Are you looking for the best gel pens for art? The artists of today are quite lucky as they have a multitude of options when it comes to creating artworks. You no longer have to be restricted to crayons or paint, now, you can also use gel pens!
But how is gel pens even different from other pens? For starters, the gel pen’s ink is made with water-based gel. Traditional pens, on the other hand, come with oil-based ink. So, why use gel pens? Mainly because these pens are able to deliver more vivid colors as opposed to traditional ones. This makes the gel pen a good medium for coloring, drawing, and doodling.
What are the Best Gel Pens for Art?
There is a wide range of gel pen options available in the market. You can check out the list below to find out which gel pen is best suited for you and your art:
1. Best Gel Pen for Art: Sharpie
The Sharpie brand may be more known for its markers but it also produces high-quality pens. The S-Gel Pen is an excellent option for artists as it has a no-bleed and no-smear ink technology.
What’s more, this pen comes with a contoured rubber grip so you can keep writing, drawing, and doodling without being too hard on your hand or fingers. It also helps that the Sharpie S-Gel has a sleek design, the white barrel exudes a stylish and modern look. This makes it perfect if you are going for an all-white aesthetic in your workspace.
2. Best Gel Pens for Color Art: uni-ball
Whether you are filling out letterings or mandala designs, the uni-ball Super Ink pen is one of the best gel pens. For starters, this pen delivers vibrant and waterproof ink. Next, the tip of the pen has an ultra-micro size, 0.38mm to be exact. This makes it easy to fill in small spaces or if you are drawing tiny details.
Finally, the pen has a rubber grip to give you comfort as well as control. With the uni-ball Super Ink, you’ll be getting 8 assorted gel pens with colors such as lime green, violet, and striking yellow.
3. Scented Gel Pen: Dong-A
Maybe you want to add a bit of whimsy to your designs, why not check out the Dong-A Miffy Gel Pen? What’s special about this pen is it comes with a sweet scent. Also, the pen is quite cute with original Miffy (the iconic bunny) designs.
The Dong-A Miffy set contains 10 gel pens in different colors, including basic colors like Black, Red, and Blue. To give you precision, the pens have metal-clad tips at 0.5mm. You’ll have no trouble working on your art as the pens come with comfortable grips, too.
4. Neon Gel Pen for Art: Sargent Art
Get bright and vibrant colors for your artwork with the Sargent Art Neon Gel Pens. These fluorescent pens deliver intense colors, which are perfect for eye-catching designs or standout details. Even kids can use these pens as they are non-toxic and safe.
With the Sargent Art Set, you’ll be getting 10 brightly-colored pens. You can expect controlled and smooth ink flow from these writing instruments. In addition, this set comes with a punch so all of your pens are neatly stored and is convenient for on-the-go artists.
5. Gel Pens for Doodling: Paper Mate
If you are the type to doodle during lectures or meetings, make it more fun with InkJoy pens from Paper Mate. You can expect reduced smearing from these pens as the ink dries faster. This set comes with 14 pens in different colors with 0.7mm tips.
You can expect smooth and colorful gel ink from Paper Mate’s InkJoy. These pens also come with grips for your comfort. Whether you are taking down notes or making artistic doodles, these pens will deliver solid colors, from Jet Black to Pink Pop and more.
6. Washable Gel Pen: Crayola
Not everyone is aware that Crayola is more than just about crayons. The company is also catering to artistic teens and adults with their wonderful gel pens. The Take Note gel pens are of course perfect for notetaking, however, you can also use them for drawing or coloring.
You can expect smooth lines from Crayola’s Take Note gel pens. What’s more, the ink is quick-drying. Furthermore, the pens have cushioned grips for easy handling. Truly for the artsy, the Take Note pens from Crayola are actually washable! So, if you get them on your hands, just wash them away. The same goes for most washable fabrics if you accidentally write on them.
7. Best Metallic Gel Pens: Sakura
If you have been using different pens for quite some time, then you might have experienced “skipping.” Well, you can enjoy a smooth writing experience with Sakura’s Gelly Roll. This line boasts “ice cream smooth” writing. In addition, Sakura’s gel pen’s ink has archival quality. This means the ink will be resistant to fading and waterproof once it dries.
Other excellent features of the Sakura Gelly Roll includes no bleed-through and bright colors even on dark paper. These Japanese gel pens are certified non-toxic. Indeed, you can expect so much from the Gelly Roll as Sakura, after all, is the gel pen pioneer. This metallic gel pen set comes in 10 colors that include emerald, silver, copper, and gold.
8. Quick Dry Gel Pen: BIC
When inspiration strikes, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with what you are thinking and what you are drawing or doodling. And even when you do keep up, you might find your work a bit messy, with smears of colors here and there. You can prevent this from happening by choosing the right gel pen. Bic’s Gel-ocity pens have a smear-free guarantee. What’s more, you can expect smooth ink flow and vibrant colors.
The BIC Gel-ocity set comes with 8 pens in different colors, all of which have a medium point (0.7mm). Moreover, the ink of the Gel-ocity pen dries faster. Conveniently, the pen has a retractable-style barrel (no missing pen caps here!) with a full-length grip.
9. Best White Gel Pens for Art: Arteza
Using black paper can instantly change the theme or mood of an artwork. Invitations can come across as more elegant when the calligraphy is in white ink. Black paper is also perfect for negative space art. Now, for your work to actually show, you will need white ink. Arteza’s white gel pen is a good choice.
Some prefer metallic ink however if you prefer a cleaner look (no glitter and all), simple white ink is best. The white gel pen set from Arteza comes with 3 different tips. You can use the 0.6mm tip for finer details, 0.8mm for drawing and writing, and 1.0mm for highlights or coloring. One set comes with 12 high-opacity pens that are acid-free.
10. Best Gel Pen for Journaling: Pentel
Journaling has become a thing again. In a world where everything is becoming digital, there is art in filling up a notebook. If you are starting out with your bullet journal, you might want to grab Pentel’s Ener-Gel pens. These gel pens are a bit of a hybrid, combining gel and liquid ink, resulting in one of the smoothest writing experiences.
Whether you are right-handed or a leftie, you can expect no smears from the Ener-Gel pen as the ink dries fast. There should also be no globs or smudges with your work. For precision, the gel pen comes with a scratch-free 0.7mm needle tip.
Need more than just pens? Check out the best art supplies for beginners in journaling
11. Ergonomic Gel Pen: Pilot
Does your hand tend to cramp up after a long day of doodling or drawing? There are several things you can do to keep that from happening. You can change up the way you hold a pen or take a couple of breaks. It might also be a good idea to look into ergonomic pens, such as Pilot’s Dr. Grip.
Designed for comfort, Dr. Grip uses Pilot’s gel ink with a fine 0.7mm tip. Aside from having a latex-free grip, the pen’s barrel itself is wide. You can expect to use Dr. Grip for a long time before needing to replace the ink as it uses Pilot G2 refills.
Enjoyed this post on the best art scanner? If so, please check out our other articles, such as the best paint for mandala dotting and the best printer for stickers! Thank you for reading!