The best pens for a one-colour colouring book
By the Happily Drawn studio. Updated .
Use one dark pen with a fibre or felt tip of 0.5 to 1 mm and ink that dries quickly. A black fineliner gives the boldest picture. Avoid very wet, alcohol-based markers on thin paper. One Pen Pages are on thick 170 gsm paper, printed on one side only. We don't sell pens, so add your own.
What matters in a pen for a one-colour book?
Three things: the tip, the ink and the colour. Everything else is taste.
The tip decides how neatly you fill a shape. Fine to medium, around 0.5 to 1 mm, is the sweet spot. Finer than that and a big shape takes a long time; broader and the small shapes get tricky. A bullet or fibre tip is easier on the wrist than a very sharp point.
The ink decides whether it dries quickly, stays dark and stays on its own side of the page. Fast-drying pigment or dye ink is the safe choice. Very wet, alcohol-based marker ink spreads and can show through lighter paper.
The colour decides how bold the picture looks. Black gives the most contrast against white paper.
Which pens could I buy?
These are widely sold in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. We have not put them through a test of our own, so this is a starting list from what each pen is, not a ranking. Each name belongs to its maker, and none of them pays us.
| Pen | Type | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Sakura Pigma Micron (05 or 08) | Pigment fineliner | Dark, quick-drying ink made to stay put. The tip is fine and can wear down if you press hard. |
| Staedtler Pigment Liner (0.5 or 0.8) | Pigment fineliner | A similar idea, with a sturdy tip. Easy to find in most art and stationery shops. |
| Stabilo Point 88 (0.4) | Fibre tip | A familiar, inexpensive felt tip with a fine point. Comes in black and many other colours. |
| Pentel Sign Pen | Felt tip | A soft, flowing tip that covers a shape quickly. Water-based ink, so edges can look a little less crisp. |
| Sharpie Fine Point | Permanent marker | Very dark and bold, with an alcohol-based ink that can come through thinner paper. Test it first. |
In the US a felt tip is usually called a marker, and a fineliner a fine-tip pen. Search on those words if you are shopping there. Brands and sizes change, so check the tip size on the pack.
Should it be black, or another dark colour?
Black makes the boldest picture, and it is the easiest to match if a pen runs out. But the idea works with any dark colour that stands well apart from white: a deep navy, a dark green, a plum, a rich brown.
A paler colour such as mid blue or red makes a softer page, with less contrast between the filled shapes and the white. Try it on a one-dot page first, which has fewer and larger shapes, and see if you like the look. Using the same pen throughout matters more than which colour you choose.
Why is there no pen in the box?
One Pen Pages come without a pen on purpose. Hands and habits differ: some people like a hard fine tip, some like a soft felt one, and many already have a favourite in a kitchen drawer. A pen of your own also means a second book can use the same one.
If you are giving a book, tucking a pen in with it makes a nicer present. Our gift guide for Mum or Nan has other ideas for what goes with it.
Will my pen come through the page?
Each scene is printed on one side only, on 170 gsm paper, which is more than twice the weight of printer paper. The back of the page you are colouring is blank, so a mark that comes through lands on white, never on another picture.
Even so, every pen is different. Before you start, make a few strokes in a corner on the blank back of a page and turn it over. Our guide on why pen bleeds through colouring pages shows how to do that in half a minute.
How do I look after my pens?
Put the cap back on as soon as you stop, so the tip doesn't dry out. Store felt tips as the pack suggests, and keep them away from a radiator.
Don't press hard. A light hand keeps a fine tip sharp and the line even. If a pen starts to fade partway through a shape, swap it for a fresh one of the same kind and start on a new shape. How to colour a One Pen page has more on that.
Questions
What is the best pen for a one-colour colouring book?
A black fineliner or felt tip with a tip of 0.5 to 1 mm and ink that dries quickly. Several widely sold pens fit, such as the Sakura Pigma Micron or the Staedtler Pigment Liner.
Can I use a Sharpie?
You can, but it is the one most likely to come through paper. One Pen Pages are on thick 170 gsm paper and printed on one side only, so a mark on the back lands on white. Try it on the blank back first.
Do you sell pens?
Not yet. Add any dark pen you like the feel of. We name pens here as examples, and none of them is ours.
Is a gel pen or a ballpoint all right?
A ballpoint is hard work for filling shapes, and many gel pens dry slowly and smudge. A fibre tip or fineliner covers a shape quicker and feels better in the hand.
More guides
How to colour a One Pen page
Pick one dark pen, fill every shape with a dot and leave the rest white. Six steps to a One Pen page, with tips for busy pages and left-handers.Colouring with one pen. UpdatedWhy pen bleeds through colouring pages, and what stops it
Pen bleeds through colouring pages when the paper is thin or the ink is wet. What gsm means, which pens come through, and a 30-second test for any book.Colouring with one pen. UpdatedWhat is a one-colour colouring book, and how does it work?
A one-colour colouring book has a dot in every shape to fill. You colour them all with one dark pen and a picture comes through. Here is how it works.Colouring with one pen. Updated