Last week I started a series where I take an up-close look at some of my favourite art supplies and make a short profile on each one. We started with watercolour pencils, and now we’ll continue with Staedtler brand fineliner pens.

I’m focusing on a specific brand because different brands of art pens behave in different ways. Staedtler pens are very distinct from other art pens for reasons I’ll get into below.

Form and Function: A fineliner pen is like a marker. You get a free flow of ink for smooth writing or drawing, and the ability to add precise detail. Staedtler pens are lightfast and waterproof, which is common among fineliners. What makes them unusual is that they have a very soft pen tip or nib. There’s a lot of give when you press it to a surface. Most other fineliners have very little give; if feels like you’re using a ballpoint pen and not a marker. Staedtlers come in an array of nib sizes, from 0.8 to a delicate 0.05.

Benefits: A soft nib allows for the easiest, most continuous flow of ink. Drawing feels very smooth. And writing with Staedtlers is a dream — if you’re into journalling or note taking, you’ll love working with these! They also come in multi-colour packs for a rainbow of options, and the case they’re packaged in has a neato built-in stand. Staedtlers are also the least expensive of artist-quality fineliners. This brand is ideal for anyone just getting into making art with fineliners, or whose style doesn’t require perfectly clean lines.

How to Use: I won’t spend a lot of time here telling you how to use a pen. But a thing to note about Staedtler pens: the more pressure you put on the nib, the wider your stroke gets, which is not common with fineliners. This feature can be great if you like your lines to have varying widths, like a brush stroke; it can be frustrating if your style is more technical. Also, fresh ink will smear on coated paper. I can’t seem to avoid bumping my drawings so I often use these on uncoated paper for no smears.

Challenges: The soft nib is a blessing and a curse. Steadlers are less precise than other brands, and I’ve found they bleed a little. The ability to add tiny details to drawings is one of my favourite things about using fineliners, and is why they’re available in stupidly small sizes. It’s a bummer when you apply them to your art and the details aren’t as crisp and clean as you envisioned. I’m starting to discover this particular limitation of Staedtlers, and am experimenting with other brands to discover a fineliner that’s cleaner and more technical.

Don’t let that turn you off Staedtlers, though — they’re wonderful overall. While I won’t get them out for highly technical or intricate pieces, I’ll always enjoy them for larger drawings, sketching and brainstorming. You can find them at any art supply store.

This post kicks off a series where I’ll be profiling some of my favourite art supplies. You’ll get a general idea of how a particular tool works and what it’s best at. Who knows, maybe you’ll be convinced to try it out!

First up are the ever convenient and vibrant watercolour pencils.

Form and Function: They look like regular pencil crayons, but when combined with water the pigment acts just like watercolour paint: it dissolves. This is because regular pencil crayon leads have a wax or oil base, and these ones have a water-soluble base.

Benefits: Very convenient and portable — it’s basically just a package of pencil crayons. They’re so easy to use that I bought a set for my young niece; she was painting in no time. Some argue that watercolour pencils give you greater precision and control over colour application. But my favourite thing about them are the vivid colours they make! It doesn’t take much pigment to make the colours blaze. As such, they last along time, making this medium inexpensive too.

How to Use: You have a few options. One technique is to colour with the pencils first, then take a paint brush and apply water to the coloured areas. The more pigment you scribble down, the more intense the colour will be when you go over it with water. Another technique is to straight up dip the pencil in water and then draw; that will give you the most saturated colour. Or, you can use the pencils to create a custom paint palette by scribbling some colours on another sheet, adding water, and then tinkering with colours on your palette before bringing the brush over to your actual painting.

Challenges: Just like watercolour paints, watercolour pencils can be a fussy medium that’s hard to control once water is in the mix. Sometimes you can’t predict how the colour will turn out — it may be more vivid, darker, or a different shade than you intended.

Another challenge with watercolour pencils is reproducing your artwork digitally. It’s hard to capture the colours — the digital version never looks nearly as vibrant as the real thing. Maybe it’s just my machine, but the colours actually look muddy when I try to scan a painting; so far photos are the best way to go.

What to Get: Derwent brand Inktense pencils are my go-to for the richest colour. They’re a bit pricier, but worth it. You can find them at most art supply stores.