Markers are a dime a dozen. Well not really, they’re a sizable investment. So before you pour the many pennies it takes to build a solid marker collection, it pays in money and time to know what’s good and what’s not-so-great. There are a lot of brands competing to be their version of the best marker available, and many of them come up short.
We’ve curated a list of the top three marker brands and a runner-up to help guide coloring enthusiasts on where to invest for the best.
The best quality markers for adult coloring are The highly acclaimed Copic Sketch Markers series, followed by the Blick Studio Art Brush Markers, and the rising influence of Ohuhu Brush Markers. We’ve also included the Altenew Artist Markers sets as a dark-horse pick.
Copic Sketch Markers
Copic Sketch Markers are highly praised amongst the artist community and are often the first choice for professional artists and colorists. Copic Sketch Markers feature a professional-grade ink that doesn’t over-bleed or appears wildly different from the color value swatched on the outside of the pen. Each marker has a unique numeric color value, meaning no duplicates.
You don’t need 120+ markers where by sheer probability duplicate colors are bound to appear. The ink in Copic markers allows artists to get excellent mileage out of their purchase because of how well the alcohol-based pigment overlaps itself to create darker values reducing the amount of overall blending needed to create stunning gradients.
Physically Copic Sketch Markers are oblong shapes to lay flat on the table without rolling off. Copic Sketch Markers are one of the few markers where the ink that comes out matches up to the color swatch on the caps of the markers. These markers feature arguably the best brush nib as well, not too soft like a paintbrush, and not too hard like a felt-tip Sharpie.
Replaceable nibs and refillable inks are available for all of their markers, meaning the markers become less expensive over time since the replacement pieces are typically cheaper than buying a new marker. 1.8 cc’s of fluid ink replacement costs anywhere between $4.49 to $5.39, and replacement nibs cost between $3.26 to $5.59 at most online, art, and retail stores. Over the long term, especially if you plan on laying down a lot of ink, these markers will become more affordable.
A set of 3 values to one color is approximately $18.00, whereas full sets of 72 markers can run up to approximately $421.20, both at wholesale prices, retail will be more expensive whether it be online or storefront.
Ink refits used to be 25 cc’s however in the past year Copic has reduced the size of their refills to only 12 cc’s per refill for the same cost as the previous 25 cc refill, you pay the same price for half the product, not a cool a business move Copic.
Blick Studio Brush Markers
Blick, specifically and ONLY the Studio Brush Markers are the most comparable duplicate markers to the golden-child Copic Sketch Markers. This is the hobbyist’s marker that can produce professional-grade results. Even pro-artists will use these as a go-to for experimenting when not interested in wasting Copic ink, and for the many eyes that have seen Blick Studio Brush Markers ink used by Copic loyalists, there is virtually no visible difference in the color quality on the page.
The Blick Studio Brush Markers are both more affordable than their Japanese counterparts with many of the same features and even a similar hexagonal shape. The brush nib is not only similar in feel to the leading Copic brush but lasts longer.
The ink comes out a little heavier so the bleed is more intense, and the lightfastness is even shorter, but all markers by their nature fade quickly under UV light due to the alcohol-based ink. The ink dispersion is great for creating bold gradients and heavy blends. The bigger sets come with a safe and organized acrylic hard case that many other brands sadly overlook.
Sets of 6 markers typically sell for $12.59, and a larger set of 96 for $209.29. Ink refills cost $6.75 across the board (though Blick is always offering coupons to their customers) for a full 25 cc’s of fluid ink, and replaceable nibs either brush or chisel cost between $2.88 to $5.50 for 3 nibs.
Ohuhu Dual-Tip Brush and Chisel Markers
Ohuhu has made a splash in the next generation of up-and-coming artists and hobbyists and for good reason. The dual-tip brush and chisel Ohuhu Markers contain highly pigmented ink for the artist in us not willing to put up with subpar ink. And just like all other top-quality markers, Ohuhu ink does not smudge. That said, streaking may occur but not to the same degree as lesser markers most certainly will. Since 2019 Ohuhu has updated their organized coding system similar to Copic’s, but not as meticulous.
Large sets are easily available for affordable prices. Their smallest set costs anywhere from $25.49 to $30.00 for a set of 48 markers, or a full 120 markers for anywhere between $95.99 to $100.00, with no duplicates. That said, unlike our top two choices, these markers are not refillable, the nibs are reversible so if the brush tip begins to fade you can switch the end of the nib, but no refills and no nib replacements.
When it comes to visuals, these markers tend to produce lighter tones of ink similar to Copic markers, however, Ohuhu requires more overlaying coverage to achieve a darker value from any single color. On the plus side, the lighter value ink layers allow for better blending and gradient opportunities before the paper begins to mush holding on to all that pigment. However, though the ink and the feel of Ohuhu Dual Tip Brush and Chisel Markers are excellent, the durability of these markers is not.
Where Copic’s and Blick Studio markers will last due to both construction and sustainability, Ohuhu’s brush tips tend to fray after a few weeks of heavy use as reported by more than a handful of users. You can reverse the nib, but after both sides have seen the worst, or the ink runs dry, it’s time for a new marker.
Altenew Artist Markers
Frequently overlooked, Altenew Artist Markers are a surprising joy to color with. They last a long time, are sustainably built, and pack decent variations for a large choice of color packs. Altenew Artist Markers are triangular shapes that won’t roll off the table. They come with a flexible and soft-feeling brush nib as well as forgoing the chisel for a finer, detail-oriented bullet nib.
With practice, Altenew Artist Markers can produce the same effects as Copic’s. The darker marker tones pool more than brands such as Copic, or Ohuhu, and when used efficiently these markers can produce a wide difference in the dark to light gradients. However, these are the most streaky markers on the list because of the heavy pooling in darker tones.
Though these markers cause the most streaks out of any on this list, a quick blending job and some practiced coloring hands quickly squash those streaks. The ink in these markers is still top quality despite needing a little bit of practice to make the most of it.
Starter sets of two or three markers cost $14.99, and specialty sets of 12 markers cost $44.99. Single color refills cost $5.99, full 12-marker set refills cost either $68.29 and larger 24-marker sets cost $134.42. Nibs are also replaceable for $5.99.
Check out our article on CHEAP markers HERE.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about water-color markers?
If you haven’t noticed by now, all the markers on this list are alcohol-based, this is because by a large, alcohol-based markers produce bolder colors, and most importantly are far less streak-laden than water-based markers.
Water-color markers aren’t completely useless, they’re just more niche for achieving an opaque look without using actual watercolors which are typically more unwieldy than markers.
If Copic Markers are the most used by professionals, why consider anything else?
Well first off, though we swear by the words on this page, “the best,” is always subjective. I love Copic’s, professional artists hail them, and viewers are always pleased to see their presence on the page.
However, no marker is perfect, and where Copic has a lot of ground covered, I’ll admit on a personal level that I and the coloring circle of friends I gather with use either Blick Studio Brush or the Ohuhu Dual-Tip Brush markers more.
It’s one thing to be the preferred artist’s marker by product alone, however not every coloring job is a Copic job. Sometimes it’s nice just to color without sweating about wasting expensive and pseudo-sustainable Copic Markers.
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