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scales — Super Marker tutorial XTREME
Published: 2010-04-04 23:54:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 18634; Favourites: 302; Downloads: 244
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Description
Just a short marker tutorial I threw together today as a break from college work. I've been surfing around the tutorial section of dA and the marker section is dominated by Copic tutorials, most of which teach the same anime-inspired technique. I found this boring and frankly unfair; Copics are all well and good [I'd personally argue with this as I have a bit of a Vendetta against the things], but they're not the be all and end all.People are only being exposed to one expensive brand of markers when there are tonnes to choose from. I'd like to think people are making an informed choice about their materials based on their needs and not what they're told is 'best'. I'd be an advocate of cheap-and-cheerful markers, but whatever. For more on my opinion on different brands check out this: [link]
BUT ANYWAY, enough of my marker obsession. I'm very sorry if the layout is difficult to read or if the images/text are too small. I understand that this tutorial is a little sparse, so don't be afraid to ask me to elaborate on anything!
Done with a big ol' mess of markers, pens and pencils.
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Comments: 173
Aw thank you! Hell yeah, Letraset markers for the win! I'm very biased towards them, but as I see it if Copic fans can fangirl/fanboy over their markers then why can't I do the same for Tria/Promarkers?
The new Promarkers are pretty much exactly like the old ones, only now there's more colours. The colour laydown/ mixing quality is still the same as far as I can tell.
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Hahaha! XD
You're like me, you've got a collection that can't be mesured since you're not even sure what you've got. XD
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haha, guilty as charged unfortunately! Good to hear I'm not the only one, though.
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It's fun, though, to have a lot of random markers, you can do so much with so many different kinds - only hassle is to remember all of the colours. XD
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Exactly! Some brands are better at some effects than others. As for colours I think I just reach into my bag and hope for the best.
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I've gotten to that point as well. XD
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Whooo, hoorah for the promarker/tria love! My first markers were Trias and I still prefer them to all other brands, though I hate the redesign (the ink seems to dry up really quickly and clog their much-vaunted brush tip). Luckily I have a bucketload of older Trias that I bought up while they were on clearance; they should last me awhile.
I found a strange new brand of marker while I was in New York once! I think they're called Pantone Universe-- they have a brush tip and a second, narrow tip (no chisel) and are white with coloured ends, similar to some of the Japanese brands. You know anything about these? I got five and am experimenting with them.
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I love the older Tria myself, but the redesigned ones have really improved since they first came out and the initial drying issues were sorted out. The new batches are gorgeous, I must admit.
It's a shame that Pantone and Letraset split, but I think I heard that a change in ownership at Pantone meant that the partnership got chopped. I don't really understand why it did though as Tria were very popular. It might have been the other way round, but to my knowledge Pantone wanted to move out of the marker business in favour of digital. The existence of Pantone Universe makes me wonder, though! Are they any good by the way? I think I'd miss having a chisel, but the brush tips look good.
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Hunh, I will have to look into them again then... do the caps stay on better now, too? I've had issues with that too.
The Pantone Universe markers are all right-- the ink lay-down isn't very good, it tends to be really thin (probably related to the fact that it is a brush tip as opposed to a chisel). Their colour selection is pretty good, though, and they blend decently.
Oh, for other little-known markers, on the same trip I got a couple of Blick Art Materials' own markers. They've got a chisel and a fine tip (like Prismacolours, though the Chisel's shape is more similar to Promarker's or Touch's) and the ink does some really strange things-- for one thing it is noticeably a different colour coming from the fine tip as opposed to the chisel, like the pigment distribution is off within the marker itself. Weirdness!
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The caps on my new ones seem fine. Maybe you could try one or two sometime to see if you like them more now. Don't get a set if you're not sure, though.
Aw, crap ink laydown? That's important for me. I might try some if I find them for cheap on eBay or whathaveyou. I've heard of Blicks, but unfortunately Dick Blick shops seem to be an American only thing and their P&P to Ireland is not cheap, let me tell you. The Blicks sound like weird markers, though!
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Hmm, I will have to try that out. Unfortunately the town I'm on an exchange program in right now seems to have no art supply store that stocks anything other than Prismacolours and occasionall Copics or Faber-Castells... as a result I'm gaining an appreciation of the prismacolours, but I kinda miss buying new Promarkers. I'll pick up some new Trias next time I'm home.
And they are bizarre markers! The stickers on the top that denote what colour they are have holes in the middle, like little rings.
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Ah you're on an exchange programme? Cool. I hope you can pick up the materials you'd like soon and that the trip is going well, though.
Little rings? Weird. I wonder what function they serve?
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Just to look fancy, I think? XD It certainly makes them distinct from my other markers when they're all stood upright...
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I guess that's something they've got going for them then!
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Very good tutorial. One of the better ones I've seen. You do very nice work. Its nice to see one not pushing Copics so much. I've nothing against Copics specifically, but Prismas (my personal choice) seem to get slammed a lot in comparison. One tip for anyone looking for some markers, whatever brand, check out Ebay. I purchased the bulk of my collection there.
