Last week, we talked brush pens — the beginner-friendly, the fun and the icky. But now you know what you want… The question remains: where’s the best place to go brush pen shopping in Singapore?*
Obviously, you don’t want make your way to a store only to realise it doesn’t have the brush pen you want! To save you that trouble, I put together this neat little post cataloging my favourite stores and what brands they carry.
*Sorry, international peeps, I’m not well-versed in the stores available. If you’re in the U.S., Amazon and JetPens are your best friends. If not, try this list.
1. ArtFriend
Let’s be real. ArtFriend is the first place that pops to mind when we think art supplies — and it doesn’t disappoint. You can find quite a number of Kuretake and Pentel brush pens here, and even a few Akashiya Sai. Not a huge variety but enough to get your started for sure.
Brands You Can Get Here
Kuretake, Pentel, Faber-Castell, Akashiya Sai, Tombow
Where Is It?
ArtFriend has three outlets: Bras Basah Complex, Plaza Singapura and Clementi Central
2. Straits Art Co. Ltd
This hole-in-the-wall store is better known for paints and paper but I come here for two reasons. The first (irrelevant) reason is pointed pen nibs. The second? Ecoline.
Straits Art is the only place in Singapore I know of that stocks Ecoline, both in liquid watercolour form and brush pen! If you know me, you know that I adore Ecoline, so naturally, Straits Art makes this list. It doesn’t hurt that their service is fantastic as well!
Brands You Can Get Here
Ecoline, Kuretake, Pentel
Where Is It?
Straits Art is located at 420 North Bridge Road, near Bugis MRT, opposite the National Library
3. Overjoyed
Hands down my favourite place to get anything brush lettering related, Overjoyed stocks so many types of brush pens that I’m spoilt for choice. Most of the pens I covered in the Ultimate Brush Pen Review were purchased here.
They’re also the distributor for Rhodia, I believe. Bonus points? Their online store is great! You can just order everything online and have it delivered to your doorstep.
Brands You Can Get Here
Zebra, Kuretake, Tombow, Pentel, Pilot, Faber-Castell, Artline, Sakura Koi, Sailor
Where Is It?
Overjoyed can be found online or at Short Street, near Rochor MRT.
4. Tokyu Hands
With so many stationery brands coming out of Japan, you bet there’s a Japanese store (or two) on this list! Think of Tokyu Hands as a high class Daiso, or a more colourful Muji, and you get the general idea!
It isn’t a stationery store, but it does have a huge stationery section that includes a great variety of brush pens. Not on the scale of Overjoyed, since Tokyu Hands is focused on Japanese brands, but worth checking out — plus it may be a lot more convenient than Overjoyed for some!
Brands You Can Get Here
Zebra, Kuretake, Tombow, Platinum, Pentel, Pilot, Sailor
Where Is It?
Tokyu Hands can be found at Orchard Central, Suntec City and Westgate
5. NBC Stationery and Gifts
Like Tokyu Hands, NBC is definitely not an art specialty store. It’s more of a stationery store — in the cutesy direction, no less.
Nonetheless, it does stock a variety of brush pens. Tombow and Sakura Koi are pretty common here, but availability varies from outlet to outlet.
Brands You Can Get Here
Tombow, Sakura Koi, Kuretake, Pentel, Pilot
Where Is It?
NBC has way too many stores to list here. Click here to find the one closest to you!
6. Paper Market + Made With Love
Scrapping stores also have brush markers. Yes, I know right? It isn’t a huge selection most of the time, but you can still get a few brush pens here.
It’s also where you’d find your embossing supplies, if you ever wanted to do heat embossing!
Brands You Can Get Here
Tombow, Pentel, Kuretake
Where Is It?
Paper Market can be found at Plaza Singapura or Raffles City, and Made With Love is located at 313@Somerset
7. Popular
Our favourite neighbourhood bookshop. Yes, Popular does carry brush pens too! Their variety has been steadily increasing over the past year too but it does vary from outlet to outlet!
Brands You Can Get Here
Tombow, Kuretake, Artline, Pentel
Where Is It?
Popular has way too many outlets to list here. Try their flagship store at Bras Basah Complex (near Bugis MRT) or find the one nearest to you!
8. Daiso
Last but not least, the famous Japanese $2 store does carry brush pens! Unfortunately, getting one really depends on your luck.
My best friend swears that the Plaza Sing outlet carries Tombow Fudenosukes but I’ve only seen Zebra pens occasionally. Their staff also can’t really tell you when a specific item is going to come back in stock so… Good hunting!
Brands You Can Get Here
Tombow Fude, Zebra, Daiso house brand
Where Is It?
Daiso has 13 outlets in Singapore. Check this list to find one to try your luck at!
Which is the best for brush pen shopping in Singapore?
If you want to haul a huge amount of brush pens? Overjoyed. But, there are always price differences, so here’s what we’re going to do!
I created a Google spreadsheet with stores and brush pens, and so far, I’m working to fill it up with what I know. It’s open to all, so feel free to add in more information as you shop — team effort, you know!
Over time, this will hopefully be a great ‘price comparison’ chart for everyone to use.
Have fun and happy lettering!
Hi! Thanks for the very insightful post 🙂 I’ve recently went to Artfriend at Plaza Sing (only yesterday, actually!) and tombows are now in stock! $4.15 for non members and $3.74 for members 🙂
Thanks for the update Eunice! This post is a bit old, so I just updated the brands list at the different stores! Thanks again for the reminder! <3
Went Overjoyed and can’t find Ecoline~ a bit disappointed but is so happy with those Sakura KOI pens i got!
Hi Harumi! You can find Ecoline at Straits Art 🙂 Only place in Singapore I’ve found them so far! While Overjoyed carries a huge collection of brush pens, they don’t include Ecoline!
Here are some information you might want to include in your spreadsheet.
Pentel touch release 4 pen season pack.
Tokyu hands- 11.50
Straits art – 10.80
12 pen pack
Straits art – 21
Love your article! This is very helpful to people whom want to start brush lettering! Thanks!