Ecoline Brush Pens vs Brushmarker Pro

After trying the Karin Brushmarker Pro for the first time, I was struck by its impressive ink flow, making it an ideal tool for blending. As someone who has long admired the juiciness of Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens, I couldn’t help but notice that the Karin Brushmarkers seem to be a worthy competitor. Both brush pens are renowned for their vibrant colors and exceptional blending abilities, but how do they truly stack up against each other?

It’s time to put these two heavyweights side by side and compare their performance, to see which one comes out on top.

The Contenders

Before we dive into the comparison, you can check out our individual reviews of each brush pen below:

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

Karin Brushmarker Pro

Now, let’s move on to how these two compare head-to-head!

Side-by-Side Comparison

Availability and Pricing

When it comes to availability, Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens are generally easier to find in a wider range of stores and online platforms. However, Karin Brushmarker Pro has made significant progress in expanding its availability over the years, and it is now accessible in many regions.

the price reflects the premium experience both brands offer

Both brush pens fall on the pricier side compared to other options on the market, but they more than make up for it with their exceptional quality. Whether you’re after smooth blending or vibrant ink flow, the price reflects the premium experience both brands offer.

Each brand offers a variety of pack sizes, ranging from small sets with just a few pens to larger collections. The Karin Brushmarker Pro line boasts over 70 colors, while the Ecoline Brush Pens come in a slightly smaller but still impressive range of 59 colors.

First Impressions

To get a feel for how these brush pens compare, I selected three similar colors from each set: Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens in 201, 337, and 506, and Karin Brushmarker Pro in 166, 375, and 207.

At first glance, both pens share many similarities in design and usability, but there are some key differences worth noting:

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

• Feature a single, large-sized brush tip.
• The pen body is round and relatively thick, giving a solid feel in hand.
• Both the pen cap and the barrel are colored to match the ink, making it easier to quickly find the right pen and recap them during a session.
• The pen cap can sit securely on the back of the pen while in use, adding convenience during extended projects.

Karin Brushmarker Pro

• Also equipped with a single brush tip, but it leans more towards a medium/large size.
• The pen body is round with a wider cap that includes a clip, which helps prevent the pens from rolling off the table.
• Only the pen cap matches the ink color, while the body is transparent. Though useful for seeing the ink level, the color in the barrel doesn’t always match how it appears on paper.
• Like the Ecoline, the pen cap can sit on the back of the pen, which adds to its practicality.

While both pens have strong first impressions, some differences stand out. The Ecoline Brush Pens offer better color markings on the body for quick identification, while the Karin Brushmarker Pro’s clip design can be quite handy to keep the pens stable on flat surfaces. Additionally, the slight variation in brush tip size influences how each pen performs when lettering.

Brush Pens Performance In Use

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s put these pens to paper and see how they perform in real-world use.

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

• The wider brush tip naturally produces broader strokes, making it great for bold lettering and designs.
• The pen feels smooth as it glides across the paper, with a soft, flexible tip that bends easily under pressure.
• One standout feature is the ombré effect: the ink concentration varies with pressure, giving you a beautiful gradient, from darker tones with heavier pressure to lighter tones with less.
• Impressively, despite its liquidy texture, the ink dries quickly, minimizing the risk of smudging during lettering or drawing.

Karin Brushmarker Pro

• The brush tip is slightly narrower than the Ecoline’s, leading to slightly thinner natural strokes. While you can achieve wider strokes with enough pressure, the Karin’s default downstroke is smaller.
• It has a smooth feel on paper, though the tip is firmer and offers less flexibility compared to the Ecoline’s softer, more responsive tip.
• The ink flow is very even, with little to no ombré effect, offering a solid, consistent color regardless of pressure applied.
• The ink takes longer to dry, so you’ll need to give it some extra time before adding shading or other effects to avoid smudging.

If you love the ombré effect that comes naturally with the Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens, you might find the Karin Brushmarker Pro less exciting in that regard. However, if you prefer consistent, even color in your strokes, the Karin may become your new favorite.

Testing Blending Capabilities

Strokes are one thing, but how do these pens handle blending? Let’s find out.

In the sample tests below, I conducted two blending experiments to see how well the colors mix. For both tests, I applied the second (and third) stroke immediately after the first to achieve the best results. Regular smooth paper was used for this comparison.

• Test 1: I drew pink, yellow, and blue strokes side by side, just close enough for the colors to touch and begin to blend.
• Test 2: I started with a vertical blue stroke and then drew a horizontal pink stroke across it (right to left) to observe how the colors mix at the intersection.

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

• Test 1: The colors bled slightly at the top of the stroke but barely blended towards the end. This is likely due to the Ecoline’s ombré effect, where the extra ink concentration at the start of the stroke encourages blending, but less ink toward the end limits the effect.
• Test 2: At the intersection of the blue and pink strokes, we see a nice blend of the colors, creating a smooth color variation where the two strokes meet.

Karin Brushmarker Pro

• Test 1: The Karin Brushmarker Pro delivers a more consistent blend throughout the entire stroke, with colors bleeding smoothly along the length of the stroke.
• Test 2: At the intersection of the blue and pink strokes, the colors mix evenly, creating a strong, visible blend on both sides of the overlap.

