All About Copic Markers

Contemporary artists do not envy their colleagues from the past, because in order to create their masterpieces, they had to work with hand-made paints. Nowadays, you can send to any art store and purchase a variety of paraphernalia for drawing. And it's not just about paints. Today, graphics and anime are very popular, for drawing which special markers are used. The best manufacturer of the presented products is the Copic brand.

Copic is a Japanese art instrument brand... Due to the high quality of the manufactured products, the presented brand has won the recognition of most of the world's artists. But Copic alcohol markers are in special demand among creators of artistic masterpieces of graphics and anime. They were originally invented for the Japanese manga art style, but after a while they were adapted for other types of creativity.

Well, now it is proposed to understand in more detail the features of Copic markers. First of all, they are valued for their quality. They contain permanent, non-toxic ink, thanks to which it is possible to create smooth, smoothly blending different colors.

Copic marker color palette is presented in 358 tones and 5 types of markers themselves.

Plus, the Copic markers can be swapped with the nibs... This is extremely important, because with prolonged use of each individual marker, the drawing rod becomes unusable. However, this happens after 3 years of regular use of markers, such a manufacturer's warranty period.

Copic markers are quite expensive for the cost... The price of one color ranges from $ 3-9.But it's worth it. Although these drawing tools are sold in kits, they can be purchased individually, which is very convenient for most artists. It is the piece purchases that are initially made by people of art who want to try Copic for the first time with their own hands.

For the convenience of its customers, Copic has developed a special color palette of produced markers, where each individual shade is marked. Accordingly, it is not possible to make a mistake when choosing the required color.

Copic professional markers are in significant demand among graphic designers, architects, painters, illustrators and other art lovers.

It is worth understanding in more detail the assortment range of Copic markers. Each art store has a separate shelf displaying all the existing Copic paint markers.... They are exhibited both individually and as a set. Markers are purchased by the piece, one might say, for one-time use. Kits are bought for long-term work.

The cost of the kits varies depending on the number of markers and their series. The most affordable is Copic Classic 12 pcs. They are often acquired by children with artist skills. The more serious the artwork, the more markers the master should have in stock. Modern charts recommend purchasing sets in 128 and 168 colors. Even if a shade is not enough, it can be created by mixing several colors.

For example, Copic Sketch. This is the largest variety of alcohol markers on offer, with 358 colors available. It is them, by the way, that are used exclusively for sketching - a technique for quickly creating a picture, sketch.

Another multi-size palette has a variety Copic Classic. Its tonal map is represented by 214 colors.

Taking apart the assortment of Copic markers it is important to pay special attention to the color system... Alphanumeric values ​​are printed on the body of each marker. Initially it seems that it is impossible to understand them, but it is not so. And so that every novice artist does not get confused in the color scheme, it is proposed to initially understand the letters of the code:

• BV - blue violet - blue-violet;

• V - violet - purple;

• RV - red-violet - red-violet;

• R - red - red;

• YR - yellow-red - yellow-red;

• Y - yellow - yellow;

• YG - yellow-green - yellow-green;

• G - green - green;

• BG - blue-green - blue-green;

• B - blue - blue;

• E - earth tones - earth tones;

• C - cool tones - cool tones;

• T - gray tones - gray tones;

• N - neutral gray tones - neutral gray tones;

• W - warm gray tones - warm gray tones;

• F - fluorescent color of the tone - fluorescent.

The letters are followed by numbers. They also have a certain meaning. However, it will be possible to understand all the nuances only with a specific example. For example BG18. It is important to remember that each figure is a separate indicator. The number 1 in front shows the saturation of the marker ink on a scale from 0 to 9, where 0 is flashy and 9 is pallor. 1 means that the color is bright, has no gray impurity. The second digit indicates the brightness of the tone.

As mentioned earlier, the Copic brand has developed a special color card for the convenience of its consumers. It will be possible to determine what color is needed for work. Moreover, one color has a wide variety of shades. Artists who constantly use the presented markers already understand the color map without prompting.

Let's take a closer look at the Copic marker series, find out what their peculiarity is, what characteristics they differ in.

This refers to the Copic Original series. From the name it becomes clear that this is the original classic of the brand. These markers appeared the very first, and despite such a long existence and the emergence of "competitors", they are still in great demand among artists.

The markers of the presented series are double-sided, the body has a square shape. On one side of the markers, there is a dense, wide-shaped nib, on the other, a rod with a sharp end.

