When you plan a new piece how do you approach the white areas and details? Do you ever use white Gelly Roll pens? This is a dilemma that especially troubles those of us who use watercolors. You’re usually suggested to preserve the white areas of your paper that need to remain white. So you have to either paint around them or use masking fluid, or even masking tape, to keep the paint off of them.
But you know how excruciating that can be! It’s even worse if your work has many small white details like something shimmering, the reflection of light on water, or the stars in the sky. And what if you make a mistake and run into those sections anyway? Using masking fluid can be difficult as well, it adds a lot of extra time and also damages the surface of the paper.
So adding white details after you are done, using an opaque white paint, is a time/life-saving shortcut. Many tools will help you do so: white gel pens, in particular, make an amazing option.
* Out of all the available gel pens in the market I’m most familiar with Sakura’s white Gelly Roll pens, and so my comments and suggestions are based on them.
What Is A Gel Pen?
Gelly roll pens and gel pens are pens that have gel-based ink, meaning that the pigment or ink used in them is dissolved in a gel. What sets them apart from normal ballpoint pens is that you can have opaque inks.
Gel pens aren’t just white they come in a variety of colors including metallic colors. You can use them as an art medium by themselves; they are commonly used for calligraphy and bullet journaling. But white gell pens have a more versatile use and can be used by all artists regardless of their preferred medium.
Since the white Gelly Roll pens are in demand, and to meet the specific artists’ needs, Sakura produces them in 3 sizes.
Here’s a video where you can see the different lines produced by each white Gelly Roll pen size:
So let’s see how — and for what purpose — are white gelly roll pens used!
Use White Gelly Roll Pens To Add Details to Your Work
One of the most common uses for white gel pens is for adding small white details. I understand that using making fluid or precision is still the best course of action, but it’s a lot of work for hobbyists like me.
I know masking fluid is considered an easy way out but I struggle with it a lot. I use a masking fluid where the head is needle-sized but I still cannot control the flow, it bubbles and often too much fluid ends up on the paper, much thicker than what I desired. So here, where I wanted a tiny line, to represent rain falling down, the gelly roll works a lot better for me.
Enter the Gelly Roll pens, with a twist of a cap you can add delicate details to your finished work! Easy, quick, and without hassle.
There is a catch however, the gel in the pen is water-soluble and can reactivate the paint underneath it when you try to go over the same area. So it’s better to use it on very small details you won’t have to go over.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the color of the white produced by the gel pen might not match your paper. But if you aren’t a pro artist, and aren’t selling the original, I don’t think this is a big concern.
Make sure you keep a piece of paper next to your hand and use it to clear the paint on the nib between rounds. This helps make sure the paint stays as white as possible.
Here is another video from Sakura, about adding highlights to your work:
Use White Gelly Roll Pens To Draw On Black Paper
Or brown, or any other dark color! Have you tried using light colors to paint on a dark background? It’s a very different challenge compared to what you’re used to. Your brain will tickle a little (in a pleasant way), it’s like you know how to do it and not at the same time.
Inktober (the perfect month to create black and white art) just ended. This year I decided to give drawing with a white Gelly Roll pen a try. I did the outlines in white and added details by crosshatching or using diluted white paint. It was a fun experience, and this is a style I wish to get more familiar with.
Because the paper is originally black you won’t have to worry about the gel pen reactivating anything. It will work without any hiccups just like any pen!
Here’s a popular black paper pad.
Use White Gelly Roll Pens to Correct Mistakes
Gel pens make a very convenient tool for correcting small mistakes, especially if the mistake is on a white background. The mistakes can be unclean linework, paint splatters (if you are as clumsy as I am), or coloring by mistake outside of your linework.
Again, this works best on material that doesn’t reactivate but if you are careful enough it should be fine.
Alternate gel pens available
There are some alternatives to Sakura’s White Gelly Roll pen you can choose. I have yet to work with any of them but according to other artists, they can work very different and create different results.
The biggest name available is the Uni-Ball Signo pens, but there are also other familiar names on the market such as Pentel’s Arts Milky Pop Pastel Gel Pen.
Do you use white gel pens in your art? I’m interested in hearing how you use them, and any tips or tricks you’ve learned.