MARKERS: TYPES, BRANDS AND RULES FOR WORKING WITH THEM
Today, markers occupy a well-deserved place of honor among graphic materials, largely due to their simplicity and ease of use.
You can learn how to draw with markers in our courses. And you can start your journey as an artist right now. In order not to get confused in the variety of types and firms of markers, we will now tell you in detail everything that we know ourselves.
A marker is a tool that consists of a plastic case that contains ink and a color rod made of porous fibers. There are many types of markers with different characteristics and properties, but we will take a closer look at art markers, which over the past couple of years have become one of the most popular materials for creating paintings and illustrations.
You can learn how to draw with markers in our courses. And you can start your journey as an artist right now. In order not to get confused in the variety of types and firms of markers, we will now tell you in detail everything that we know ourselves.
A marker is a tool that consists of a plastic case that contains ink and a color rod made of porous fibers. There are many types of markers with different characteristics and properties, but we will take a closer look at art markers, which over the past couple of years have become one of the most popular materials for creating paintings and illustrations.
1. Watercolor markers.
The ink of these markers is water-based, just like watercolors familiar from childhood, only in pencil, which is very convenient, since no additional jars, bottles and brushes are needed.
With these markers, you can create delicate and airy illustrations with smooth watercolor transitions and apply watercolor techniques.
A kind of bonus and maybe a little minus (quite a bit) is the instability of these markers to water, the ink is washed out from water. It is convenient to work with these markers on paper and cardboard.
Watercolor markers are available in the product line of the following companies: Sakura Koi, Ecoline (Talens), Molotow, ZIG ART & GRAPHIC TWIN, Aquamarker and Potentate.
With these markers, you can create delicate and airy illustrations with smooth watercolor transitions and apply watercolor techniques.
A kind of bonus and maybe a little minus (quite a bit) is the instability of these markers to water, the ink is washed out from water. It is convenient to work with these markers on paper and cardboard.
Watercolor markers are available in the product line of the following companies: Sakura Koi, Ecoline (Talens), Molotow, ZIG ART & GRAPHIC TWIN, Aquamarker and Potentate.
2. Acrylic markers.
In many ways, they are similar to ordinary acrylic paints, but due to their compactness they make it easier to work when there is no way to mess around with jars and brushes.
Thanks to these markers, you can paint over surfaces densely without using a huge amount of paint. And after complete drying, they are not washed away by water. The disadvantages include: a limited color palette and the price of markers is somewhat higher compared to conventional acrylic paints.
You can find acrylic markers from the following manufacturers: Molotow (Germany), Schminke, Darwi (Belgium) and Kreul Solo Goya.
Thanks to these markers, you can paint over surfaces densely without using a huge amount of paint. And after complete drying, they are not washed away by water. The disadvantages include: a limited color palette and the price of markers is somewhat higher compared to conventional acrylic paints.
You can find acrylic markers from the following manufacturers: Molotow (Germany), Schminke, Darwi (Belgium) and Kreul Solo Goya.
3. Alcohol markers.
Alcohol markers are very popular with professional artists and illustrators. More and more people want to learn how to draw with markers, so we will consider them in much more detail than other types of markers.
So what is their success? To begin with, many manufacturers have wide color palettes of markers, which allows you to create realistic illustrations. The markers dry quickly and mix well with different colors, so you can achieve smooth transitions and gradients. It is possible to impose several layers on paper, from which the colors only become brighter.
Many alcohol marker companies have the ability to refill, that is, you will not need to buy a marker every time it runs out, but just buy the right refill, which will save a lot of money and allow you to extend the life of your markers.
Almost all manufacturers produce a marker blender that allows you to highlight and mix other markers with each other, which helps you work with a limited color palette. Now the market has a huge selection of companies among manufacturers of alcohol markers, which cannot but rejoice. So you can choose markers not only of good quality but also at a reasonable price. We will now tell you about the most famous companies.
So what is their success? To begin with, many manufacturers have wide color palettes of markers, which allows you to create realistic illustrations. The markers dry quickly and mix well with different colors, so you can achieve smooth transitions and gradients. It is possible to impose several layers on paper, from which the colors only become brighter.
Many alcohol marker companies have the ability to refill, that is, you will not need to buy a marker every time it runs out, but just buy the right refill, which will save a lot of money and allow you to extend the life of your markers.
Almost all manufacturers produce a marker blender that allows you to highlight and mix other markers with each other, which helps you work with a limited color palette. Now the market has a huge selection of companies among manufacturers of alcohol markers, which cannot but rejoice. So you can choose markers not only of good quality but also at a reasonable price. We will now tell you about the most famous companies.
COPIC MARKERS are professional markers that are very popular among sketchers and artists due to their quality and large color palette (about 350 colors).
Also "Kopiks", is one of the few who have refills for the entire color palette. This company produces four lines of alcohol markers, which differ in pricing, have different volumes of ink, and different tips (bullet, chisel, and brush).
Perhaps the most significant and only disadvantage of these markers is the price. The cost of one marker is 6 $ in the USA, so it is best to order them in foreign stores (for example, Thailand).
