10 Drawing Pens for Illustrators You Won’t Know How You Lived Without

Any experienced artist understands the difference between high and low-quality drawing pens. Using the best pens can completely transform a work of art. 

However, deciding which pen is best for you and your drawing style is tricky when thousands are available on the market. 

We’ve compiled a list of the best 10 drawing pens for illustrators based on the opinions of artists, designers, and other creators to help you determine which pens to add to your art supply arsenal. 

We’ve reviewed each listing based on quality, value, and efficacy. Let’s get started!

Featuring a set of eight, Mr. Pen’s Drawing Pens are perfect for various art exercises, including sketching, drafting, underlining, and journaling. 

With sizes ranging from 0.2mm to 1mm, these fade-resistant black pens produce smooth, skip-free lines and crisp, consistent lettering. The waterproof, fast-dry ink also prevents smudging with minimal bleeding. 

Considering its value and high ratings, this set of eight drawing pens for illustrators provides quality and consistency for both beginner and experienced artists.

Featuring drawing pens with 10 unique nibs—0.05 mm to 1.0 mm—these MISULOVE art pens offer multiple sizes for your artistic needs.

Whether you’re introducing yourself to technical drawing or you’re a seasoned journaling artist, this set features both micro-pens and a soft brush pen, all of which work well with rulers and templates.

Artists, writers, and illustrators alike find this pen extremely easy to use, as well. Each lightweight pen features a coded cap and pocket clip cap. The long-lasting ink is excellent for taking notes, and bullet journaling, and the pens work especially well as technical drawing pens. 

For artists who enjoy watercoloring over their drawing, the Artline Drawing Pen Set is waterproof, smudge-free, and overall consistent for graphic illustrators and technical drawing. 

Available in a set of nine—each featuring a friction-proof polyacetal nib—this drawing set involves a water-based ink that produces smooth, even lines without the added worry of bleeding or skipping. 

Many reviewers praised the product specifically for its compatibility with watercolors, additionally noting the affordability of the drawing pen price for such a well-performing product. 

The PANDAFLY Fineliner Pen Set offers multiple micro-nib sizes, ranging from 0.05mm to 0.8mm, as well as two brush tips. Meeting the demands of all kinds of artists, this set is catered toward drawing, sketching, line detailing, and other illustrator exercises.

While the micro-pens are non-toxic, acid-free, and water-based, they also feature a long-lasting waterproof ink that doesn’t skip, fade, or smear.

Whether it’s a children’s birthday present or a gift to an artist friend, this pen set works well for a wide range of illustrators.

However, if you choose to buy these pens, make sure to draw with even pressure to prevent bleeding. The pens should stay perpendicular to the paper to create lines with even thickness.

Featuring six black ink pens, the Uni Pin Drawing Pen Set produces various line widths when drawing, making it great for artists who enjoy illustrating. 

With smooth-flowing ink, each pen features high-grade water resistance and micro-tips that work especially well for bullet journaling. From designing schedules, reminders, to-do lists, or other organizational tasks, this drawing pen set lets you illustrate each task with ease and consistency. 

The light resistance of the ink also makes the Uni Pin Fineliner an excellent tool, allowing artists to show off their work without fading, even under light exposure. 

Mogyan’s set of 100 colored drawing pens for illustrators offers the ultimate artistic experience for graphic illustrators. This colored pen set lets you achieve clean, colorfully defined lines with each stroke. 

Designed for calligraphy, precision coloring, diaries, and adult coloring books, artists can draw, mix, and match colors to transform sketches into professional pieces.

Overall, each pen produces a smooth, consistent, and smudge-free line that writers and coloring enthusiasts are sure to enjoy.

These multi-tip drawing pens for illustrators feature 10 assorted sizes and are ideal for artists looking for some new and improved sketching pens. 

Each tip produces different-sized lines for your various artists’ needs. With precise needle tips, this pen set produces waterproof pigment ink that achieves archival quality each time. 

Not only are these pens easy to use and grip, but they’re also made with free-flowing ink that doesn’t easily dry out. 

Whether you’re a beginner artist or a professional illustrator, the PANDAFLY Precision Pens are great for producing clean outlines, detailed drawings, and other illustrating techniques.

TWOHANDS six-piece micro pen set features black archival quality ink—great for both personal doodling and high-level illustration.

Featuring micro pens with 0.4 mm felt tips, this beginner set is easy to use and produces consistent, free-flowing lines that help artists learn precision and control while drawing. 

Additionally, the quick-drying ink is waterproof, quick drying, and fade-resistant, making this set a high-quality option for those who are just introducing themselves to the world of art and design.

Most high-quality calligraphy pens can be quite expensive. Fortunately, our recommendation is affordably priced while delivering the same level of quality as any other high-priced pen.

Great for calligraphy artists, the Tombow 2-Set Brush Pens produce smooth-flowing lines. Each pen is easy to use and grip—an essential factor for calligraphers— and features two different brush tips: one soft and one hard. That way, you can select whichever pen best suits your drawing needs.

For quick lettering, the flexible nibs are ideal for producing the nuanced lines and curves of traditional Japanese scripts.

Featuring a variety of zingy colors and sturdy nibs, the Paper Mate Pen Set is great for office workers who enjoy scribbling, storyboarding, note-taking, and other writing tasks. 

Now you can add a splash of color to your notes with this set of 24 colorful pens, all of which are fast-drying and bleed-resistant. 

Each color is bold and vibrant, and won’t smudge or skip as you draw. The pens flow freely across your paper without causing any deterioration to the nibs.

If you’re looking for durable illustration pens, keep in mind that these pens are better suited to outlining and adding small details.