Best Sketch Markers
Many artists, whether professionals or hobbyists, started drawing and doodling with crayons and markers.
Even though markers are often not seen as a medium professional artists use, markers are used by illustrators, lettering artists, and designers for their creative projects.
There are many reasons to try being creative with markers. Besides markers being portable, they are also blendable, layered like watercolors, and come in various colors.
Markers are also affordable and do not make a mess like pastels or oil paints, which are a great choice for younger artists. The large hue of color markers offers to make them well-suited for gesture-drawing, illustrations, doodling, sketching, and even photorealism art.
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Popular Artist Markers
There are a few things you will want to know before investing in markers. The most popular markers artists are using today are either alcohol-based or water-based. Your artistic preference will determine the type of markers that will work best for your creative projects.
Water-Based Markers
Markers pigments are either suspended in water or alcohol, which allows the colors to dry on a drawing surface.
Water-based markers tend to be less expensive, come in fewer colors, and disposable.
The downside of water-based markers is that it dries less quickly and could warp the drawing surface.
The positive is they are widely available and can be used like watercolor paints by reactivating the pigment with water.
Alcohol-Based Markers
Alcohol markers are more expensive than water-based markers, and they also come in a wider range of colors.
Alcohol-based markers are preferred by many illustrates because they dry quickly, are fade-resistant, and most of them are refillable.
It is also possible to produce different shades by thinning and mixing alcohol-based markers to create an endless range of colors.
Marker Brush Tip
There are four different tips available, and each brush tip will provide a distinct mark on the paper. Choosing the right tip will make it possible for you to create your best art.
Fine Tip – A thin sharp tip used for fine details.
Chisel Tip – A wide, flat tip that creates a wide variety of edges.
Bullet Tip – Common tip in less expensive markers.
Brush Tip – The most versatile tip that acts like a paintbrush. Perfect for fine details and can be flattened to fill in larger areas.
Best Art Markers For Professionals
Here is a list of popular markers used by artists, illustrators, and designers. The list is not in any specific order. It is just a guide to help you choose the best markers for your art projects.
Image Credit Michaels
Copic Sketch Markers
The Copic Sketch Markers are the top choice for many professional artists and are more expensive than most other brands but are refillable, which will save you money over time.
The wide range of colors (358 different colors), and the different lines, and strokes they produce with their dual tips make them one of the best markers available. You can purchase each color separately or choose from a variety of different sets. They also offer a colorless blender which creates a beautiful watercolor effect.
Sets come in assorted colors of 3,6, 12, 24, 36, 72 which will save you money because you will not have to purchase colors you will never use. For example, if you are interested in drawing portraits you can purchase a Coper marker set of skin tones rather than purchasing 72 different marker pens you will never use.
The Copic markers have a brush nib, and a broad nib produces a range of strokes from fine lines to wide color fills. The barrel is filled with Fast-drying alcohol-based ink that lasts a long time.
Copic markers are one of the best markers for artists and hobbyists.
Image credit Walmart
Bianyo Classic Series Alcohol-Based Dual Tip Art Markers
If you are starting to use art markers for your art projects or are looking for good quality inexpensive markers for adult coloring books, Bianyo Classic Series Alcohol-Based Dual Tipped Art Markers are a great choice.
They offer 72 different colors in the set, which will give you plenty of colors for your art projects.
Alcohol markers dry quickly but tend to bleed through paper, so make sure you have something under the art paper you are drawing on.
The wide choice of vivid colors at affordable prices makes this set the right choice for hobbyists and beginner artists.
Image creadit – Micheals
Uni-Posca PC-5M Medium Tip Paint Marker Set
Posca has been becoming more popular with artists and crafters. The water-based ink dries to a matt finished on multiple surfaces, including paper, metal, wood, glass, plastic, and more.
The eight colors in this set include white, black, yellow, red, green, pink, blue, and light blue making this the perfect set for creating posters, charts, and lettering.
Image credit – Blick
Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Markers
Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Markers has an advanced dye-based alcohol ink formulation that produces smooth ink flow with rich, vibrant colors.
There are two different nibs for multiple line widths. Prismacolor markers are perfect for professional artists and students.
Sets available:
- Cool Grays, Set of 12
- Manga, Set of 12
- Primary/Secondary Colors, Set of 12
- Warm Grays, Set of 12
- Assorted Colors, Studio Stacker Set, Set of 24
- Set of 24 with Marker Case, With Carrying Case
- Set of 48 with Marker Case, With Carrying Case
- Assorted Colors, Set of 72
- Assorted Set of 156
More Marker Sets For The Hobbyist
The markers listed above are some of the best art markers for professionals and student artists. But if you are looking for something more affordable for adult coloring books, these will be your best options.
80 Colors Dual Tips Permanent Marker Pens – These alcohol markers are very affordable markers for beginners and hobbyists. These markers are not refillable, and the tip tends to fray over time.
Kuretake Zig Art & Graphic Twin Markers – These water-based pens are affordable, come in a wide range of colors, and are perfect for replicating watercolor paintings. The dual tip is durable and similar to a paintbrush.
Tombow Dual Brush Pens and Sets – Tombo offers various sets for every artistic style. The two tips are feed from the same ink reservoir, ensuring an exact color match. One tip is a brush tip, and the other is a fine tip. These water-based inks are perfect for blending, which allows you to create any color imaginable. Tombo Dual tip markers are a little more costly than the other brands, but they are decent and well known.
- Bohemian Colors, Set of 10
- Bright Colors, Set of 10
- Celebration Colors, Set of 10
- Citrus Colors, Set of 10
- Cottage Colors, Set of 10
- Desert Flora, Set of 10
- Galaxy Colors, Set of 10
- Gray Scale Colors, Set of 10
- Landscape Colors, Set of 10
- Muted Colors, Set of 10
- Pastel Colors, Set of 10
- Portrait Colors, Set of 10
- Primary Colors, Set of 10
- Retro Colors, Set of 10
- Secondary Colors, Set of 10
- Tropical Colors, Set of 10
- Neutral Colors, Set of 20
- Floral Colors, Set of 20
- Perfect Blend Colors, Set of 20
- Marker Case with 108 Markers
Before Buying Art Markers
Choosing the best art marker sets for your art projects can be a challenge due to all of the different brands of markers available. Unfortunately, you will not be able to tell if a particular brand will work for your creations unless you try them, and purchasing multiple brands can become expensive.
Here are some things to look for before buying a set of art markers.
The Quality Of The Ink
The quality and consistency of the marker’s ink are essential for any art project. If the ink’s quality is poor, the marks will be inconsistent, and blending will be nearly impossible. High-quality ink produces a smooth mark that is blendable creates a uniform color without inconsistent values.
Higher quality ink drys quicker and dispenses consistent ink on the paper.
How Long The Marker Lasts
The best art markers tend to last longer than inexpensive markers. If possible, purchase refillable markers.
Color Range
Copic Sketch Markers offers 358 different colors while other brands only offer 70 or less. Your artistic style will determine the number of colors needed for a project and what you are creating.
You can save a lot of money by purchasing only what you need. Some sets are created for specific art styles like portraits or landscapes. Another good tip is to purchase a set then only purchase single markers as they run low on inks.
Tips
There are several different tips offered for different art styles. Each tip will produce a different mark, so you might want to consider purchasing markers with different tips for your creations.
Different Marker Tips:
- Brush tips
- Fine tips
- Dual tipped markers
- Bullet tips
- Chisel tips
- Brush pens
Some markers are refillable and it is possible to replace the nibs making it less expensive than purchasing new markers when the fine point wears down.
Marker Pads
Now that you have decided on the best markers for your art projects, let’s talk about what the best papers are for marker pens.
The two things you will want to look for are the thickness of the paper and if the paper is acid-free. If the paper is too thin, the inks will bleed through and it will be difficult to blend colors. The acid-fee paper will preserve the art for years to come.
Best Marker Pads:
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