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How do you think Distress markers will compare to Tombow dual brush markers?
I'm ready to make a purchase of water based markers, and I'm trying to figure out which I want to buy. I have almost all of the distress ink pads and really love them. I was thinking of buying the package of all the distress markers then I came across Tombows. I've watched a ton of videos on using them, and now I'm thinking maybe from both a cost and variety of color options standpoint it might be better to buy the Tombows? I'd love any opinions!
I would suggest holding off buying any markers until people who pre-ordered Tim Holtz markers get theirs and can tell us the real difference.
From what I have read and seen the Tim Holtz markers are water based and have a brush tip similar to a Copic marker. They will be available in the full range of Tim Holtz Distress colors.
When people actually have the TH markers they can answer this better.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
I would suggest holding off buying any markers until people who pre-ordered Tim Holtz markers get theirs and can tell us the real difference.
From what I have read and seen the Tim Holtz markers are water based and have a brush tip similar to a Copic marker. They will be available in the full range of Tim Holtz Distress colors.
When people actually have the TH markers they can answer this better.
Mine arrived today. No time to play yet. They have a fine, hard tip & a soft, brush tip.
I've seen the few videos online of Tim's demo at CHA but of course having no experience with any sort of water color/based marker I'd love to hear from those who've used the Tombows and of course from anyone lucky enough to already have their Distress markers too
Since you love Distress Inks I think the Distress markers would be a better purchase.
The Tombow markers are just standard watercoloring markers. They are really great but Tim has made the Distress marker's to match the formulas for his inks. I think Tim's markers would be a better buy.
Actually I was thinking the same thing last night, plus that way if I wanted to easily color a background and have matching colors for smaller areas or accents I'd be all set if I stuck with Distress Inks, and I could always pick up individual Tombows if there was a color I felt I was missing/needing.
Can't wait to see some comments/photos/videos once people receive and start playing with their distress markers!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lylacfey
Since you love Distress Inks I think the Distress markers would be a better purchase.
The Tombow markers are just standard watercoloring markers. They are really great but Tim has made the Distress marker's to match the formulas for his inks. I think Tim's markers would be a better buy.
I can only tell you about my Tombows, since I don't have the distress markers. I have had them since 1995, and they are still perfect, and I have done a LOT of coloring with them. The brush tips are so wonderful to use. And the blender pens are great (if you decide to go with the Tombows, I would purchase a blender pen for each color family). I have all the colors; I think there were 146 originally, but it seems they only have 95 colors available now, plus the blender.
I'm sure the distress markers will be great, as I love the distress inkpads. But I would feel very limited with only 36 colors, plus white.
I guess you need to decide how many colors you need!
__________________ Linda E
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I took an online "watercoloring with Tombow's" class and love the markers for that purpose. You start out with the lighter color then build up from there.
From what I've seen from Tim Holtz's videos about his new markers, they look really cool. You can wet them to watercolor and blend, but they hold their color and wont get muddy. Or, you can apply different colors onto a stamp, then stamp, then use the waterbrush to get a watercolor look. So essentially you can use a red and blue marker directly onto say a butterfly stamp, then after you stamp the image go over it with the wet brush. This will sort of blend the colors a bit, but won't give you a purple muddy mess.
I don't know if I'm making any sense, and I apologize if I'm confusing anyone I'm only on mug #2 of coffee.
Tim of course describes it a lot better in the Youtube video I watched from this past CHA yesterday:grin:
Candi,
When I use Tombow's for watercoloring I generally use three colors in the same family. For example, if I'm coloring a leaf, I'll use a light, medium and dark green. The colors do stay vibrant.
I have not tried watercoloring with colors that are on different points of the color wheel. Meaning, watercoloring with a red & blue for example..
Thank you for the reply! My wallet is afraid I might have to get the distress markers AND some tombows Good thing its not only my b'day but also our 10th anniversary in a couple months!
Quote:
Originally Posted by craftymel
Candi,
When I use Tombow's for watercoloring I generally use three colors in the same family. For example, if I'm coloring a leaf, I'll use a light, medium and dark green. The colors do stay vibrant.
I have not tried watercoloring with colors that are on different points of the color wheel. Meaning, watercoloring with a red & blue for example..
I have had a great response with people wanting these distress markers. I have not had any customers actually use them yet, but from what I can deduct, they are going to be very popular. I cannot wait till i get them in stock!
I use Tombow and love them! Like has already been mentioned above you can color from lightest to darkest to get the depth of color you want. They can be blended with the colorless blender that comes with each set (and is sold separately) or can be watercolored traditionally with water and brush.
You can also color on a rubber stamp the areas that you want specific colors on and "huff" on the stamp to remoisten the ink and then stamp.
You can color with direct to paper (color on paper and then blend) or indirect (where you color on a CD or other plastic item and pick the color up with the blender pen or watercolor brush, for a lighter look.)
I have not used the Distress Pens, so cannot answer any questions about them.
thank you for all the great responses. I bet so many of us are on the edge of our screens waiting for people to start posting photos/videos of Tim's markers in use, I am surprised that neither Tim nor Ranger have released anything other then the CHA previews.
Honestly from those who use Tombows it sounds like the Distress markers (from what we've seen of the CHA preview) will be very similar. I suppose I just need to decide which ends up being a better value for the money for me.. leaning towards a set of Distress and filling in any colors I feel are lacking with some Tombows best of both worlds that way. It would be wonderful if J's or M's ever got them (and we could use one of those big discount coupons) eh? Do either carry the Tombows?
Hobby Lobby carries Tombow, if you have one of those. I know Tombow has an account with Michaels, but we do not have one near to me to know what exactly Michael's carries of Tombow products.
I watched the tutorial that Tim did with these new markers, they do look interesting.. Since I own pencils and copics, I think I may end up getting this whole set for my birthday . Just waiting for others to get them and see what they think..
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Rebekka
The pull towards Tim Holtz Distress markers has to be that they match the ink! But, for me, I can't say enough about the quality and durability of Tombow Markers. Years of use and they are still perfect, whereas my SU, CTMH and Marvy markers have ALL frayed nibs.
My husband is a professional caricature artist. He has been using Tombows for over 20 years. He still has some of the original ones from back then that still work! I started using them when I started stamping. I use TH Distress inks and I am always able to find a good match with the Tombows. I use Copics a lot, but I still go back to the good old Tombow markers often! You can't go wrong with them. We get them @ Art Supplies, Craft Supplies, Artist Materials, Kids' Crafts and more | MisterArt.com.
I am in love with the idea of these markers. I do wonder about the longevity of them though.Also I had a thought( not sure if it has been mentioned here yet) but I wonder if you can refill them with the Distress re-inkers? I read somewhere that you can refill the SU! Markers with their reinkers..so I am *thinking* that maybe you could do the same with the DI reinkers?? If not, I don't think it will be a huge drawback. I am not sure that I will pre order..or wait until I hear some reviews from actual people on here first. I do like to know what everyone here thinks of something before I invest in it HA .
Oh my other question..can't remember who said it on here , was Can you use any kind of paper with them? I don't want to have to order special paper. Can anyone remember if Tim said anything about that in the video? That would be a dissapointment for sure. I wonder if they will loose some of the fluidity and blendability on regular cardstock? Or if they would work on regular water color paper? I mean they are *watercolor* markers for all intents and purposes..
I can't wait to hear from some of you who bought them..
ALSO..Oh my Crafts has them on sale right now for the preorder PLUS they have a % off for Leap day..I believe if memory serves me correct..they were less than $90 if you ordered. Can someone tell me how exactly a "pre order" works?
I got my set of distress markers yesterday! I made a new chart of all my distress inks. Each one is stamped, then stamped again without reinking, and now there is also a scribble of the matching marker, too. There are a couple that aren't exact matches, but all the rest are perfect matches.
