Our Arteza Brush Pens Review

As art has evolved more and more every year, so has the complexity of the tools and supplies that artists buy when looking to diversify their work. We’ve come a long way since cave painting, and brush pens are proof of how much the art supply industry has evolved. The brush pen is basically a combination between a regular brush and a marker. Imagine a tool that already has the color inside it and it can be used for calligraphy, making fine lines, gradients, and more.

Arteza Brush Pens

Arteza is a company that surprises us with each new product we discover on their website. Not only do they sell quality art supplies, but their products are available at really competitive prices. One would argue that Arteza is one of the best arts and crafts suppliers in Northern America, as more and more artists are trying out their products because they are diversified, reasonably priced, and render quality results.

One of the many things that people appreciate about this brand is the fact that they sell sets with different art supplies that can be labeled as kits of certain drawing, sketching, or painting needs. Such an example is the one we’ll be focusing on today: a set of 48 real brush pens that are easy to use, come in extremely good-looking colors, and are available at a really good price. These aren’t to be confused with the Arteza fineliner pens. Though similar, they’re actually very different.

Pros:

• Non-toxic.
• Versatile.
• Clean working environment.
• Can be used with and without water.
• Transparent cap for full-color view.
• Cap can be secured to the other end of the brush pen.
• Flexible nylon tip.
• Smooth hand motion.
• Elegant brush pen design.

Cons:

• Can’t be bought individually.
• Can’t be used for large washes.

Unboxing & First Impressions

Now, there are lots of brands to consider, like Arteza or Prismacolor, but none can compare to the quality that Arteza boasts. The set of 48 brush pens has a very elegant look to it right from the start. The black stripes are continued by a swirl of colors that hint at what you should expect to find. The top also has a transparent stripe where you can visualize your colors anxiously waiting to be put to good use.

When you first get your hands on one of the brush pens, you will notice that it is just the right weight. Because of that, it gives you the freedom to fully move your hands while you’re using the pen, without the feel of anything weighing you down. Each of the pens has a black barrel with white writing which showcases the logo of the company, but also the name and code of each respective color. The cap of each pen is transparent, which means that you can take a sneak peek at the brush pen without opening the cap, but the bottom side will also give out that information. One thing we would have liked is for the name of the color to be printed in a larger font.

Each of the brush pens is protected by a transparent cap which can be placed at the end of the barrel when the pen is in use. We really liked this feature because it is very easy when you’re focused on work to have these caps roll off the table. When you can put the cap at the end of the pen, you’ll avoid having to crawl underneath the table to find it later on.

The barrel is also the place where you’ll find additional information that might prove to be useful. It will tell you that it is actually water-based ink with non-toxic properties. Oh, this is good news because it means that children are safe to use this, and it also means that even when you’re drawing or sketching or painting for hours, you won’t be inhaling any questionable chemicals.

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What to Expect

Basically, this is a set of brush pens that are equipped with nylon tips and are thin enough to be used even to create the finest details on your drawings, like smooth curved lines or filling small objects with color. If you want the application to be thicker, all you have to do is apply more pressure. In other words, you should handle these just as you would handle a brush dipped in watercolor.

It is very difficult to say how long these nibs will last before they start deteriorating, but the construction and choice of materials do lead us to believe that’s unlikely to happen while the brush pens still have pigment in them. The tip is excellent, but that’s something that can’t be described until you use these yourself. The moment you put the tip on paper, the pen has a very nice flow to it, making hand movements seem very natural.

Because of how the tip is created, these brush pens can be used for a multitude of different projects, like sketching, calligraphy, watercolor painting, coloring, and more. While they basically serve as pens, you can use them as a watercolor by simply adding water.

Thanks to their ingenious design, these pens don’t actually require dipping them in water, which eliminates the need to have a water cup at hand and basically have something else to worry about that you’re going to knock over and spill all over your working area. What you can do is create your sketch by simply using the pens on your paper and then add a few drops of water in order to create a beautiful blend.

These pens can be used for a variety of different techniques, starting with glazing and ending with dry brushing. The manufacturer even suggests adding a sprinkle of salt onto your artwork to create unique textures in the pigment.

Performance

The performance of these pens is a very subjective matter, and while we try to be as objective as possible, it is all a matter of personal experience in the end. Even the best products in the world have bad reviews; always remember that.

Since these are water-based ink pens and not straight up watercolor (you can see Arteza’s watercolor pencils reviewed here), it means that the pigment is more permanent once it dries out. If you know how to work with that, you can create magnificently vivid layers and sharp details.

What we can suggest is that you create a swatch and start experimenting with the different pigments straight away. This way, you will get a better understanding of how these perform in both wet and dry conditions. One important thing that you should know about at this point is the fact that you won’t be able to get in your large washes if you use these pens because they are equipped with brush tips that simply won’t allow that. The tips are created for fine details, and the fact that they are rather “pointy” means they won’t be able to release a large quantity of water-based ink.

Another very important thing to keep in mind is that when you want to add water on top of the pigment, you’re going to have to do so in a timely manner. Once again, this is water-based ink and not watercolor. However, should you make a mistake when you’re using these brush pens, you can use clean water to lift the pigment, and then tap it with a paper towel or a dry brush. For this erasing method to work, you’ll have to do it before the ink dries out.

If there is one thing that makes these brush pens stand out is the vividness of the colors. You will be greatly impressed with the high-quality of the pigment. If you didn’t pay for these and used them, you’d never guess that these weren’t amongst the most expensive products of their kind.

You are free to use a mixing palette if you feel you might benefit from it. You can basically use a tray just as the one that’s normally being used for watercolors. This will allow you to mix the pigments, which you can then pick up using a paintbrush so that you don’t destroy any of the brush pens’ tips. If you try this method, you can mix multiple pigments without the concern of creating quick blends before the first coat of pigment dries out on paper. And, if you’re looking for more info and tips on how to use Arteza real brush pens, we’ve got you covered! Once you’re comfortable you can make all sorts of cool projects like DIY growth charts for your kids, custom signs for your home, and more.

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Customer’s Opinions

Performance

It would seem that people value these brush pens very differently from one another. While some claim that the performance is excellent, others claim that the colors are too dry, resembling markers more than they resemble water-based ink pens. However, plenty of these “too dry” reviews come from the fact that Arteza doesn’t ship you a set of instructions on how to do a pen test to see that the results are actually quite satisfying.

Work Cleanliness

One of the features that people most appreciate about these pens is the mechanism they are based upon. Because they don’t require a water cup, people find it really enjoyable to use these pens to the detriment of water coloring, which is more likely to make a mess. A simple spill of the water cup can destroy someone’s painting, which is why people love the concept of these Arteza brush pens.

Usability

Another highly appreciated benefit of these pens is the fact that they can be used for a variety of different purposes. While some customers have used this to replace the regular paintbrush + water combo, others feel that the strokes of the tip and the variety of colors provided in the package are a great combination for calligraphy projects, but also for drawing that requires fine lines and curves and a tremendous amount of detail.

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Conclusion

Arteza makes some very mean brush pens, we’ll give them that. To sum it up, these are basically a form of replacing watercolor with a product that is so versatile, it can serve a lot of different artsy purposes. The brush pens can be used with or without water, basically opening up a world of possibilities in terms of how your artwork can look.

Designed with a very elegant barrel and a nylon tip that seems to gently slide along the paper, these pens are best paired with watercolor paper, but also seem to work on a variety of other textures and surfaces. Whether you’re looking to fill out that coloring book or create the next batch of Christmas cards all by yourself, this Arteza brush pen set is equipped with 48 vivid colors that you absolutely have to try in order to witness their awesomeness first-hand.