Ode to a Pentel Brush Pen

Posted by trev | Filed under Sketchbook

UPDATE (08.16.10): A lot of time has passed since the article was first posted. After you check out my first impressions on Pentel Brush Pen below, go here to get some more current information about this wonderful drawing tool.

I have a confession. I have an unhealthy obsession for brush pens. The perfect brush pen has long been my holy grail. Anytime I enter an art store, or visit one online, I immediately head to the pen section to check out their selection of brush pens. Even when I find ones I like, I keep looking. Because somewhere out there, the perfect brush pen is waiting for me to discover it.

To understand my obsession with finding the perfect brush pen, it is important to start at the beginning — with real brushes themselves. I love drawing with a brush. I love looking at lines drawn by a brush. When I use a brush (typically my trusty Winsor-Newton Series 7 Number 2 sable brush), I really feel like I part of a long lineage of cartoonists. You just can’t beat using a brush.

But for all of their splendor, brushes have some disadvantages. First of all, they are messy. A brush is nothing without a well of ink and some water for periodic cleaning. This setup isn’t such a big deal at the drawing table, but it becomes more problematic when you are out and about. Plus, brushes are difficult to master. I’ve been using one for years and I still don’t feel that confident when I use one. Mastering a brush takes constant practice. Unfortunately, I can’t chain myself to my drawing table all day to practice. I got to go to the day job. It’s just not practice to think you can just throw a brush in your backpack and whip it out at a moment’s notice for spontaneous sketching. If only I had a brush I could take with me wherever I go, without worrying about spilling ink or cleaning bristles. If only there was a more portable alternative…. Enter, the brush pen.

For the uninitiated, brush pens are exactly what they sound like — a pen that has the qualities of a brush (or vice versa). They typically are markers with a flexible end designed to enable the user to get a similar line quality that they’d get from a brush. Similar, but not quite the same. Most brush pens feel more like markers than brushes. Sure, the nib may look like a brush in some ways, but it doesn’t draw like one or feel like one.

My first experience with a brush pen was a very positive one. I picked one up at a local art store. It was from a Japanese manufacturer and was supposed to emulate a Japanese Sumi brush. It had a thicker nib at one end and a thinner one at the other end. Both nibs were very brush-like and the ink was dark and strong (another important consideration when finding the perfect brush pen). I loved that brush pen and went through several in a couple of months. Then one sad day, I went back to replenish my supply and they were gone. I tried to order them, but they were no longer available. I have never been able to find that brush pen ever again.

Since then, I’ve tried many inferior brush pens, trying to either replicate my earlier success, or better yet, exceed it. My journey has produced many near misses in the search for brush pen perfection. The Sakura Pigma Brush pen was useful. It sports a nice fade proof ink and a responsive nib. However, it was way too delicate. It’s pretty decent “out of the box”, but the nib becomes frayed and loses it line quality far too easily. Another near miss was the Faber-Castell PITT Brush Pen. This brush pen was a bit more durable and used even better ink, but still wasn’t quite as “brush-like” as I would have preferred.

I think I would have probably been satisfied with the PITT if I didn’t know that there were tantalizing alternatives out there somewhere. I would get cryptic hints of near mythic brush pens from interviews with pros and discussions about inking. The one brush pen that kept coming up was the Pentel Brush Pen. Supposedly, this brush pen was a brush pen in the truest sense of the word. Its tip was comprised of individual bristles and it used ink from refillable cartridges. I was intrigued. I wanted this brush pen. The only problem was that it apparently was not available in the United States. I tried numerous vendors with no success. Finally, I got tipped off to a company in England that specialized in calligraphic tools called Scribblers, that sold it on the web.

After figuring out the exchange rate, I sent off my order and soon received the fabled Pentel Brush Pen. And let me tell ya, it was certainly worth the wait. Out of all the brush pens that I’ve tried, this is the first that truly feels like a real brush. Heck, the thing is essentially a brush with a built-in ink cartridge. Before I got it, I worried that the ink would often clog, but I haven’t noticed any interruption in the ink flow. It works like a dream.

I’ve had the Pentel for a couple months now and it still has yet to disappoint. I can take it wherever I go and often jot off a quick brush sketch without having to worry about spilling any accompanying ink containers. Working with the Pentel has helped me become a bit more confident using a real brush as well, since I can pretty much draw with it anywhere. In a meeting. At my desk at work. Or on a lunchbreak, like this quick sketch for example:

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In short, I’ve found my holy grail. And yet a part of me feels empty. I think the search for the perfect brush pen was just as much fun as the actual finding of the perfect brush pen. Art stores no longer seem as fun to rummage through. I no longer need to search for hidden gems online. I guess it kind of like if Lucky the Rabbit would have ever gotten to ear a bowl of Trix, or if Wile E. Coyote ever would have succeeded in catching that smug Roadrunner.

Well, fear not gentle reader! A sane person would have probably looked for new mountains to climb, but who wants to be sane? I have decided that the quest must go on. My Pentel will continue to serve me well. It will always hold a place in my toolbox, however, there is always room for improvement. I have already heard whispers of hard to find brush pens that are even better than my trusty Pentel. And I will find those brush pens, or have at the very least have fun trying.