On regular smooth paper, the Karin Brushmarker Pro outperforms the Ecoline Brush Pens in blending. While the Ecoline’s ombré effect is beautiful for creating gradients, it can be a disadvantage for blending as the ink dries quickly, limiting how well colors can merge. In contrast, the Karin Brushmarker Pro maintains a more consistent blend, thanks to its even ink distribution and slightly longer drying time.

Blending with Watercolor Paper

To give the Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens a fair comparison against the Karin Brushmarker Pro, I tested both on watercolor paper. Watercolor paper slows down the drying process, allowing for better blending with most pens. However, it’s important to note that the rough texture of watercolor paper can wear down brush tips over time, so proceed with caution.

For this test, I conducted two blending experiments:

• Test 1: I made pink, yellow, and blue strokes side by side, close enough for the colors to touch and begin bleeding into each other.
• Test 2: I layered a short pink stroke at the top, followed by yellow and blue strokes below. I then used the yellow pen to blend the transitions manually, aiming for a gradient of orange and green tones.

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

• Test 1: Similar to the previous test on smooth paper, the colors bled significantly at the top but tapered off towards the end. The ombré effect is even more pronounced on watercolor paper, with a visible contrast between the areas of higher and lower ink concentration. The initial stroke blends well, but the gradient weakens as the ink thins out.
• Test 2: The manual blend produced a smooth transition between the colors, with noticeable orange and green tones where the colors mixed. Watercolor paper slowed down the drying time, allowing more time for blending, though the ink still dried relatively quickly compared to Karin Brushmarker Pro.

Karin Brushmarker Pro

• Test 1: The Karin Brushmarker Pro maintained its consistent bleed throughout the stroke, as seen in the previous tests. On watercolor paper, the pink-orange blend appeared much smoother, demonstrating its ability to maintain even ink flow across the stroke.
• Test 2: The manual blending resulted in a slightly smoother transition compared to the Ecoline pens, with a more seamless blend between colors. However, the ink took significantly longer to dry on watercolor paper. Even after using a dryer, the ink remained wet for some time, increasing the risk of smudging.

While the Karin Brushmarker Pro delivers smoother and more even blends on watercolor paper, it requires much more time to dry. In contrast, the Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens blend effectively but dry faster, making them a better option if quick drying is a priority.

Galaxy Lettering

For the final test, I created a fully finished, shaded, and decorated piece of galaxy lettering. This style combines popular lettering effects, including blending, shading, and highlighting. For both pieces, I used a Tombow Fudenosuke for shading and a Sakura Gelly Roll for the highlights.

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

• The fast-drying ink of the Ecoline pens allowed me to add shading and highlights without worrying about smudging. This made the entire process smoother and more efficient.
• When using the white gel pen for highlights, the ink only slightly absorbed into the existing color, maintaining good visibility of the decoration and highlights.

Karin Brushmarker Pro

• Despite giving the ink three times longer to dry, I still encountered smudging when adding shading and highlights. The ink’s slower drying time made it more difficult to work with at this stage.
• The white gel pen absorbed much more into the ink, which dulled the highlights and made the decorations less visible, resulting in a less defined look compared to the Ecoline piece.

If you plan to add shading, highlights, or other decorative elements to your lettering, the Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens will likely provide a smoother experience with less risk of smudging and better visibility of your final touches.

Conclusion

Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens

• Colors: 59 vibrant options.
• Design: Thicker pens with a wider downstroke.
• Tip Feel: Soft and flexible, providing a smooth glide on paper.
• Drying Time: Fast-drying ink that reduces smudging.
• Ink Behavior: Naturally creates an ombré effect due to varying ink concentration.
• Blending: Blends well before drying but dries quickly, limiting extended blending time.
• Finishing Work: Better for adding shading, highlights, and effects, as the quick-drying ink resists smudging.

Karin Brushmarker Pro

• Colors: 70+ colors, offering a broad range for creativity.
• Design: Medium downstroke width with pen clips to prevent rolling.
• Tip Feel: A little firmer than Ecoline, but still smooth on paper.
• Drying Time: Slower-drying ink, which requires more patience.
• Ink Behavior: Distributes color evenly without the ombré effect.
• Blending: Extraordinary blending and bleeding abilities, but the slow drying time makes adding effects more challenging.
• Finishing Work: Difficult to add highlights and shading as the ink absorbs more, making it prone to smudging.

Final Thoughts

Choosing between the Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens and the Karin Brushmarker Pro ultimately comes down to your personal preferences. The Ecoline pens excel in creating beautiful ombré effects and are much easier to work with when adding shading or highlights after lettering due to their fast-drying ink. On the other hand, the Karin Brushmarker Pro stands out for its smooth, even color distribution and exceptional blending capabilities, though its slow drying time may present challenges.

If you’re focused on blending, the Karin Brushmarker Pro may be your go-to choice for smoother color transitions. But if you want a pen that dries quickly and allows for post-lettering embellishments without smudging, the Royal Talens Ecoline Brush Pens may be more suitable for your needs.

Either way, both pens offer excellent quality and are well worth trying out for any lettering enthusiast!