Art Can You Use Markers on Clear Acetate to Make Pictures in Layers

 Markers: a buying guide

In this guide to buying markers, I'll explain everything you demand to know then that you lot can confidently purchase the markers that will work best for your artistic needs! I'll cover things similar tip shape, blending, brands, costs and the important differences betwixt h2o-based and booze-based markers. I'll finish upward with my recommendations for the all-time markers you tin can buy.

Since 2014 I've published 23 coloring books (selling over 3.5 1000000 copies) and as a issue, I've done a lot of a of illustrating and experimenting with markers - amassing a collection of 600+ markers from over a dozen different brands! Yous can come across just a fraction of my collection in the picture below. In this Intro to Markers Guide I'll pass on everything I've learned, and so read on to find out which markers volition exist best for you!

If y'all don't have time to read all this and you just want to see my recommendations, you can bound straight to The Best Markers for art and illustration.

A quick overview

Not that long ago, markers were traditionally a niche tool used primarily past graphic designers and manga artists. Considering markers are not equally fade-resistant equally other media, they were avoided by serious artists who had longevity in mind. But over fourth dimension, as artists began to make art for the internet, more than and more artists became attracted to the fantastic versatility of markers and their wide range of brilliant colors.

Markers are affordable, convenient, don't brand a mess, piece of work well with other media and let you to apply bold color quickly and hands! What's non to love?!

All kinds of artists have found a use for markers. Because they're easy to use and dry quickly, markers are corking on-location or outdoors - perfect for travel, plein-air studies or urban sketching. Their effortless application of color makes markers well-suited to doodling, sketching and gesture-drawing. Markers can also blend smoothly, making them capable of photorealism, abstraction, and everything in betwixt!

Markers have also experienced a huge surge in involvement these past few years thanks to the adult coloring trend. Colorists honey the wide range of color selection and the convenience of different tip shapes. This demand has triggered an explosion in the number of marker products on the market. This affluence of choice means that there's a marker out in that location for every creative person and price point. The hardest role is wading through all the different options to figure out which suits you all-time, simply I'm here to help you lot with that!

Tip Shapes

Before we dive deeply into the different brands, you'll first need to make up one's mind what type of tip shape or nib yous desire, considering the tip shape greatly impacts your experience of coloring. Here'south an overview of your options. Annotation that these terms are not standard across brands - for example, some manufacturers will use the phrase "fine tip" to refer to a tip that's more than similar to a bullet tip.

Brush Tip

Brush tips (aka "castor pens") are my accented favorite considering they're the most versatile. The bespeak can exist used to create thin strokes (perfect for detailed work) and the brush can also be flattened to fill in large areas. You can also utilize the brush tip to create variable-width strokes. Brush pens are typically more expensive than other types, but for some brands the tips tin can exist replaced when they get worn.

Chisel Tip

The chisel tip is very common beyond brands. Information technology's useful considering you can utilize different edges for different purposes. The broad, flat side is keen for laying down lots of color, while the pointy side is practiced for thinner strokes (merely not as thin or precise as you lot can accomplish with brush or fine tip markers). To be honest I rarely use the chisel tips on my markers, just that's only me - your needs and style may exist different!

Fine Tip

This is just similar what you'd find on a technical pen that architects use. These tips are fantastic for fine details and patterning, but very impractical for larger blocks of colour.

Bullet Tip

The trusty bullet tip is common in lots of cheaper marker sets. Information technology'southward a skilful generalist tip, but isn't very versatile, in that super-fine details can be tricky and filling in big areas with color can be slow and tedious.

Double-Ended Markers

Double-concluded markers are a perfect way to savour the best of both worlds! They characteristic a fundamental ink reservoir with tips on either end. Information technology's common for high quality alcohol-based markers to be double-concluded, most unremarkably with a castor tip and chisel tip at either terminate, although some have a bullet tip (instead of a brush tip) with a chisel tip at the other end.

Stroke Examples

As you tin see in the image below, you lot tin can achieve a variety of strokes with any marker tip, which is pretty cool! Still, each tip type has its strengths and weaknesses, so the best marker tip for you lot ultimately boils downwardly to personal preference and the type of art you wish to create.