The lids on the ends of the markers are sort of disappointing, tho. Some of them are waaaay off from the actual color which is going to make it hard to just quickly grab the one I want out of the container. :(
Now I just need some time to actually stamp and color with them and to try out the white one that looked so cool in his video...
__________________ "When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad, and that is my religion."
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I've playing with my set of distress markers and so far I'm not impressed. The don't blend but I can make them bleed (sound kind of mean)LOL
I've several different brands of paper and I don't see anything different than any other water based marker. So far, Copics are much better.
If you haven't bought them yet, like others have said hold off. I watched Tim's CHA videos but I haven't searched for more. Off to find someone who can show me why I didn't just wasted $90.
Also, I agree that the colors are not the same as the pads and the pens feel flimsy. The brush tip is nice but I wonder if it will hold up or fray.
I'll come back and share if I find out that they are wonderful
I've playing with my set of distress markers and so far I'm not impressed. The don't blend but I can make them bleed (sound kind of mean)LOL
I've several different brands of paper and I don't see anything different than any other water based marker. So far, Copics are much better.
If you haven't bought them yet, like others have said hold off. I watched Tim's CHA videos but I haven't searched for more. Off to find someone who can show me why I didn't just wasted $90.
Also, I agree that the colors are not the same as the pads and the pens feel flimsy. The brush tip is nice but I wonder if it will hold up or fray.
I'll come back and share if I find out that they are wonderful
I may have misspoken re: inkssential is not a specialty coating :oops: Here is Ranger's description "This unique, matte coated surface accepts a variety of mediums for creative crafting techniques." with the operative word being 'unique'.
Well, based on your experiences so far, maybe I should have waited - I just placed an order for the distressed marker set this afternoon :shock: t!m in his video was (of course) using the Ranger Specialty paper. I saw your message where you said the distress markers didn't blend well on the glossy paper. I just googled coated paper and the matte said it was good for blending but it did not say with markers...it said chalk, and 2 other things I don't remember.
__________________ "May your mind whirl joyful cartwheels of creativity." - Jonathan Lockwood Huie.
I have had my Tombows since 2009 and with the exception of the last couple of months of not stamping they have been used daily. All of my markers are in fantastic condition and I can't say enough good things about them With that said, I have been living under a rock for the past few months and don't know anything about the distress markers and how they would differ ;) Sorry I can't be much help with those ;)
With the tombows they are like water colouring with actually watercolours. Red + blue = Purple for instance and that is how you can extend your 95 colours to all hues of the rainbow. I find that if you water colour on watercolour paper specifically and DO NOT use a blender pen (just a waterbrush) then your inks will stay bright and true, however if you use a blender pen then it dulls the brightness.
Just my 2 cents but I would certainly be interested/tempted to try new goodies so I can't wait to hear the feedback on the Distress Markers. And now I'm off to google the tutorial on them ;)
I pre-ordered them a couple of weeks ago... then in a moment of "what was I thinking spending all that money on markers" I did more reading, and googling, and watching videos and while I think they do look nice I cancelled my pre-order... the tombows from what everyone said here, and all my reading/watching, are excellent and have a far wider range of colors so I think I'm going to pick and choose the ones I want of those and go from there. I already have almost off of Tims distress pads so I could always use water brush with the actual pads if I want a specific color. Now to find the best prices on the Tombows (it never ends does it? LOL)
I pre-ordered them a couple of weeks ago... then in a moment of "what was I thinking spending all that money on markers" I did more reading, and googling, and watching videos and while I think they do look nice I cancelled my pre-order... the tombows from what everyone said here, and all my reading/watching, are excellent and have a far wider range of colors so I think I'm going to pick and choose the ones I want of those and go from there. I already have almost off of Tims distress pads so I could always use water brush with the actual pads if I want a specific color. Now to find the best prices on the Tombows (it never ends does it? LOL)
No it never ends with product choices. There are so many lines of "everything" that is the problem. Well, a problem and a great thing in a lot of ways. But, I find that I just have to evaluate if I truly do need more. I love the Tombow markers but the colors of the Distress Inks I absolutely love , love, love, too. And when I am in the middle of a project I just want to grab the right color to match and go with it. I use the Distress Inks almost exclusively; have been using the same pads for well over 8 years and have not had to reink them! I haven't received my order yet for the new DI markers so I can't comment on how good the pens are.
