layout-tests: Copic markers

Many of you know what Copic markers are but for those who don't, you can take a look at the official Copic website. There is a lot of information about the way they are different from regular markers, the different styles of markers Copic offers, some tips and tutorials too. It's a great resource if you are planing to buy some or you already have a set.

( My Copic Sketch Set A)

I have been thinking of getting myself some Copics for a while, and I would have tried them much sooner if it wasn't for their price. Don't get me wrong, I totally agree they are worth the money and in the long run they come up cheaper than other brands, but let's face it- it's a large sum if you want to pay upfront for a decent selection to start with.

(The colors in my Sketch A Set)

I had trouble deciding which kind I want to get. I have been working with brush-tip markers for a while and although it was difficult in the beginning, now I feel they are the right markers for me. The drawing comes more natural and it has the "brush" feeling, as the regular markers just lack that. That's why after a long deliberation I decided that the best option for me are the Papercrafting Sketch markers and I chose Set A . It was important to me that the set has all basic colors, although I must say it's quite addictive and you want to buy more and more to fill in all the shades. That's how I got the Multiliner set and the Original Cool Gray Set. :-)

( The Multiliner Set )

I must say I'm quite impressed with the quality of these markers and they are absolute delight to work with, however even the best markers depend on the quality of the paper used and THAT gave me some trouble.

Initially I got the Copic Bleedproof Marker Pad and I thought that since it comes from Copic it will be perfect for the markers. Wrong! The paper wasn't bad-bad...but it wasn't good either. Much thinner than what I expected ( you can almost see through it!) and it didn't blend as well as I wanted it to. Once you start blending there is this pattern that comes through that shows the structure of the paper and I really don't like that. So, I did my homework and read online what other people had to say about the perfect paper for Copic markers and tried couple of different brands.

( My Copic color chart)

A lot of people were recommending Papertray cardstock and I decided to order it and give it a try. I received less expensive and very nice quality paper that worked wonderfully with the Copics. The markers didn't bleed on it, but blended very well. I must say for now this paper is my first choice to work with.

In the next couple of days I'll show you what I worked on with the markers, but here are my first couple of drawings that I did on the Copic paper when I first got the markers. I was just exploring the mixing of colors and color blending, so don't expect DaVinci here :-)