Typically markers are thought of as one of two categories. The childhood Crayola’s that streak across countless printed pages of minions or the bad-boy sharpies that stink up a room and stain a surface with heavy-set pigment. Yet in the world of art, the jump from everyday markers to artist or hobbyist markers is beyond night and day. The quality, style, and even ink in the marker are different enough to show the divide between a high-quality marker and a classroom filler.
Arteza markers are good because of their bold saturation, easy blending, comfortable and informative pen design as well as an included carrying case.
What makes a marker good?
Markers are made of three components. The first is the ink. Marker ink is a 1 to 10% fluid weight water-to-solution mixture. This means that out of the total fluid weight of just the ink solution in the pen, anywhere from 1 to 10% of that fluid weight will be water. The other 99 to 90% will be the solvent mixture typically made with one of the following three categories:
- Alcohol-Based: Markers combing water into alcohol solvents dry quickly to the page making color blending much easier. Though these markers can streak when coloring, typically alcohol-based markers are regarded with limited streaking, which lends to the satisfaction of blending the colors of multiple alcohol-based markers. These markers stink because of the solution, however, they typically produce more vibrant colors than other solutions.
- Water-Based: Typical old school, elementary Crayola’s. Made of water and water glycerin solution, these markers are safe on the skin and acid-free. They produce an opaque look due to their inherent watery nature and will streak unless blended with additional water, or a blending marker. Water-based ink can also blend with alcohol-based ink so long as the water ink is the base layer and the alcohol marker is the top layer of color. This ink style is slow to dry and can damage your paper with saturation causing it to warp if too many color layers are applied.
- Solvent-Based: Not nearly as popular as the previous two, solvent-based markers are more suited for arts and crafts projects over pure coloring. This ink is quick-drying and long-lasting. However, the ink is extremely pungent and quite terrible for your skin upon contact. Because of the strong chemicals in them, these markers excel for going over just about any surface and drying instantly which is why they are so good at arts and crafts projects. However, these markers aren’t built for blending since the solution is so strong and settles in too quickly.
The second component of the marker is the tip or nib of the maker. There’s the fine tip, round/bullet, calligraphy, brush, and broad/chisel.
It’s generally agreed upon that the art community prefers the brush nib over all other nibs. However, a good bullet nib can be just as useful. Chisel nibs are also highly sought after and are commonly included on dual-tipped markers. Fine nib and calligraphy tips are specialty tips that are commonly bought with individual markers or small packs.
The last component of a marker is the case. Usually, plastic tubing is made of a pollster base. They come in a variety of cylindric shapes and the good ones will have labels, both in the form of a color name and associated color or pen number. Additionally, a good case will have an as-accurate-as-they-can-get-it color sample of the marker on the outside somewhere.
Sometimes the cap is built to stack on the bottom end and sometimes it’s not, this is mostly up to personal preference. Lots more artist-style markers may have double-sided ends where one end houses a brush or bullet nib, and the other typically houses a chisel nib.
How does that apply to Arteza markers?
First and foremost the ink in Arteza markers is astonishing. Arteza uses an alcohol-based ink that settles into the page quickly with a vibrant texture. The ink blends excellently with an effortless glide over the page and a smooth, non-streak coloring experience when grading colors into one another.
The case of the pen is also top-notch with a rounded triangle shape perfect for any style of pen holding posture. The plastic is solid and can survive a good number of drops and slips and kicks and skips… within reason of course. The marker caps don’t fit on the back of the pen but I have yet to see any of my friends or other artists utilize the cap-snap options on markers.
Each marker is labeled with a color name and color identification number. Additionally, there is a color swatch ring on the outside of the caps as well as the nib housing being colored corresponding to the marker ink.
What these markers don’t have is a brush nib. If you’re an avid marker fan or an artist with preferences then I’m sorry to say that the highly sought-after brush nip is not available for Arteza markers. Instead, Arteza goes with a dual-sided marker. One end is a strong, classic chisel nib, and the other is a surprising verbose bullet nib. The bullet nip on these Arteza markers is good enough to compete with the prodigious brush nib.
