Review: Kelly Creates Small Brush Pens

Friends, Kelly Creates of Instagram Fame has partnered with Michael’s to bring you a line of colored small brush pens. I’ve been so excited for these because of the beautiful colors which we don’t see as often in these harder tip calligraphy pens. After scouring several stores I finally got my hands on some, and am sharing my thoughts with you today.

We’ve seen a lot of bigger pens come out to compete with the Tombow Brush Pens (like the Michael’s dual brush pens, Yoobi from Target, Crayola, and more, but it’s difficult to use these regularly in your planner or notes. These markers are the perfect size to do smaller works. Ready to see for yourself?

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Review: Kelly Creates Small Brush Pens

Featuring:Michael’s Kelly Creates brush pens, HP Premium Choice 32# paper, Pentel Sign Brush Pens

First off, the color selection is fantastic. I am a brights and jewel tone girl myself, so these super high saturated colors draw me in immediately. The Pentel Sign Brush Pens do come in some fun colors like pink and sky blue, but the blossom, bright emerald, ocean colors – they are breathtaking.

As for the technical quality, the pens don’t claim anything except for being toxic-free, which means these inks are not acid-free, waterproof, light-fast (as in, they will fade from the sun over time). This means they are going to be great for everyday use but not necessarily artist-grade for final works. The 10-pack is available for $27 USD, so you definitely want to find a coupon for that.

The pen weight is solid and well-balanced as you write, and the barrel is a little bigger than other small brush pens so I actually feel a little more control with them. The tip is familiar with the plastic same as the others – though a touch shorter.

The one very annoying thing about these pens are the caps – there is a smaller barrel inside the cap. Maybe it’s to prevent drying out the tip but to be honest if you put the pens back in with any kind of angle, your tip will catch this inner-barrel.

The writing experience is really wonderful – though I will say if you write fast, you’ll notice that the ink is not as juicy as the Pentel Sign. You get a cool kind of dry-brush effect in your strokes unless you go a little slower.

Overall I really love these and I’m going to be using them quite a bit in my bullet journal – especially for about $17 USD I am loving the quality, color selection, and ease of use. I would absolutely recommend these for beginners if you want to have a slightly nicer pen to start with (otherwise I still love Crayola markers and brush markers as affordable options as well!)

If you’re sold on the pen and need some tips on starting brush lettering and calligraphy? I’ve got some tips here and recommendations here. If you’d prefer in-person classes and want to hear more, add your email address here!

Comment your questions and reactions below!