After over a decade of coloring joy, my favorite marker paper was discontinued.
Now I’m testing new marker papers, hoping to find a suitable replacement.
This paper search isn’t just for me— between my online classes, monthly challenge groups, and my YouTube channel, I teach thousands of students every year how to color with Copic Markers.
Now I’ve purchased 40+ brands and styles of paper, searching desperately for a replacement.
Here are my test results for Ohuhu Bleed Proof Marker Pad.
IS OHUHU BLEED-PROOF MARKER PAD GOOD FOR COPIC MARKERS?
In today’s video, art instructor and professional illustrator Amy Shulke tests Ohuhu Bleed-Proof Marker Pad to evaluate:
How is dual sided paper different from other papers?
Does Ohuhu make a good dual sided paper or are there better examples?
How well do Copic Markers blend on Ohuhu Marker Pad?
Would Ohuhu Markers blend better than Copics on Ohuhu Marker Pad?
Is Ohuhu Marker Pad a good paper for beginners? Is it good for colorists or marker artists?
Plus, Amy shares her coloring process and thoughts as she works with Ohuhu paper.
Demonstration: Coloring a realistic tomato wedge with Copic Markers on Ohuhu Marker Pad
In this series of videos, Amy provides an eye-opening look at popular brands of paper. You'll never look at marker paper the same way again.
Click below to begin video OR watch at YouTube here.
WALK OF SHAME:
PLEASE AVOID THIS PRODUCT AT ALL COSTS
I will not be linking to this truly terrible product in my article today. Here’s what it looks like, please avoid it.
Watch how I struggled to use this paper.
And I have 30 YEARS OF MARKER EXPERIENCE.
If I struggle to work with this paper, how easy will it be for you?
OHUHU BLEED-PROOF MARKER PAD: FACTS & SPECIFICATIONS
I DO NOT RECOMMEND OHUHU BLEED PROOF PAD. If you want Ohuhu paper, please try this better sketchbook instead:
WEIGHT: 150 gsm. / 90 lb. Note: this is extremely thin for a blending style paper.
WARNING: THE WEIGHT OF THIS PAPER IS MISLEADING. At 150gsm, this paper is already on the thin side but with the bleed-proof layer running through the center, it’s best to think of this as two sheets of EXTREMELY thin paper glued back to back. This paper is actually more like 75 gsm from a marker standpoint. See “Absorbency” below for more info.
COLOR: Light gray. Even X-Press It (a notoriously bluish paper) is whiter than Ohuhu Marker Pad
BACK/FRONT: Color on either side
DUAL SIDED: Ink will not bleed through this paper leaving you free to color on both sides. Note: because this paper is so thin, some buckling will occur which technically can damage the the art on the other side. This isn’t color-bleeding through but it does make the page difficult to scan or photograph properly. Professionals should avoid dual side coloring for everything but hobby use.
BLENDABILITY: Terrible. The fibers in this paper should never be used for marker paper.
FINISH: Feels like drawing paper. Rougher than marker paper should be.
SIZING: No. Sizing would be an improvement but Ohuhu always does the bare minimum they can get away with.
LONGEVITY: Who knows— and even if they claimed to be acid free, Ohuhu has a long track record of lies.
COMPOSITION: Label says “mix” but this feels and performs like a pure wood pulp paper. Claims to be FSC certified which is for wood pulp. Also label also features a recycle logo which is a noble idea but in art paper, recycled material indicates an inferior paper for quick sketching and studies— not suitable for finished artwork.
FEATHERING: Slight feathering but not enough to leak outside stamp lines or line art. You’ll notice the feathering when drawing thin lines with marker, they fatten as they dry.
ABSORBENCY: Not thirsty. Ink stays on the surface and often dries as a sticky dark patch without absorbing down into the paper. The problem is, this paper is so thin, there’s no place for the ink to absorb into. Ohuhu is sacrificing absorbency to give you a dual-sided paper. Is it worth it?
DRY TIME: Extremely long open time. The long dry time is due to the fact that the ink has nowhere to go and sits as a thick sticky puddle on the surface.
SATURATION POINT: 4 layers of Copic (bleeding-through to the paper below). 4 layers is pitifully little and comparable to generic thin office copy paper.
MIXED MEDIA: Slightly toothy for light layers of colored pencil. Suitable for water-based pens and markers but does not tolerate watercolor.
AVAILABILITY: This is a trendy product due to heavy marketing, so Ohuhu products are frequently out of stock. Distributors located in the US, EU, UK, and Japan although I’ve never seen it on store shelves in the US. Perhaps the distributors are drop shipping only?
MADE IN: China
HOW TO TEST PAPER FOR ALCOHOL MARKER COMPATIBLITY:
The most common paper testing videos on YouTube are worthless. Someone blends two colors in a messy stripe. Then they draw a circle and attempt to make it look like a dimensional sphere…
YouTube style marker testing tells you nothing about the paper. On the other hand, it reveals a lot about the inexperienced person doing the testing.
