technique 4: Cross-Contour Fineliners are generally relatively cheap, as the construction is very simple. They're mostly disposable, but there are a few premium refillable options. Most fineliner pens use dye-based ink, which is not hugely permanent, but there are many that use lightfast and waterproof pigment ink, especially the more technical drawing ranges, and the Schneider Xpress, which is a lovely premium fineliner.

Acrylic paint markers go hand-in-hand with watercolor art pens in the sense that they allow you to break away from traditional techniques and materials to achieve a painting-like effect. Stippling is one of the more time consuming pen and ink techniques. It relies on carefully placed dots to give the impression of shadow and depth. The more densely concentrated your dots, the deeper the shadow will be. Create each dot by pressing the nib of your pen against the paper – you aren’t really ‘drawing’ and filling each individual circle. The smaller the nib size of your pen, the smaller your stippled dots will be. In areas that have very little shading you will only need to place a few strategic dots here and there. It can take a long time to build up your shading, especially if you re working on a large piece. Consider the size of the nib you use and don’t lose your cool! This technique gives ultimate control over the contrast between light and dark in your work. Technique 6: Circular Patterns It has been a great experience looking at all these fineliner pens in such detail. My favourite is still the Uni-Pin Fineliner, but I am a creature of habit. It just seems to be the best value for money, comes in a great range of nib sizes, has a decent colour selection for sketching and the nib is very hard-wearing. The pigment ink is waterproof and relatively smudge proof, but not great for Watercolours.You don’t need to look any further for the best art pen for drawing; take it from us! Keep scrolling for our suggestions on the best art pens for sketching, watercolor markers, rollerball pens, and more! Best fineliner pen: Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens Random: Let your pen go with the flow on this mark-making technique and doodle to your heart's content! This mark is great for building up tiny bits of texture and detail – play around with how concentrated these lines are. Fineliners have countless possible uses. They can be used for writing, drawing, sketching and colouring. Available in numerous brilliant colours, users are sure to find what they need. Fineliners are also used by adults to colour mandalas or create handlettering projects. Even artists enjoy the high quality of these pens. Find the right fineliners to suit your specific needs in the STAEDTLER range. This Uni Posca Paint Marker Pen Set contains seven pastel-tinted pigments and is one of the best sketching pens for everything from large poster art, graffiti, canvas painting, and more — I love working these onto mini canvases! For this reason, I recommend trying out these FriXion color fineliner pens by PILOT. It’s crucial to point out right off the bat that these aren’t your typical color fineliner pens: this product is a mix between a marker and a fineliner pen.

All of the drawings shown in this article are by Phil Dean using Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache, Winsor & Newton Professional Watercolour, Winsor & Newton Promarkers and a fineliner sketching pen. The drawings on cream coloured paper are in a Moleskine Sketchbook. The drawings on toned paper are on Canson Mi-Tientes paper. Try mixing up different techniques to help define the form of the object you are sketching. Cross hatching and contour are commonly used together. The second ink test is Daler Rowney FW Ink. This is an acrylic-based ink and we are using Lemon Yellow. Again, I have I’ve drawn a series of different marks with the fineliners and gone over them with the ink. These non-toxic, water-based paint markers can also be used on various surfaces such as glass, mirrors, and plastic. They also look incredible on textiles— creative tote bag projects, anyone?Fineliners contain an ink reservoir made from polyester. This is filled with ink that is dispensed evenly by the pen tip when writing or colouring. How long a fineliner will last depends entirely on the writing surface and the pressure applied by the user when writing. However, the rougher the paper, the faster the fineliner will run out and the sooner the tip will wear out. For the longest time, the only way to get a professional-looking line was to use a mechanical pencil or a ballpoint pen. But there's something about a mechanical pencil that doesn't sit right with me, and ballpoint pens require too much pressure.

As you grow in confidence start trying to render more complex objects. It can be useful to draw these objects from life to see how light and shadow appear in a real life setting. Try capturing mugs, glasses and other household items. Dip Pens don’t give a uniform line. As you apply pressure the flexible tip of the nib will move, allowing more ink to flow from the tip. They also have a tendency to splatter ink if the nib catches on your paper. For some people this splattering can be an annoyance, but for many it is part of the charm of drawing with a dip pen. Nibs for dip pens are also interchangeable, so you’ll be able to swap them out if you fancy a change.

Popular uses for fineliners

STAEDTLER brand fineliners are available online as well as in specialist stationery shops. Our classic model is the STAEDTLER triplus fineliner 334, which offers the following special features: Ideal for all types of journaling, fineliner pens provide neat lines for creating layouts, illustrations, colour-coding, and clear handwriting. Which fineliner should you use? This type of pen suits all handwriting styles and can even help to make ‘messy’ handwriting more legible as it allows for more space inside and around each letter. If you enjoy watercolouring, take a look at the professional watercolouring set available from STAEDTLER, which includes the following components: Another note on tips: they are usually quite long and covered by plastic or metal. This is to protect the pen from regular use with a ruler.

Finerliners lend themselves perfectly to the field of graphic design and architecture because they work wonderfully with a ruler. JournalingChange the way you hold your pen. Holding your pen at the bottom will allow for more free, expressive lines, whereas holding it close to the nib will allow you to work in more detail. Get started with the 9 inking techniques below and you should slowly and surely be able to build up your ink drawing skills! Technique 1: Hatching Much like the recent rug tufting TikTok trend, the internet is flooded with incredible ballpoint pen art made by amateurs and professionals alike. Many people enjoy writing with a fineliner pen as it offers a thin, crisp line of cursive and a unique feel. Thanks to their fine tip, excellent writing results can be achieved with fineliners. The ink dries super-fast, so there is no danger of smudging. Fineliners are increasingly being used in the creative industry. For example, the STAEDTLER pigment liner is a popular choice for sketching, drawing and writing. It is available in a special set containing three assorted line widths and two metallic markers specifically designed with handlettering in mind. You can use this set to remind the favourite people in your life just how much they mean to you. From the heart and, above all, by hand: