Journaling pens and markers are among the most common and versatile supplies that a scrap booker must have. They come in all sorts of sizes and colors, textures and shapes. With a bit of practice, and a bit of imagination, you can create wonderful borders, journaling sections, titles and embellishments on your pages.

There are many types of pens. So many more styles and shapes are are available from even when I started to get serious about scrap booking. I suggest starting with the basic nib styles and spending a bit of time practicing with these first.

The four basic nibs are chisel, scroll, brush and monoline. A lot of the pens on the market now have dual tips, one on each end. The nibs usually vary in size or style.

Since pens are permanent, create a rough draft before attempting to write on the actual layout. You can use a pencil to draw light lines on the pages to help you with spacing. Here is a hint ... I write the first and last letters of some titles first, then fit the rest of the lettering inside to ensure proper spacing. Make sure you erase your pencil marks with an art rubber after you have the ink in place.

Monoline Pens are the most commonly used in scrapbooking. They have a round tapered edge and produce a continuous line, with out any deviation in thickness. The monoline pens can be purchased in a range of sizes from ultra-thin to very thick. They are great for creating title, borders, captions, journaling or adding some embellishment.

Brush nibs look a bit like an artist's paintbrush on the end. It produces a whimsical effect that can really add to your page. The brush nib, unlike the monoline, will vary in thickness, depending on the amount of pressure applied when writing. Try using the brush nib on its side rather than the tip. A heavier stroke should be used on the down stroke, and a much lighter touch on the upstroke.

Chisel tipped pens are a bi more difficult to use. Produce the broad and narrow strokes like calligraphy by holding the nib at a 45 degree angle. Letters can be formed parallel to the sides of a page rather than with a slant or slope. The scroll-tip pen is similar but is notched in the middle of the pen tip. This it so the pen tip will create a double line when you write with it. Use these pens for borders, fun journaling, or captions.

Gel pens are another of my favorite tools to scrap with. Make sure you only use acid free gel pens, as many are not. The come in many colors, some are milky, and come are glittery. There are also some with a metallic fell, and pastels, and fluorescents.

Here are some quick pen tips:
• Store your pens plat to prevent ink flooding into the tips
• Practice pen writing and drawing on scrap paper so you can see the thickness of line, the bleed of the pen etc.
• Outline the shape of a letter with a monoline pen, then apply chalks or watercolors within the outline
• Gel pens can be used on both light and dark paper.
• Avoid exposing the pens to air for long periods of time as this dries out eh tips, making wtiting less even.
• Try mixing and matching different pens on the same page for fun and different captions, titles or journaling.
• Try using blender pens to make your watercolor pencils look like you spent all after noon watercoloring. You simply draw a bit with the pencil, then use the blender pen to pull the from the pencil line across the paper in a look that really does mimic an actual watercolored image.