How To Use Copic Markers Properly?
Copic markers aren’t just your regular marker pens or colored pencils; they are high-quality markers that are used by professional artists, illustrators, designers and painters. Apart from directly printing your drawings on paper using a printer, it is copic markers that can give you the most stunning designs and colors.
To use copic colors properly, it is first important to know what they are, what they are used for and finally, how to use them.
What are Copic Markers?
Copic markers are popular and highly-valued among professionals all over the world. They were first developed back in 1987 for designing, and were later taken up by the Japanese Manga Industry.
Much later, the use of Copic Markers spread to the architectural industry, fashion designing industry, illustrating comics and cartoons, automobile and automotive industry and any other kind of industry that involves drawing and designing.
Copic markers use alcohol-ink in them, and they dry instantly. With copic markers, the user can paint over their previous strokes without disturbing the color less than a second later.
These markers don’t damage or harm any of the papers they are used on, and the user can paint on any kind of paper they want to – thick or fine.
The variety of colors available in Copic markers are also astounding. No other kind of marker pens or colored pencils give the user the option to choose from more than 350 colors. Besides, these markers are environment-friendly, as they come with refillable and replaceable nibs.
You’ll be able to use the same markers for many years if they are constantly refilled, without needing to buy new ones once they are empty. The colors made by Copic Marker pens are permanent and free from acid, non-toxic and brilliant.
What are the different types of Copic Markers?
In around 358 color options, there are a total of 4 different types of Copic Markers. They are called Ciao, Sketch, Classic and Wide.
Only the Copic Sketch Markers are available in all 358 colors, while the Ciao Markers are available in 180 colors, the Classic Markers are available in 214 colors and the Wide Markers are available in only 36 colors.
The Copic Classic Markers are also known as the Copic Original Markers, as they were the ones produced by the company first.
They are double-sided markers that are barrel-shaped, with a broad tip on one end and a fine tip on the other end. They can be used for both basic-level crafting and professional drawing.
The Copic Sketch Markers, on the other hand, are used for all kinds of artwork. They are also double-sided markers with both a fine tip and a broad tip.
These markers can be used just like paint brushes on paper for drawing, coloring and painting. Sketch Markers are available in all 358 colors as they are used by professional artists in their paintings and illustrations.
The Copic Wide Markers come with extremely wide tips that are ¾” in size. These markers are available in only 36 colors but they are ideal for painting and coloring. With the wide tips, it can be easy to color a wide area in a very short time.
Finally, the Copic Ciao Markers, which are similar to the Copic sketch Markers. However, they are also considerably cheaper compared to the other kinds of markers.
They are also different in shape, as these markers are cylindrical. Available in only 156 colors, these Ciao Markers are double-ended markers and child-friendly, as the caps have little holes in them.
All these four types of marker pens from Copic are preferred by professionals and artists in their work, even when they work in different industries.
How to Use Copic Markers Properly?
Using Copic Markers properly largely depends on what you are using them for. If you can choose the right kind of marker pens for your work, you will get the best use out of them.
- For example, if you want to work on hand letterings, your best option would be to use the Copic Wide Markers. These particular types of marker pens are also great for creating fonts, drawing and shading. Larger letters and fonts are easier to deal with when you are using these wide markers compared to smaller designs and letterings.
When practicing lettering with wide markers, it is always better to choose a large design. Draw it lightly with a pencil first before you start using the markers; draw the borders with pencil and then go over the lines with the markers.
Color the letterings with the same markers and use the lightest shade of the color of your choice. If you want to shade inside the letters, it is also important to start with the lightest shade of the color, and then blend them with the darker options.
Add the darker color on top of the lighter color, or work your way from one corner to add some shade. You can also use a colorless blender marker to blend the colors together and create some shade.
- Copic Sketch Markers are perfect for drawing, doodling, illustrating and sketching. With both fine and wide tips, you can easily use these markers for drawing borders and cartoons in different colors. Just like regular marker pens, they can also be used for writing, as well.
- If you are a beginner or working on something complicated, it is recommended that the user draws the outline lightly with a pencil and then go over the lines with the markers; however, if you are confident of your skill, you can start with the marker pens directly.
These sketch markers are mostly used for the drawing and the doodling part, not for coloring. After you are finished drawing with Copic Sketch Markers, they should be filled up (if needed) with Copic Wide Markers or Copic Classic Markers.
Just like the rules of coloring, it is important to start with the light colors first and then the darker shades.
As these Sketch Markers are available in more than 350 colors, you can experiment with colors and shades, even add depths to your shades with all the options. A colorless blender marker can be used to blend the colors together as well.
- Copic Ciao Markers are the cheapest options of all Copic markers, and they can be used for almost anything. They can hold the most ink and can be used for a long time; they can be refilled more than 15 times before you get new markers.
- With 180 color options, these are beginner marker pens that can be used for writing, marking, decorating, coloring, doodling and illustrating. They are the marker pens given to children for coloring and drawing as they happen to be child-friendly.
- Anyone can use these Ciao Markers in their illustrations, work or school-related activities. The Copic Classic Markers too can be used for a variety of coloring, illustrating and drawing jobs, just like any of the other markers from Copic.
- You can also use your Copic Classic Markers or any other Copic Markers to make different designs on your rubber stamps. If you have a blank rubber stamp, you can use the finer tips of your Copic
- Markers to draw designs on your rubber stamp, in any color or pattern. The color needs to be dried for a few minutes on your rubber stamp when you are done drawing. Spray some rubbing alcohol from a can over your design which will help to re-wet the colors, every time you need to use it.
You can also spray from a misting bottle instead of from a bottle of rubbing alcohol. After each application of alcohol mist or rubbing alcohol, you can use the rubber stamp at least twice to leave a stamp on paper.
If you want better quality or if you want the color of the design to stay the same, apply the mist before every single use.
- If used and handled properly, these Copic Markers can be used for a long time without replacing them. The caps need to be kept on the markers at all times when not in use, and the pens need to be stored horizontally and vertically.
- The caps are airtight and they will keep the ink inside the markers safe, even when you accidentally leave them someplace extremely hot or cold.
- Refilling a Copic Marker is quite easy; anyone can do it even when they haven’t done anything like it before. Every copic marker has a single ink reservoir, so you can refill the entire marker from the wide end.
- All you need to do is to hold the refillable marker pen at an 45 degree angle, and drop around 15 to 20 drops of Copic ink to the wide ip. It is important that you allow each drop of ink enough time to be absorbed into the nib before you add the next drop of ink.
Also, it is important that you add the colors only to the correct marker pens, i.e. if you are refilling from B99 (an extremely dark shade of Blue), it should only be refilled to a marker pen that housed B99 ink before.
Remember to place an old newspaper or a piece of paper under your pens when you are refilling your pens, because there might be some dripping.
Conclusion
Copic markers aren’t very different from the other kind of markers that we’ve used for different kinds of drawing, painting, coloring, doodling and illustrating.
However, Copic Markers are definitely of a much higher-quality than other brands, preferred by professionals and amateurs alike. If used properly, each of the Copic Marker pens you own can last years and years, even with regular use.