Arteza even includes a durable, organized, and stylish carrying case for your markers that just about every other high-end brand may not include, thus ensuring the safety of your purchase. After all, these markers are typically more expensive than other brands of markers.
Speaking of which, check out the price… $458.99 for a 144 pack, $228.99 for a pack of 72 markers, $118.99 for a pack of 36 markers, and 37.99 for a pack of 12 markers. A bit expensive yes, but trust that the ink alone in these is worth it. The additional carrying case and build of the marker’s shell make it worth it to spend that higher price tag on these markers.
If you are buying on a budget, however, then it’s completely understandable that Arteza’s are too steep of a price. After all, though these makers are excellent for their ink and build, there are plenty of other competitors out there with fantastic products for all financial boundaries.
If the no-brush nib factor or the demanding price is a breaking point for you, no worries, everyone has their preferences and boundaries they need to produce their art. However, if you can work with a bullet nib and don’t mind spending a few handfuls of cash, then we highly recommend getting a set of Arteza’s. The highly saturated ink, the durable and comfortable casing, the significant quality, and the versatility all make Arteza some of the best high-quality markers on the market.
Check out our article on markers HERE!
What Comes in the Box?
First and foremost Arteza’s include a standard array of colors. Red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, brown, and pink with a variety of non-duplicate shades and color-tone variations to fill in the gaps between each standard color. Additionally, the 36, 72, and 144 Arteza marker packs also include a colorless binder excellent for blending colors and smoothing out gradients from one tone to another.
Users can also apply a little bit of rubbing alcohol using a Q-tip, cotton ball, tissue paper, or finger to reactivate the brilliance of the dried ink and blend colors without overusing the colorless blender marker.
Though specialty packs of skin tone, greyscale, and tropical color pallets are sold by Arteza, the standard Everblend packs typically include a small assortment of peach skin tones that can be blended with browns or whites to achieve darker or lighter skin tones. Thankfully the Arteza Everblend markers are made for mixing inks on the page to create complex color shades with high contrast.
Characters, landscapes, animals both realistic and fantastic, and even geometric art are all well within the Arteza agglomeration. Intended for hobbyists and artists alike, Arteza boasts versatility for users to get the most out of their purchases.
Arteza even takes pride in protecting its collection by including a buckled carrying case with loops for each marker to rest in, an inclusion that many other brands sadly overlook. After all, what’s the point of buying a set of markers and then losing a few due to poor organization?
What’s The Verdict?
Though Arteza markers are a little steep on the pocketbook and don’t include a brush tip, the bold saturation, easy blending, comfortable and informative pen design, along an organized carrying case make these markers worth every cent. Not to mention the physical act of coloring with Arteza Everblend makers is a smooth experience for the hands. Make your day or someone else’s by investing in a pack of 12, 36, 72, or full 144 sets of markers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to find Arteza Markers?
The best place to buy a set of Arteza Everblend Markers is directly from the supplier at arteza.com. They even include options to buy additional tips in case a marker gets overused or damaged. No need to buy a whole new marker, just get a new nib and replace the old nib with the help of some tweezers.
Arteza’s can also be bought through art retailers both at physical locations and over the web at stores such as Micheals, Blick Art Materials, or any local art store in your area.
Lastly, the controversial supply chain titan Amazon will also carry an excellent selection of Arteza markers to choose from. Please keep in mind however that not all sets will be available however since the supplies tend to go fast with lots of eager customers buying great art supplies.
What kind of paper to use for marker coloring?
The surface of what you color on is just as important as the tool you color with. In the case of Arteza markers, just about any surface of the paper will do so as long as the paper is not too thin. In other words, most coloring books and pages will be thick enough to properly absorb all the pigment that Arteza markers lay down, but if you’re using standard copy paper or notebook paper then keep in mind that these lighter and flimsier surfaces will be unable to capture all the brilliant saturation of the markers causing the ink to bleed heavily through the paper. If available, card stock is usually the safest bet when it comes to marker coloring.
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