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Markers

Hello!

Basically, I'm looking for some information on markers. I see some amazing pieces of work done with the medium, but I'm ashamed to admit that I know next to nothing about them and have never actually had the opportunity to work with them myself. I'm looking to buy a set of my own, but I don't know where to begin. Any recommendations would be extremely helpful.

Tria markers are pretty good, and can be purchased at most art stores. Prismacolors are cheaper, but cannot be refilled like the Trias can. Copics I know nothing about.

I only know Prisma markers but have had the opportunity to tinker with Tria's which are pretty nice. Prisma's are ok but they dry super quickly >.<

I prefer trias, they are more blend-friendly and last a lot longer than the prismas. They are getting tough to find, though.

Since markers are alcohol-based you can use rubbing alcohol for blending, washes, spatters and other watery effects (test your paper first). They work well over colored pencil, or with pencil or gouache on top. Some folks use a set of monochrome markers for sketching, and add color digitally. They're very portable and versatile.

Markers are often layered, so keep test paper handy to experiment with blends. Dry blending has different results than wet blending, and can 'bleach' your colors depending on the markers used and the paper. Make sure that your inks or sketch aren't going to muddy the marker too much if you color over it.

Check ebay and art supply stores for sales; stock up if they're less than $3 each!

Trias are definitely the best, in my opinion. Copics work well, too. But avoid Prismacolors since they're muddy-looking just don't blend well. Tria markers are currently a little scarce since, to my understanding, Letraset has split up with Pantone. But DickBlick is carrying the new ones again (both in sets and singles): http://www.dickblick.com/zz221/39a/

Personally, I think the best way to go about markers is having a variety of different brands. Since they act different and layer different, so different effects can be achieved by layering different brands/types of markers. But for a beginner who wants good quality markers, Trias are the way to go. :)

I recently gave away all my Trias.

Copics are far superior in my opinion. They have a MUCH broader rance of color than trias (not just because they have more colors for sale, but because they don't try to make every possible color that could possibly exist between every other color that they have. When I was using trias I could never find a light enough blue or a dark enough brown (for example). Copics have pretty much every color I could possibly need, and if I absolutely need a color between this one and that one? I can order the ink for the two, mix them together, and fill up an empty marker with my custom color.

Trias numbering system might make sense to some people, but it was gibberish to me. Copics are numbered in a very specific system that is incredibly easy to understand. For example- BV31 is a blue-violet, BG15 is a blue-green, C5 is a cool grey. YR might throw you off a bit, but it means yellow-red, AKA orange. The second digit (ie- the "1" in BV31) referrs to its darkness, with 0 being the lightest, and 9 the darkest. The first digit (the "1" in BG15) referrs to the 'family' of that color. Zero being the most pure color, higher numbers being more neutralized. For example, E(earth tones, browns)43 is obviously just a slightly darker version of E41; while E33 is much warmer, even though it's very close in value to E43. On top of that, if you still don't 'get' the numbering system, each one has its own unique name. So you crayola/prismacolor kids don't get confused. XD BV31 is 'pale lavender,' BG15 is 'Aqua,' E41 is 'Pearl White,' E43 is 'Dull Ivory,' E33 is 'Sand.' ETC.

The colors are so vibrant, but easily toned down if you want a more neutral color. With trias, sure, there are a -few- vibrant colors, but I kept feeling like all the colors I tried to use were just a little greyed out, and its hard to bring out the vibrancy once your page turns to mud.

*shrug* I could say a lot more for my Copics, they tend to be way underrepresented, just because they're a little harder to find.

BTW, copicmarkers.com (not the official site), has a setup where you can order a 12, 36, or 72 set of either copic ORIGINAL or copic SKETCH markers in whichever colors you want. Which is GREAT if you want to cherrypick your own colors rather than going with one of the premade sets they offer. Considerably cheaper than buying them individually, AND you get the plastic box for them, too. Best thing ever.

I personally think it's all about how much you can afford. A good artist can produce amazing works using ANY alcohol-based marker without ill effects.

If you can afford Copics, go for it, they have a brush tip and are refillable, which means an easier time creating.
Trias are good, because they are refilleable and have a triple tip (although the super-fine tip tends to dry out faster than the other two tips)

But if you are on a low-budget, there is nothing wrong with Prismacolor markers. They work great, aren't muddy (It just depends on how you use them), and blend decently, if you do it correctly. They just have a tendency to dry out much faster than Trias or Copics, but if you find you aren't creating a ton of marker work, and you don't have a huge budget to start, and you aren't sure if you want to stick with markers, then starting out with Prismas might be a better choice. (Don't buy the basic sets, they tend to have colors that you'll rarely use, like super-hot pinks, reds, etc. I stick to buying individual more toned-down colors like burnt ochre, yellow ochre, avocado, tea green, cinnamon toast, light tan, sand, french greys, etc.)