Just a little reminder that the Distress Markers are not an exact match to the distress inks. The names are the same but the colors are a muted version of the ink pads.
Now that its been a good while since distress markers have been out what are thoughts on them now? I have the full set of Tombow and use them a ton but still wonder about the distress markers. How have they held up on not drying out or nibs fraying? Would love to hear if you still love them.
I'm still not a fan. Several of mine dried out and I didn't go back to Ranger for a replacement since I didn't want more. I can't really say if the tips are good or bad since I don't use them as often as other markers. I'm thinking of selling the rest of the good ones in my garage sale. This was one of the purchases where I let myself be swayed by the demo.
I prefer Marvy brush markers for coloring on stamps and Tombow.
What I do love are the Tim Holtz rinses. I put them in a palette and once they evaporate a bit they make a great watercolor. I use them the same as you would a marker only I have to use a paint brush. The colors are more vibrant.
Thank you for your feedback stamphappy1650. I have been a bit worried about them drying out from comments here and there and they aren't super inexpensive. I do love my Tombows and I think many colors are very close. Anyway...thanks for saving me some money!
I wonder if the drying out is a humidity problem, as over here in the UK- where humidity is NEVER going to be an issue- we aren't seeing the same problem of the markers drying out. I do wonder if any of it was also down to the initial advice, which was actually given by Tim, that it did not matter how they were stored- vertical or horizontal. Clearly it did, because after a while the advice changed to horizontal only. I've had mine since they first were released, and have had no problem with any of them drying out, not any issue with tips and nibs.
I wonder if the drying out is a humidity problem, as over here in the UK- where humidity is NEVER going to be an issue- we aren't seeing the same problem of the markers drying out. I do wonder if any of it was also down to the initial advice, which was actually given by Tim, that it did not matter how they were stored- vertical or horizontal. Clearly it did, because after a while the advice changed to horizontal only. I've had mine since they first were released, and have had no problem with any of them drying out, not any issue with tips and nibs.
Hmmm...interesting thoughts that may explain some things. I live in a very dry climate and I do remember the initial it doesn't matter how they are stored advice. Good to know you haven't had any problems. I may still cave at some point and buy some! Thanks for your help!
I wonder if the drying out is a humidity problem, as over here in the UK- where humidity is NEVER going to be an issue- we aren't seeing the same problem of the markers drying out. I do wonder if any of it was also down to the initial advice, which was actually given by Tim, that it did not matter how they were stored- vertical or horizontal. Clearly it did, because after a while the advice changed to horizontal only. I've had mine since they first were released, and have had no problem with any of them drying out, not any issue with tips and nibs.
It could the difference in humidity but my other markers are stored in the same place and they aren't drying out. I've had some of my markers for 10 years and they are still juicy. It does get hot here in No. California so I would think all my water-based markers would dry out. I store all my markers horizontally because it just makes more sense that I don't want the ink to flow to one specific end.
Leah, glad to help you save some $$ - I'm usually an enabler : )
I've disliked my Distress markers almost from the first day they arrived. Several were way too dry to even attempt to color an image. I should've sent them back, but thought I would learn to like the ones that worked. What a waste of money they were! I've recently started to collect some Tombow brush markers and so far love them. Does anyone know if they should be stored vertically or horizontally, or maybe it doesn't matter?? Thank you!
P.S. .... my dry Distress markers isn't from a lack of humidity ... we have a LOT of high humidity in our part of South Dakota!
I have a lot of different markers including a couple Distress markers, but I much prefer the Tombow. They used to be a bit pricey, but nothing like Copics. I've had most of mine for over 15 years & none of them has gone dry. Buy one and see how you like it.
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How do you think Distress markers will compare to Tombow dual brush markers?
my distress markers arrived!
