Picking Between markers part 5 - Wide

Today I want to finally finish up my sequence of posts on picking between marker types. The Copic Wide Marker is an oddity in the world of coloring, and very uniniqe.

Wide markers were introduced in about 2002. There are 36 colors and empty markers available to custom fill your own marker. What makes them so unique is that their firm chisel nib is about 3/4 of an inch wide! So what can you do with a wide marker?Remember back to this post, one of my first few showing a fun application for the wide marker. You can make a lovely plaid by touching a second color to your marker tip (or any marker tips for that matter).

See that black band near the middle of the part that holds the nib? That is a rubber seal keeping which prevents these markers from drying out just sitting there. No ink will get wasted if you don't use these for a while.

Since Wide markers are so large they suck through ink quickly. However, sets of Wide markers come with the matching various ink bottles. See that little curve in the gray part that holds the nib? That is exactly the size of the tip from our various ink bottle. Simply squeeze 3 cc's of ink onto the nib in that little notch and your marker will be nice and full again.

I would not choose a wide marker as my main marker style, simply because they are clunky for coloring details. However, what Wide markers were intended for is backgrounds. A juicy Wide marker makes perfect backgrounds. I would suggest picking up a good assortment of the lighter colors for backgrounds, and this is why the colors available in Wide are so strange. They are mostly earthy or pale colors- background colors or Architecture colors. Ground - E31/E33, Sky - BG10, Water - B32/B34/B24, Cool and Warm grays, then a few other colors that are thrown in for good measure.
Wide markers are commonly used by architects and designers who need to fill in large areas. A very effective way to make a background (which I won't show today) is if you are drawing a building for instance, mask off the main image and make large, flowing swatches for the sky or ground. The blues are perfect for simulating large bodies of water (like a lake or pond) that your structure is reflecting off.

Wide Markers will also come in handy once I get into special effects using the blender solution, but you'll have to wait a while for those posts- I have way too much to cover before I get back into blender effects. For now, here's a simple squiggle background made with 6 overlapping squggly lines from a B34 wide marker. These markers are great for making your own custom papers and simple patterns. Isn't this the perfect background for a mermaid?

In short, Wide markers become a "Must Have" accessory when using Copic markers for large areas. They are also loved by calligraphers- that wide juicy swatch has such life to it- perfect for large, illuminated lettering. Although I am weak on practicing my lettering skills, here's an example of the Wide used for calligraphy. Markers: R27 Wide, R27 Sketch, Multiliner SP Wine Brush pen.

Picking Between markers part 4 - Ciao

I'm back! What a long trip. CHA was great, but it's good to be back. This is the 4th installment of picking between marker types. For general differences, Copic, or Sketch please see their earlier posts.

Finally I'm getting around to talking about the Ciao Markers. I know many of you have quite the collection of Ciao markers, and yest more of you are still trying to choose between the three main marker types. It can be confusing understanding the differences between a Sketch and a Ciao marker.

Ciao markers (pronounced Chow, like the Italian greeting) are a little over 10 years old. With the popularity of the Sketch marker, Japan got a lot of great feedback from artists who had fallen in love with the Super Brush. The main negative feedback for Sketch markers was the price, so Japan created the Ciao.

Ciao markers were intended as a beginner marker. All Copic markers have non-toxic ink, but Ciao markers have a special Child-safe cap. If you look close at the lid it has little holes. In case a child accidentally swallows a Ciao lid, they'll still be able to breathe. Sadly, this cap design means that they can't put the color numbers on the end like many of you prefer. Don't worry though, the cap isn't letting air into the marker, so your marker still won't dry out even if it sits in your drawer unused for a while.

Most of us are not going to go swallow marker lids and test out that useful feature, so what else makes a Ciao special? Ciao have the same two nib types as a Sketch marker, but only half as many colors. Ciao are refillable, but there are no empty markers available to mix your own colors. Ciao hold less ink to begin with, so you'll have to refill sooner (for this reason I don't use Ciao in my workshops- when you have to refill a few hundred markers every few months it gets to be a pain).

If someone asks me which are better, Ciao or Sketch, I have to say I use both since the brush is what I color with the most. Sketch has more colors and fits precisely in the airbrush, but Ciao are a great price, and many people like that they are slightly smaller, so they fit easily in your hand.

So, if you don't mind refilling sooner, love the Super Brush nib, don't mind that your colors are limited, and airbrushing isn't that important then go for the Ciao. You can always fill in those extra colors with Sketch later on.