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Aw, you honestly think so? Thank you! I find it sad that pretty much every brand of marker gets slammed in comparison to Copic when in the end the quality of imagery produced relies heavily on the individual skill of the user. Poor ol' Prismas get an awful time on this site. D:
I second that!Ebay is great for getting a lot of markers for cheap.
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THANK YOU for using ProMarkers! XD I'm one of those many people who is too poor for Copics.
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No problem! I could get more Copics if I wanted to I suppose, but they'll never beat my good ol' Promarkers. I'm happy to have provided you with a more accessible tutorial!
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great tutorial! I'll definitely use it! <3
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I'm happy to be of some help!
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This was really useful for me, it's good to know other people use Promarkers and see how the use them. Although I do love copics, I find Promarkers much better value for money.
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I'm glad I could have given you an insight into how someone else uses promarkers then! Strangely enough a lot of people seem to use them but there's very few tutorials. Copics and Promarkers do handle differently so sometimes they can't perform the same tricks as eachother, or atleast not without a considerable level of skill and ink. E.G: getting brush like marks from a Promarker, or getting bold and even blocks of colour from a Copic.
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Touch was my first marker
I bought one and only one
Anywho, question - which ends of the markers do you use and when (ie. chisel, brush, etcetc)?
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Aww, Tria were mine! Touch are very wet I find; they tend to get everywhere when I use them and are very bright.
I generally use the chisel for backgrounds or filling in large areas and work in details with the fine-bullet point. I don't use brush tips much, but when I do I like to use them on hair and clothes. They're fine to use on skin, but I find when I use the brush tip too much it messes with the visual flow of my image and makes everything look like it's the same texture/ it's all soft which isn't my kind of thing at all.
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It's just cuz I can get Touch markers at the craft store up at the shopping centre near where I live. I should see if there are any other brands of markers accessible near me..
I like my purple Touch marker better than my 2 purple Copic colours in that way - I like the brighter shade for that specific colour.
and thanks
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Really? I've never heard of Touch selling anywhere other than online/ really specialised stores so the fact you can get them locally is quite cool.
Which purple is the Touch marker? I have a very vibrant violet marker by them which I quite like.
no problem!
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Yes it is cool indeed
I have 81 - Deep Violet
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That's the one I have! It's a beautiful purple alright.
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I was thinking of buying neopiko markers ( there is a 36 set that's
only $39) but are they any good?
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Wow that's a good price for any 36 set, let alone Pikos!
Neopiko are fine as far as markers go. They're quite dark and dry, but they've got a brush tip which can be fun to play with. I'd say to go for it as even if you don't like them, you'll probably never get a set that big for such a reasonable price again. Do you like the idea of brushy, soft markers?
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Reading your opinions on markers was really interesting- I adore working with them, but, unfortunatelly, only had a chance to work with copics (there are no markers to be bought in my country, and I had to go to Austria to buy some 8D ). Your dissertation really had me interested, so I'll make sure to try other brands too whenever I get the chance.
Anyway, great tutorial! : )
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Ah, another person who bought their markers on their travels! I bought my Copics while I was in Berlin. I'm sorry to hear that markers aren't readily available where you live. D:
I'm glad that you're interested in looking around at different markers, particularly cheaper brands, due to this. It makes me sad when I hear about people spending hundreds on a marker set and finding out they don't like them when they could have started smaller and cheaper.
Thanks so much!
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I'm really glad that you did this one, because, frankly, I really agree with you about the copic-tutorials. There isn't clearly enough of marker tutorials, but the fact that from that little group there are definitely more copic-tutorials than any other markers, and as you said, I think it is unfair. In my opinion it's really great that you have shown such drastic difference in you tutorial, and I congratulate you! You did a great job, and I personally needed this, for I have a lot more promarkers than I have copics ( those are the only brands that I've been using this far ). I believe the trick to handle markers is more in the skill of the user, but for now at least I feel like copics blend better together because of the brushtip, which I, have to say, completely adore. I enjoy using my Ciao copics, since I find promarkers be a tad too _bleeding_everywhere_, but again, probably my own fault :3
Anyway, long rant short, I enjoyed the tutorial and thought it was helpful :3 Thanks for sharing!
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I'm glad to hear that someone agrees with me! While I do quite like copic's brush tip, I find their ink is the thing that drives me crazy as it goes all grainy and runny on my papers for some reason. I find it odd to hear that your Promarkers bleed for you while you can control Copics more easily when I find the reverse happens for me. I guess it really does come down to personal taste and touch. I'm the first to admit that I have a more hamfisted approach than is probably suited to Copics as they're quite dainty and lady-like. 
