Having the right artist tools can make the difference between seeing your vision come to life or fall flat on the page. Whether you draw, sketch, doodle, or outline for stress relief, as a hobby, a side hustle, or as your full-time job, using markers that can give you the precision and exact detail work you want can help to complete any piece of art.
Detailing markers are fine tip markers that are ideal for intricate and minute drawings. They’re also the best markers to use when creating stencils or writing with fonts, whether you’re designing a new sign to frame for your home or creating a company logo. We also like using detailing markers with adult coloring books, which are a great stress-reliever and help to engage the creative part of our brain that doesn’t always get a workout with daily job duties.
The detailing markers we’ve included in our list are a mix of paper-only markers and markers that can be used on a variety of materials, including wood, glass, metal, plastic, and more, making them a great fit for craft and DIY enthusiasts. Whatever your preferred art medium, these detailing markers will help you put the finishing touches on your creation.
1. ARTEZA Fineliners Fine Point Pens
For a set of markers with a vast assortment of color options, we recommend the ARTEZA Fineliners Fine Point Pens. The supersized set comes with 72 vivid colors in ultra-thin 0.4mm tips that are all acid-free and smudge-free, making them an excellent tool for doing delicate and fine detail work. The pens come in a metal case for secure storage.
Pros: ARTEZA pens are designed with a comfort grip triangular barrel that is both comfortable to hold for extended periods and won’t roll off the table while you’re working.
Cons: The ARTEZA are explicitly designed for paper use and don’t work well with other canvases like rocks, wood or metal.
2. Tooli-Art Acrylic Paint Pens
Avoid the mess of cleaning paint brushes and get the same effect with the Tooli-Art Acrylic Paint Pens. Ideal for detail work, the Tooli-Art pens are slightly larger than the ARTEZA and have a 0.7mm tip. Using water-based, opaque ink, the Tooli-Art pens make it possible to create intricate designs without the mess of paint thanks to the pens fade-resistant ink that is safe for use on paper, wood, stone, glass, metal, porcelain, canvas, plastic and more.
Pros: The set comes with 28 pens featuring highly pigmented Japanese ink, as well as an additional black and white ink pen. The valve-action tip on each pen is designed to keep its shape even after extended use.
Cons: When using the pens on a surface other than paper, an acrylic varnish is recommended to seal the color.
3. ARTOOLI Dual Tip Brush Pens
Get two markers in one with the dual tip ARTOOLI Brush Pens, which feature a 0.4mm fine liner and 1-4mm flexible fiber brush for each of the 36 colors. Smooth and fast-drying, the water-based, non-toxic and odorless pens won’t fade, leak, smear or bleed.
Pros: The ARTOOLI are the only set of markers on our list that come in a zippered carrying pouch, which makes them ideal for taking on the go. They also come with a bonus coloring book for adults in printable E-book form.
Cons: The ARTOOLI work best on paper that is bright white and is rated 20 lbs or more.