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I'm toying with the idea of buying myself Copics for Christmas. It seems like a huge expense for markers so I'm having trouble justifying the purchase. I was hoping to find a great Black Friday deal, do you know of one? And was also hoping for the guidance of what the best set is to start with. TIA!
__________________ Shannon
"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." - Nin
Copics are out of my price range. I decided to get Spectrum Noirs. They work the same to me and I can get a set of 6 for what I would pay for one Copic. maybe if I were an artist I would invest more but for the amount of coloring I do these will work for me.
I'm toying with the idea of buying myself Copics for Christmas. It seems like a huge expense for markers so I'm having trouble justifying the purchase. I was hoping to find a great Black Friday deal, do you know of one? And was also hoping for the guidance of what the best set is to start with. TIA!
I wouldn't necessarily start out with a set. Most sets don't come with blending groups, so I would figure out what colours you use the most and then pick your colours from there. For example, I tend to do a lot of florals, so I chose 3 shades of red (light, medium, and a dark), 3 shades of pink, and 3 shades of green - after I made the mistake of buying a set of 12 thinking I would be able to work with them, but I wasn't able to do any shading. I would build on my set from there and I now have well over 200 markers.
At least that's what my advice would be to someone starting out with copics.
ETA: I would also get a blending pen - its colourless and it actually doesn't do any blending... it removes colour.
I got most of my thru Joannes.com. When they have a sale they are 40% off. And I just buy a few at a time. That is easier than getting them one at a time at Hobby Lobby w/ a coupon.
When I started buying copics, (since they say you should buy them in groups of 3's, about 2 numbers apart, i.e. R81,R83,R85) I would buy 3 at a time. So it was about $20. That way it wasnt so bad. If I had more money, I would buy more but I would buy in groups. I started with skin color. After that, I would pick a stamp that I wanted to color and would start buying copics that I would be using for that image. I have about 100 now. I just love them! You can get by with a lot less. I have about 23 greens, Im hardly an artist to need all those greens but once you color with them and feel comfortable using them, you just want more, LOL !! The cheapest you can usually find SKETCH markers are for $5.24.
Oh and yes, have to get the blender pen.
Also, like cat woman said, I would also say, dont buy a set.
Go to Pinterest, search copics. See where people list colors they use. When you find blues, reds, pinks etc you like write them down, and get those.
Last edited by ThatGirlThere; 11-29-2013 at 10:26 PM..
but they were an investment and I purchased them over time- and purchased most at Oozak- Rusty is fantastic to purchase from! I purchased Spectrum Noir for 2 of my nieces-(12 and 22 years old) and I think they are great markers. If I were starting now- I would try the SN and see if I liked them. JoAnn and AC Moore carry them- and ACM often has them for $7.88 for a 6 pack. Try these and see if you like alcohol markers. And make sure to get memento tuxedo black ink to stamp with to avoid smearing- and don't forget to get good quality paper- AMC sells the crafters companion/SN paper. I like it- but I also love the copic xpress it blending card and neenah. I learned on Georgia Pacific and it works fine- I just really like the smoothness of the others much better. Good luck and have fin with whatever you decide to try!
Diane
I have collected my Copics over over 3-4 yrs. I found out that you get what you pay for-bought some Spectrum Noir pens and never could get them to blend so was very disappointed with my finished image so gave the pens away and threw out the images and now only use my Copics.
Have bought my pens from many sources - some with coupons or on sale.
I have collected my Copics over over 3-4 yrs. I found out that you get what you pay for-bought some Spectrum Noir pens and never could get them to blend so was very disappointed with my finished image so gave the pens away and threw out the images and now only use my Copics.
Have bought my pens from many sources - some with coupons or on sale.
Good luck-
How do you get copics refilled? I have seen several stores that have carried copics, but never refill information....
Carpe Diem has Copic Sketch on sale for $4.19 each! I think the sale goes through the 2nd.
I have purchased a lot of my Copics from them over the past couple of years... shipping can be a little slow, and I imagine with a sale like this it will be even slower. Worth the wait though!
How do you get copics refilled? I have seen several stores that have carried copics, but never refill information....
You can purchase the bottles of refill ink at places like Oozak, MarkerPOP, Carpe Diem, Joann.com, etc. and refill the markers yourself. Some stamping stores offer refill stations also... I am lucky to have one local to me, and they will refill markers for $1.50 each.