I personally use Prismas, because that's what is in my price-range. I don't have the money to buy a set of trias or copics, and I don't want to build slowly, because it'd take a LONG time for me to get what I need. (I was given many of my prismas off the bat, so I didn't have to build)
And I have to say, I've use Copics, I've used Trias, but even so, I'm still satisfied with my Prismas.

Don't get me wrong, prismas are not a bad starter marker. They're about a hundred times better than crayolas, that's for sure! ^__^

Trias and copics are comparable, pricewise. Trias retail a little cheaper, but it's easy enough to order either at less than retail price. Also keep in mind that any time a prisma runs out, you have to buy a new marker. With trias and copics, you can get refills. I know a 25cc bottle of copic ink is about the same price as a whole new marker, and that'll refill your marker 5+ times. Makes a HUGE difference, especially considering how quickly prismas dry out.

I usually suggest that instead of getting a new prisma to replace a dead one, just spend a couple extra to get an equivalent color in tria or copic. It might act a little differently than you're used to, but it'll help you figure out how markers work overall. That's what happened to me- I needed to replace my prisma Tuscan Red but they didn't have that one at the store, so I found a similar color in tria. It took me one use of that thing to realize that I needed to upgrade my marker collection.

I did start with the basic 72A Copic set, but copic seems a little more intelligent with their setup than other markers- I could do a lot with that basic set, I didn't start adding colors to it for about a year after I got them, because with a few exeptions, I was able to get any color I wanted with that first set of 72.

Copics basically taught me my color theory, btw, just because of the way they're set up (as I described earlier)... I've learned so much about color just by experimenting with them and finding out what happens when I combine certain colors.

I personally go for Copics. Copic sketch markers are the best, but the most expensive as well. If you are starting out, and "new" to copics I suggest picking up thr ciaos, they don't last quite as long, but they are good for a beginner. :3 and I still use them too when I can't afford the other XD The brush on the copics are what 'sold' me on the marker, and they stay wet for a while and the blend really awesomely! X3
Deleter NeoPiko markers are pretty nice, they go dry really, really fast though and I was always smearing my ink when I used them for some reason. :\
I started out with prismas and they are a nice brand imho, they aren't muddy at all , you just have to blend them right/depends on the paper you're using and what you ink with.
Trias are pretty good, I like the variety of tips, but they were hard to find.

You also gotta get the right paper when using markers, Prismas looked best on Marker paper imho. Copics look okay bu they get an odd granular look to them when you use them on marker paper, so if you want a texture that's fine. I personally prefer smooth bristol and I ink with neopiko ink pens because they are awesome and don't bleed like other pens.

I LOOOOOVE the copic sketch markers since they have the brush tip, but your best bet is to buy those and buy the refills. It will cost you a bit to begin with but it really pays off in the long run since the sketch markers don't last as long as the regular copics.

I like to use a mixture of Copics and Prismacolors. I use Copics for all my super super light colors since Prismas don't come anywhere NEAR light enough for my taste. They blend together very well.

I've just recently been working with markers and blending them or doing all-marker pieces... I never really knew much about them!

I started out practicing with Crayola markers. Shoot, Prismas were too much for my budget, Crayola was the way to go! I finally got my own set of Prisma markers at a trade show where it was $30 for the 24-pack, but that was ONLY because it was direct from Prismacolor themselves.

Prismas are alright for starting out with "professional" art markers. If you get Prismas, make sure you get the new "premiere" types, as their fine-tip is better; they used to have a pretty sucky fine tip that dried up waaaay too fast.

Prismas DO tend to dry out quickly. If I have a large area I need to color, I can go through a single marker in two to three pieces. So start small! You can always try coloring sketches or badges with markers and then move on to full pieces.

Trias, I have yet to use. They're not readily available in my area, so I just haven't bothered.

