I am always looking for the best possible opaque white markers and pens for adding highlights, details or accents to my lettering and artwork. So when I saw the Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in White ($15.50 for the set of 4) and the Pentel Milky Brush Pen in White ($6.50) I knew I would have to give them a try.
The Faber-Castell PITT Set includes four different sizes of markers: B (Brush), C (Chisel/Calligraphy), 1.5 (1.5 mm Bullet), and 2.5 (2.5 mm Bullet). I was hoping that the largest size would be useful for posters but its not quite that chonky. Overall, the Faber-Castell PITT set has a nice range of sizes if you’re not sure what will work best for your project.
The photo above shows the tip sizes. From left to right: chisel/calligraphy, brush, 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm. The 2.5 mm barrel is much larger than the other three pens so its a big pen for me to hold in my tiny, little hands.
The other pen I got was the Pentel Milky Brush pen in white. There is a push button on the end that can be pushed to force more ink into the brush tip.
Oh, that brush tip! Its a nylon bristle brush tip not a molded foam tip like the brush in the Faber-Castell PITT set. I love the brushes that have real bristles because the point is often so much finer. The bristles are soft and flex easily for a great range of stroke widths. Pumping the end will add more ink as needed.
I tested these pens on kraft and grey paper stock. They all performed much better on the kraft stock. The grey paper was a bit too light to show them in their best light (or should I say, best white?)
On the Kraft stock, it was easy to get good results with all the markers though I do find that the Pentel Milky Brush was more opaque overall. The PITT markers worked well and could be applied with multiple layers for a more opaque coverage/
Despite the grey paper being a bit light, it does quickly show that the Pentel Milky Brush is much more opaque with one pass of color compared to the PITT white markers.
Further testing is needed to determine how well these markers will work with mixed media drawings when combined with colored pencils, other pens and markers and paint. The PITT pens are India ink so they are lightfast, permanent, and archival. That is definitely an advantage if you are using these with other tools. The Pentel Milky Brush is listed as being water-resistant but there are no additional specifications though with white inks, they are likely to be lightfast.
Depending on your comfort with a real brush pen, I would recommend giving the Pentel Milky Brush a try. If you prefer a bullet tip or chisel tip or need the archival or guaranteed permanent quality, then I think the PITT Brush Set is a good option though I prefer the Pentel Milky Brush overall.
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Great review — I’m always looking for white pens, too (because the Gelly Roll keeps letting me down). I have a pink Milky that I used on cherry blossoms this year — nice and opaque. I find the Pitt white markers to be less opaque than a Gelly Roll (when it’s working).
Yes, me too, Tina! I’ve tried the Faber Castell over watercolor and it just isn’t opaque enough.
Agreed. Those rollerballs get awfully clogged when used in mixed media pieces.
I think the Pitt pens are not truly suited for highlights as they are not opaque. They are more efficient if you use them as markers to soften some color for a gradient, kinda like white watercolor in a way