This image is in honor of the mint that my husband didn't water while I was at CHA. To get the soft edges I used a lot of blender on the paper first, then colored it while still damp. Image: Peppermint by My Favorite Things, Ink: memento London Fog, Paper: Neenah Classic Crest,

Picking Between Markers part 3 - Sketch

I know I promised last week that I would share the differences between the marker types and why you would want one over the other. Sorry about getting sidetracked on colorless blenders, but there is just so much you can do with a blender pen, in fact you can take a blender pen and...wait...no... I'm talking about Sketch Markers today, NOT blender pens :)


Sketch Markers
Copic released Sketch markers over 15 years ago and with that move they revolutionized fine art markers. The original Copic Marker feels like a nice, solid, firm traditional marker. The Sketch marker came with one end that feels like a brush - A really juicy, flexible brush that never frays and lasts a long time. Finally, here was a marker that didn't feel like a marker, but it would put the high quality Copic inks onto paper in a smooth, paint-like way.

This is what makes the Sketch marker the most popular of all Copic marker types. That's why Japan makes 322 colors of Sketch, and they may even make more (I have some colors I would love to see that Japan doesn't make yet).

The other end has a Medium Broad nib, which is a firm chisel tip that is perfect for airbrushing or for coloring large areas. This tip is only slightly smaller than the broad nib nib on a Copic marker.

The Sketch marker gives two different patterns when airbrushed. The chisel end gives a fine, smooth spray, the brush end gives a larger speckled pattern. So if you enjoy airbrushing you may prefer this marker over the Copic, even though you'll have to refill this one sooner.

If you don't like the chisel nib, then you can swap it out with a Medium Round Nib. This firm round point is great for writing. It's a little larger than the fine point on a Copic, but it is great for people who are used to working with a firm ended marker and want something they can write with that is better than the chisel nib. Note that if you remove the chisel then the airbrushing doesn't work the same (more on this when we cover airbrushing). This tip works on either side of a Sketch or Ciao marker.

Most of the time I choose Sketch markers because I love how smooth the Super Brush allows me to color. Also, there are so many more colors than any other marker out there that it's hard to beat the selection offered by Sketch. I like how it takes me a while to run one dry, since I tend to be lazy about refilling. If I had only one style to pick, I'd go with Sketch for my everyday coloring needs.

The rest of this week I'll be sharing things that relate to comics as well as stamping, in honor of Anime Expo, so stay tuned for a guide to skin colors and more. Enjoy coloring!


Stamp Image: Pumpkins in Wheelbarrow by Lockhart Stamp Co, Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Markers: YG17, YR02, YR04, E35, E37, W3, W5, BG10, Colorless Blender

Picking Between Markers, part 2 - Copic

Oh I'm going to have so much fun papercrafting today! Usually I come up to Seattle each spring for the SakuraCon Anime Convention and teach Copic workshops, but this year I was too busy so everyone else went instead. I love Seattle and I really missed all my Anime friends, but I'm getting to play with stampers, so it all works out.

The first marker type I'd like to explain is the original Copic Marker.

For those of you who want a firm, fine point while coloring, the ability to airbrush, or don't want to refill right away then the Original Copic Marker is for you.

Original Copic Markers were the first style created by Japan over 25 years ago. They are most popular for Architects, product designers, calligraphers, Quilters, and for papercrafting. These durable markers have not changed since they first came out many years ago. Some artists have kept the same marker for over 20 years!

These markers feature a square body design, come in 216 colors, and have the option of 9 different tips. If you don't like the standard fine or broad tips then swap them out for calligraphy tips, a brush tip, super fine tip, round nib, or any of the other custom nibs.

What does all this mean? The original Copic Marker is the most customizable. You can get an empty marker and mix your own inks to get exactly the color you want, as well as the tips you need.

I use these when I have a larger area that I want to color smoothly, and I also need to fill in fine details. One feature people like is that when you take a cap off it can stick on the other side, (you can't do this with a sketch, but you can with a Ciao) and the color number is printed on the cap (not Ciao). The Fine nib is also much easier to write with than the Super Brush tip found on Sketch or Ciao markers. So if you think you'll be doing a lot of journaling with the markers instead of inking pens, then the original Copic marker is for you.

