Pen and Marker Collection + Organization

Like so many of us BuJo lovers, I have a thing for all things stationery. I wanted to break down my collections of different stationery categories and show how I store each. To start – something very exciting – my pen and marker collection. I’m also going to give my mini reviews of some of the categories.

---

Organization: 

First things first, I wanted to show off my new organizational system. This idea was 100% taken from the famous BuJo Queen Amanda Rach Lee on Youtube. She made a video talking about these storage pieces you can get from Amazon. They are amazing – I have three – two of the X ones and one 4 drawer. There are so many reasons these work well for me. Realistically, in the long term, you shouldn’t be storing your stationery upright as it will dry out (more on that in a bit). These keep your pens horizontal. I also love that I can see every color pen that I have. It 100% stops me from making more unnecessary purchases. I also like that I can mostly sort by brand and reach for exactly what I need at any given time. Also – they take up minimal space on my desk and are easy to clean.

While it is bad to store your pen collection upright, I do keep two pots of the pens that I am currently using in my Erin Condren and Bullet Journal. These are for my color story of the month and I like them to be a little more accessible.

The great thing about this system is it compensates for longer pens and markers ( like the Tombow dual brush pens, Crayolas and Staedler Tripplus Fine Liners. Overall – I am so genuinely thrilled with this whole system. Now – onto the pens!

Tombows:

Tombows are some of my most reached for supplies in my collection period. The colorsare amzing – coming out saturated and true to the color they are supposed to be. I love that they have a brush and fine tip marker side. They are also water soluable which means they can be used as watercolors. They also can sort of be blended using a special translucent marker – I don’t find this works particularly well but hey – that’s just me. If I had to pick my absolute essentials – they would be 725 (bright magenta), 443 (saturated green-blue), 195  (grass green), 665 (fuschia purple), and 025 (sunshine yellow)

Price wise, these babies are not cheap. They cost about 4 Euros or $4 American. The one color I really wish they had was true navy blue but I’m not a huge fan of the ones they sell. Tombow Dual Brush Pens are expensive – but to me they are absolutely worth it.

Crayola Supertips

What a classic. Crayola Supertips are just the absolute best. Not only do they come in 100 colors (I only have the pack of 50), they are highly versatile. They can be used for coloring large areas in without bleeding through my Leuchttrum pages. If you get the hand of it – you can use them for sort of a brush pen hand lettering. They are slim and easy to store. Most importantly, they are cheap and readily available.

Zebra Mildliners

Zebra Mildliners are a bit of a love-hate for me. There are some colors that I love – the mustard yellow, grass green and sky blue in particular. However, some of them are just not to my taste. The ones that are pastel (the pink pack) are particularly not something I use basically ever. They are like a slightly desaturated highlighter in odd colors. Overall, I would buy some of them again but definitely not all. Something I do like is that similarly to the Tombows – they do have two ends. One is a simple fine tip marker and the other is a chisel end common in highlighter.

Sharpie Ultra Fine Point Markers

Man, sharpies are just one of those things I can’t quit. They are such a staple for me. They bleed through Bujo paper but I use them in my Erin Condren and also in many, many art projects. They are just amazing.

Stabilo Boss Highlighters

These highlighters are exactly what I wanted the Zebra pastel pack to be. I particularly love that the yellow veers more sunshine than electricity. This brand also makes standard colored highlighters but at least in Europe these are a crowd favorite.

Staedler Triplus Fine Liners

When I first started planning and using my Bullet Journal, these were my go to pen. They come in 50 colors and are just your typical pen. They don’t bleed through either the Erin Condren or BuJo at all. However, I don’t reach for them quite as much as I used to. They are a great beginner option.

Tombow TwinTones

The baby sibling of the Tombow Dual Brush Pens, I was honestly really disappointed in these. I find that the pigment is uneven and some of the colors are just too similar. I paid 18 Euro for this pack of 12. While there are  a few that are unique colors to my collection – I don’t reach for these consistently (and therefore am thinking of decluttering).

Brush Pens –

Pentel Brush Pens

I really love these brush pens – I think they are pretty easy to work with. They come in amazing jewel tons which are absolutely saturated with pigment. They are also a good beginner brush pen which is good since I am definitely not a pro. These were 3 Euros each but you can get them in sets for cheaper. I just only wanted certain colors.

Tombow Fudenosake Soft Tip

Unlike my Pentel Brush pens, I very rarely use this brush pen anymore. Not only do I find it not as black as I want it to be, it’s not super easy to work with. I see that this is an absolute cult favorite but for me – it’s just not that great. I paid around 3 Euros for this (what a waste!)

Miscellaneous Black Fineliners

Black fineliners are one of those absolute essentials for bullet journaling. Once you start using different pens, you find that not all are created equal. If I had to give my favorites, it would be the Pigma Micron which comes in various nib sizes to create thicker or thinner lines. I have the .03, .05 and .08 but I definitely want some smaller options. My other favorites are the Faber Castels – however I find that their tips break very easily so I’m not always killing myself to reach for them.

 

Other supplies:

In addition to my pens, I alos keep a few other writing essentials in my storage. I don’t always use a pencil to chart out spreads but it is good to have around for the typical emergency. I also like to have a ruler and erasers for any mess ups.

Fun Bonus: Mr. Sketch Scented Markers

I don’t actually keep these classic smelly markers on my desk, however, I thought everyone should know that I do have these OG markers. I always wanted a set and when I finished one of my student teaching placements, my co-op teacher very kindly gave me a set. They are the ultimate nostalgia piece in my collection and I could never get rid of them even if they are far too giant for my bullet journal.

---

So, there you have it – my complete marker and pen collection. Right now, I’m really happy with what I have (exept for needing a navy tombow). Do you have any favorite pens or markers that I didn’t mention. Please let me know. Even though I’m cool with where I’m at – realistically, I’m a stationery lover.