Our most popular watersoluble brush markers*

  1. Pentel Brush Sign Pen: This small, soft felt-tip brush (0.5cm long) is the easiest to use and ideal for beginners learning hand lettering. The tip is easy to control and the colours don't bleed through decent paper stocks. Also available in an extra fine bristle version for illustrations.  Other Pentel brushes include the larger Pentel Color Brush, with a firmer bristle tip (4 x 12mm long) and a cartridge body you squeeze to control the flow of ink (0.5-8mm line). Pentel Fountain Pen Black is a felt tip, with a sepia tone, that acts more like a brush than a fountain pen.

  2. Tombow: This is a popular dual-tip marker for journalling, with a bullet tip and a brush (4 x 12mm), producing lines of 0.3-0.8mm and 0.8-8mm. A wide range of colours, including a colourless brush for blending, lots of light colours for highlighting text and greys for tonal studies. 

  3. Akashiya: The best watercolour marker for watercolour art, with soft individual bristles (3 x 10mm), that retain their point and provide better line control (0.3 to 7mm). The colours are vibrant and blend easily with a Tombow Colourless Blender (except for the black which is more water-resistant). The range includes field sets as a convenient way to travel with watercolour.

  4. Sailor Shikiori Set: This is a premium, dual-tip brush marker set of 20 colours (0.4mm bullet tip, 10mm brush), inspired by the highly popular Sailor Shikiori fountain pen inks.

  5. Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Brush Sets: This is a professional range of large barrel dual-tip brush markers containing water-soluble pigment ink. They produce less bleed-through than non-pigmented dyes, rewet well, but are not as easy to blend. The bullet tip creates a 0.5-2mm line and the brush tip 10-65mm. This brush tip is wider (6 x 10mm) and softer than the indian ink based Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens. A versatile marker to use like watercolour pencil and paint, either directly on paper (hot press is best) or onto a metal palette for mixing. Great for urban sketching.

  6. Sakura Koi Brush Marker: A slightly shorter brush tip (4 x10mm) than Tombow, for a firmer feel and offering better control for beginners. The brush tip draws 1-6mm lines and colours blend well with the Koi Blender.

  7. Any waterbrush: Fill up your waterbrush with your favourite watercolour mixes. We think the Holbein waterbrush holds its point the best.

*Watersoluble brush markers are popular for blending and blend the best (to a smooth gradient with no line) on smooth watercolour paper. Protect your work from light, as non-pigmented dyes are not lightfast. 

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