Home › Blogs › FaunGrae's blog

So freaking brand new to Copic Markers

FaunGrae's picture
January 1, 2012 - 4:19am — FaunGrae
Please, someone give me the rundown before I go buy a set!

1.What tips to get?
2.What kinds? Ie. Markers, pens?
3.What do I need to know before purchasing?

I'm brand spanking new to these, so yeah.

Help a Cacomistle out, guys!
January 1, 2012 - 4:38am — cicadia
cicadia's picture

If you're so new to them, I

If you're so new to them, I reeeally wouldn't suggest buying a whole set. They can be expensive. Get one or two and try them out first. Find out what kinds you like. I recall that several brands have caps at either ends, so you get a marker and a pen in one. Maybe try to find something like that.
January 1, 2012 - 4:53am — Terabetha

I don't use a Copic brand,

I don't use a Copic brand, instead I use a brand called Promarkers.
They have a stronger, more solid color, compared to the more water-color effect of most copic brands. They are still expensive (several dollars per marker), but I have seen 5-marker sets that come with 5 markers, usual a range of related colors or a set with 4 grey tones and a black.
I'm not sure if Promakers work better for what you do art-wise, so you should experiment and compare with other brands til you find one that works best for you.

I would advise buying one or two markers from each brand, compare how they lay down color differently, what pens they work with, and what paper they work with. Marker as a media is tricky, and you really need to find a paper-pen-marker combo that works; otherwise you can run into problems like blurry, bleeding pen lines, or marker lines that bleed on your paper.

In my marker work I use:
Promarkers by the company Letraset
Borden & Riley 'Bleedproof paper for pens' (This paper bleeds from front to back, but not out across the surface of the paper, so you still have really crisp edges).
Prismacolor Premier Fine Line Markers for inking