I Didn't Want To...But I Do

Seriously, I did not want to like Copic markers, but I do. Like everyone else, I wondered if they would live up to the hype. I mean, I have some Prismacolor pencils and markers and pastels, do I really need another coloring medium? The $5-6 price tag per marker seemed too high to justify switching. So, I ordered just a few to try and I finally got a chance to play around with them. I tested them on one of the daffodil images from the Easter Daffodils digikit.

Now, I do want to say that they are not the easiest things to use right off the bat. Boy did I do some hideous work the first couple of tries. But if you know me, then you know that I am not one to give up easily! I don't know if I am happy or mad that I didn't give up. Because once I got the hang of it, I do like the results. (although, I am far from "good" at it) With even more practice, (and more colors) I think they could produce some stunning results. Hence the "mad" part...just what I need, another expense. ;o)

So which do I prefer? I still love my Prismacolor pencils for the textured look they create and ease of use, by far I find them the easiest to blend and the most forgiving. Between the markers..here's my basic breakdown:

Nibs
Prismacolor Markers (PCM) have a harder nib than Copic Markers (CM), I prefer the softer, paint brush like feel of the CM.

Color
I found them both to lay color with equal coverage and fluidity. If you are not careful, especially on porous paper, the CM color will bleed. However, the CM markers were much less likely to cause the black edges of printed images to bleed.

Blending
I found it much easier to blend colors with the CM. I also found the CM colorless blender performed much better than the PCM. The PCM blender acted much more like an eraser and removed color more so than the PCM blender. Tip: After more practice, I discovered that for me, it is easier to lay down all of my midtone color first, covering all areas. Then come back in with the shade where I want it, and blend the edges where they meet. I then come back in with the midtone and go over the blend. Last I go in and add my highlights using just the colorless blender. That way if I take away too much color, I can go over it again with a highlight color to further blend it.

Overall
If you are doing flat coloring, Prismacolor markers will do just fine, but I personally prefer the Copic markers over the Prismacolor markers for blending. The Copic markers also had next to no odor in comparison to the strong odor of the Prismacolor markers.

I will definitely be expanding my Copic collection, and will be sharing some more in depth coloring techniques with you all as I learn. Thanks for stopping by today and hope you are having a FABulous weekend!