*Links contained in this post are affiliate links for Amazon and/or Blick Art Materials and I will earn a commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. These commissions help fund more content like this, so thank you!
Fine Line Pens for Illustrating and Doodling
Let’s talk about pens. It is a sad moment when you are mid-doodle and your $3 Micron Pen starts to run out of juice. I can’t tell you how many pens I have gone through over the years, but it starts to add up quickly even if you are just a hobby artist. If you’ve been searching for the perfect drawing pen, look no further.
As a frugal artist, I have never been satisfied with single-use paint pens/markers or drawing pens. I like products that last forever, and I am super excited that I found this product. Just like the paint pen I frequently recommend, I found a drawing pen that is refillable, precise, and versatile.
I can’t see myself buying any other pen for a long time. Well–except for all the other sizes of this particular pen…
Rotring Isograph Technical Drawing Pen
This isn’t a new product. Rotring has been around for decades, but I only discovered these pens in 2019. I believe these have been marketed mostly to architects and technical drafters, but I think more artists would love them.
I bought the .25mm Rotring Isograph pen and filled the reservoir with some India ink I already had in my studio, and my goodness is this pen amazing. I used to buy Micron .005 pens (Amazon), but I felt like the ink was a precious resource and my pens would dry up too quickly from all of my doodling. They are great pens, but when I’m afraid of running out of ink, I feel like it gets in the way of my creative process.
Enter the Rotring Isograph Pen, and my fears disappeared. When ink starts to run low, you just open the pen, fill the reservoir, and go back to drawing. Sweet, sweet creative freedom. Now I won’t be chucking single-use pens in the garbage can after a few drawings.
Products I use:
- Rotring Isograph Pen .25mm (Amazon or Set from Blick)
- India Ink (Blick)
- Eventually I’m going to try buying the .35 mm pen (Amazon) and fill it with Dr. PH Martins Pen White Ink (Amazon) and see how that works! Keep following me on Instagram if you want to eventually hear about that experiment.
Pen Pros
- Very precise
- Pen reservoir is refillable
- Pen is easy to dismantle, clean, and refill
- You can customize the colors and inks used
- Comes in a variety of sizes
- So far I haven’t encountered any ink burps or pen explosions.
Pen Cons
- Not cheap. These pens are a bit expensive initially. The .25mm pen I bought was around $25, but it pays for itself after a few refills if you factor in how many single use pens you’d go through over a few months.
- If you don’t use the pen frequently, the ink can dry in the dip. Just take the pen apart and run warm water through until it clears.
See how I use it here:
***
Let me know if you give this pen a try! It has become one of my new studio favorites!
If you enjoy learning about the supplies I use in the studio and want to know more, let me know through Instagram or Email. Now go get messy and share your creation on Instagram using #messyeverafter!
-Kelly