A handy infographic explaining different markers and pens

One of the questions I get asked most often, and see all the time in coloring groups, is: what are the best pens?

The answer is actually a bunch of questions:

What kind of coloring books do you like? What level of difficulty? Do you like adding tiny details?

Your answers guide mine.

Why does it matter?

If you’re like I was, you probably didn’t think much about the differences between markers before you started coloring or doing art. I know I had no clue why some markers streaked and others didn’t. And when my daughter asked me to buy markers that layer, I had zero idea what she meant.

Turns out, buying markers that actually layer color isn’t about luck. Oops.

I started writing a blog post to explain the differences between pens. Wrote half of it… and left it in drafts.

Pivot. I decided to just summarize everything in this handy graphic:

Please feel free to correct me on anything you agree with, keeping in mind that I know there are brand variations.

Also feel free to share the graphic with my watermark left on.

~Jewel