Brush Pens, Calligraphy, Handlettered, Lettering, Supplies

Metallic Pens Review

Metallic pens are a fun way to add shimmer and shine to any lettering project. They are usually opaque and show up well on projects that require you to use dark or black colored paper. Different pens serve different purposes and today I’ll be comparing 3 sets of metallic pens that I have in my collection.

Pens in Review:

Crayola Metallic Markers

The Crayola Metallic Markers have a bullet felt tip which makes brush pen calligraphy difficult but not impossible to do. The tip of these pens are stiff and come to a medium round point. The colors from these pens are vibrant and show up well on dark colored paper. 

To achieve the difference in thin upstrokes and thicker downstrokes, you have to angle the pen so more of the side of the pen tip touches the paper. To get the fine point, the pen is almost perpendicular to the page. Because the tips are so stiff, changes in pressure (pushing down on the pen more), doesn’t result in a drastic difference in thickness of pen stroke. If it is difficult for you to get these upstrokes and downstrokes down, continue to practice on your angle changes when writing. If all else fails, these pens are great for some faux calligraphy or mono-line lettering.

I’ve had these pens for a while and the ink still comes out with very vibrant colors. They also come at a great price point. I’ve seen it for sale anywhere from $5-8, which means each pen is less than $1 a piece.

 

Kuretake Fude Metallic Brush Pen

The Kuretake Fude Metallic Brush Pens are a true brush pen intended for brush calligraphy. “Fude” means “writing brush” in Japanese so any pen with the “fude” label will always have a tapered, flexible tip. These are by far my favorite set of brush pens of the bunch being shown. They are the easiest to use and also have really beautiful color in the inks.

The inks from these pens were the juiciest and most opaque. The tips are thick and easier to control than a thinner brush tip. Since they have a brush tip, you can achieve a little bit of an ombre effect since more pigment is released when there is more pressure applied.

 

Artbrush Tower Metallic Brush Pen 

This set comes as a 10-pack with a very flexible felt brush tip. I would say this pen is the most difficult for beginners to use since the tips are not very stiff. Tips that are really flexible require a lot more control when switching between upstrokes and downstrokes.

These pens were more vibrant when I first purchased it but the colors have faded over time. These pens have been stored properly but it looks like the ink has dried out pretty quickly. Still, they’re a pretty decent purchase at around $14 for a set of 10 pens.

These are the metallic pens I currently have in my stash. Obviously, as a calligra-hoarder, I will probably add more to my collection at some point. Hope this was helpful in making some purchasing decisions.

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