Figuring out which pens to use for Bible journaling can be tricky. There are so many types of pens out there, so how do you know which ones bleed or don’t bleed? Or which ones smudge too easily? Or which ones to use to create that pretty lettering you see other people doing on Pinterest?
After lots of trial and error (and lots of $$ spent :)) I think I have narrowed down my top 5 favorite pens to use for Bible journaling. And they are all available to buy on Amazon.
*This post contains affiliate links. So if you buy through my link to Amazon, it won’t cost you any extra, but I’ll get a few pennies back to buy more pens 😉
1. Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen Â
The Tombow Fudenosuke brush pens are my all time favorite pens for Bible journaling and lettering in general. I use them in about 95% of artsy things I do. They come in two types, a hard tip and a soft tip. -To tell them apart, the hard tip is dark blue, and the soft tip is black. They both write in black ink though!- The difference is that the hard tip is slightly easier to control and creates thinner lines, while the soft tip creates thicker lines. I use them both interchangeably, so I recommend you get the two pack and try them both out!
They are so fun to use because you can use them to write in normal print, or you can apply pressure to create thicker lines- meaning the lettering styles you can create with them are endless.
But here’s the best part, they do not bleed through your page (though you may see some ghosting or shadowing on the back side), and they are waterproof! So if you want to watercolor or stamp over them, you are safe to do so! Definitely my number one recommended lettering tool for any level!
2. Micron Pigma Pens
Micron Pens are well known in the artist community. Like the fudenosuke, they are waterproof and do not bleed. They also are made of archival ink so you know your writing will stay for years to come.
These pens come in a wide range of sizes and colors, but I recommend buying a 03, or 05 (or you might as well go for the full set 😉 ) to start. They are great for simple note taking, hand lettering, or adding in small details.
There are two downsides to these pens though. They seem to dry out quickly; so be sure to keep them capped. And if you are heavy handed (or press down really hard with your pens) the tip may break or get pushed inward and the pen is a goner.
3. Sharpie Paint Pens
These guys have become one of my favorite secret weapons. These pens are used a lot to paint wood or canvases, but you don’t see them used often in bible journaling. The drawback is that they do bleed through an unprepared page (though you can’t notice with the white ones). So you need to prep your page with gesso (see here), or use them on top of acrylic paints to stop them from bleeding.
I love these pens because they are so vibrant, shiny, and versatile. They come in different sizes (but I only use the extra fine and fine tip for bible journaling) and colors. The white and gold pens are my favorite to add dimension to my lettering.
With the image above, I used the white pen to draw a line shadowing my letter and then used a paintbrush to swipe it outward while it was still wet, which created a fun effect!
4. Sakura Decorese Gel Pen
A white gel pen is another great one to have on hand for adding details, masking small mistakes, or writing on dark backgrounds. You can create a lot of the same effects as the paint pens above as well, though they are not as opaque. They do not bleed through the page, but some gel pens are harder than others to get the ink flowing just right. I LOVE the Sakura Decorese gel pens (probably one of the best things about living in Japan is the ability to find all these great, Japanese, pen brands easily) because the ink flows wonderfully with a bit of pressure. This pen is not super widely available in US stores, but it is available on good ol’ Amazon! They also come in a variety of colors that are fun to use as well!
5. Paper Mate Ink Joy Pens
These guys are just your handy ballpoint pens that you may already have on hand! They come in so many pretty colors, and they are the most cost-efficient of this lot! These are great for simple (and just as beautiful) pages, or for note-taking.
They aren’t completely waterproof, but they are super darn close! And as long as you keep a light hand and don’t go back over it a bunch of times, they shouldn’t bleed through (though you will probably get ghosting as with the Tombow fude)
Honorable Mention: Pentel Touch Brush Pen
These pens are similar to the Tombow Fudenosuke pen, in that they write with the same variation in pressure and can create all kinds of lettering styles! But they also come in all kinds of pretty colors!!
The problems are that they are not waterproof like the Tombow and they do tend to bleed through an unprepared page very badly *awweee*. But prepping your page really only takes a couple minutes beforehand, so is it worth it to get to use these fun brush pens? I think so!
So those are my top five favorite pens! Finding pens that don’t bleed through the page is super hard. But if you aren’t sure how a pen you have will act, go ahead and test it out on a page in the back of your bible. If you have any questions, or if you know of a great pen that I didn’t include here let me know in the comments!
