Watercolor Marker Recommendations?

[tjblack3]

I have a plethora of inkpads/markers in dye and pigment based inks, but I am really lacking in watercolor inks. I love the looks people are getting and want to invest, but as a newbie to watercoloring (and not the best color-er anyway!), I'd love to get some recommendations. I've seen Zig Clear Brush Watercolor markers, Marvy Uchida Watercolor Markers and the new Arteza watercolor markers. I'm a seasoned stamper but completely new to watercolor inks. What do you recommend a newbie start with? And did I mention that when I'm in, I am ALL IN? I want to have lots of colors to work with. How many is a good number to start with?

Thanks so much!

[Scrapjanny]

I don't really like watercolor markers. I get better results with a very inexpensive set of watercolor cakes that I bought at Michael's for $5. Then there are the Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor cakes, which are relatively inexpensive. They come in sets of different sizes, so do some research before you buy them. Good luck, and have fun!

[tjblack3]

Thanks for the advice. I hadn't even considered these and think I have a ton of investigation to do. In conversation, someone else mentioned peerless watercolors and those look really interesting to me.

[southgirl]

I have experimented (read that as invested) a lot. The Spectrum Noir Aqua works great, costly but a good product. The Clean Color Zig marker works as well as The Aqua ones. The cost is about the same. Aquas are a bit big and the Zigs are smaller. But here is the big, big info....Crayola markers work just as well. No kidding they are good and the cost? Cheap really really cheap!!! The only difference between Crayola and the others is it has a bullet type nib and they have a brush. Frankly, I think the brush is a tad overrated.

[maryalena]

I have Tombows, Distress markers, and Zigs. I don’t use them nearly as much as I thought I would. I tend to use my watercolors and a water brush or regular watercolor brush. Markers are useful for coloring onto a stamp I guess. I have gansai, Peerless and Daniel Smith watercolors and tend to turn to those and colored pencils. If I were buying any kind of markers I guess I’d buy Copics but that’s a big investment. I only have a couple dozen Copics but I use them.

[tjblack3]

Southgirl and Maryalena,

Thanks for the recommendations. I have a feeling I need to get rid of the notion that I need these markers. I'm thinking I might do better with watercolor brushes and some regular water colors to start with to see if I will use them. I'm like others who have invested heavily in things I think I MUST HAVE and don't use them so I will try the crayola route to see what I think. I really appreciate your comments and advice!

[Scrapjanny]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjblack3

Southgirl and Maryalena,

Thanks for the recommendations. I have a feeling I need to get rid of the notion that I need these markers. I'm thinking I might do better with watercolor brushes and some regular water colors to start with to see if I will use them. I'm like others who have invested heavily in things I think I MUST HAVE and don't use them so I will try the crayola route to see what I think. I really appreciate your comments and advice!

I have the Crayola Super Tips, and I like them a lot. In fact, they blend better than the more expensive markers. The colors are a little more muted, but they're very nice. I bought the 50-pack in Michael's for $5 ($9.99 + a 50% off coupon)!

[c-mouse]

I use watercolor pencils the most.....then aqua brushes and watercolor crayons......after that is is aqua brushes and squishing the lids of my ink pads to place color in the lids and use that.....

[tjblack3]

Scrapjany and C-Mouse,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try the crayolas as the reason I wanted the markers is to use them on AI stamps -- I've been watching their watercoloring videos and really want to give it a try. I've got the watercolor crayons, aqua brushes, watercolor pencils and color burst pencils but nothing is giving me the ability to make these stamps pop. The crayolas may be the answer and if they have 50 colors, I'm in!


I really appreciate all the advice and sharing -- thanks so much!

[wavejumper]

I treat my WC pens the same way as WC paints and regular ink re-inkers that are water-based (ie distress ink) the same way. I scribble/drop on the side and pick it up with a brush. A dear friend gave me some peerless to try. I am not a fan but that's me. I picked up so much from it to get deep color I almost made a hole in it. Maybe I didnt do it right.

So if you have stamp pads with water based ink, you can do that now. Just stamp your work surface or acrylic block and paint from that.

If you are a person who likes a lot of colors...the way I do it would give you the most colors bc you are using many kinds of product.

Having said that-Derwent Inktense pencils give you a big POW of color.

Look at Kristina Werner's blog and Sandy Allnock's-they both do a lot of talking about WC products. Sandy just did a liquid comparison. Kristina will also talk about the paper-which is also very important.

[Soozie4Him]

I just wanted to add that from everything I’ve read, the Zig Clean Color Real Brush pens work best on Bristol Smooth cardstock (Strathmore in yellow coilbound pad). The Arteza brush watercolor markers seem comparable to the Zigs from the reviews I’ve watched on YouTube and are cheaper.

However, you might try using a water brush with ink squeezed onto the lid of your inkpad (if it’s SU ink), or ink smeared on an acrylic block or something similar if they’re not SU inkpads. I’ve been using this method of w’coloring for years and it works quite well!