|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 8, 2019 12:47:26 GMT
My kid will be turning nine soon and is quite a good artist. (She is actually good, not just mom talking. Her art has been chosen by the art teacher for display at the community art festival the last two years, one of maybe 20 kids out of 700 or so.) She has expressed an interest in getting some Copic markers to try. I used different alcohol based markers when I was in art school and didn’t like them at all because the strong smell from them gave me headaches so I never jumped on the Copic bandwagon and don’t have any.
I’m not opposed to buying her a couple sets but don’t have a clue which sets would be the best choices to start with. I don’t really want to pick and choose individual pens and it’s hard to tell which colors come in the various sets because I don’t know anything about them. She likes drawing manga and anime, if that helps. I’ll probably buy on Amazon and I have some time yet. I saw a manga set online but couldn’t tell which colors came in it. TIA!
|
|
|
Post by janamke on Apr 8, 2019 14:43:54 GMT
I used to be a huge copic user, but sold most because I didn't have time. When buying mine I found sets to not be particularly useful. Copics are meant for shading using 2-3 markers of the same color family but in varying shades. If you buy a set one red, one yellow, one green really won't do much good. It's been a number of years since I've purchases markers so I don't know if smaller sets are sold like that any more. I prefer shading with 2 markers vs 3. Sorry this isn't super helpful for you.
And 9 is not at all too young to start using Copics. My friend purchased my stash of markers for her daughters and they do amazing things with them. Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by justjac on Apr 8, 2019 15:00:16 GMT
If you are interested in a different brand, I have Spectrum Noir alcohol markers. You can buy a pack and it has a colour family that blends together.
|
|
GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,259
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
|
Post by GiantsFan on Apr 8, 2019 15:02:17 GMT
I bought a used Set A (72 markers) on Ebay for a smoking deal. Having a big set was good to get me started, but as the above posted mentioned you really need three shades. I did well with my set only shading with two "kind of close" colors. Since then I've supplemented my set with colors I like.
On Jen Shurkus and Yana Smakula's blogs they list their favorite color combos. You could search for the blog posts and see which combos you think your daughter might like then buy only those pens (to start!).
The cheapest place I've found to buy Copics is Scrapbook Pal and free shipping is at $25. Ellen Hutson is another good place, but shipping is not free. Oh, and Scrapbook Pal has same day shipping. I've ordered in the afternoon PST and they've always shipped same day or next day at the latest.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 8, 2019 19:02:34 GMT
Thanks for the tips! The Manga set of 24 that I was looking at does have a couple shades of each color. I was thinking of getting her the set of six skin tones too. I’m sure it won’t be perfect but it might be enough for her to get started and if she decides she likes them she can add the colors she wants to expand on later. Most of her artwork is done in pencil (black and white) but she does have a good eye for color too and I think getting a set of Copics will excite her to work with color more.
I have a ton of other fine art supplies from when I was in college (watercolor markers, watercolor paints/pencils/aquarelles, colored pencils, pastels) and she has full access to all of that, it’s just this type of marker I personally never liked so I don’t have any of them anymore. The Prismacolor markers I had all dried up and I tossed them years ago.
|
|
clio
Full Member
Posts: 113
Dec 3, 2017 13:07:05 GMT
|
Post by clio on Apr 8, 2019 19:15:19 GMT
I have the same problems so bought ShinHan Touch Twin markers because they are low odor. (Beware of eBay “deals” that aren’t from a reputable vendor) still getting the hang of them like any learning curve, but I like them.
|
|
GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,259
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
|
Post by GiantsFan on Apr 8, 2019 19:56:47 GMT
I have the same problems so bought ShinHan Touch Twin markers because they are low odor. ( Beware of eBay “deals” that aren’t from a reputable vendor) still getting the hang of them like any learning curve, but I like them. I think this goes without saying for anything purchased on Ebay not just Copic markers.
|
|
GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,259
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
|
Post by GiantsFan on Apr 9, 2019 0:06:06 GMT
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 9, 2019 1:01:20 GMT
Awesome! Thanks! I think my DD might like the mini kid’s drawing class for dogs and cats on that site too.
|
|
|
Post by scrapaddict702 on Apr 9, 2019 1:14:38 GMT
Michael's is having a BOGO Free promotion on professional grade markers online TODAY only. It includes copics and you can supposedly do in store pick up if you don't make the free shipping threshold. Just in case you were interested. It includes singles and sets, I believe.
|
|
|
Post by Delta Dawn on Apr 9, 2019 4:12:34 GMT
I had all the Copics and I broke my wrist. I can’t write any longer and drawing is impossible. I gave all my Copics to BFF .
