The white gel pen should be your best friend. They are crucial in helping to create more contrast and beauty in your art. They are little miracles for those who want total control of fine white lines. Small brushes and white paint can become awkward and unwieldy, and dip pens are disasters waiting to happen unless you have a grave steadiness of hand and no pets.

If you haven’t used white gel pens before here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Keep the point clean. Make sure the ink doesn’t build up, and wipe it with a paper towel once in a while as you work; this ensures good ink flow and a longer working life.

• If the ink won’t run, hold the pen upright and draw small, tight circular squiggles to get the ink flowing again; don’t shake or hit it against a hard surface.

• Store gel pens in a cup, with the tip down; don’t store them flat.

Types of gel pen ink:

The type of gel pen ink determines the success of ink flow over your work. Regular white gel pens work best over regular paper (such as in marker, charcoal or watercolor work.) However, if you use semi-gloss acrylic paint or thick layers of waxy colored pencils or heavy graphite, your best bet is the Sakura Soufflé pen. The ink in these pens was specifically designed for non-porous surfaces, and Sakura was promoting them to decorate cell phones and the like. I however have found them perfect for media that normally resists my regular gel pens.



Below are some wonderful examples of works containing white gel pen. I strongly urge you to view the works in Full View mode to appreciate the technical qualities. Look for white gel pen used to create realistic cracks in rock, the highlights rendered on toned paper in the manner of traditional masters, graphic outlines that set off and bring a subject forward, dotted patterns of night skies, to construct a violent and energetic texture of cross hatching, seductive pattern and to produce the feel of water.