Tombow Markers

[sarahebo]

Has anyone had any experience using tombow markers? How do they differ from SU markers?

[havonfamily]

Hello I have Tombow Markers, but I don't know anything about SU's Markers. But I will say that I am in love with the Tombows very, very much! I emailed a nice SCSer here who has AMAZING Tombow colored cards, her name is Kim T, and asked her alot of questions about Tombows. Here is her blog : http://paperintheworks.blogspot.com/
She is very nice and she has plenty of great advice just ask her and she is gracious and answers pretty quickly I hope this helps

[babydal57]

I've used both. I think they are both water-based markers. So the main difference between SU and Tombo would be the colors.

I *love* having the colors from SU that are the perfect match to my cardstock and accesorites. I'm a matchy-matchy kind of gal. ;)

[scrapgalGR]

I've been using the Tombow dual tip markers for about two years until I switched to copics.The main reason for this change was the fact that the Tombow markers pill the paper, no matter how lightly I blended, and I've tried all kinds of watercoloring paper. Don't know anything about the SU thought, never tried them.

[havonfamily]

Hello ScrapgalGR,
I know what you mean, my paper pills when I try to blend too much. It's all in the paper, plus if too much water is used, it will pill anyway. But Kim T suggested a really great watercolor paper, and since then my paper pilling has been cut down considerably. I am still learning, but I'm getting better at avoiding the problem. It's the blending that's hard for me

Total side note here (I don't want to hijack the thread), but I've been to Greece and LOVED it!! Athens was so Beautiful!!! My husband & I tried to see the Parthenon, but there was a strike that day amongst the city workers :(

[scrapgalGR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by havonfamily

Hello ScrapgalGR,
I know what you mean, my paper pills when I try to blend too much. It's all in the paper, plus if too much water is used, it will pill anyway. But Kim T suggested a really great watercolor paper, and since then my paper pilling has been cut down considerably. I am still learning, but I'm getting better at avoiding the problem. It's the blending that's hard for me

Total side note here (I don't want to hijack the thread), but I've been to Greece and LOVED it!! Athens was so Beautiful!!! My husband & I tried to see the Parthenon, but there was a strike that day amongst the city workers :(

Unfortunatelly I couldn't find any paper that wouldn't pill, and I had tried all the major brands, so in the end I got really frustrated with them, although their colors are great!

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip to Athens, so sorry to hear you were not able to visit Parthenon because of the strike, public services in Greece have their own mind and it really sucks to have visitors from around the planet and not allow them to visit the monuments because the employees have a dispute with the goverment...

[uncbballfan]

After you stamp your image, spray it lightly with a matte sealer. This will keep your paper from pilling and the sealer helps your blending because the ink doesn't soak into the paper so quickly. A matter sealer also works if you're printing digi stamps on an inkjet printer to prevent the ink from smearing. I've used Tombows for years and never had a problem once I started using the sealer. I don't use this method for watercolor paper, just regular cardstock.

[budoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahebo

Has anyone had any experience using tombow markers? How do they differ from SU markers?

Tombow makes the SU markers...I know that much!

[mycraftyideas]

I have found that I get a better blend if I scribble the colours onto a non-porous surface like an acrylic block and pick up the colours using my brush instead of adding the colours directly onto the paper with the markers. The markers always leave a streak of colour when I do that and it is very difficult to blend it all out. With the technique of picking up the colours using a brush, I find that I can use most papers to achieve the watercolour look very easily.

[Scrapjanny]

I don't know if this is something you'd want to try, but I've done it with very good results. You can use pencils to blend in colors after you've used markers. There's no pilling; and it adds shading, depth, and dimension to your colored images. Just another option to consider. Have fun experimenting.

[KatarinaM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by budoo

Tombow makes the SU markers...I know that much!

I've never been able to confirm this but I'm pretty sure EK Success makes SU's markers. I remember the ZIG markers that were out way back in the day, and they were nearly identical. Check out this article.
I have both SU and Tombow markers, and they just feel different, color differently, etc.

[guitargerle]

I have both markers and I find that the Tombows blend more micely than the SU markers. I layer the different colours on top of one another and then blend. Or paint after scribbling the marker on a CD. Depends on the cardstock. Watercolour paper is the best and SU whisper white is next best. But watercolour is soooo much better. I think I will try the workable fixative or matte sealer trick mentioned.

[scrapgalGR]

Great technique tips ladies, TFS!

[jellybean74]

I have Tombow Markers and LOVE them. They are the best investment I have ever made. I have thought about switching to Copics but absolutely love the vibrancy you can get with Tombows. I use my Tombows to watercolor and use one of the Strathmore lines of their watercolor paper (it has a brown cover - I'll find it and let you know exactly which one it is). I never get any pilling at all with this paper when using a waterbrush or the blender pen.

If you are using Tombows on regular cardstock you will definitely get pilling if you are using your blender pen or a waterbrush.

Kim Teasdale aka blondie090277 uses Tombows as well and her stuff is absolutely amazing. It's all about practice and experimenting. Don't give up on your Tombows - you'll love them.

Here is a tutorial about Tombows:
http://clearlyistamp.typepad.com/my_...r-markers