8 Waterproof Pens I use with Watercolour

A quick post about some waterproof pens that work well with watercolour.

While I have mostly switched to using fountain pens (Kakuno EF and Sailor 55 degree fude nib), these are all pens I still use for various reasons. Some I would repurchase, others, probably not but I will enjoy using them while I have them.

8 Waterproof pens I use

Derwent GRAPHIK INK Sepia Line maker 0.1
Copic Multiliner Sepia 0.3
UniPin Fineliner Black 0.1
Uniball Signo UM-151 Blue-black 0.28
Uniball Signo UM-120 Angelic white
Uniball Signo UM-153 White Broad
Copic Multiliner SP Black BS
Pentel Brush Pen Black

There are broadly three different types of pens in the list: Fineliners and pens I use for outlining or adding details; white gel pens and brush pens. The pens are all swatched on recycled 100% cotton paper below.

Waterproof Fineliners:

Out of the fineliners, the one I use the most at the moment is the Derwent Graphik Ink in Sepia. It is the perfect outline colour for me, and when I do illustrations with outlines, this is the pen I reach for first.

The Copic Sepia 0.3 is also great, and is actually almost as fine as the Derwent 0.1, however I prefer the colour of the Derwent. The Copic is more of a warm, reddish brown and compared to the more neutral colour of the Derwent, this can sometimes stand out too much for my liking.

The UniPin Fineliner is my favourite black waterproof fineliner. I have tried a few different brands including the Pigma Microns, Derwent Line Maker and Staedtler Pigment liner, but I prefer the UniPin. It has been much more reliable for me. I love it for outlines and adding details. The Staedtler is a close second.

The Uniball Signo Blue-black is a pen I've used for 18 years for writing! I love it and keep coming back to the 0.28 and 0.38. For sketching or outlining, it is nice for something a bit different. It comes in a huge range of colours too. Bonus: you can buy ink cartridge refills and while they are plastic, using the same barrel means a little less plastic waste, which is always a win.

Waterproof White Gel Pens

The two white gel pens I like are both Uniball Signos, and I've used these pens (the Uniball Signo range of pens in various colours) for writing and decorating since I was a teenager in Singapore. The Uniball Signos have been my longest pen loves, and being able to add them to my sketching kit is a great bonus!

As you can see in the swatches, the Angelic white colour is slightly less opaque, and just a bit softer, which can be great when you don't want a highlight that's too stark. The white colour is a stark, bright white. I love these for so many reasons, but one of my favourite uses for them so far has been for distant ghost gums as in the sketch below.

Distant ghost gum trees (eucalypts) at John Forrest National Park at sunset.

Waterproof Brush Pens

I've only really tried these two proper black brush pens (other than waterbrush pens), and my hands-down favourite is the Pentel Brush pen. This pen is so expressive and so useful for all sorts of things. I've mainly it for silhouettes of birds and trees. There is nothing else in my kit quite like it, and the extra long bristles that come to a perfect point means that it makes marks that are quite different to any of my other brushes. This post talks about the Pentel Brush pen in more detail.

The Copic Multiliner Brush Small has a sponge brush tip as opposed to the fibre brush tip of the Pentel Brush pen, making it very stiff as far as sketching and mark-making goes. It is better for thicker outlines, and for a bit more control than the Pentel Brush pen, but it is not something I feel fills a gap in my kit. My main use for it is for adding writing in my sketchbooks, and for that it works well and is easier to handle than the Pentel Brush Pen.

The barrel of the pen is a beautiful metal barrel with a good weight, and I love that it is refillable with ink cartridges that Copic sells for these pens. The ink is great too, and dries quickly, but I will likely replace the nib with a different Copic nib next time (Copic sells replaceable nibs for these too). Refillable pens with replaceable parts FTW!

If I had to pick just one in each category:

Fineliner: UniPin Fineliner 0.1 (although I may try a different colour like Dark Grey or Sepia)

White Gel Pen: Uniball Signo White Broad

Brush Pen: Pentel Brush Pen

A pen I always have on me: Uniball Signo UM-151 0.38 or 0.28, usually in Blue-black. This pen in almost any colour for me is above any other non-fountain pen for writing, and I'm glad its also great for use with watercolour.

So these are my pen loves - what are yours? Is there a pen you keep going back to?