Pens for Writing in Art Journals
One of my readers left a comment saying she has trouble finding pens that will write on backgrounds done with acrylic paint in her journal. I have heard this question often, so I’ll answer it here.
My favorite pens for journal writing are the UniBall 207 by Signo. I have never had any trouble with them writing on acrylic backgrounds. They come in several colors and are available at office supply stores and discount stores. I also like Jelly Roll pens (link below). They come in all sorts and lots of colors including neon and metallic. I especially like them for writing on dark backgrounds. They are very smooth and write fine on acrylic. For a white pen, I like the Sakura white pen (link below). They seem to run out of ink quickly, but they are smooth and write well on acrylic. For a larger tip, I also use the Sharpie paint pens in white. I have also used white out pens if they have a small tip.
I use other pens but sometimes they do clog up with paint and take some babying. One tip I can give you is when writing, try to sort of glide the pen tip over the page, rather than digging into the paint. It’s hard to describe. It’s like pulling the ink along the surface. Hopefully you can play around and figure it out.
Here is a link to a very extensive article by Kelly Killer on pens she uses in art journaling. The links I referenced above are in her article. It’s much more comprehensive than mine, so I’m sure you’ll find some pens to try there.