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 9, 2019 6:06:30 GMT
Michael's is having a BOGO Free promotion on professional grade markers online TODAY only. It includes copics and you can supposedly do in store pick up if you don't make the free shipping threshold. Just in case you were interested. It includes singles and sets, I believe. I saw that but couldn’t go today. Plus the “regular” prices are almost double what they are anywhere else so it isn’t like true 50% off. The sets of six are normally priced at $48 at Michael’s which is nuts. On Amazon the set I was looking at (skin tones, which the store doesn’t stock and I’d have to order it online anyway) was under $30 with Prime and I wouldn’t even have to leave my house.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 9, 2019 6:07:20 GMT
I had all the Copics and I broke my wrist. I can’t write any longer and drawing is impossible. I gave all my Copics to BFF . I remember that! What a bummer!
|
|
|
Post by Delta Dawn on Apr 9, 2019 6:11:58 GMT
I had all the Copics and I broke my wrist. I can’t write any longer and drawing is impossible. I gave all my Copics to BFF . I remember that! What a bummer! BFF can not use them at her house, too. I can’t see shading so that just a wash of colour not shaded and real looking.
|
|
|
Post by prettyprettypaper on Apr 9, 2019 8:20:24 GMT
I used to do a lot of Copic coloring and what really helped me decide which shades to get was to check out blogs of people whose coloring skills I liked. I stalked the ones that listed the shades they used. From there, I built a list of several shades of each color that I intended to color with most often.
Think about what things your kid wants to color. For example, for someone who likes to color nature scenes, they'd want to be sure to have several shades of green for leaves and grass, different colors for flowers, etc ...
You always want to have, at minimum, 3 shades in succession so you have a light, medium, and dark that will blend well. But, if you are on a budget, looking at examples is really a great starting point so you know what the blended shades can look like.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 9, 2019 12:58:01 GMT
I used to do a lot of Copic coloring and what really helped me decide which shades to get was to check out blogs of people whose coloring skills I liked. I stalked the ones that listed the shades they used. From there, I built a list of several shades of each color that I intended to color with most often. Think about what things your kid wants to color. For example, for someone who likes to color nature scenes, they'd want to be sure to have several shades of green for leaves and grass, different colors for flowers, etc ... You always want to have, at minimum, 3 shades in succession so you have a light, medium, and dark that will blend well. But, if you are on a budget, looking at examples is really a great starting point so you know what the blended shades can look like. She is interested in drawing manga and anime, not necessarily coloring like what we would do. She typically just draws in pencil and then never wants to color it in because she likes how it looks plain. Or she draws on her iPad using Ibis Paint and then she colors stuff in. But she has been watching YouTube videos of people using Copics and has drooled over how they blend. Buying individual colors would be kind of problematic for me other than skin tones which I know for sure she will need. She has “get ALLLL the colors!!!!” syndrome like her mama, LOL, and I can’t afford that. I figured if I got a set with a couple of each color to start with, she could build out her collection with the colors she likes most once she has played with them a little.
|
|
|
Post by gmcwife1 on Apr 9, 2019 14:17:34 GMT
I used to do a lot of Copic coloring and what really helped me decide which shades to get was to check out blogs of people whose coloring skills I liked. I stalked the ones that listed the shades they used. From there, I built a list of several shades of each color that I intended to color with most often. Think about what things your kid wants to color. For example, for someone who likes to color nature scenes, they'd want to be sure to have several shades of green for leaves and grass, different colors for flowers, etc ... You always want to have, at minimum, 3 shades in succession so you have a light, medium, and dark that will blend well. But, if you are on a budget, looking at examples is really a great starting point so you know what the blended shades can look like. This is what I did too. My niece asked for some Copics for her anime art. I went to Pinterest, blogs and youtube and then picked colors that seemed to get used the most for her style. I also started a spreadsheet so I can add to her collection when I find them on sale.
|
|
|
Post by lisacharlotte on Apr 9, 2019 15:39:34 GMT
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 9, 2019 20:56:30 GMT
Thank you, that chart is very helpful!
|
|
|
Post by cmpeter on Apr 9, 2019 21:50:02 GMT
I use Copics for card making. I don’t really notice an alcohol scent with them.
