Hi there! Thank you for stopping by today. When people ask what they need to get started with a journaling bible I typically tell them they need a bible, a good pen and God. It really is that simple! Sometimes people get stuck on that “good pen” part and that’s what we are going to talk about today. I do want to say that I feel like of all the products I use, this one is the most dependent on your style. Do you push into the paper with passion or are you more light on your feet as you write? Depending on your answer will really determine the results you get here so please keep that in mind as you read this article.
Sharpies. | Oh Sharpies. We all love these and have them in #allthecolors, am I right? Even my daughters have learned to save up their hard earned cash to go get a fresh sharpie! Even though we love them, sharpies aren’t the best for our journaling bibles. As you can see they bleed pretty bad, I even had it go through another additional page. So save your sharpies for your other projects!!
Copic Pigment Liners | I love copic so I knew I wanted to try their pigment liners. They write BEAUTIFULLY and they don’t bleed through the pages at all. What I like about these is that you can use them over watercolors or add watercolors on top of these and they aren’t going to bleed. I will most certainly be picking more of these up!
Prisma Color Premier Markers | Even though these are called markers they come with some fine liners and I love the different tips available in this set. This is another great pen, perfect for your bible. My favorite thing about this pack is that it comes in all different widths including a brush pen!
Pilot Frixion Erasable Black Gel Ink Pen | This is one of my favorite pens, but I don’t know that it’s my favorite in my journaling bible. The good thing about this pen (and AMAZING thing) is that it is erasable! For those worried about ruining their bible this is the perfect pen for you! The bad thing, I don’t really love how the ball point pen pushes into the paper as much. So that is really a give and take there and you can decide if having an erasable pen is worth it to you!
Staedtler Pigment Liners | Yes. Yes. You know these are my FAVES!!!!!! I love these to bits and get a little sad when one goes missing (*coughADDISONcough*). They just write BEAUTIFULLY and don’t bleed one bit. My favorite thing is how they work with mixed media though! Just beautiful and won’t smear when you get it wet with paint etc! If you only buy ONE new pen, this one is it!!!
Project Life Journaling Pen | This is the pen I swore up and down by until very recently. Even today when I tested them in my bible, I was like MAN I miss this pen! Is that weird? Yes! But you know how it is when you have a good pen? I LOVE the way this one writes but it doesn’t do well with mixed media. If you aren’t working a lot with mixed media, I highly suggest this one!!
Pigma Micron Ink Pen | This is another wonderful pen. I don’t enjoy it as much as the Staedtler pen’s but they are really popular amongst journlers so I wanted to make sure you had this as an option as well!
Stabilo Fine Liners and Markers | These beautiful pens come in both a finer liner and a marker. I LOVE them both and although I don’t typically like to use colored fine liners, these colors are so rich and beautiful they just pop off the page and make it hard to resist!! I have experienced zero bleeding with these and look forward to using them a lot more in the future!
I hope we answered some questions for you today and help you on your quest to finding your “perfect journaling pen”. Have a wonderful day!
xox- Shanna
Thank you! ♥
great informative post-thanks
I just bought a journible and I needed this information. Thanks so much!
You are welcome!!! xox
I was curious about the range if cost of these pens and where you can purchase them at. Thank you for the list. Very very helpful
Hi there! They range anywhere from $2-$5 each, I have links to Amazon where you can purchase them! :) Thank you!
This is just the post I was hoping for! Thank you!! I’m gonna go with the Staedtler pens now. I was curious about the Microns.. actually brought my bible to work to test some of my pens I have on hand.. exciting.
Have you tried the Sharpie non- bleeding? It has a silver stripe down the side of the pen and says non-bleeding on the packet. these are working pretty well for me and I just get them at my local Staples
No! I haven’t seen these, I will need to hunt some down :)
The Stabilo Fine Liners and Markers seem to be not available anymore, I can’t find them. I looked for them as one-line and marker in same pen, and separate. Can you advice?
thanks, I enjoyed your post
Kim
Hi there Kim! Try these, they are very similar, I have them and enjoy as well!
Thank you for the comprehensive list. I got my journaling Bible for Christmas and still haven’t touched it. I wasn’t sure what pens to use. Now I know. Thanks again.
God knows me so well…. i was just starting a Jesus Journal so i’m so excited to start a new thing with my Lord, i know this is going to be the most fun. Now reading so many places to share and get ideas from others. Thank you for stepping out in faith on this journey, blessings and thanks.
I can’t wait to see more of you Jesus Journal!!! xox
Thanks! Good to know info, have so many pens but have not tried them in my bible.
Thanks so much! I was just wondering about pounds and your post answered my questions! Thank the Lord!
Shanna,
I’m 60+ years old and colorfully studying my Bible blesses me in the best of ways! Than you for saying Yes and Amen to God’s call!
Have you ever tried “Atyou Spica”
Pens? They are water based pigment ink and come in many colors. They have a bit of sparkle which I love. I found and ordered a few from Jetpens.com.
Hiya Rene, thank you for the tip I will have to check those out! xo
Forgot to mention that they do not bleed through the paper!
Any suggestions for a white pen/marker? I’ve wanted to highlight with white a couple of times.
Hiya Katie I LOVE these uni-ball pens <3 This is a three pack, but a good deal!
For color, I also use my Flair pens! Beautiful bold colors, and no bleeding! They are my favs! Gonna have to try out a Staedtler! Also, Sharpie has a fine liner that is a pen, – barrel is much different than a standard sharpie (I believe it says Sharpie Pen on the package) that don’t bleed through or smudge.
Interesting post. Although, Stephanie Ackerman uses Uniball signo 207 micro black in a video posted on your site, I would love to hear your commentary on this, in compared to the others here.
Thanks for this series Shanna! It’s so helpful to see what happens on the opposite side of the page!
Shanna,
I love your website and appreciate all of the incredible information. With the Staedtler pigment liners, do you also recommend the fineliner pens? I want to be able to use colors and can only find the pigment lines in black! :)
Thanks!
Hi there Jessica, I only use the black ones but the color ones are amazing as well:)
Thank you. I would love to do Bible Journaling. It’s hard to find beginner tutorials and answers. Few questions. What is mixed media??
The beautiful Bible Art you find on Pinterest … Is this done freehand? Do you have to be an accomplished artist to do this? I love God’s Word, but fearful and would ruin pages as a beginner. Thanks for any help. Gloria
Hi there, just curious about whether Faber Castell Pitt pens bleed through? Do you recommend them?
This post should be expanded, I think. Show the back of the page, and add more information. We’ve all referenced it half a dozen times, and it doesn’t include the oft recommended Sharpie “pens”, which I bought today, and was disappointed with. Fifteen bucks wasted I could have spent on more staedlers. {sigh} I am now looking for a good prep to use for the bad pens I’ve bought. LOL
Hi! I bought the prismacolor premier marker-pen and it bleeds through the page- do you just use that one over acrylic paint? Thanks:-)
Thank you so much for your reviews and advice and most of all the pictures! Just wanted to let you know that using the Pilot Frixion erasable pens have one caveat…..because the ink disappears under heat, do not leave your Bible in a car on a hot, summer day, as the ink will disappear.
I bought the Staedler pens and they bleed through like crazy! What am I doing wrong???
Me too!! :(
I love this! Thank you! On the Stabilo fineliners and markers your link didn’t work and I want to make sure I get the right thing… do the fineliners and markers come together or separately?