I got a few new pens for Christmas, which I’ve been using all over my planner this month and loving, so I decided to make this month’s Favorites into a writing implements theme.
(Don’t forget to check out the companion video here)
If you’ve been looking to upgrade your pens in your planner, I might be able to give you a few ideas. Here we go!
1. Muji Gel Pens
I’ve heard people raving about their Muji Gel Pens for years but I just wasn’t ready to receive the gospel. These things are great! I was using a Pilot G2 for a while, and while G2’s are great in their own way, I found it so frustrating to wait for them to dry! I was always smudging by mistake, and the nib size I had available to me was too bold for my handwriting anyway.
Enter Muji. I got these on Amazon in the .5mm nib, and I love everything about them. They’re elegant and minimalist, sleek enough to fit in my Malden pen loop, they write so smoothly and never skip, and they dry practically instantly! I don’t think I’ve smudged a thing since I switched.
2. Zebra Mildliner Brush Pens
Yes, these were on my December Favorites list too. I’ve been using them often and loving them this month. I’ve always loved the Mildliner colors, and now that I have the brush pen option, it’s really encouraged me to branch out in my style and practice brush lettering.
I also can’t stress enough how awesome the extra-fine point on the other side is. It’s fine enough that I’ve been using it to write in my dates, and it works great! If you were deciding between the standard highlighter and the brush pen, I’d just point out that you can highlight with a brush pen. 😉
3. Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens
These were another Christmas gift, and they’re amazing. I’d been looking for a brush pen that was small enough to use for headers in my pocket planner. Something nice and fine point, that wasn’t going to take over the page like your Dual Brush Pens (which I have a few of and almost never use for planning)
Enter these guys. The thing I love with these, is that the brush tip is quite firm, so that the fine lines are easier to handle, and when you’re ready for the downstroke, you just push a little harder, and the tip sort of collapses under you and creates the thick line. I’m probably not explaining this well, but these are a great option if you’re relatively new to brush lettering like me, and want something forgiving while you learn.
I’ve been using the finer of the two for a lot of my headers, and I think the practice is helping me improve my skills.
4. Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens
No list of my favorite pens would be complete without my trusty Frixions! Those of you who’ve followed me a while will know how much I love these. I used to use them for everything in my planner. Literally everything. The convenience of being able to erase any mistakes or changes was addictive.
More recently, I decided to challenge myself to use permanent ink in my daily planning, which is why I’ve moved back to standard gel pens, but Frixion pens still have an important place in my planning repertoire. I use them for several spreads where I’m planning things tentatively or keeping track of something that will change. I give all kinds of tips and examples in this old video if you’re interested.
5. Crayola Twistables Crayons
The last favorite on my list today isn’t really mine. These are the crayons my 18-month-old daughter got in her stocking last month, and *I* love them. With standard crayons, I was always worried she was going to step on them and break them, or bite a chunk off the tip, or peel off the labels so you couldn’t tell Green-Blue from Cerulean.
With the Twistables, I never worry about any of that. Very occasionally she’ll try using the wrong side and come complaining to me, but most of the time, these are super user-friendly for toddlers. They’re slightly harder than your standard paper-wrapped crayon, so very durable, and of course, they’re cased in protective plastic, and so easy to twist whenever she eventually uses up the tip. They’re like the mechanical pencils of crayons, and totally worth the extra investment.
Thanks for joining me in exploring my top 5 writing implements this month!
What are your go-to pens for planning?