December 2nd, 2004

12 Responses to “Ode to a Pentel Brush Pen”

  1. Sheryl Schopfer Says:
    November 24th, 2006 at 11:48 am

    I found this entry through a Google search for “Pentel Brush Pen.”

    I understand being insane and wanting to find the perfect art supply of any kind. My only drawback of experience and having a good idea of what works for me and what does not is that browsing art supply stores is no longer nearly so interesting or appealing. Still, I like to hunt, even when I have the perfect items for me.

    Since you also do, I thought that you might be interested to hear about the following brush pens to give them tries:

    - Sailor Profit Brush Pen: I have not tried this yet; it is currently on backorder from where I recently ordered it.
    - Pentel Color Brush Pen: A much fatter brush then the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen that requires squeezing the holder for ink as needed, rather than getting a constant flow of ink like the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, so can achieve dry-brush work.
    - Kuretake Brush Pen: Very comparable to the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen in size, gets rave reviews from users I know. I like it, but find the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen’s slightly shorter brush easier for me personally to use.
    - Kaimei Brush Pen: I have not tried this yet, since it is more expensive than the others.

  2. JonSpratlin Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 2:54 pm

    You can buy Pentels and refills here as well as many others

    http://www.jetpens.com/product_info.php/cPath/221_460/products_id/1972

  3. trev Says:
    October 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm

    yep, i wasn’t aware of jetpens when i originally wrote this, but i’ve used them a few times since. if you check some of my newer posts you will see some reviews of some of the other stuff they offer (since they were kind enough to send me some review samples).

  4. Mokuu Says:
    March 12th, 2009 at 10:25 am

    I liked the pentel until i found out it doesnt handle speed strokes as well as a copic marker can, yet i still have to find a long haired brush pen for that kind of strokes.

  5. trev Says:
    March 13th, 2009 at 7:59 am

    it’s definitely a trade off. the copic is nifty, but i like the precision of the pentel. but you are absolutely correct, it doesn’t handle speed lines very well, especially on toothier papers. it’s not bad on the smooth paper of the moleskine, but still falls short of stuff like the copic.

    for the stuff i use the pentel for, i tend to use it at a deliberate pace. when i’m drawing at a faster pace, i usually try and use a real brush with ink.

  6. shahid Says:
    June 2nd, 2009 at 3:29 pm

    I’ve used the Pentel brush pens for the past 8 years and I must say I havn’t found anything better so far. However being paranoid about the supply drying up one day I have been searching for alternatives. I found this post whilst hunting for a Kuretake Brush Pen in the UK so if anybody knows where I can find one pleaae do tell. I hear great things about them and will hopefully get my hands on one soon.

  7. trev Says:
    June 8th, 2009 at 9:54 am

    it looks like dickblick.com has the kuretake, but i am not sure if they accept orders from outside the U.S. worth a shot. haven’t tried the kuretake myself (a bit too pricey for my blood) but it looks interesting!

  8. Anish Daolagupu Says:
    September 1st, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    i just bought a kuretake sable hair fountain brush pen…. and all the different types of pentel brush pens… first and foremost, the kuretake handles like a charm… and has better control than the pentel, however refilling it might be a problem and getting drybrush from it might prove difficult… i’ve emptied one cartridge and filled it with noodler’s bulletproof ink as the ink which comes in the cartridge is not waterproof and i need to use the pen for inking purposes… is working fine, for now… i have not used the pentel brush pens properly yet…. i had been using the pentel aqua water pens as brush pens after filling them with ink… i had no clue… :P

    i would like to know, if you know, what the difference between the different tips(tsumi, suki, medium, superfine) are… superfine and medium are self explanatory, but i donot quite get the other two…

    as for the search for the best brush pen… i would say, the kuretake brush wins hand down… at least amongst the brushes that i have… :)

  9. Anonymous Says:
    September 16th, 2009 at 10:06 am

    Well why all so?

  10. REN Says:
    October 2nd, 2009 at 5:25 pm

    Interesting blog post. Just today, I had a Pentel Brush Pen given to me at a Trade Show and I had never used one, so I am online reading up about them. It has been amazing to me to see how many people, on many different websites, say they absolutely love this pen. Well, this seals the deal… I will be sure to push the Pentel Brush Pen at all the local art stores in my area!

  11. Mike Says:
    December 11th, 2009 at 7:20 am

    I just ran across your post. I too like brushes, and pens. I do sumi-e style drawings. I too wanted something I could use in the field that was real.

    I did run across something that might be of interest to you…a real brush, that works like a pen, and is refillable with either ink or water (which can also be colored).

    They are available from blueheronarts.com and via Amazon (keyword “piston fill water brush) with some videos on youtube.

    Henry Li is a Chinese brush painter and teacher…he uses them in the studio and on site…some with ink and some with water for use with pans or water color crayons

    Enjoy(and let me know what you think if you try it)
    God bless

  12. trev Says:
    December 11th, 2009 at 9:16 am

    thanks for the link, mike. looks very interesting. i worry that it may be a bit big for my needs, but i think i may have to give one a test spin.

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