For suggestions of Copics to buy research Suzanne Dean's blog Scrap Bitz. She has a list of markers to use for skin tones, denim, hair color, etc. and lots of tips.
I have Copics and I just bought Spectrum Noir on sale at AC Moore. I played a little with SN and they are nice. I need to play with both types to compare. Has anyone used both together?
I love my Copics and highly recommend the sketch markers! My favorite place to purchase is Oozak.com where they are currently $4.99 each (make a free account and login to see this price), and they have free shipping on orders of $50 or more. I have never experienced anything but excellent service and speedy shipping from Oozak. Not affiliated in any way. Happy coloring! ;)
Another vote for Rusty at Oozak - marvelous service. I definitely would not buy a set. Consider what you like to color and choose your Copics based on that.
Pick a color you like, then go a couple of shades lighter. That will be your basic color; then pick two more, 1 a couple of shades lighter and 1 a couple of shades darker. This should give you a good blending family. And don't neglect the grays - try a #1, #3 and #5 in the in one of the gray families - maybe start with the neutral grays.
And look online for Copic images, on youtube for techniques; my favorite is I Like Markers by Marianne Walker. You can learn so much from browing her site, but I would recommend starting at the beginning.
My favorite paper is the Copic XPress-It Blending cardstock. A little more expensive, but so very worth it in my opinion.
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I'm a Copic fan. I received a Spectrum Noir and I don't like the bullet tip -- I prefer Copic's brush tip. The SN did blend with the Copics but not quite as easily as Copic to Copic.
I buy the lightest color in the range "00, 000, or 0000" because they are great for being able to pick-up another color in the range for blending. An example is R000, R05, R14. I made a color pallet by color the markers on a laminated white piece of cardstock. I write the color number with a Sharpie and the color the marker by the color. I then use the lightest color I have to pick up the ink from the pallet. I also blend colors on the pallet so I don't need as many markers.
Every time I buy a new color I buy the refill ink at the same time. It takes me a little longer to build my supply but it is really worth having the refills. I buy most of my markers from Carpe Diem but will buy at Aaron's or whoever is having a sale. I never buy sets of anything so I can make sure I get colors that blend and that I will actually use. I have about 120 and I'm not feeling the need to add more since I can blend to colors that I use.
I also recommend that if you can buy 1 refill ink, you should buy the blender refill. The blender is the best tool ever because you fix your mistakes, remove color for highlights, and because it removes color it actually can increase the range of colors you need.
I've taken the Copic International classes and I felt it was worth the money to understand how Copics are to be used, learned different techniques, etc. The certification is nice, but I really wanted to learn from the master colorists.
My favorite paper is Cryogen White I buy from Paper Temptress in bulk and the only ink pad I trust is Memento.
Hi! I'm a little late for the sale info, but hopefully I can share some info on buying "sets" that work well for you.
If you are new to Copics, we do offer sets of 3 markers that are perfect for blending. There are ones called Fusion Sets and ones called Blending Trios. You can see a sample HERE.
These are great ways to purchase Copics... that you know will work well together
Something to remember about the cost of Copic Markers is that they are all refillable and the nibs are replaceable, so they are a life-long tool.
Hope you enjoy your Christmas shopping.
__________________ Colleen Schaan - Education Specialist at Imagination International Inc.,/Copic Marker
Blog - Distinctive Touches;My Copic Books!
And don't think you have to buy sketch if that price point is too high. Most of my markers are Ciaos and I refill them all the time. The difference is the barrel shape and the amount of ink they hold. TBH unless you are doing huge canvases or teaching multiple classes etc. I doubt you would notice.
I have a mix. I did replace the few originals I had because I like the brush tip best. I like the barrel on the Ciao and Sketch markers. The Original shape is hard for me to grip because I have small hands.
I have only bought refills for the markers I know I will use most - face and hair colors. I like coloring with them be but I use Prima pencils and Tim Holtz Distress markers also. If I find I use other colors up fast then I will buy those refills but I don't think I will ever buy refills for all the colors but this is my choice.
I just received an email that Addicted to Rubber has 40% off markers and packs of Copics were included. Packs are not the best way to go but you can look...
I recommend Spectrum Noir markers. They are packaged in sets to help you get started - sets of 6 and then you can buy fillers in sets of 24.
I like the way they work better than Copics (which I used to use), they are less expensive, and their numbering/blending system seems to work better for me.
Coveting Copics
