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Pens, refills, and inks that I recommend to everyone
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items I've been a stationery lover my whole life, constantly trying new pens to find that perfect writing or drawing experience. Here are a few of the pens I consider essentials for artwork, journaling, notes, and gifts.
Sections
5
Fountain Pens
Art Pens
Note-taking pens
Gift pens
Refills and inserts
Fountain Pens
I use fountain pens for drawing and Journaling, notes, cards and letters. If you haven't tried one, don't miss out, they're awesome! Prices range from gel pen equivalent to high end, so you can invest a little or a lot.
An affordable and reliable pen that comes in a rainbow of colors. It uses bottled ink, which is more eco friendly than cartridges, and it holds more ink than the converters that many other pens use.
TWSBI ECO Transparent Purple Fountain Pen F nib
Picture #2 is the closest to my pen's actual color. I've been using a pro gear slim in blueberry for 15 years, after receiving it as a gift for my birthday. It's an investment pen at today's prices, but Sailor's outstanding housemade gold nibs make i...
Sailor Pro Gear Slim Fountain Pen - Blueberries - 14k Fine Nib
These can be found for reasonable prices (often much lower outlay than a modern model.) If you take your time you can find a colorful model to suit your taste. Mine has a gorgeous orchid purple body! These feature a 1960s-70s style built-in squeeze ...
Vintage Sailor Pocket Fountain Pen with 14K Fine nib
No, I don't understand the name "Scarlet," either. It's more of a burgundy or maroon color. But there are tons of colors to choose from, so pick something you like. This durable, affordable workhorse of a fountain pen has been on the market for somet...
LAMY safari Fountain Pen "Scarlet"
Art Pens
Paint pens, brush pens, fineliners etc. That I use in my art practice
This one is fantastic for looser line variation. I like to use it for contour drawings but I use it with watercolor, too
Kuretake Zig Bimoji Fude Brush Pen
The classic acrylic marker. I like to pick a color similar to my watercolor wash for linework. the difference in opacity makes a pleasing but subtle contrast.
uni® POSCA® PC-1M Extra-Fine Bullet Tip Paint Marker
For zentangle, ink and wash, scrapbooking, Journaling
Pigma® Micron™ 05 Fine Line Pen
Note-taking pens
This is hands-down my favorite note taking pen. I keep one in the pen holder of my work planner, and one in my Nock Sinclair with my Pilot Decimo and a field notes notebook.
Pilot Coleto Multi Pen
Pilot Frixion easable pens are perfect for note taking. The look of these pens is nicely understated, but still clearly identifies ink color. If you like color coding but hate visible errors, these are for you.
Pilot FriXion Waai Retractable Gel Pen - 0.5 mm - 8 Color Set
I added this component to my Pilot Coleto pen when my library required folder labeling in pencil. It won't beat a high-end pencil for writing or drawing, but for applications like mine, or for serving as a back-up in a school setting, it's worth it's...
Pilot Hi-Tec-C Coleto Multi Pen - 0.5 mm - Mechanical Pencil Component
Gift pens
These pens make surprisingly awesome gifts! With the wide range of available body and ink colors, minimalist design, and easy to use gel format, they're sure to please any planner nerd or pen addict.
Uni-ball One P Gel Pen - 0.5 mm - Grape / Peach Milk / Soda - Black Ink - Set of 3
If you have students or writers on your gift list, save them from writing fatigue by gifting this Dr. Grip pen. My personal hack is to swap the Dr.Grip refill for a Pilot G2.
Pilot Dr. Grip Limited Gel Pen - 0.7 mm - Gray Body - Black Ink
This is JetPens' "Best Professional Gel Pen." It will make an impressive graduation gift while offering a solid, familiar writing experience.
Cross Century II Gel Rollerball Pen - Classic Black Lacquer
This is a tornado, but it's not that skippy, smearing rollerball you tried years ago. It uses a twist mechanism like a higher-end ballpoint. Its deliciously smooth, dark, and reliable ink will make you wonder if a rollerball and a gel pen had a baby....
Retro 51
Refills and inserts
This rollerball refill is smooth, dark, and reliable. I use it in my Retro 51 pens and anywhere else it fits!
Schmidt Easy Flow 9000 Ink Refill