A distinctive feature of this series is a large supply of ink and the presence of additional removable nibs of various shapes and sizes in the amount of 9 pieces. The Copic Original palette card is presented in 214 shades, respectively, each artist will be able to choose the shade necessary for the work.

This series of Copic markers is designed for the creation of high quality art prints and other works of art. The oval shape of the body was to the liking of the craftsmen, since the drawing tool is very comfortable to hold in the hand. Sketch markers are double-sided. A wide tip is installed on one side of the products, on the other - a thin one, somewhat reminiscent of a professional artistic brush.

This series is considered the most complete, since its arsenal includes a card in the form of 358 colors and shades. It is this factor that attracts artists, because in such a wide range of colors, everyone can choose the ideal option for composing their own masterpiece.

The Copic brand series presented here has a lot of distinctive features. First, the cost. Yes, their price is much lower than that of Sketch markers, but the quality is slightly lame. Secondly, it is the only series where the body of the markers has a cylindrical shape. Third, Ciao markers are not color coded.

Another feature of Ciao is its high level of security. Their caps have small holes for air passage, and this has saved the lives of young art lovers more than once. If the child suddenly swallows the cap, it gets stuck in the trachea and does not go further. And thanks to these holes, air enters the child's lungs, and he will be able to wait for the arrival of an ambulance.

In art stores, Ciao Copic markers are available in 156 colors and shades. Not as rich as the Sketch series, but enough for beginners.

On the technical side, Ciao markers are double-sided. On one side there is a flat and wide tip, on the other it is thin, like a brush.

Based on the name of the presented series, it becomes clear that a rather wide tip is installed in the design of these products... Its length is ¾ ", which is a little less than 2 cm. Artists use them for wide-format stripes. In simple terms, for shading the background or large elements of the picture.

The only drawback is the small color map. It contains only 36 colors, among which it is almost impossible to scatter. In addition, Wide markers are single-sided. many novice artists, not knowing this nuance, often refuse to buy markers of this series, believing that they are being deceived, because other Copic variations have coloring tips on both sides.

Another plus of Wide is the ability to change the tip... However, there is no sense in this, because their manufacturer recommends using for painting large-sized elements of an artistic masterpiece.

Analyzing the features of Copic markers, I just want to pick them up and start creating. A large-format sketching sheet is imagined, on which colors fall easily, softly. Each individual element of the picture acquires the required color and shade. This is how one work of art is created, the second, the third. When the warranty expires, colors become faint, dull. This means that the ink inside is running out. The first thought that arises in my head is to throw out the used marker and get a new one. However, it should be discarded immediately as Copic has developed a solution to this problem.

All markers of the supplied brand can be refueled. All you have to do is go to an art store and buy Copic ink of the corresponding color. They are sold in 25 ml containers. It is difficult to say how long such a bottle will last, in this case it all depends on the type of marker that requires refueling. For example, for Copic Classic this bottle is enough for 9 refills. Sketch series markers can be updated 12 times, and Ciao markers 15 times. Wide markers used in large-scale jobs can be refilled with ink from the specified capacity only 7 times.

Consider the methods of refueling markers - direct and drop-by-drop. It is suggested to start with direct technique:

• When refueling Classic markers it is necessary to connect the ink in the container and the drawing tip using a special needle, lightly press on the bottle, squeezing out no more than 3 ml of ink mass.
• For refueling Sketch and Siao markers you need to remove the tip, and then pour ink into the body.
• Fueling the Wide markers will seem more difficult. The drawing tip is removed, 5 ml of ink is poured into the body. In this case, the marker must be maintained at an angle of 45 degrees. In this situation, the ink, getting inside the body of the marker, first accumulates in a separate circular recess, after which it is evenly absorbed into the main rod.

The drip filling method is suitable for all series. For work, you will need to use a special pipette supplied with the ink bottle. The tip is removed from the marker, the body is exposed at an angle of 45 degrees, ink is collected with a pipette and is introduced dropwise inside. Initially, the filling mass is collected in a special recess, after which it is evenly absorbed into the ink rod.

Artists who are actually familiar with refueling methods cannot distinguish which method is more convenient. In both cases, carefulness and patience are required. In the future, the refueled marker becomes like a new one. But do not think that after 2-3 refueling it will be possible to throw it away. No, it's just that the period of the refueled marker differs slightly from the factory production. Copic guarantees that its primary ink products will last 3 years, and after each refueling the markers will run like clockwork for approximately 2 years.