Brush markers - watercolour and permanent pigmented ink

I've been working through a number of different brands and styles of pigmented fine-line markers and previous posts and on mu YouTube channel. I use these a lot in my sketchbooks, especially for writing or for fine drawing when I want to add watercolour and not have a pencil line that may smudge over time.

I'll now look at a number of brush tip markers. These are not something I tend to use very often, but many others do so I'll share what I have come across. Some are water-soluble watercolour markers and others are waterproof pigmented ink.

Winsor & Newton Promarker Watercolour markers

W&N Pomarker Watercolour maker tips. (from the W&N website)

Winsor & Newton released a range of 36 watercolour markers in the Promarker range a few years ago and I had the opportunity to try them all out in a Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook. I'm finally sharing them here. 

I don't own many of them, so the full range is shown in much smaller swatches than usual, but the colour scan is pretty close to accurate so it should be helpful.

They have two tips - a sharp bullet tip and a brush tip. The ink is described as water-based pigmented ink. They will active with water, and reactivate when dry.

Here are some swatches created with the brush pens I actually own. I've drawn around the outside of the square with the bullet-tip, then brushed marks into that square with the brush tip, then washed water into the square. The rectangle is filled with the brush tip with no water application.

Winsor & Newton watercolour markers.

While my preference is to work with traditional watercolour and brushes, these are an option that some may really enjoy as they are water-soluble and intermixable. They didn't bleed through the 150gsm Alpha paper - unlike many other markers, including the W&N Brush Markers - and the colour range is pretty good.

It is recommended that you work on watercolour paper with watercolour brushes.

Faber-Castell Watercolour Markers

Faber-Castell also has a range of watercolour markers in their Albrecht Dürer range. The colour numbers match other Albrecht Dürer products so watercolour pencils, fine liner pens, watercolour pens, regular pencils and so on can all be chosen to match each other across the range. The website has a terrific colour wheel and some instructional videos on these markers.

Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolour marker. Image  from the Faber-castell website.

I have only tried a few, but will show those swatches here.

Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer watercolour markers

Faber-Castell Pitt brush pens

Faber-Castell also has a range of Pitt brush pens, which are pigmented and waterproof - a totally different medium. These come in 60 colours, as full sets or special purpose sets. I have only tried half of them but here is a look at these waterproof brush-pen swatches.

Faber-Castell Pitt brush pens

Faber-Castell Pitt brush pens

Faber-Castell Pitt brush pens

Faber-Castell Pitt brush pens

Faber-Castell Pitt brush pens

I have a few other individual brush pens to add over time. Feel free to share your favourites in the comments.