Also "Kopiks", is one of the few who have refills for the entire color palette. This company produces four lines of alcohol markers, which differ in pricing, have different volumes of ink, and different tips (bullet, chisel, and brush).
Perhaps the most significant and only disadvantage of these markers is the price. The cost of one marker is 6 $ in the USA, so it is best to order them in foreign stores (for example, Thailand).
POTENTATE ALCOHOL BASED are markers with excellent value for money. If you are just starting your acquaintance with markers and do not want to spend large amounts on them, then you will not be mistaken if you buy markers from this company.
Alcohol markers are available in only one line, and the color palette consists of 120 markers, but a set of 24 or 36 colors is enough for a novice artist.
TOUCH TWIN MARKERS. The Korean brand Shinhanart has earned universal love from artists around the world. And all thanks to the excellent quality of materials and inks that are used to create markers.
Touch markers have a wide color palette (204 colors), but unfortunately only 96 commonly used refills are produced. Therefore, we advise you (especially if you want to buy only refillable markers) to check if the given color has a refill before buying. Coloring all the colors on the official website of Touch will help you with this (markers with dressing are marked with a drop).
Markers are presented in two lines Touch Twin Original and Brush Touch Twin, which differ in bullet/chisel and pen-brush/chisel tips and, accordingly, in price.
Alcohol markers are available in only one line, and the color palette consists of 120 markers, but a set of 24 or 36 colors is enough for a novice artist.
TOUCH TWIN MARKERS. The Korean brand Shinhanart has earned universal love from artists around the world. And all thanks to the excellent quality of materials and inks that are used to create markers.
Touch markers have a wide color palette (204 colors), but unfortunately only 96 commonly used refills are produced. Therefore, we advise you (especially if you want to buy only refillable markers) to check if the given color has a refill before buying. Coloring all the colors on the official website of Touch will help you with this (markers with dressing are marked with a drop).
Markers are presented in two lines Touch Twin Original and Brush Touch Twin, which differ in bullet/chisel and pen-brush/chisel tips and, accordingly, in price.
SKETCHMARKER - markers that have appeared on the market recently, but already claim to be the best.
And all because:
• Quality first. The company has developed its own ink formula, taking into account all the shortcomings, and also constantly test their products with professional artists and listen to all comments in order to constantly improve their product.
• secondly, the price! The markers are available in two versions with bullet/chisel and brush-pen/chisel tips.
And all because:
• Quality first. The company has developed its own ink formula, taking into account all the shortcomings, and also constantly test their products with professional artists and listen to all comments in order to constantly improve their product.
• secondly, the price! The markers are available in two versions with bullet/chisel and brush-pen/chisel tips.
• and thirdly, the color palette. 389 colors and all refillable, and soon the manufacturer promises to expand the palette to 600 colors.
We cannot keep silent about the minuses, or rather one minus - due to the expansion of the palette and small innovations that the manufacturer made to the markers, sometimes it is very difficult to buy them or you have to wait several months for delivery. But let's hope that soon everything will work out with supplies and there will be no minuses in everything.
Remember, if you, as a beginner artist, find it difficult to figure out all the nuances of choosing the right markers and the initial palette that you will be comfortable working with, we will always help you with this in our sketching with markers courses.
We cannot keep silent about the minuses, or rather one minus - due to the expansion of the palette and small innovations that the manufacturer made to the markers, sometimes it is very difficult to buy them or you have to wait several months for delivery. But let's hope that soon everything will work out with supplies and there will be no minuses in everything.
Remember, if you, as a beginner artist, find it difficult to figure out all the nuances of choosing the right markers and the initial palette that you will be comfortable working with, we will always help you with this in our sketching with markers courses.
When drawing with alcohol markers, do not forget about the following:
1. It is better to draw with alcohol markers on paper specially designed for them (smooth, snow-white).
2. Storage of markers. Many people say that markers should only be stored horizontally, but high-quality materials should not spread and deteriorate from vertical storage. The most important thing when storing markers is the temperature regime. It is best to store markers away from batteries to prevent them from drying out quickly.
3. Close the caps of the markers tightly, otherwise the marker will dry out quickly and the tips will deteriorate.
2. Storage of markers. Many people say that markers should only be stored horizontally, but high-quality materials should not spread and deteriorate from vertical storage. The most important thing when storing markers is the temperature regime. It is best to store markers away from batteries to prevent them from drying out quickly.
3. Close the caps of the markers tightly, otherwise the marker will dry out quickly and the tips will deteriorate.
4. New or freshly refilled markers may splatter the illustration a little, so be careful when opening them.
5. Make coloring/palettes of the markers you have - something that will help you quickly find the right color, since the caps (caps) of the markers often do not correspond to reality.
6. You can fill markers only with refills specially designed for this purpose (no alcohol for refilling!).
5. Make coloring/palettes of the markers you have - something that will help you quickly find the right color, since the caps (caps) of the markers often do not correspond to reality.
6. You can fill markers only with refills specially designed for this purpose (no alcohol for refilling!).
Let's summarize:
The choice of the type and firm of the marker is always yours. Buy markers based on your goals and financial capabilities. Choose new materials by studying in detail their characteristics and methods of application in order to choose what you need. And we, in turn, will continue to tell you about art materials
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