Brush Marker

Lettering
So of course, the first thing you can do with brush markers is lettering. I still wanted to include this as brush markers can really take your bullet journal headers to the next level. To learn how to really get the most out of your brush one line variation check out this blog to get practicing. But, you can literally use the smaller nib on brush markers as a regular fineliner! The small nib is lovely and firm, so you don't have to learn how to create line variations if you don't wish!

Highlighting
brush markers actually make really great highlighters for spotlighting important text in study notes, colour coding or simply making any text prettier! Above you can see I used the small and the large nib nibs in different ways to make certain parts of the text highlighted. The larger brush marker nibs are great for fully highlighting the words, and with smaller brush marker nibs you can underline, do smaller highlights and even circle in fun ways.

Shadows
Next up you can add shadows and dimensions to bullet journal headers and even drawings! Depending on what you're adding shadows to, you may want a large or smaller nib. Some ideas of things to add shadows to include task boxes, headers, line drawings, and lettering. It really adds more depth to any creation!

Colouring + Drawing
Another fun thing to use brush markers for is colouring and drawing! This can be on colouring books/sheets, or in your own creations. The small nib brush markers are particularly good for getting line variation in drawings, For example on the leaf branches, by adding more pressure as I drew the line, I was able to get the effect of the branch getting thicker. It also can create a shadow effect without using a second pen. The large nib brush markers are then good to fill larger areas!

Watercolour
One way I love using brush markers is like watercolours. Simply lay down ink on a plastic/porcelain surface (ideally use a larger nib brush marker) and pick up with a wet watercolour brush. This way you can literally use the ink like watercolours! I like this method in particular as you can get a nice even coverage, which is harder to achieve simply colouring! That way you can adjust your technique to what you personally prefer!

Watercolour Effect
To do this, simply add your chosen 2/3 colours to a sheet of plastic. Next add water and mix slightly with a paintbrush. The image on the left had less water and the one on the right has more, so adjust depending on the effect you're aiming for. Once happy, transfer the ink onto the page by placing it on the paper and gently pressing down the plastic so the colours spreads to your chosen amount. And done!! You have amazing watercolour effects for drawing, craft projects and bullet journal headers!!

Check out your palette!
Take a good look at your brush marker babies--- aren’t they pretty? But don’t just gush about them; take this time to observe and organize your palette. It's usually helpful to put similar colors close to each other as they're usually the ones that blend well when combined.

Make sure you're using the right kind of paper.
Water-based ink can eat through ordinary printer paper, so make sure you're using thick and smooth watercolor paper to achieve the best results.

Watercolor brush markers use water-based ink, so keep a little glass of water beside you as you work.
When you dip the brush tips in water, you'll dilute the ink which produces lighter shades. Remember: the longer you dip the brush tip in water, the lighter the outcome. Play around with water until you become familiar with its effect on your brush markers. This will be very useful when you’re making color washes and shading.

Shading and layering.
Blend colors by laying one shade on top of another. Work from light to dark tones. You can also mix and match: play around with your markers and know which colors work best when combined.

Creating ombre effects.
You can also touch or rub two marker tips together to create gradient or ombre effects. Select colors within the same family to get best results for this technique. Make sure that one pen has a darker shade than the other. Apply the darker brush tip to the lighter one. You know you're ready to apply when the lighter pen has absorbed some of the darker ink. You should get a pretty dark-to-light gradient effect.

Get the hang of the brush tip.
The brush marker tip is pretty versatile: it’s capable of making a variety of strokes depending on the amount of pressure you apply. If you create strokes with minimal pressure, you'll get thin lines--- this is great for when you're working on details. To cover larger areas and to produce thicker strokes, hold your brush marker at around 30 degrees and apply more pressure. Practice doing thin upstrokes and thick downstrokes. You'll be using this technique a lot when you're doing hand lettering and calligraphy.

Don't forget to "clean" your brush tips out after blending them together.
Dip them in water and lay strokes on a scrap piece of paper until the brush markers go back to their original color.

Construction and Material
Brush markers come in various tip types divided into two major categories: bristle brush tips and molded felt tips.
The bristles can have strands of synthetic or natural hair fibers. Synthetic brushes are mostly made out of polyester or nylon, while natural hair fibers come from animal hair, typically from sable, weasels, squirrels, or many others.
Preformed tips are made with felt most of the time. It is produced using compacted synthetic fibers and rubber.

Tip Sizing
Brush marker tips are usually available in fine, medium, and broad sizes. In addition, other brands define their sizes uniquely depending on how thick the brush is.
Fine: Good for detailing and putting up with small spaces or angles. It can give you the smallest line variation.
Medium: If you do not have a specific size in mind, this is a good size. It can produce thick and thin strokes and other strokes in between.
Broad: This is mostly used for shading and filling large areas. It is generally used to deal with large projects and bolder artworks.

Firmness and Elasticity
How a brush marker reacts and moves when pressure is applied depends on how firm and elastic your brush markers are.
Firmness refers to how compact the brush is, in other words, how soft or hard it is. On the other hand, elasticity is the ability of the brush to bounce back without being deformed. The combination of these features will also tell you how controllable and easy they are to handle.
In general, if you have a heavy hand, you would want to have a hard tip. Soft tips are normally more flexible than hard tips.

Ink Supply
Apart from the qualities of the brush, the rate of ink supplied to the brush is another factor that affects the output of your brush marker. This refers to the flow rate of ink, which is classified into wet, medium, and dry.
The wet type is generally preferred if you want to go fast with your brush lettering pens without streaking, but due to the consistent ink supply, the risk of getting blots and smudges is higher.
Ink flow for medium and dry tips is more controlled. With that, it is less likely to blot even if you go slower. Moreover, they can get streaky and inconsistent.

Ink Properties
The characteristics of the ink have an overall say on the stability of your brush marker artwork. If you want it to last longer, look for brush markers with pigment-based ink rather than dye-based ink.
Pigment-based ink is said to have archival qualities like being lightfast, while dye-based ink is not expected to last.
You would also want to know the solubility, especially when you want to use different brush marker techniques or use it with other coloring mediums.

Our company established in 2005, is a professional stationery manufacturer integrating R&D, production, design, sales and service. At present, the main products are colorful painting stationery including gel pens, watercolor markers, acrylic markers, highlighters, crayons and so on. These products are mainly exported to North America, Europe and Asia, over 60 countries and regions, with an annual turnover of more than USD20,000,000. 

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