I started by watching Youtubers and buying specific colors for the projects I wanted. Then I would fill in the gaps as I went. I also found Scrapbook Pal to be my best resource.
|
|
|
Post by scrapaddict702 on Apr 9, 2019 23:12:29 GMT
Michael's is having a BOGO Free promotion on professional grade markers online TODAY only. It includes copics and you can supposedly do in store pick up if you don't make the free shipping threshold. Just in case you were interested. It includes singles and sets, I believe. I saw that but couldn’t go today. Plus the “regular” prices are almost double what they are anywhere else so it isn’t like true 50% off. The sets of six are normally priced at $48 at Michael’s which is nuts. On Amazon the set I was looking at (skin tones, which the store doesn’t stock and I’d have to order it online anyway) was under $30 with Prime and I wouldn’t even have to leave my house. $7.99 is actually the retail price. All places are supposed to advertise this. Copic sales are really hard to find from big box for prices like Michael's had (it really was a GOOD sale) because they are HEAVILY regulated by Copic on the prices they can sell for. The LOWEST authorized selling price as directed by Copic is $5.24 per marker, which is advertised as a sale but really is the approved price directly from Copic. There are ways of getting them for less (I'm assuming a bogo promotion could very well work around this because they aren't advertising a specific price point), but generally retailers selling them for less than the $5.24 per marker price are doing so in violation of their agreement with Copic.
I just bought a few to round out some family groups at the Expo last week and was talking to the shop owner about them (I wanted to go back for more later but her shop was too busy and I wasn't fighting those crowds). She was selling them for $4 each and had a really good selection available. She gets them randomly from a distributor as most people like her don't get to choose the colors they are sent AND she HAS to be authorized to sell them for the $4 price. She refuses to sell them for more (edit because I said less before and that makes no sense, lol), so she has to wait until her distributor authorizes the batch he is selling her to be sold for the price point she wants to sell for.
Copics are heavily regulated so as to not diminish the value of their product and brand, so half off is actually a hard to find sale from a big box chain. I got 30+ of them from Joann's a couple of years ago for about $3.24 each because the programming wasn't correct on the product (I also got a killer sale on the big Gemini die cutting machine because it wasn't meant to be on sale for the price it was...Joann's is good at honoring the accidental listing prices of things, but will change it and not make the same mistake a second time). The price was corrected a few days later and they've never done it again. I'm not sure if Copic found out or if the right person who is in charge of maintaining contracts fixed the situation, but I made sure I took advantage and filled as many gaps as I could afford. It ended up being 2 orders because the first order was with a really small stock selection and then they restocked with just about every color and the sale price was still there for a beat. I know you can't read tones online, but thought I'd help you out some since you aren't really familiar with the pricing structures of the markers. Hopefully it will also make the price differences you've seen make some more sense as well.
|
|
|
Post by Embri on Apr 10, 2019 5:38:10 GMT
Copics are great, but definitely a long term investment and not a 'buy AALLL the colours!' type of product.
I'd suggest going with lighter, more pastel marker pairs if you can't get a large range of triads. Most manga illustrations tend to be on the light side, particularly Shōjo. 2-4 skin tones is probably fine to start with, you don't need a full box of them. Some of my favourite pairings are E41/E21, E31/E33, and E57/E59 & E77 for darker shades. Browns are good for both skin tones and hair. The E0 line (E00, E02, etc) are too peachy to look natural to me, the E3X and E4X lines are more muted. Basically if you choose markers where the letter and first number are in series (R10, R13, R17 for example) you can't go far wrong. Don't buy ones that are too close to each other as there isn't much difference in certain lines, notably yellows, magentas and reds.
One mid-yellow, one soft orange, one red. I'd go Y08, YR14, R08 or similar not-crazy-intense shades. Triads of at least one green and blue, like G02/G05/G19 and B00/B02/B05 or B32,/B34/B37. Maybe a couple purples, V01/V04. A light grey, N2. Colorless Blender 0. That's enough to get a young artist started for markers.
Now the other half of the equation - if you intend to ink those drawings you're going to need some fine liners that won't smear (even the best of them can, if you rub too hard with light colours) and most importantly, PROPER. PAPER.
