Short answer
In Sarah Renae Clark’s large marker comparison, Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua was her pick for the best watercolor marker and Zig Clean Color Real Brush for the best real-brush watercolor marker; Tombow Dual Brush Pens also work well as watercolors. Use them on watercolor or mixed media paper, since most are too wet for printer paper or coloring books.
Watercolor paint pens worth a look on Amazon
The independently reviewed favorites plus one budget set, each listing checked by hand.
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Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua dual tip watercolor markers, 12 pack
The reviewer’s choice for the best watercolor marker: vibrant, easy to layer and blend, with good tips. She says they are too moist for general coloring but work like magic on watercolor paper.
- 12 markers
- Brush nib and fineliner
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Kuretake Zig Clean Color Real Brush, 24 colors
Her pick for the best real brush watercolor markers: excellent blending and layering, with or without water, and saturated colors that hold when wet. The real brush takes some practice.
- 24 colors
- Real brush tip
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Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers, 12 pack
A smaller way into the same real brush markers.
- 12 colors
- Real brush tip
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Tombow Dual Brush Pen art markers, Cottage 10 pack
Water-based brush pens the reviewer has used for years: good for coloring and also really good as watercolors.
- 10 colors
- Brush and fine tips
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KINGART watercolor brush markers, 36 piece
A budget set of watercolor brush markers for trying the technique before buying a premium set.
- Watercolor brush markers
- Budget set
Each pick links to an Amazon listing we checked by hand. Prices, colors and pack sizes change on Amazon, so check the listing before you buy. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Watercolor paint markers compared
From Sarah Renae Clark’s water-based and watercolor marker results
| Set | Tip | What the review found | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua | Brush plus fineliner | Best watercolor marker overall; vibrant, layers evenly, blends easily | Watercolor paper, illustration |
| Zig Clean Color Real Brush | Real brush | Best real brush watercolor marker; saturated colors keep their strength when wet | Brush lettering, washes |
| Karin Realbrush Pro | Real brush | Excellent, a close second to Zig, held back by price | Blending on good paper |
| Ecoline Duotip and Brush Pen | Brush or duotip | Exceptional as watercolor markers; too moist for general coloring | Watercolor paper only |
| Tombow Dual Brush Pen | Brush plus fine | Best water-based marker for coloring books; also good as watercolors | Coloring plus watercolor effects |
| Arteza Premium Real Brush | Real brush | Disappointing: uneven quality, weak pigment | Skip |
Source: water-based and watercolor marker results.
How to paint with watercolor pens
- Use the right paper
Watercolor or mixed media paper. Watercolor paper is often made partly or fully of cotton, which limits warping when wet; cold-pressed has more texture, hot-pressed is smoother.
- Draw the color
Lay marker lightly where you want pale color and more heavily where you want depth. Leave white paper where highlights go.
- Add water
Brush clean water over the marks to dissolve them into a wash. A water brush pen makes this tidy.
- Blend
Touch two colors together while wet and let them mingle, or pick color off a palette with a wet brush.
- Layer when dry
Let each wash dry before adding darker layers on top, working light to dark.
Paper notes from Wikipedia’s watercolor painting article, which also describes masking to preserve the white of the paper.
Watercolor marker art ideas
- Loose florals: a few marker strokes per petal, then one swipe of water.
- Brush lettering: real brush tips give thick and thin strokes; add water for a soft shadow.
- Skies and gradients: scribble two colors at the top edge and pull them down with water.
- Sketchbook studies: ink lines with a waterproof fineliner, then color with watercolor pens.
More drawing projects: marker drawing ideas.
Watercolor pens versus acrylic paint markers
| Watercolor pens | Acrylic paint markers | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Transparent, glowing washes | Opaque, flat color |
| Rewettable | Yes, even when dry | No, water-resistant once dry |
| Surfaces | Paper, mostly watercolor paper | Paper, rock, wood, canvas, glass, fabric |
| Over dark paper | Barely shows | Covers |
| Blending | Easy with water | Wet on wet only, briefly |
Need opaque color instead? See water-based paint markers and brush tip paint markers. For general art marker types, see art markers.
Questions people ask
What are three common mistakes that people make when using watercolor?
Using thin paper that buckles and pills when wet; overworking an area while it is still damp, which muddies colors and lifts the paper surface; and losing the whites by painting over every part of the page. With watercolor pens, a fourth is drawing heavy marker lines that will not dissolve fully, leaving hard edges.
How to paint with watercolour pens?
Use watercolor or mixed media paper. Draw color where you want it, lightly for pale tones and with more ink for darker ones, then brush over it with clean water to dissolve the lines into washes. You can also scribble color onto a palette and pick it up with a wet brush, or touch the pen to wet paper for soft blooms.
What is the best watercolor pen?
In Sarah Renae Clark’s comparison of water-based and watercolor markers, Faber-Castell Goldfaber Aqua was her overall pick for watercolor markers, vibrant and easy to blend and layer, and Zig Clean Color Real Brush was her pick for real brush watercolor markers. Karin Realbrush Pro came second to Zig, mainly on price.
What is the golden rule of watercolor?
Most teachers sum it up as work from light to dark and protect your whites. Watercolor is transparent, so the paper shines through and you cannot paint a light color over a dark one the way you can with acrylic. Plan where the white paper will show, and build darker layers gradually.
What’s the difference between acrylic and watercolor markers?
Acrylic markers carry opaque pigment in an acrylic binder that dries water-resistant on many surfaces, so they cover dark paper, rock and wood. Watercolor markers carry transparent, water-soluble ink meant for paper, and you can rewet and blend it after it dries. Acrylic covers; watercolor glows and blends.