Image credits- Stamp: Party Lanterns by AMuse Ink : Memento Tuxedo Black Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Markers : B41, Y11, G12, V12, BV31

Picking Between Marker Types - part 1

Well, I'm off to Seattle this afternoon. I have my posts for the next few days set up for automatic, so hopefully they'll show up when they're supposed to. Just don't feel bad if I don't comment back as quickly as usual, 'cause I'm in Seattle coloring my fingers off!! Alright!!

Copic Markers come in 4 different body styles. Most people work with the main three, Copic, Sketch, or Ciao. Wide markers are fun for backgrounds and special effects (like last Thursday's post). If you don't already know, each marker style has very different qualities, though they all share some common traits.

Just to confuse you, Copic is the brand name (pronounced with a long o, like Oh! Pick more colors!). Copic is also a style of marker (the square-shaped marker). When I'm talking about any of our marker types I'll try to say Copic Markers, but when I'm comparing the individual styles I usually say Sketch, Copic, Ciao or Wide.

You may have noticed that I haven't yet compared the 3 main Copic Marker types yet, nor do I usually tell you which type I use. Mostly, this is because the color is more important to me than the marker style. Second, I have a mix of all marker types on my desk so I use a mix of body styles when I color. It's annoying enough listing which colors I used, let alone which style I chose. Unless the body style is important to the specific technique I'm sharing then I don't usually pay attention to anything but the color.

You, on the other hand, probably care a lot more than I do what makes each marker different. Let me state this first:

• All Copic Markers have the same ink. A B32 in Copic is the same color as a B32 in Sketch or Wide. These are computer-mixed inks. They have not changed in 20 some years, and they never will change. If you have a marker that's 15 yrs. old and you go to refill it, it will be the exact same color.

• All Copic Marker ink is alcohol based dye. It is low-odor and it doesn't cause paper to "pill" when you layer it many times in the same spot. This dye is permanent on many surfaces making it a great choice for mixed-media. Also, we say alcohol, but it really is ethanol, hence the low-odor.

• All Copic Markers are refillable with replaceable tips. Any marker you buy, with a little care, will last you forever so pick the type that is right for You. Before you pick a marker you need to figure out what qualities are most important. A list of questions to ask yourself to get you started thinking toward the marker type that is best for you:

What is important to me when I color?
1. Do I color a lot or a little? If you only color every now and then and you just want a high quality marker for those rare occasions, think Ciao. If you will be coloring all the time, pick Copic or Sketch (these will last longer before needing to be refilled).

2. Do I have to have every color exactly perfect, or is close good enough? If you need EXACT colors think Sketch, since it has the most colors, 322. Copic has 216, but both Copic and Sketch have empty markers so you could always fill your own colors and make custom as well. If you're not too picky, go with Ciao, since they have only 144 colors and no empties.

3. Do I like a firm tip to color with or do I want the really flexible brush? The Copic comes standard with a nice firm, fine point for coloring. This is great for details, but you would have to buy an optional brush for the other side if you also like the brush, then the airbrushing capability would get messed up. Copic markers are versatile and have a total of 9 different tips so you could turn these into a calligraphy marker, a super-fine pointed marker, or give it a nice round end. If you know you like the flexible brush (which takes some getting used to) then go for the Sketch or Ciao. They do have one optional Med. Round nib, but it's not as fine as the Copic nibs. This question is really hard to answer unless you get a chance to play with each style before you buy.

4. Do I think I will ever airbrush? No, you may want Ciao. Yes, go for Sketch or Copic.

5. How much airbrushing will I do? If you don't think you'll be doing anything but airbrushing you may want Copics, since they hold the most ink to start with. If you want two different airbrush effects from one marker then go for Sketch, though it will have to be refilled sooner than the Copic.

6. Do I care about needing to refill right away? If you don't mind refilling sooner, then go for Ciao. If refilling sounds like a pain and you want to go longer before buying your inks, think Sketch or Copic (Copic holds even more ink than Sketch to begin with).

7. How much am I willing to spend on a marker? Ciao generally run $2 less per marker than the other styles, but they'll need to be refilled sooner and you can't airbrush. Sketch and Copic are a little more expensive up front. Refill inks sell for about $6.95 US, but one refill will fill a Sketch or Copic marker about 10 times, and a Ciao marker about 15 times. Work out the math and you'll see that refills are really inexpensive over the long run.

Over the next 2 weeks I will highlight each marker type individually, so compare carefully before you make a commitment (I have met people who bought one of each body style in the same color because they used them for different things). Meanwhile, I'm heading up to the fun city of Seattle- I can't wait to meet the great stampers up there!