Glitter Pens!!!

[ArtGuts]

As someone whose first love was traditional artwork, I am always looking for new mediums to experiment with.

While trapped in an unfortunate scroll of "reels" I happened upon some videos of folks coloring with these gorgeous glitter gel pens, not unlike ones I had as a child, but much more... SPARKLY.

Well, I have been experimenting with printing up some of my own digital artwork in black and white and just wow... to say it is relaxing AND nostalgic is an understatement. They are a little streaky on larger pieces, but flow very nicely in smaller spaces and are great for doodling.

I'm not here to shill any company, but feel free to reach out if you are interested in exact brands, but I really recommend any and all just to play with. I even made some into stickers!

SPARKLE EXPLOSION!

Sorry my camera quality isn't the best 

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[Dan Q]

Wow, that sparkle is wild! 🎉 I love it!

I haven't used a glitter pen in aeons. Do you get a "shimmer" effect (which the camera won't pick up on because it's a single point) too?

[TheFrugalGamer]

Oh man, that makes all the drawings look like those glitter stickers I used to get as a kid! I've often thought about doing this myself, but my worry was that it would be too expensive, because I thought the glitter pens would run out after only a couple of drawings. It seems the gel doesn't last as long as traditional ink. Or maybe I'm just buying the wrong ones?

[ArtGuts]

Wow, that sparkle is wild! 🎉 I love it!

I haven't used a glitter pen in aeons. Do you get a "shimmer" effect (which the camera won't pick up on because it's a single point) too?

Yes! The flashy shimmer effect is visible in pretty much all lighting!

Oh man, that makes all the drawings look like those glitter stickers I used to get as a kid! I've often thought about doing this myself, but my worry was that it would be too expensive, because I thought the glitter pens would run out after only a couple of drawings. It seems the gel doesn't last as long as traditional ink. Or maybe I'm just buying the wrong ones?

I recommend looking for ones labeled as "jumbo" or "high ink capacity". These are usually the type of barrel that's filled directly with ink, as opposed to the little reservoir tube inside the barrel. Lasts much longer, and have a better flow.

[lakes]

so pretty  

[tarraxahum]

Oooh this fills me with memories. I remember having a store in my apartment building that sold anything and everything as far as knickknacks and trends went (stuff like lighters and cool looking expensive pens and small statues for adults, toys and like, fingerboards and those old smelly slimes for kids, etc)

And among other things they had a biiig selection of glitter pens. I vividly remember the small cardboard thingy everyone could try writing on before committing to buying one. We the kids used to run there and buy sparkly pens (and stickers, etc) with the change we got saved up. Even if we didn't need and didn't really use them, they just looked so fun and brought joy!

Which is to say, maybe I need to buy glitter pens. For whimsy. Your colored drawings look amazing and quite inspiring 

[ArtGuts]

Doodled up this cutie today!

[ArtGuts]

Been packing up to move states, but have been taking moments to glitter it up when I have a moment.

[Twigz0n]

Been packing up to move states, but have been taking moments to glitter it up when I have a moment.

GAAHH these look so cool and fun!! They look like real glittery stickers from the 2000s, I just love the style and aesthetic overall! I love glitter pens too although I’ve never had access to any good ones ;w;
The only ones I have atm are a bit dried up and could be more glittery honestly but I still remember having fun whilst using them. Perhaps I’ll invest into some better ones as I haven’t done any traditional art in a while and it might be a nice break from digital too. ^^

[3lsie]

I love these!! They look amazing. It's so fun to pick up 'kid' art supplies when you're older and enjoy them all over again.

It's also possible to get brush pens that are clear glitter, so you can colour normally and then go over it and make it sparkly! Although I'd like it if the ones I have were a bit more glittery, it's still nice to do.

[ArtGuts]

Added some new pens to my arsenal! The Saspoo brand ones are a good bang for your buck and have the high-capacity ink barrel!

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[CosmicRot]

Woaaahh that's so fun! I've been trying to figure out different mediums I wanna try out if I ever have money again cause I got to try acrylic paint markers for the first time not super long ago [outside of like the really big ones people use on windows and stuff] and it was soo fun. I love traditional art but I'm not well versed in as many techniques outside of pencil and charcoal stuff I learned in school [but that can be way too messy for me RIP] I've always loved gel pens so it'd be super nice to try out something like this! I've only ever used the gold and silver gel pens [which are shiny and fun but not the same vibe as *sparkles*✨]

[ValyceNegative]

These look amazing! I have used glitter pens in my traditional art ages ago but only for a few details and I've never gone full coloring with them (in these days they're just employed to highlight stuff in my Filofax). Now I see the result is really worth it! If only I could find a set that provides more than just 12 standard colours and is of a decent quality enough to ensure a good flat ink spreading without having those irritating white lines in between... actually I'm even more surprised by how well you managed to cover the entire drawing area with ink. Do pens quickly run out of ink with this method?

I'm really starting to think that I've only ever found horrible glitter pen knockoffs in my life. XD

[ArtGuts]

These look amazing! I have used glitter pens in my traditional art ages ago but only for a few details and I've never gone full coloring with them (in these days they're just employed to highlight stuff in my Filofax). Now I see the result is really worth it! If only I could find a set that provides more than just 12 standard colours and is of a decent quality enough to ensure a good flat ink spreading without having those irritating white lines in between... actually I'm even more surprised by how well you managed to cover the entire drawing area with ink. Do pens quickly run out of ink with this method?

I'm really starting to think that I've only ever found horrible glitter pen knockoffs in my life. XD

So, if you are using the regular style of pens with the little skinny ink tube within the casing of the pen, using this method will result in the pen drying out rather quickly. The brands I recommend for high-coverage are grabie, saspoo and languo, as they are a jumbo ink barrel, and their tips allow for a much better flow than a standard ballpoint. They are a little pricier than the kind you get in those big packs of like 100 pens, but worth it if you are wanting to do full-color pieces with glitter ink, though a lot of those cheaper brands do come with refills, and I find that even though the pens themselves aren't as nice, they tend to come with some interesting ink colors, like neons.