I frequently utilise the Copic mark brush tip to create unabridged artworks, just the cool matter about markers is that they tin be combined, so you don't need to exercise an unabridged artwork with the aforementioned tip or brand. Mix and match as you lot see fit. For instance, you tin can lay down large blocks of color with a castor tip or chisel tip, and then add details on elevation with a fine or bullet tip!

Water-based markers vs. Alcohol-based markers

The adjacent biggest pick you'll have to brand is whether you desire to purchase water-based markers or booze-based markers.

Markers comprise dyes that are suspended in either water or alcohol, which dries and leaves the color behind. This difference - whether the dye is suspended in water versus booze - can affect everything from cost to blend-ability and permanence. Here's a quick rundown of how the ii types differ:

H2o-based markers

• Cheaper

• Fewer colors

• Usually disposable

• Poor fade resistance

• Dries less quickly

• No scent

• Widely bachelor

• Can warp paper

• Tin can be re-activated with water, creating washes.

Booze-based markers

• More expensive

• More than colors

• Some are refillable

• Amend fade resistance (but not lightfast)

• Dries quickly

• Can have an aroma

• Plant mostly in fine art supply stores

• Tin can bleed through paper

• Has transparency, so colors can be layered.

Light streaking from a water-based marker

Remember using Crayola markers when you lot were a kid? If then, then you lot're already familiar with water-based markers. H2o-based markers are widely bachelor in cheap, student-grade sets designed for kids, made from lower-quality dyes designed to be easily washable from hands.

Withal, water-based markers aren't just for kids - there's a whole range of water-based markers out there that are specifically made for professional artists and avid hobbyists, which can make them just as good as alcohol-based markers, depending on your intended purpose. Artist-quality markers of both types (water-based and alcohol-based) will typically contain college-quality dyes than their cheaper counterparts.

And then which are meliorate: water-based or booze-based markers?

In one case you lot make up one's mind to take the leap from Crayolas to creative person-grade markers, it can be hard to decide between water-based and alcohol-based markers, so I suggest that y'all might want to exercise what I did when I start started using creative person-quality markers, and try them both. Equally helpful as it tin be to read near markers online, it's important to endeavor them yourself to get a immediate understanding of how they piece of work, which which will assist you determine which ones you lot prefer using. Thankfully both types of markers are available open stock (singles) or in small sets, and so you tin can try some out without breaking the depository financial institution!

Here's a little summary betwixt these ii options:

H2o-based markers are available everywhere, most commonly in those inexpensive sets designed for children, but you can also purchase artist-quality h2o-based markers that are amazingly versatile. Considering water-based markers don't drain through the newspaper every bit much, they're well-suited for use in coloring books. The major downside is that if y'all lay down too much color, they tin warp or impairment the paper. Water-based markers are as well extremely pop for hand-lettering.

Alcohol-based markers (sometimes called "permanent markers") are typically the preferred choice of artists because they blend more than smoothly and predictably (see below), and yous can create shades, tints and ombrés past overlaying colors. They exercise tend to drain through the newspaper, so double-sided coloring books are not platonic. For more than info, cheque out Tips for Using Alcohol Markers in Coloring Books.

The paradigm below is a comparison of how well h2o-based and alcohol-based markers lay down color. These are relatively big iii-inch circles on cardstock. As you can see, water-based markers can be streaky when the colors are overlapped to create a solid make full. While booze markers don't announced as streaky, they tin can have some variations in saturation, with some areas appearing slightly lighter or darker than others. Whether y'all beloved or loathe these attributes depends on your personal fashion - for example, some people (like me) appreciate the subtle variations in booze markers because it lends the artwork a more natural, organic feel, whereas I go frustrated by the streakiness of water-based markers when trying to fill big spaces.

A comparing of how well water-based and alcohol-based markers lay down colour on cardstock.

If you're in a shop and thinking of buying some markers but can't figure out if they're water- or alcohol-based, pop off the lid and gently smell (some can be pungent, and so be cautious). If there's a strong smell, they are alcohol-based markers.

Colour Range

Colour range is important because it helps you achieve better tonal gradation with your blending. This is because you're able to use a range of similar tones to blend i color into another, creating a prissy smooth transition.

