Have you ever finished carefully coloring a piece with colored pencils and wished you could add one final touch?
That's where the "white pen" comes in handy.
A white pen lets you easily express the sparkle in eyes, the shine on accessories, water droplets, stars, and more — instantly elevating the finished quality of your piece.
In this article, I'll introduce the types of white pens I actually use often, along with each one's characteristics and my recommended ways to use them.
Why White Pens Elevate the Finished Quality of Your Work
A white pen is an item for adding highlights at the very end of your piece.
- Light in the eyes
- Shine on the lips
- Sparkle on accessories
- Stars in the background
- Reflections in water droplets
Adding this kind of "light" brings dimension and brilliance to your piece.
1. Uni-ball Signo Broad White
This is the white pen I use most often.
It's sometimes sold as a pen "for illustrating black hair," and it's known for producing a deep, distinctly opaque white.
Characteristics
- Gel ink type
- Very strong color payoff
- Glides smoothly with light pressure
- Produces a crisp, distinct white
Best Uses
- Eye highlights
- Stars
- Sparkle on accessories
- Fine dots and lines
Tips for Use
You can draw over colored pencil, but in areas with heavy wax buildup, the ink may get repelled.
In that case, drawing with a bit more pressure helps the ink adhere better.
2. Juice Up White
A slightly finer, somewhat more translucent white than the Signo.
Characteristics
- Lighter white than the Signo
- Easy to draw fine lines with
- Depth of color can be adjusted through layering
Best Uses
- Subtle highlights
- Thin lines of light
- Adjusting the intensity of white
Recommended Usage
Adding subtle light around a strong highlight drawn with the Signo, using the Juice Up, creates a natural gradient.
3. Posca White
Handy when you want to firmly cover a wide area in white.
Characteristics
- Opaque with excellent color payoff
- High ink volume
- Easy to cover large areas
Best Uses
- Strong highlights
- Water droplet effects
- Corrections
- Larger white patterns
Tips for Use
For pieces on larger paper, the Posca is more efficient to work with than a fine-tipped pen.
4. Milky Brush
A brush-tip white pen with an extremely wide range of expression.
Characteristics
- Semi-transparent, blends in naturally
- Line width changes with pen pressure
- Depth of color can be adjusted through layering
Best Uses
- Soft highlights
- Adding patterns
- Softening black lines
- Spattering
How to Soften Black Lines
Sometimes the black lines in a coloring page can feel too strong.
In that case, coloring over the lines with the Milky Brush can soften and reduce how much the black lines stand out.
This is especially useful for
- Thick line art meant for children
- Coloring pages you want to customize to your own taste
.
Spattering for a Dreamy Effect
Flicking ink off the tip with a brush lets you create fine white specks.
Tools You'll Need
- A toothbrush
- A screw brush
- A makeup brush
Example Uses
- Starry sky
- Snow
- Sparkling light
Note
Ink can splatter around the area, so lay down paper underneath before you start.
Why I Don't Recommend Correction Fluid
Some people use correction fluid in place of a white pen, but I don't really recommend it.
Why
- Tends to get flaky once dry
- Surface easily becomes uneven
- Hard to control
For fine detail work, a gel-ink white pen is easier to control and gives a cleaner finish.
Summary of White Pen Uses
| Pen | Characteristics | Best Uses |
|---|---|---|
| Signo | Deep and crisp | Strong highlights, stars |
| Juice Up | Fine and somewhat translucent | Subtle light, thin lines |
| Posca | Opaque, suited to wide areas | Large highlights, corrections |
| Milky Brush | Semi-transparent, natural | Softening black lines, spattering |
When to Use a White Pen
A white pen is generally used for the finishing touches on a piece.
Adding light at the very end
- Brings the eyes to life
- Makes jewelry sparkle
- Makes water droplets look realistic
- Adds brilliance to the background
among other effects.
Summary
A white pen is a handy item that takes your piece's appeal up another level.
Choosing the right one for the job will greatly expand your range of expression.
- For crisp, distinct lines, choose the Signo
- For delicate work, choose Juice Up
- For covering wide areas, choose Posca
- For a natural finish, choose the Milky Brush
Find your favorite pen and put it to use in the finishing touches of your next piece.