If you’ve ever been to my house (or followed me on Instagram, for that matter) then you know that I have a slight obsession with pens. Along with pretty paper, a love of pens is probably one of my deepest rooted obsessions. I get a lot of emails and comments asking me about particular pens featured in photos, so I thought it would be fun to start a new blog series to share some of my favorites. So without further ado, today’s pen is the Akashiya Sai Watercolor Brush Pen ($26.79 for a set of 20).

These Akashiya Sai Watercolor Pens are very different and writing with them takes a bit of practice (I still haven’t mastered it). They definitely aren’t the sort of pen you buy to simply write with–that’d be pretty much impossible.The tip is made up of individual bristles that behave like a paintbrush and, similarly, the ink has a watercolor consistency which offers a beautiful transparency. You can dip the tip of these into a dish of water to lighten the color, and that creates a really fun effect.

Like I mentioned, these pens aren’t the one you grab when you’re writing a list. Writing with them requires some practice and usually results in a large, flowy, font. However, I really like dipping them in water and using them like a highlighter in my planner. It’s so dang pretty.