Alcohol-based markers offer the widest colour range, and can often exist purchased open up stock (ane at a fourth dimension). Here's my collection of the full range of Copic Sketch Markers, consisting of 358 colors! To be honest, even so, I almost never need that many colors, so don't feel like you absolutely need to go them all to make great fine art.

After you've bought markers, it'southward a good idea to create a colour chart to employ as a reference. Here'south a template that the company Copic created for their markers. I use this as a handy reference whenever I'grand making fine art with my Copics. Here'due south my completed version:

If you'd like to learn more about Copics, including the dissimilar products they offer, check out my extensive review of Copic Markers.

Blending

When making art, the ability to create shine blends can make an artwork really come to life. The result tin look then stunning and professional that you wouldn't even think it was made with markers!

Here's an example from my Holiday Cheer Coloring Book that I colored with Copic Sketch Markers. I employed blending in just about every element, particularly to bring out the highlight on the hat!

Both water-based and booze-based markers are capable of blending, but each has its ups and downs. Note that blending performance is heavily reliant on the newspaper you're using. For instance, I've plant that alcohol-based markers blend fantastically on marking paper, merely when I tested them on heavyweight multimedia paper it was difficult because the paper was as well absorbent. I'm currently developing a separate article to exam a range of markers on different types of paper - stay tuned!

Blending with water-based markers

• Water-based markers can exit streaks when y'all're blending, and create unwanted darker areas when you accidentally layer strokes.

• Excessive blending tin can besides warp or damage paper, which is why you should use watercolor newspaper (considering it'due south tough) or mark paper, which is less absorbent, thereby allowing y'all more than fourth dimension to blend. (That said, water-based markers tin tear or pill just about any type of paper, including watercolor newspaper and marker paper, depending on your technique.)

• H2o-based markers can exist re-activated later they've dried, which allows you lot to lighten them with water or create washes (just the downside is you might accidentally ruin an surface area yous'd already finished by getting it wet).

• Blending with water-based markers tin can exist more than unpredictable than blending with alcohol markers considering water tin react with the dye in unexpected ways that can be difficult to control. While some may find this frustrating, it'due south a trait that many watercolorists appreciate, so if you've got feel with watercolor pigment, your skills volition transfer well to blending with water-based markers.

• Y'all can besides dip the tip of your marker in water to create a polish transition in tone and saturation (from lite to dark).

Creating washes with water-based markers

Blending with alcohol-based markers

• Alcohol-based markers, on the other hand, blend more smoothly, just because they dry very chop-chop, you have to move fast. And once they're dry, that's it - the colors are very hard to remove and any additional blending will darken or alter the existing colors. These qualities tin make it hard to smoothly cover big areas with alcohol-based markers or create large gradients (but it'south perfect for smaller areas).

• Because alcohol markers are partially transparent, you can layer colors on top of one some other to create different shades or tints.

• Blending with alcohol markers is more predictable than blending with water-based markers, in that you know how the colors will interact so it's pretty piece of cake to replicate previous blends.

• 1 downside with alcohol markers is that they can bleed through the paper. For this reason, I like to utilise my Copics on thick cardstock or marking paper. But if you're planning to use them in coloring books (nearly of which have thin paper) you should put some chip paper behind the page yous're coloring (or gently tear the page out and then color information technology on top of flake paper) so that the dye can't stain other pages.

A fantastic feature of all markers is that you can mix unlike marker types and brands, and even combine them with other media like colored pencils. If I'm not happy with how I've composite some colors or I've got some streaking, I get over the area with Prismacolor Colored Pencils to smooth out those imperfections.

In the image below (a section of one of my coloring pages), I used Copic Sketch Markers for most of the work, merely then used Prismacolors to improve the shading and details on her face and hair.

Using Prismacolor Colored Pencils with markers

Some mark brands come with blenders, which are basically markers filled with solvent and no dye, so they're "clear" and colorless. Despite the proper name, these tools aren't really used for blending. Rather, they're skillful for lightening areas of your artwork and adding highlights. They're likewise useful for fixing mistakes and blending from color to white. Copic's Colorless Blender can exist used with alcohol-based markers and Tombow's N00 Colorless Blender Pen tin can be used with water-based markers. I have both just I personally don't use them much.