Marker paper meant for alcohol markers. The difference between working on alcohol paper and regular paper is night and day. Do NOT skip out on the matching paper. It doesn't have to be Copic brand but it *does* have to be specifically made for alochol markers. The ink won't seep through the back nor will it bleed all over the place. Also make sure you are working on the correct side of the paper, as normally only one side is coated / intended to be coloured on.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 10, 2019 14:13:31 GMT
Copics are great, but definitely a long term investment and not a 'buy AALLL the colours!' type of product. I'd suggest going with lighter, more pastel marker pairs if you can't get a large range of triads. Most manga illustrations tend to be on the light side, particularly Shōjo. 2-4 skin tones is probably fine to start with, you don't need a full box of them. Some of my favourite pairings are E41/E21, E31/E33, and E57/E59 & E77 for darker shades. Browns are good for both skin tones and hair. The E0 line (E00, E02, etc) are too peachy to look natural to me, the E3X and E4X lines are more muted. Basically if you choose markers where the letter and first number are in series (R10, R13, R17 for example) you can't go far wrong. Don't buy ones that are too close to each other as there isn't much difference in certain lines, notably yellows, magentas and reds. One mid-yellow, one soft orange, one red. I'd go Y08, YR14, R08 or similar not-crazy-intense shades. Triads of at least one green and blue, like G02/G05/G19 and B00/B02/B05 or B32,/B34/B37. Maybe a couple purples, V01/V04. A light grey, N2. Colorless Blender 0. That's enough to get a young artist started for markers. Now the other half of the equation - if you intend to ink those drawings you're going to need some fine liners that won't smear (even the best of them can, if you rub too hard with light colours) and most importantly, PROPER. PAPER. Marker paper meant for alcohol markers. The difference between working on alcohol paper and regular paper is night and day. Do NOT skip out on the matching paper. It doesn't have to be Copic brand but it *does* have to be specifically made for alochol markers. The ink won't seep through the back nor will it bleed all over the place. Also make sure you are working on the correct side of the paper, as normally only one side is coated / intended to be coloured on. Thanks for the color suggestions, I’ve bookmarked this thread so I can come back to it later. Do you have a recommendation for the fine line black pens that will work for this? I know she will want some. As for the paper, I already have reams of heavy weight, hot press paper that should work with the pens and she wanted a sketchbook too, but I have a whole drawer full of those and she can take the ones she wants. I am a designer and went to art school decades ago so I do have at least a bit of a clue, LOL. I just never liked the alcohol markers that I used back then because the odor gave me a splitting headache every time I used them. When they died I tossed them and never looked back. When the Copic craze started up years ago, I just automatically said, “PASS!” based on what I knew from what I’d used back then, plus they were prohibitively expensive. I personally prefer colored pencil over anything else, followed by watercolor, chalks and pastel so that is what I have a lot of in my studio.
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 10, 2019 14:46:08 GMT
scrapaddict702 I heard the price went up this year so I figured that was MSRP. Nobody in their right mind actually pays that though, LOL, and I wasn’t prepared to spend $200 on markers since she had some other things on her list too (a globe? Really? Where the heck can I find a GLOBE? ). My problem is that I don’t know what she actually wants to do with them. I didn’t want to ask her because it’s a huge surprise that I’m getting her some at all, so I wanted one decent sized set to start her off plus the smaller skin tones set that I know she will be likely to use most. Once I know what she’s doing, I can help her build out her set from there gradually. But it didn’t make sense to me to buy a bunch of individual pens in certain color families without knowing which direction she wants to go, and the stores here are pretty limited with the smaller sets they stock. (Plus we were at the doctor doing an extensive allergy test that day and I then had a bunch of related chasing around to do after, she was with me and I couldn’t deal with that just then). She likes drawing these little chibi characters with crazy colored hair and stuff, so for now it’s just easier to get her a pack with a bunch of colors and then let her decide which ones she wants to branch out with. She’s going to flip out when she gets them because she knows they’re expensive. Ideally, I would just give her a gift card and let her pick them herself, but she’s a kid after all and likes having actual presents to open, KWIM? Gift cards just aren’t all that exciting when you’re nine. What REALLY sucks is that a couple years ago a friend of mine was selling off her whole collection (maybe 130 pens?) for about $200 at a garage sale and I passed on it because I knew I wouldn’t use them. At the time there was no way I would spend that much on artist markers for a six year old. It never even occurred to me that she would progress as much as she has with her artwork in that short amount of time. Aside from some really basic little after school drawing classes and her art classes at school, she is mostly self taught from watching YouTube videos and some step by step drawing books she’s received, which is amazing to me. Most people who see her drawings and don’t know her think they were done by someone much older. I had talent at her age too, but nothing like this.
