How to use Zebra CLiCKART pens as a watercolour

with Zebra Pen brand ambassador, Andrew

Using your CLiCKART pens as a watercolour

Did you know you can use CLiCKART pens as a watercolour? Discover the innovative retractable felt tip from Zebra that paints as well as it colours, draws or writes! Hi. I’m Andrew. I’m a Zebra Pen brand ambassador, and I’m a freelance calligrapher (and speciality coffee barista!). I’m going to tell you why I love using CLiCKART pens as a watercolour paint.

When I was kindly gifted a set of CLiCKART pens from Zebra last year, I couldn’t believe my luck, as I noticed that they’re water-based felt tip pens. And whenever ink formulas are water-based, there’s a high chance that you can use them for watercolour work. Mixing the ink with a tiny amount of clean water creates a watercolour paint which can be used for colouring, painting and even brush lettering using the same brush stroke techniques as calligraphy. It’s a beautifully expressive, lyrical way to create.

Let’s dive into how we can use them for water colouring. All it takes is a little bit of water, and a lot of scribbling!

What you’ll need:

• CLiCKART pens – the 12-colour light set which is available from Ryman stationery stores, and a number of independent retailers, has a comprehensive range of primary and secondary colours. And, once you start blending them as watercolours, you can create some unique shades!

• A colouring brush or paint brush

• Cold press watercolour paper is ideal, but you can use any good quality plain paper. This technique needs lots of water, so investing in the right paper means no soggy patches!

• A ceramic or plastic paint palette, and tissue or cloth to clean your brush

• Clean water

• A cup of good coffee – great ideas start with coffee!

Step 1: Start with some scribbling!

Choose your favourite CLiCKART pens and scribble on your ceramic paint palette. Alternatively, you can use a plastic palette, plate, Perspex or any clean, smooth surface that will wipe clean easily later on.

Keep scribbling! In comparison to traditional watercolour paints, this technique takes a little getting used to, simply because you have to actively scribble to build up your desired ink, depth of colour and a reasonable quantity so you don’t run out.

The opacity of the colour will depend on the shade of pen chosen and darker tinted pens, such as Cherry Pink, Pale Blue or Lavender will give you brighter tones on a plain paper.

My favourite shade at the moment is the Salmon Pink – it has a beautiful vibrancy and tone when mixed with water that creates a lush watercolour.

Step 2: Add water and test your colour

Dip your paint brush or colouring brush in clean water and blot off the excess. Then gently mix the water and your scribbled felt tip together using your brush. This forms your watercolour base. You can see why it’s important to ensure that your scribble beforehand is intense enough for the watercolour to pop, since once you’ve added water, it’s harder to go back and scribble more!  Swatch your colour on the paper to see if it’s what you’re after.

Step 3: Free your imagination!

Now, you’re all set to create. You may want to paint some brush lettering or faux calligraphy or create a more illustrative artwork. If you wet the paper a little beforehand too, you can actually blend the colours directly on the paper. I use my CLiCKART pens as a watercolour when I’m lettering or for faux calligraphy, but you may want to experiment with the delicate shades and blending effects of felt tip watercolour for art or mixed media. It’s like impressionist painting!

And of course, you can always use CLiCKART itself as felt tips, to add detail to a scene or create a pattern on top of your watercolour background – so long as you let the watercolours dry completely!

You might want to check out my previous blog post: How to learn calligraphy. This step-by-step guide covers the essential strokes you need to know to create an alphabet.

Why I love the effect of CLiCKART pens as a watercolour

One of the artistic advantages of using felt tips for water colouring is you have a lot more control! If you’ve ever experimented with paint-based watercolour, you’ll know it can have a mind of its own, bleeding into other colours and spreading over the paper! This method will give you the subtle colours, but more precision on the page.

Felt tip pens are so much more practical. They’re less messy than paints, easier to transport (especially in the CLiCKART self-standing carry case). and faster to clean up. CLiCKART is also incredibly versatile: great for doodling and bullet journalling as well as faux calligraphy. And at the end of the day, you can just click the nibs closed and even without caps, they won’t dry out – making lost felt tip lids a thing of the past!

My top tip

🎨 Using CLiCKART pens as a watercolour medium is a wonderful way to decompress after a stressful day! There’s little preparation or clean-up, so you can slow down, and be present in the moment. And the end result is something beautiful.

Having a chai, or coffee and a caramel bite is my other top tip!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this friendly how-to guide. Why not compare and contrast brush lettering using this technique and your Mildliner Brush pens too? Go with the flow, enjoy, and free your mind!

Reach out to me on Instagram for tips and pointers @Andrewhrahsel.