Hi! I wanted to show you my latest art score! These are Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Markers, and I’m in love with them.
I’ve done a lot of research on various markers. Here’s what I was looking for:
1) Vibrant color. I didn’t want a light wash of color that I would need to layer repeatedly.
2) Dual-point nibs, with a fine nib on one end, and a brush pen on the other.
3) Smooth color transfer, with minimal streaking.
My first inclination was to get Copic markers, as these have long been beloved by professional artists. Refillable? Yep. Replaceable nibs? So cool! But, I didn’t like the chisel nib that’s paired with the brush nib in their dual-point Copic Premium Artist Markers
So I was pleased to hear about the Prismacolor Premier Double-Ended Art Markers, Fine and Brush Tip set. I’ve been a fan of Prismacolor colored pencils for years (who isn’t?!), but hadn’t tried their markers before. These are nicely pigmented with a dye-based alcohol ink, which means they’re great for blending. (But don’t worry, they don’t have an odor like Sharpies!) It has the brush & fine nib combo, which is fantastic for lettering. There are so many gorgeous colors, for a total of 72 markers. It also came with a tray organizer in the box, so you can store the markers horizontally for longer life.
Here are the potential drawbacks you should be aware of before ordering:
1) These bleed through thin paper. If you’re using these in a coloring book, it will bleed through to the back page. For other projects, place a piece of scratch paper beneath your work, or use a heavier paper like Bristol.
2) When you start coloring an area, finish it immediately. If you color half, then come back in an hour to color the rest, any overlapping strokes will be darker (since you’re adding another layer of color, rather than blending).
3) There’s no opaque white. I believe an opaque white paint-style pen is included in some of the other Prismacolor marker sets, but not this one.
4) There are 3 blacks (PB-98). Which is probably handy long-term, but be aware you’re really just getting 70 different shades.
Nevertheless, these markers work beautifully for my hand lettered projects, and I’d buy them again in a heartbeat. Although, I may not need to… I’ve gotten comments on Instagram from other artists who say they’ve been using the same set for decades!
I’ve also made up a free printable color reference chart that you can fill in yourself! You can use it for your colored pencils, too.
And, here are some cool Pokemon my daughter drew with Microns & Prismacolors. Because, POKEMON!