Ciao! I find them to be the most fun to use of the Copic family as the original's nibs are nasty and Sketch is just a more expensive version of Ciao.* I've played with both Sketch and Ciao extensively and they use the same ink and nibs, yet Sketch has a higher price tag confusingly enough. According to a lot of sites online Ciao can't be refilled, but from a small pack I bought of them a while back the instructions clearly read that Ciao uses any Copic ink and can be refilled. The UK Copic website says this as well, so there you go.
*[link]
Anyway, thanks for commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed this and I hope you can get to grips with your Promarkers soon!
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That's really funny o.o Because I can totally control the brush tip of my Copics, but especially new, just bought Promarkers give me the headache when they bleed over the place. I feel like I should just colour white paper with them so that they would drain a little and not bleed so enthusiastically. I think the smaller nib of Promarkers is not suited for the kind of detail I like to have on my works.
- Hamfisted, haha ;D
Yeah, I agree. I think it's supposed to be like that Sketch can be refilled, but Ciao can't, but the internet seems to tell otherwise o_o' Very confusing, since I've been on the belief that they can't be refilled ( I have even tossed my dear blue away because it died on me, oh the sadness... ). I'm not really familiar with all the specialities the Copic family has. Although I go to artschool now ( final year! ) I still think markers are markers, some are better and some are worse than the others. I really don't now how the Copic family's different brands should differ .P
No problem, and hope so too! :3
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That's probably another thing that comes into it; I don't like drawing in small details and prefer to work in a bit of a chunky manner, so that's probably why I don't have much trouble with my Pros bleeding.
From checking on the website it seems that Ciao can be refilled. I'm honestly confused as to why Sketch is then more expensive than Ciao, but I suppose the Sketch's pretty design has something to do with it.
Ah you're in art school eh? I'm in college for art, too. I'm working on essays right now and they're messing with my brain I must admit!
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Yeah, that just might be it. As you said in the tutorial ( ...or your livejournal post about the markers...? either way :3 ) it's really down to the artist her/himself which brand s/he feels more comfortable to work with. You just gotta try out stuff or you'll never know!
Confusing indeed o_o'
- There's nothing pretty about the Sketch's design! >D Plus Ciao's feel better in a grip.
Yeah, I'm in a Upper Secondary for Visual Arts, it's like high school in a different term n.n Essays, great!... I always thought I would love studying art history especially, but turns out, I really don't :> great.
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This is it!
With that this question begs answering; why are Sketch so much more popular than Ciao? Simply advertising?
Woah, art highschool? Sounds cool! They don't have that over here as far as I know.
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I think some people just don't know that Ciao's can be refilled, so it must be the magic of advertising. I have never owned a Sketch and don't plan on getting one either!
Yeah, last year :3 Now I need to try to get to some art colleges/universities... *help!*
- You live in Ireland? So cool :3
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I don't think I'll get Sketch if I ever buy Copics again either; Ciao are, by the looks of things, just as good.
Ah don't worry! I'm sure that you've got more than enough work for putting a portfolio together. Have you looked in to scholarships and stuff?
That I do! It's not a magical place like a lot of people seem to think but it's home for me all the same; I like living here. You're from Finland, right? [Judging by your page. I hope I'm not wrong!]
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Yeah, they definitely are ;3
No, no scholarships, I'm really not really familiar with those. Plus I think that in Finland our university/college stuff is somewhat different from yours... For example, we don't have to pay these huge collage fees ( I hope I put that one right ), once you're in, you just need to get the stuff they work with in those places. ( ...did that even make any sense? )
:3 I've wanted to visit Ireland for such a long time.
- Yeah, you're right n.n We just had a real winter, and it still snowed here couple of weeks ago, but now it's just like hell in here - it's so hot so sudden, I don't know how to be anymore 3: gawr.
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I'm not sure what you meant, but I'm assuming you mean that once you have the skills needed then you can get into college and stay there as long as you get the work done, all without the massive fees? If so then that's really cool!
Ireland is very pretty I must admit, but very expensive. Still, it may be a little hard to live in at times but it's a lovely country overall.
It's hot over here right now too! Summer just started out of nowhere.
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Yes, precisely! feh. Sometimes my english really lacks when I'm trying to explain something >3
Helsinki, the capital, has been said to be pretty expensive compared to some other countries too. I don't really know about it, I get along quite well in here ( living with my mother ).
.D It just came, what the hell. It was winter just yesterday!
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Hey it's okay! English is my first language and even now I often make little to no sense!
Ah you're in Helsinki? I'm in the capital of my country, too: Dublin. The weather is continuing to be lovely here as well. It hasn't rained in a week which must be some kind of record!
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:3 Haha.
Yeah n.n I don't know if my bragging jinxed our weather since it has been raining the whole day, damn 3: And of course I didn't have my umbrella... pfft.
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Aw really? It's still dry here, although I'm probably after jinxing the weather myself!
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When I use marker I use to use a white gel pen for the highlights but found that a thin white paint pen works well if not better then the gel pen because it gives a more solid base of white that you don't get with the gel pen.
I also collect markers. D: Where do you buy most of them? (Not the Prismacolor of Copic because I know where to get those.)
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