Copic markers are my new favorite. They're *real* pricey - you'll easily pay $5-$6 for a single marker - but they're refillable, have an available airbrush attachment (!) and have an AWESOME brush tip. If you've practiced with lower-end markers, Copics will blow you away. The amount of detail you can get with that brush tip is pretty impressive. I don't have a full set of Copics by any means; I'm NOT rich enough to buy them at their usual retail price so I usually watch to see if they go on sale, or if I can find a coupon. Right now, Hobby Lobby is the place I've been buying them individually. Often, Hobby Lobby will run a special where their markers are 30% off, making them closer to $4 than $6. Or, if they're not running a special, sometimes we can get 40% off coupons to print (if you have a nearby Hobby Lobby, you can print the coupon from their web site and use one coupon per day!) and so that makes them closer to $3.50 - which is about the going price for an individual Prisma marker. Keep in mind that if you're just starting out, you can do this same thing with Prismas - if you catch them on sale for 30% off, that makes them about $2.50 instead of $3.50. It's slow going but you can eventually build up a pretty good collection! I -just- started buying Copics this way, and have worked my way up to ten markers all together. :)

I hope this helps a little bit... it's tough to spend so much money on markers before you know what you're doing. :X But get a few of your most commonly used colors - for me, "foxy" colors of reds, browns and black are a good choice - and try 'em out! Then all you gotta do is play with them, it takes practice. :)

Thanks for all the replies!

The only ones I can seem to find in stores around here are Tria markers (I'm in Scotland). I bought one to play around with yesterday from my college art store, who are charging £3.50 each for them (that's around $7) and don't sell them in sets. So, I'm looking to order some online instead, most likely from Ebay or something. I like the sound of Copics, but they seem to be harder to get a hold of and slightly more expensive.

Copics might be a little more difficult to get a hold of (particularly overseas) but try akadotretail.com which seems to sell sets pretty reasonably. If you have any art related conventions (anime/manga in particular) that you can go to, they usually have booths and sales on art markers (at least... here in America I've seen them at every comic or anime convention I've been to - not just Copic, but Prisma and NeoPiko as well).

I am an art tool packrat, so I have tried lots of different markers. Not tried Tria, but I have a few Copics (which I love) and a few sets of NeoPikos (which are nice). Refuse to buy Prismacolors anymore though... in the long run, they seem not worth the expense.

Ah, this info is great, I've been looking for markers. Seems really hard to get any decent quality markers where I am. I'm going to have to get those brands over the internet from overseas. Are there any other cheaper, beginner brands that might be easier to get?

Chrysocome said: Ah, this info is great, I've been looking for markers. Seems really hard to get any decent quality markers where I am. I'm going to have to get those brands over the internet from overseas. Are there any other cheaper, beginner brands that might be easier to get?

Where is it that you are? :P

Messorius said: Where is it that you are? :P

Haha! Oh yeah. Whoops :P
I'm in Melbourne, Australia :)

Chrysocome said:

Messorius said: Where is it that you are? :P

Haha! Oh yeah. Whoops :P
I'm in Melbourne, Australia :)

Well the Eckersley's website has Copics and Trias listed, that's about as nice as you can get. Even if the one in Melbourne doesn't have them in-store they should be able to order them in since they're obviously in the catalogue. That's how it works with the store I go to here. I'm in Canada, but Sydney>Melbourne is probably as easy as Toronto>Halifax. :P

Oh and they have a bunch of cheaper brands listed, but I've not used them before so I can't comment on what they're like.

97 Franklin Street
Melbourne
www.eckersleys.com.au
Contact: Matthew Lockhart
Phone: 61 3 9663 6799

Messorius! Wow. I didn't expect anybody to bother coming up with a location for me, lol. Thank you very much!
They are still fairly pricey but I will give it a go seeing how easy it is to get to. Copics are listed at $7.95 and Trias at $7.50 (weren't Copics supposed to be heaps pricier?). But they're not sold in sets so I guess I will give them both a go and decide then :)
Thank you once again.

Who said Copics are so much pricier? From everything I've seen, they're pretty comparable in price. Copics are just much better -markers- than trias. (for which I've already given my argument earlier in this topic. =))

But you're right, picking up a couple of each and experimenting with them a bit will give you a better understanding of the markers and how they work. See if you can't find an online store based in Aus that'll be able to get you some markers for less than retail. I think Japan's closer to Australia than it is to the US? I know that's where Copics are made, so it seems like they shouldn't be too difficult to get.

My friend who lives in Melbourne is having to have me commission her by buying her Copics and shipping them from the US since she hasn't been able to find them in her area where it wasn't ruinously expensive in comparison to what you can get them in the US...

Australia may be closer, but shipping is more. @_@