Copic and Tombow Colorless Blenders

If you're interested in learning more than about blending, bank check out this Skillshare grade: Blending with H2o Based Markers, available with their fourteen-day free trial (if you sign up I get a commission that helps support this site).

Tip: if the nib becomes dirty, just scribble on a bare bit of paper until it'due south clean. This works for both water-based and alcohol-based markers!

Lightfastness

All art media will fade over time every bit light, oxygen and humidity gradually break the chemic bonds of the molecules that produce the color. The ability to resist color fading is called lightfastness. If you lot're creating artworks that you hope to preserve, it's a good thought to find media classified as lightfast or archival, which can concord their color for decades. Merely beware, you can't ever trust these labels.

Equally I've already mentioned, markers become their color from dye, which is more susceptible to fading than the pigments you'd discover in pigment, pastels or pencils. For this reason, the vast majority of markers are not truly lightfast (for example, "permanent" markers will also fade).

If you make a purchase via the Blick links below I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

If y'all're peculiarly concerned about lightfastness, but still want the convenience of markers, cheque out Winsor and Newton's Pigment Markers and Watercolor Markers, both of which comprise pigment rather than dye. You could too consider Faber-Castell's Pitt Creative person Pens, which contain pigmented India ink that is more fade resistant than dye (simply unlike other water-based markers, these pens are permanent and waterproof after they're dry).

Lesser line: your marker art volition fade more apace than other media. To illustrate, here's an example of an artwork I created 2.five years ago using Copic Sketch Markers. The second image is after it spent two.five years on my fridge, being exposed to daily indirect light.

Annotation how much my markers faded over the course of 2.5 years on my fridge. Most colors look surprisingly good but that dark purple background actually faded!

There are some steps y'all tin can accept to slow colour fading:

• Prioritize alcohol-based markers considering they contain improve quality dyes and are more than lightfast.
• Store your marker art abroad from direct sunlight or framed under UV-filtering glass. I store my marker fine art in archival boxes, and even after a few years, in that location's very little fading.
• Y'all tin can as well treat the finished artwork with a product like Golden Archival Spray Varnish, but you must test information technology first because it can hands ruin an artwork. Information technology's important to await several hours for the markers to set, because if you spray it too soon, the spray varnish tin cause the colors to run. Information technology tin also darken your artwork or add a particular sheen that changes the look, and then it'due south best to test it out on some marking doodles to come across what happens.

I protect my coloring pages in an archival box

Whether lightfastness is an result for you lot depends on your workflow. These days, I create nigh all of my art for the purpose of licensing and publishing rather than selling originals. Every bit soon as I've finished a piece, I scan information technology at 600 DPI and then it'south preserved in my digital fill-in system. If yous're planning on displaying your piece of work, you can create prints from your digital scans and information technology will look so similar to the original that no one volition hardly know the difference (simply be sure to market them as prints if y'all intend to sell them or display them publicly)!

Cost

Alcohol markers are typically more expensive than water-based markers. But for the cost bump you lot get better quality dyes, smoother blending, more colors, and the price-saving ability to refill your markers and replace damaged tips.

I'g non going to list prices hither considering they can vary widely from the listing price, with Blick often offer steep discounts that can fluctuate. In general you can get Sharpies for nigh a dollar a piece or less, merely for artist-quality alcohol markers, wait to pay between $three to $7 per marker (less if you become a set).

Well-nigh water-based markers, on the other mitt, cannot exist refilled and the marker has to be thrown abroad when it runs dry or the tip becomes damaged. But if you're on a upkeep, you tin can still pick up some creative person quality markers for between $ii to $5 each.

The Best Markers

I've provided links below to the relevant products so that you can easily find them on Blick Fine art Materials, my favorite art supplier. If you make a purchase after clicking on ane of these links, I'll receive a minor commission (at no actress cost to you). Read my disclosure statement to learn more than.