|
|
|
Post by scrapaddict702 on Apr 10, 2019 15:46:38 GMT
scrapaddict702 I heard the price went up this year so I figured that was MSRP. Nobody in their right mind actually pays that though, LOL, and I wasn’t prepared to spend $200 on markers since she had some other things on her list too (a globe? Really? Where the heck can I find a GLOBE? ). My problem is that I don’t know what she actually wants to do with them. I didn’t want to ask her because it’s a huge surprise that I’m getting her some at all, so I wanted one decent sized set to start her off plus the smaller skin tones set that I know she will be likely to use most. Once I know what she’s doing, I can help her build out her set from there gradually. But it didn’t make sense to me to buy a bunch of individual pens in certain color families without knowing which direction she wants to go, and the stores here are pretty limited with the smaller sets they stock. (Plus we were at the doctor doing an extensive allergy test that day and I then had a bunch of related chasing around to do after, she was with me and I couldn’t deal with that just then). She likes drawing these little chibi characters with crazy colored hair and stuff, so for now it’s just easier to get her a pack with a bunch of colors and then let her decide which ones she wants to branch out with. She’s going to flip out when she gets them because she knows they’re expensive. Ideally, I would just give her a gift card and let her pick them herself, but she’s a kid after all and likes having actual presents to open, KWIM? Gift cards just aren’t all that exciting when you’re nine. What REALLY sucks is that a couple years ago a friend of mine was selling off her whole collection (maybe 130 pens?) for about $200 at a garage sale and I passed on it because I knew I wouldn’t use them. At the time there was no way I would spend that much on artist markers for a six year old. It never even occurred to me that she would progress as much as she has with her artwork in that short amount of time. Aside from some really basic little after school drawing classes and her art classes at school, she is mostly self taught from watching YouTube videos and some step by step drawing books she’s received, which is amazing to me. Most people who see her drawings and don’t know her think they were done by someone much older. I had talent at her age too, but nothing like this. I hope you're able to find a good deal on some to start her off. I think it's great that you want to encourage her creativity! I buy mine only when I can find a good deal, because they are definitely super expensive. I'm sure she will be happy with whatever you decide to get! I used a chart I found online that suggested good starting colors for each color family (some color families had multiple categories because the person who compiled it took into consideration skin tones and things like wood as separate things to fill in even though they are both E color sets). This doesn't help you with finding a good deal on a set, but maybe it will help you decide where to start with them (it worked well for me and I just build out from there when I find 1 or 2 markers for a good price in a color set that I hadn't started on, yet...they say you want a grouping of 2-3 markers for shading, so that's how I build my collection):
It is definitely older, but Copic isn't one of those things that go in and out of fashion, so it could still be quite useful. I actually looked up a lot of the color suggestions on Pinterest to see others who had used them together on projects so I knew what colors appealed to me in order to decide where to start.
|
|
|
Post by Embri on Apr 10, 2019 22:14:46 GMT
Do you have a recommendation for the fine line black pens that will work for this? I know she will want some. The Copic Multiliners are great. A set of 4 isn't too expensive either. There's the 'SP' line which are the same pens but with replaceable nibs and refillable with cartridges, but at a higher price point. They're easy to spot because of the silver metal pen body; the disposables have plastic bodies. Copic Multiliner Fine Nib set of 4. If you want to splurge, the brush style pens are really good for doing expressive line work. Brush Multiliner (BTW, no promises that any of these links are the best price, esp. considering shipping varies based on location.) If I had to pick just two, I'd go with a brush and a 0.1 or 0.3 multi-liner. 0.1 if the artist has a light hand, 0.3 if not - the smaller nibs can wear down pretty easily if pressed too hard into the paper. Hot press watercolour paper is perfectly fine for Copics but it doesn't behave quite the same as marker paper. It also draws a lot more ink, so you end up with darker colours vs. coated paper / less range, and you'll need ink refills a bit sooner. Just a FYI! I had talent at her age too, but nothing like this. Don't say she's got talent (wait, wait, put down the pitchforks! I'm not a monster, I swear!) Her skill is the result of practice, and hard work, and dedication, all far more important and impressive than natural talent!
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 17, 2019 17:09:15 GMT
Bumping my own thread to say that I was able to pick up the skin tones set of six Sketch markers at Michael’s today with a 60% off coupon, making them $28.80 before tax. The coupon didn’t specify that it couldn’t be used on Copics in the fine print and they weren’t buy one get one anymore, so the cashier manually took off the discount.
|
|
|
Post by Embri on Apr 17, 2019 23:00:35 GMT
Nice! You can't go wrong with a good selection of browns, beiges and tans! They're a great foundation to build your selection on.
|
|
|
Post by amyl on Apr 18, 2019 0:27:53 GMT
Carpediemmarkers.com has great prices, fast shipping and best price I’ve found. They have free shipping with $35 order too. They are $5.45/each. They have every color. Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Apr 18, 2019 3:47:34 GMT
Nice! You can't go wrong with a good selection of browns, beiges and tans! They're a great foundation to build your selection on. I ordered the Manga set B for my DD from Amazon too (24 pens), and they also showed up today. It has a nice selection of colors. She’s going to be so excited! I couldn’t believe they actually took that coupon.
|
|