Here’s the problem:
In the blending stripe, they often butt the colors next to each other, using a ton of ink to to scrub the middle ground to “see if they blend”.
In the sphere test, they use weird marker combinations which would challenge even a professional. They over-ink the paper, scrub, and work the blending zones to death.
Now ask yourself: Who blends like this? Nobody.
Paper testing should mimic real-world coloring situations.
Test with a blending combination you’re very comfortable with.
Use the same blend for EVERY test so you can compare results!
Color a stamp or shape you know well.
Your tests should match the size you normally color.
If the paper makes you struggle to blend with your NORMAL coloring techniques— don’t give it extra ink or try to help the paper pass the test.
Good paper will easily pass the test without help.
Don’t waste time and money coloring on paper that requires help.
TEST RESULTS & OBSERVATIONS FOR OHUHU BLEED-PROOF MARKER PAD
Here’s what I learned about this over-hyped and over-marketed paper
See the video for more in-depth observations and details.
“Orange Slice” by the author, Amy Shulke, 2024. Size: 8x8”. Copic Marker and Prismacolor Colored Pencils on X-Press It Blending Card.
Complete supply list at the bottom of this article.
Ohuhu products are student grade— at best. Anyone expecting a top quality, artist grade product at this price is deluding themselves.
Ohuhu “Marker Pad” is a soft, toothy paper. It is NOT smooth. It doesn’t feel like other marker papers and it doesn’t behave like other marker papers for a simple reason. It’s not marker paper.
Easily feeds through a standard office printer. There, that’s the best I can say about it.
Press EXTREMELY lightly when drawing on OMP with pencil. This is an extremely soft paper with a fragile tooth. It is easy to damage the surface with firm pressure.
OMP is very gray. Cardmakers and artists who scan their work for reproduction may want to reconsider using a paper this far from white.
OMP is a composite paper. Every sheet contains a moisture-proof polymer layer running through the middle. This prevents marker from leaking through to the other side.
Ohuhu Marker Pad does not bleed through to the other side. But there are at least 5 brands of better bleed-proof paper on the market which perform better with markers.
OMP is two sheets of 45 lb. paper glued back to back. Even though the label claims 150gsm/90 lbs, the polymer barrier prevents the ink from accessing more than half the thickness of the paper.
9. OMP does not feather excessively but in testing with alcohol markers, all thin lines slowly grew fatter. Fineline Micron and Copic Multiliner pens remained stable but anything juicy spreads.
10. Ink puddles and pools, often drying to with a metallic sheen and noticeable sitckiness. Several YouTubers who received free paper mention “Ohuhu warned me that ink will smear, so give it a few seconds.”
11. OMP is made from wood pulp which has long been known to stain on contact with alcohol ink. This makes blending harder, and as I found, sometimes impossible.
12. OMP is not recommended for watercolor or watermedia. A light layer of water-based markers will be fine but do not expect to blend or layer because the paper easily pills.
ETHICS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Pause for a moment to think about something:
Ohuhu products are marketed EVERYWHERE. In fact, I fully expect Ad-Sense to place Ohuhu ads on this article and also on my videos at YouTube.
Market-saturation advertising campaigns are not cheap and beyond that, they offer free products to every YouTube channel, even extremely small channels. So there are tons of videos released every month fueled by free merchandise.
And yet Ohuhu’s products are all bargain-basement inexpensive.
It doesn’t add up.
The only way to make this all happen is to use low quality ingredients or pay extremely low wages to the workers making it. Or both.
Something here feels very suspicious.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND OHUHU BLEED PROOF PAD. If you want an Ohuhu paper product, please try this sketchbook instead:
ARTIST RECOMMENDATIONS:
BEGINNERS: No, I do not recommend Ohuhu Bleed-Proof Marker Pad for beginners or anyone uncertain about good blending technique. This is a staining paper which does not allow enough ink to correct or smooth the inevitable bad blends.
HOBBY/STAMP/COLORISTS: No, I do not recommend Ohuhu Bleed-Proof Marker Pad for hobby use. This is a very gray, very frustrating paper.
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED COLORING: No, I do not recommend Ohuhu Bleed-Proof Marker Pad for skilled colorists, realistic marker painting, marker sketching, and anyone who draws/colors with alcohol marker only. While you can learn to make it work, it’s not worth the frustration.
MIXED MEDIA: Ohuhu Bleed-Proof Marker Pad accepts light amounts of colored pencil but do not expect many layers. Do not use watercolor or try to blend water-based products.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MARKER PAPER:
Click above to watch video at YouTube
MARKER PAPER MASTER CLASS: Amy explores her gigantic stash of art paper. Which brands are suitable for alcohol markers?
Livestream includes demonstration on how to test marker paper and pros/cons of each paper discussed.
LEARN TO BLEND
ARTISTIC COLORING KITS
WE TEST COPIC INK
COPIC COLOR PALETTES
UNDERPAINT WITH COPIC
SUPPLIES FOR “TOMATO SLICE” ILLUSTRATION:
