So… I’m on the search for alcohol markers, remember? Thinking… “oh, Copic is way too expensive, so let’s see what’s out there.” CRAP. That’s what’s out there. I tried “Dual Tip Artist’s Markers.” I didn’t expect a lot from these markers, heck they didn’t even give them a real name, but I’d read pretty decent reviews about them. I paid $28 for this $40 set… DON’T DO IT. $28… seemed like a deal. That’s equal to about 3 Copic markers. Unless I could be patient enough to purchase them one at a time when Michaels has 50% off coupons, right? Then it’s 6 or 7. SIX OR SEVEN. 24 seemed like a better deal, but it isn’t.
(Regarding the 6 or 7 Copics I COULD have purchased… One of my problems is I can’t figure out which of the 358 colors I really need most. THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT. Seriously?? How can there be 358 colors? Decisions are not my forte. I have like, what… six different paint palettes?? Probably 8 different watercolor sets. I’m reading three different books. I can’t even handle a restaurant that serves both seafood AND burgers, it’s too many choices. So 358 colors is out of my realm of decision making. I want a pre-decided set.)
They do look rather fetching. Don’t be taken in, though. Having first used better ones, maybe I’ve spoiled myself for anything less?
This set has 24 colors but there is no rhyme or reason to them. They don’t make a cohesive set at all. The brush tip feels pretty nice… some of the bullet tips feel better than others, but all are too broad. The color selection is pathetic even by my standards, and two are already dried up (I did watch a video last night, though, that told me how to correct that!) And… the colors don’t inspire me at all. Even the blender marker seems useless, but I am unfamiliar with blender markers. It doesn’t seem to blend… as much as just remove the top layer.
I wouldn’t even recommend these for coloring. They don’t layer well, don’t have a narrow enough tip on either end for small areas, and don’t have nice colors. They DO feel nice in your hand, and they have a nice box. If you can’t afford better… get Crayola. I know for a fact they are better markers, though they aren’t alcohol markers. Or be patient and buy one Copic at a time. If you CAN afford better, but not copic-better, try the spectrum noir illustrator sets Michaels sells. With the 50% off coupon they are a decent deal. (I think maybe I paid $12 for a set of five or six? a while back?) They aren’t perfect, but the ink and the tips are both nice.
My lesson? No more cheap brands. (Until the next time, anyway. Do as I say and not as I do.) By the way, if you did the math, for the price of this complete crap set, I could have gotten two more Illustrator sets from Michaels, with coupons.
I wouldn’t have known how much I prefer them, though, so maybe it’s worth it.
ThreeSixFiveArt 