I have been working on my brush lettering since Haven last year and I am having so much fun! I am absolutely loving learning how to write all the different letters and strokes… mainly I’m working on learning to use a dual brush pen and getting into the habit of connecting letters and adding all the swirls.
I can write the letters y’all I just can’t quite put them together yet!
BUT while I’m still learning the techniques I’ve received quite a few marker sets for Christmas and over the last few weeks as they’ve gone on sale (my brother picked up the artist’s loft set after he saw me looking at them at Michaels… and then my Mom picked up the Tombow set after I told her I was actually looking at Tombow and the bro got the wrong ones! He tries though… and the set he got me has twice as many markers so SCORE!)
Of course, Tombow pens are the main event on almost all of the brush lettering posts I’ve read so I have lots of recommendations for those. However, I haven’t found any reviews on the Artist’s Loft brand so I figured we’d do a little test and see what we think.
BONUS FREEBIE: I’ve put together a little practice workbook for you! You can download it for FREE at the bottom of this post. It contains quick letter sheets for 5 different alphabets and blank practice sheets that you can use to practice your little heart out. Enjoy!
The Tombow Dual Brush Pen Advanced Lettering Set
Okay y’all, Tombow is the big name in brush letter pens so these were the absolute first pens I wanted to try! I actually was able to try a few of these last year at Haven when Amy Latta taught her brush lettering class. They are awesome!
I asked for this advanced lettering set for my very first brush lettering kit for Christmas because it has a great mixture of colors, large black pens and smaller black pens. It was my very first set of pens and it was perfect for working on my vacation cruise travelers notebook. It’s great for those who are still learning or just starting a collection.
Pros
- Great starter set
- Great mix of colors and black pens
- Gorgeous colors (super vibrant!)
- Dual brush tips
- Blend well (using the clear blender marker… although I haven’t quite mastered this yet).
- Water-based ink colors
- Flexible nylon fiber brush tip which is easy to learn with. It allows you to create medium or bold strokes when you learn how to control the pressure
Cons
- While they’re not expensive they’re definitely the top of the list. Less markers for the same moola which isn’t as great when you’re starting a collection. They are suppose to last though!
$24.43 for 10 Pieces: 4 large dual tip markers, 1 blending marker, 1 pencil, 2 smaller fudenosuke calligraphy pens, 1 permanent marker and 1 eraser.
Get the Tombow Advanced Lettering Set Here!
The Tombow Dual Brush Pen (in Pastel)
Once I decided I loved brush lettering I set about growing my collection. I’d love to have all. the. colors. but we have to go one step at a time. These pastel colors add a great mixture of light colors. They also have a dark set and vibrant galaxy colors.
I love the way these pastel colors are sooo light they’re gorgeous when layered and have kind of watercolor effect. I tried the light blue on last weeks planner spread and it was so light I could barely see it… after layering the blue several times it had a very pretty watercolor look and matched my spread perfectly. Score.
Pros
- Gorgeous colors (great for layering, coloring and watercolor effects)
- Blend well (using the clear blender marker… still haven’t mastered this yet)
- Dual brush tips
- Water-based ink colors
- Great range of light colors
- Flexible nylon fiber brush tip which is easy to learn with. It allows you to create medium or bold strokes when you learn how to control the pressure
Cons
- Very Light… If you want to be able to write in a single stroke some of these are too light.
$17.30 for 10 Pieces: 9 light pastel colored dual brush pens and 1 blending pen.
Get the Tombow Pastel Pens Here!
Artist’s Loft Watercolor Dual Tip Markers
Alright on to the artist’s loft brush pens… this is the pack my bro picked up for me. It definitely has twice as many colors as the smaller packs… which is wonderful. Especially for someone like me who is just starting out and building a collection from 0.
I’ll be honest… I’m not sure how these brushes are going to hold up over time. Typically you get what you pay for and these are less expensive than the other brands. They seem wonderful right now… I can’t really tell any difference in the pens when they’re brand new and fresh out of the box. I’ll check back in with a review after I’ve used them for a while and let you know how they’re holding up.
If you’ve used these before and know how they hold up hit reply and let us know! I’m sure we’re all curious.
Pros
- Twice as many markers at the same price as Tombow which is great for adding lots of colors to your collection at once
- Dual brush tips
- Range of colors… very bright with few light colors. There are lots of reds and yellows with few pinks and purples. Definitely more primary colors.
- Water-based ink colors
- Flexible nylon fiber brush tip which is almost identical to Tombow. If there is a difference it escapes me… although I’m not an expert by any means.
Cons
- Lesser quality so will probably break down or run out of ink before Tombow.
- Only has 1 pink. Maybe not a con to some but for me… I need more pink!
$24.99 for 24 pieces: 24 watercolor brush pens
Get the Artist’s Loft Brush Pens Here!
Mincho Metallic Brush Pens
Okay, these metallic brush pens are a-m-a-z-i-n-g. They are metallic and oh so pretty. I think they’re my absolute favorites although they take a bit of getting use to since they’re different from the other two. They’re a smaller pen but the tips are so flexible they’re actually easier to get thick lines.
And did I mention that they’re a-m-a-z-i-n-g?!
Yup. Thought so!
Pros
- Super flexible… easy to make really thick or thin lines. Definitely easier to change the pressure than any of my other pens.
- White version which would be perfect for writing on dark colors or adding white metallic detail to darker brush lettering.
- Super vibrant color which is gorgeous when paired with the metallic detail.
- Water-based ink… plus they’re acid-free, environmental and non-toxic.
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Actual color seems darker than the caps… I wanted jewel tones bordering on pastels and they’re definitely a bit darker than I’d like.
- Two greens? Really?
- Not dual tips… these would be even better with a skinny pen on the other side.
$9.99 for 10: 10 Metallic brush pens
Get the Metallic Brush Pens Here!
COMPARISON
Alright y’all it’s time to pit like against like and see how they all stack up. I’ve made a little chart to make this super easy… hopefully it helps you pick which set is perfect for you. I have a set of Arteza watercolor brush tip markers (a 48 pack FORTY EIGHT!) arriving tomorrow so I’ll definitely be reviewing those once I have time to play around with them.
I can’t wait! I’ve been looking at watercolor brush pens for a while but I wanted really good quality pens. These Arteza pens are pro quality which is awesome but I snagged them on Amazon lightning deal… down from $40 bucks to $20! I think it was a steal.
So what’s the verdict? Do you agree with my reviews… are you snagging a set yourself? Leave a comment and let me know.
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