When buying art supplies I prefer to shop from Blick because you know yous'll get accurate products from respected art brands. Ownership from Amazon can sometimes be a mixed handbag because many products are sold by tertiary-party sellers who might sell imitation products of questionable quality or even counterfeit products disguised as name brands. Thankfully that's never a problem when ownership from an established fine art supplier like Blick!

The Best Booze-Based Markers

My overall pick are the Copic Sketch Markers. As I mentioned, I accept the complete set of 358 colors and I have been using them to create colored fine art for my books since 2014. Although they're amidst the most expensive markers you tin buy, you can refill them and alter out the nibs, so they'll last a lifetime.

You can often save coin past buying them in sets. I acquired all 358 colors gradually over the class of 1-2 years - at that place's no need to rush and buy all of them at once (unless you can afford it and want to). I like that Copic Sketch Markers are double-ended, with the brush tip on 1 end and the chisel on the other. Read above to larn about how well they perform when it comes to coloring and blending. To learn more than, bank check out my extensive review of Copic Markers.

My upkeep selection for professional-quality booze markers are the Blick Studio Brush Markers. They're very similar to Copics (they're refillable and the brush and chisel nibs tin can be replaced), but cost $3 less per marker than the Copic Sketch! I've tested them myself, and it'south honestly hard to tell the divergence! They can't compete with Copic Sketch's colour range, just you nevertheless become 143 colors plus a colorless blender – more than enough.

For those of you on a tight budget who are bang-up to try out alcohol markers, Ohuhu alcohol brush markers (shown beneath) are my ultra-budget selection. They're even cheaper than Blick Studio Markers but I would hesitate to phone call them "professional-quality" because (at the time of this writing) they're not refillable, the nibs aren't replaceable (and tend to fray much more quickly than the pro-level markers) and they're only available in sets (whereas Blick and Copic Markers are available individually). However, for beginners and hobbyists looking for an introduction to booze markers, they're a great buy! Plus, Ohuhu is considering offer refills and selling their markers individually, so they are certainly a company to watch if those factors are important to you. Read my in-depth review of Ohuhu alcohol brush markers to find out if they're right for you!

Another first-class ultra-budget pick are Arrtx Markers (shown below), which are a good choice if you prefer the bullet/fine tip over the brush tip that comes with the other products mentioned above. Similar the Ohuhu markers, they aren't refillable and the tips aren't replaceable, just they come up with a handy conveying case with an individual slot for each marking. Read my detailed review of Arrtx Markers to learn more!

The Prismacolor Premier Double-Concluded Fine art Markers take a lot going for them: reliable brand, huge range of colors (200 + blender), they're available in open stock, and they toll less than the Copics. However, they're not refillable and the nibs can't be changed out. They're double-ended, but merely with the chisel & bullet or fine tips (no brush tips). I strongly favor the brush tip, just if y'all don't, these should be loftier on your list.

The All-time Water-Based Markers

My overall pick are the Zig Art & Graphic Twin Markers. They're double-ended (castor and fine bullet tips) and offer an impressive 80 colors. The nibs can't be inverse out and they're non refillable, but they're fairly cheap for beingness creative person-quality (around $three per mark) and even less if yous buy a ready.

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My budget pick are the Akashiya Sai Watercolor Brush Pens. I don't know much about the brand and they but have a color range of 30, only I just had to recommend them because they've been a joy to use and they're inexpensive. I got the fix of 20 considering they were on sale, and I immediately loved the flexibility and smoothness of their castor tip. The color glides off the nib and their blending capabilities are astonishing for the toll. Every bit I write, the 20-colour set is around $20-30 and the xxx-color gear up is $50.

I also recommend the Sakura Koi Coloring Brush Pens, but they lost out to the Zig markers because they offer fewer colors (48 vs eighty). I also similar the Tombow Dual Brush pens, simply despite their superior color range (108 colors), they lost out because they didn't seem to blend too and the brush tip was a bit potent and as a result, tore nearly every paper I tried to blend them on. The Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens come up from a reliable brand, and contain pigmented Bharat ink (which is more lightfast), but I constitute that they didn't alloy as well as I would take liked. I can see why they're popular with people who similar hand-lettering though.

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Source: https://www.art-is-fun.com/markers