Why Use a Ballpoint Pen for Drawings?

Are ballpoint pens good for drawing?

Ballpoint pens are an ideal tool to use in coloring books for adults. While using colored pencils and colored markers can create bright designs on a page, the simple ballpoint pen is an often overlooked tool used in any adult coloring book design, from Disney and tattoo art to animals and mandalas.

There are many reasons why you should try using the ballpoint pen as your preferred instrument in adult coloring books. Master artists have used monochromatic drawing for centuries, and the look of a line drawing done in pen can evoke an individual feel that markers and paints cannot achieve. You can channel your inner expert artist without spending a lot of money, using the most convenient tool to be found.

Why the ballpoint pen is a great tool to use in adult coloring books?

I picked up a ballpoint pen to use in an adult coloring book for the first time simply because I had left my expensive markers at home. Digging through my purse, the only drawing tool I could find was a ballpoint pen. I decided to color a try with the ballpoint pen, and I’m glad that I did! Over the years, I’ve discovered that it’s a beautiful go-to tool to use, and the pen has helped me evolve into a better artist.

• • For starters, pens are cheap and easy to come by. You can find a pen anywhere, even if you forgot yours at home. Most businesses have an ample supply of pens on hand; many companies pay to distribute to the public through their marketing/branding campaigns. Ask a nearby business for a pen if you don’t have one—banks and hotels are two businesses you can always stop into for a freebie. Ensure you sanitize the outside of a pen found in public before using it for health and safety reasons!
  • Pens create less unintentional smudging than a pencil. When you are coloring, your hand is always moving across the page, back and forth, which usually creates smudging when you’re working with a pencil or even marker. I can’t tell you how many long-sleeved shirts I have stained by swiping my wrist through a patch of marker that hadn’t dried yet. Smudging can ruin the look of your final drawing. Ballpoint pens are quick to try, creating less unintentional smudging. You CAN intentionally smudge your drawing with a ballpoint pen—we will cover why you might want to do that in the following sections.
  • You can use the pen to do magic tricks to create depth and dimension. Line drawing is an art form that some of the most accomplished artists have used for centuries, from Leonardo Da Vinci to Albrecht Dürer to Peter Paul Rubens. You can adjust the thickness to create depth and dimension. Lines can be sharp and well-defined, as well as fuzzy and soft. We will discuss specific tips on how you can use your pen to create masterful images in the third section below.

Here’s how to select a ballpoint pen for use in your drawing

Before you can get started using a ballpoint pen for your drawing, you might want to consider what type of pen to use in your drawing. Follow these tips to find the right pen for you!

• • Find the pen with the right thickness. Pens come in a variety of thicknesses, ranging from 0.8 mm to 1.4 mm. Using a pen with a thick, bold line will make it more challenging to create thin, ethereal lines on the page. A thin stroke will require more work to create the illusion of thickness. Play with a variety of pen thicknesses to see how they can be used and which you prefer.
  • Choose your pen based on ink type. There are three primary types of pens easily found on the market. Traditional ballpoint pens use oil-based ink, which dries quickly. Rollerball pens typically use water-based ink, the benefits of which include the need to use less pressure and the variety of colors available due to water-soluble dyes. Gel pens are similar to rollerball pens in that they use water-soluble ink but are typically thick and opaque. Fountain pens are a little more difficult to find. They can be challenging to control in terms of leaking or creating splotches. Still, the ink quality and depth can be the richest, and the tips make drawing in a calligraphy style—with variations of thick and thin lines—more comfortable than other types of pens.
  • Does your pen’s color speak to you? Pens—especially rollerball and gel pens—come in various colors, but don’t rule out the typical black, blue, and reds either. You can use tint (adding white to lighten the color) or shade (adding black to darken the color) to give your monochromatic drawing more depth. The black ink can evoke the feel of a pencil or charcoal drawing, whereas blue ink can often give the feel of a blueprint.
  • How does it feel in your hand? You can select a pen that feels natural in your hand. Many pens come with ergonomic designs with cushioned grips. If you are spending a lot of time drawing and avoiding callouses, finding a pen with a comfortable grip may be essential. Pens also have different weights, which change the instrument’s torque and length, which may be vital if you have long fingers or have an unusual grip on the pen.

Here are five helpful tips to get you started using a pen in your adult coloring book

You can quickly adapt monochromatic drawing techniques that have been used by master artists for use in your adult coloring books. Channel your inner Leonardo Da Vinci with your coloring book and pen! Here are several tips for how you can use a simple ballpoint pen in your adult coloring book design:

• • Use shapes to differentiate areas of your coloring book. For example, you can use circles in the sky, stars in leaves, and lines angling in different directions, depending on your coloring areas.
  • Try using the same shape in different sizes, line thickness, and color throughout the design. This is very easy to try with circles or lines. You can make the circle “pop” by shading in the background, where desired. You can play with lines by using squiggly lines or dashed lines with a variety of dash lengths.
  • Use each area of your pattern to draw a sub-pattern. Vary your lines and patterns to create a unique coloring experience! For instance, if you are coloring a mandala, use each part of the mandala to draw a mini-mandala. I sometimes like to draw henna-like squiggles and leaves throughout areas with lots of white space.
  • Play with light and dark throughout the design. Imagine if the sun were shining on your drawing from the upper-right-hand side. You can create the feeling of “shadow” on the bottom-left-hand side of the drawing. You can create a shadow feeling by using a dot technique (called “stippling”) or a hatching technique. Use less pen (e.g., leave “white space”) or use a pen with white ink in areas designed to appear brighter. See some shading tips and techniques here.
  • Try smudging areas for a blended look. You can dip your finger into a little water and use your finger to smudge the desired area gently. If you don’t have any water on hand, try using a little saliva. (Remember to wash your hands before and afterward!)

Ready to learn some other useful adult coloring tips? Check out our article here!

Hopefully, you now feel comfortable choosing the common pen to tackle your adult coloring needs. You will nurture your artistic skills by using our guide for choosing the perfect pen and our tips for creating unique drawings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I care for my pen?

The most common issue with pens is drying out. When the air gets inside the pen, it can dry out the ink and clog up the rolling mechanism. To avoid this from happening, put your pen’s cap on tightly. Consider storing your pen in an air-tight container, which will also help ensure that the cap stays in place. Don’t forget that dried-up pens can also be an excellent resource for line drawings because dried-up pens produce very thin lines.

What should I do if my pen stops working?

Just because the pen stopped working doesn’t mean that you should throw it out. There could be an easy fix available. For starters, try shaking the pen so that the tip is pointed down. Ballpoint pens work by having gravity pull the ink downwards, so make sure the tip is pointed down. Try scribbling on a spare piece of paper or adjusting the pressure to see if that gets the ink moving. You can also try tapping the pen, with the tip facing down, to see if you can move any air bubbles out of the way of the ink reaching the tip.

How should I hold my pen?

There is no right or wrong way to hold a pen, but you should be aware that your grip may impact the muscles in your fingers. If you have arthritis, you may need to play with your grip to find one that allows you to draw for a more extended period without pain. The standard tripod grip uses your thumb and index finger to hold the pen, with the middle finger lightly resting on the pen for stability. The quadruped grip is similar to the tripod grip but adds the 4th ring finger to rest on the pen for stability. If you have arthritis in your fingers, look for writing accessories to help, like some of those mentioned here.

Ready to put these new skills to work? Click here to download my free adult coloring eBook and sign up for my email newsletter!

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