Best Pens for Doodling – Doodle Art Equipment and Tips

In this guide, we’re looking at the best pens for doodling. Doodling art has become really popular. Some of us tend to doodle naturally while we’re on the phone, or just to let off steam. There are even links between mindfulness and meditation, and the simple art of doodling!

You might be happy doodling with some biro pens that you have sitting around your house, or you might want something a bit more exciting. Check out our recommended doodling pens here if you are in a hurry!

Best Pens for Doodling – Reviewed

Read on to explore our top 5 doodling pen sets! These pens can all be used together, and it’s a good idea to have a few different types of pens to call upon. This is especially true if you want to create professional-looking doodles.

The pens on this list are great for art journals, adult coloring books, and a whole host of other purposes as well as doodling.

Vanstek Retractable Erasable Gel Pens – Best Overall

Everything about these pens is designed to help you keep your doodles organized and picture-perfect. The 18-color set gives you way more color options than you’d normally find with erasable gel pens. Each pen has a clicker cap design, so you don’t have to worry about losing your pen caps when you doodle on the go. They even come with a convenient carrying case to keep your pens in order, so you can pop them in your bag easily without ending up with a jumbled mess.

Organization aside, they’re also simply really good pens. The 0.7mm tips make them suitable for most doodling situations, and the ink writes smoothly and easily without catching. The soft rubber grip keeps your hand comfortable for those long doodling sessions.

Overall, they’re great for kids and adults, but mostly, they’re for anyone who likes to fine-tune their doodles to make sure they look perfect in the margins of all your papers.

Tombow Twin-Tone Marker Set – Best Dual Tip Markers for Doodling

If you’re an artist at heart, Tombow’s double-sided markers are a great option. The set is designed specifically for beautifying notebooks, journals, and planners. If you have an art journal and you use it for your doodling then these dual tip markers can be an ideal choice.

Check the current price of these Tombow pens here.

Each marker has a 0.8mm (bold) and 0.3mm (extra-fine) tip, so you can choose how bold or intricate to make each doodle. Draw and shade with fine lines or fill areas with the bolder side, which is also great for lettering. If your doodles tend to be refined, detailed, and delicately finished, having bold and fine tips in the same pen is handy.

They also have fiber, not ballpoint, tips. While the choice between fiber and ballpoint tips ultimately comes down to preference, you can trust that these will hold their shape and maintain a fine taper, even after plenty of use. And the water-based ink won’t bleed through your journal pages, so you can keep each side looking sleek and polished.

The color selection may leave something to be desired. Their range isn’t bad, but at 12 colors, you have fewer to choose from than the other selections in this list. If you’re looking for natural colors or any neutrals, you’ll have to supplement this set with other pens.

Arteza Colored Gel Pens – Best for the Artistic Doodler

If you’re looking for a set of markers with a wide range of usable shades you’ll find plenty of use for, this Arteza set is a fantastic option. The Arteza brand continues to impress us. We love the majority of their products, and they’re good for professionals and hobbyists alike.

The 24 shades are a mix of vintage-inspired and bright, bold colors. The set also has art-world essential shades like burnt sienna, but doesn’t skimp on colors that pop, like bold, bubbly pinks. So no matter what you’re doodling or what mood you’re going for, you’ll be able to set the right tone. This would be a great set for painters or other visual artists who want a set of pens to keep their art with them wherever they go.

The ink is quick-drying, so you won’t have problems with your sketches smearing or transferring onto other pages. The ink’s also acid-free, so it won’t fade or change color over time, which is perfect for those who see their doodles as the true art that they are. You can rest assured they’ll stay vibrant and looking great.

The 0.7mm fine tip makes them suitable for most uses, and the retractable design makes them easy to keep track of without worrying about a cap falling off in your bag or rolling off your desk. And the ballpoint design offers a smooth, slick feeling while you draw.

Paper Mate Flair Felt Tip Pens – Best for Kids

You probably remember Paper Mate felt tip pens from school. There’s a reason why practically every teacher uses these – they’re reliable, bold, colorful, and hold up to a lot of use. The felt tip has the same familiar feeling as the markers you used as a kid, which is always nice.

The familiar, classic design comes in 24 colors in this set. It has the benefits you know and trust: bold lines and quick-drying, smear-resistant ink that absorbs quickly into the paper. Despite their rich color payoff, these pens won’t bleed through your pages, so you can use both sides of the paper without worrying.

One thing to note is that this set doesn’t come with a carrying case or packaging that can be repurposed into one. But if you already have a favorite pen case, that might not be a problem for you.

Check out the current price of this brilliant set of felt tips for doodling.

Kuretake Zig Clean Color Brush Markers – Brush Markers for Doodling

This is the set for artists who take their doodling seriously. Lots of the pen sets on this list are ballpoints or felt tips that could pass for regular writing pens in a pinch, or that can multitask. Not so for these excellent and professional Kuretake watercolor pens. Rather than firm felt or ballpoint tips, these are brush pens that you won’t want to use for writing or taking notes (although you can use them for calligraphy).

Instead, these are art pens that can be used for doodling. Their flexible nylon brush tip lets you transition easily from fine to bold lines without the hassle of switching pens. You can use water to blur the ink or even wet the tip of the pen to create different effects. Different colors are designed to blend well together, and they can be integrated nicely with a variety of media. For a “line and wash” effect, you can use fineliners to outline your drawing and then use these brush tips to fill the area.

The size of this 90-color set is a double-edged sword. You’ll have plenty of color options, but it also means the set is less portable – even with the included box to keep them organized. This is probably a better choice if you don’t plan to carry your doodle pens around with you. For your art room or your art supplies at home, it’s ideal.

If you do want fewer pens, they offer a 24-pack too!

Check the current price of the Kuretake set.

What is Doodle Art?

Doodle art is any art that you create that is subconscious and comes from free-flowing of ideas on paper. If you’re a talented artist then your doodles might look incredible by the time you are finished. They also help you to process emotions and think things through.

Doodle art often ends up including a lot of patterns, words, and even cute characters, and some people find themselves drawing the same patterns and ideas over and over again when they start doodling. Boxes, eyes, flowers, and shapes are standard things for your subconscious to start to create when you’re not really thinking about it.

Doodle art can be whatever you want it to be. It’s great fun, and comes naturally to most people. Arm yourself with the best pens for doodle art, and you might even end up creating something that you want to display or show others.

Why Do We Doodle?

Doodling is a way to process emotions and to create a space for mindfulness. It is instinctive for a lot of people. We don’t even think about it. It’s great for the brain, and some scientists claim that people who doodle tend to be smarter.

Does Doodling Help Focus and Concentration?

It seems like doodling does help with focus and concentration. There are numerous theories why. For instance, some people think it is because it stops the brain from wandering. Being able to have your subconscious thoughts come out on paper can stop them from filling our conscious. It gives the brain a way to “stay online” and stay attentive.

Summary

Whether you’re the sort of person who doodles on the phone, or you are always doodling while you do other things, getting the best doodling pens is a way to ensure your doodles look great, and you can have much more fun with shapes and colors.

If you want to create doodle art, you can even gain an Instagram following and start to develop it as its own art form.

Doodling is not just a way to fill some time, it’s shown to have benefits for your mindset, processing information and expressing yourself.