gift shopping for a Copic Marker Novice?
It sounded like a great idea: get them a present to go with their new alcohol markers…
But you’re not an artist and to be honest, you don’t know much about artist markers. So you search online and become overwhelmed by hundreds of marker related products. Some of this stuff is expensive; some of it looks… a bit cheesy?
And you probably can’t ask your special novice for help. You don’t want to spoil the surprise but also, if they’re a beginner, they might not even know what they need yet.
Hang tight, I’ve got you covered!
I’ve taught Copic classes at every level for almost a decade and I’ve used markers professionally since 1989. I’ve seen a lot of art supplies over the years and I’m not afraid to say when something is a complete waste of money.
Let me help you find the perfect present for your favorite marker novice.
It’s difficult to buy quality art supply gifts for friends and family if you don’t know much about art. Professional Illustrator Amy Shulke provides smart ideas for beginners to Copic Markers and other alcohol markers. Give your loved one a present which won’t gather dust.
Psssttt, I know there are a lot of junky gift lists out there...
Especially for art supplies! The internet is flooded now with gift lists made by people with no art experience, recommending inferior products or even worse, conning you into art supplies meant for children.
This is NOT one of those lists!
I never recommend products I haven’t tested and found truly useful.
I’m not sponsored by any art supply companies. I’ve bought all of these items with my own money.
If you want more information on any of the products, I’ve provided a link, usually to the same place I purchased mine. I do participate in a few affiliate programs but my affiliate link does not affect your purchase price.
Remember, this article is a starting point.
I strongly encourage you to shop around for the best price or find something similar but more suitable. And please, be sure to visit local independently owned art stores in your area! They’re full of great ideas.
Now let’s find a great gift for your marker novice!
Alcohol Marker gifts for beginners:
Beginners Need More Markers
Copic makes 358 colors and while I’ve survived for decades without a full set, I will say it’s very hard to work with under 100 colors.
I know, “only 100 colors” sounds crazy to a non-artist but markers are not like paint. We can’t just mix any color we want. For instance, a yellow marker plus a blue marker will not make green. If we want to draw grass, we need 3-5 grass colored markers.
Beginners need help growing their marker collection, so even though I’m not a big fan of gift cards, this is one of those times when there’s no way you can guess which markers they want.
I highly recommend two retailers for Copic Markers: DickBlick is a large American art supply retailer and Violeta-Ink is a small Texas based business. They both consistently have all the markers in stock. I’ve had excellent service and prompt delivery from both. Violeta-Ink excels at customer service and it’s nice to deal with a small business, but you can’t go wrong with either company.
Special Note: If your marker novice uses a brand of alcohol marker OTHER than Copic, I can guarantee they won’t be disappointed by the gift of Copic Markers. Copics are the pinnacle brand, the one every marker novice plans to upgrade to eventually.
But if you honestly think they want to grow their current off-brand collection rather than add Copics, I recommend the Amazon gift certificate. Amazon carries more marker brands than any other retailer.
Even Beginners Need Copic Refills
I teach a ton of marker beginners and they all suffer from the same delusion— they all think their markers will stay fresh and juicy for years. NOT TRUE!
In fact, beginners tend to use MORE ink than experienced marker artists. Beginners have fewer markers to choose from, so they use every marker more often. Beginners also blow through a lot of ink making corrections, reblending, and starting over.
This is where the real value of a Copic Marker shines. Copics can be refilled as often as needed. Some of my Copics are over 20 years old and still work like new because I refill them frequently.
As with the previous item, this is where a gift card is smarter than handing them a bunch of refills. Every Copic uses a specific color refill and we can’t substitute one blue for another. Your marker novice really needs to pick refills to match the markers they own.
For refills, I highly recommend Violeta-Ink and Dick Blick.
The Best Copic Chart
Most Copic users have an inventory list or chart to keep track of 358 colors plus 358 refills.
Sandy Allnock’s Hex Chart is different. It’s not for inventory. Instead, this chart shows users the relationships between the different colors.
I never met or talked with Sandy and this isn’t even an affiliate link here. As I said before, this entire article is full of items I truly believe in. The Hex Chart is easily the top learning tool of the decade in Copic-world.
The Hex Chart is a 4 page digital download which includes a blank chart for colors, a blank chart for grays, plus colored samples of both charts.
Please purchase directly from Sandy rather than a knock-off chart. It’s important to support artists who make innovative contributions like this. The chart is not expensive and it feels good to reward someone for hard work and creativity.
Quality Marker Paper
Alcohol markers work best on specific papers but quality marker paper can be pricey. Unfortunately, many beginners buy cheap paper for practicing, unaware that coloring always looks better on better paper. They talk themselves into the idea that they’ll upgrade someday when they have more skills.
But it’s frustrating to work on non-marker paper. Many beginners quit, assuming they’re not good at markers when it’s actually the fault of the paper.
Get them a package of really good paper. Sometimes we have to try the good stuff to understand what we’re missing.
Fineline Drawing Pens
A lot of marker art starts with a sketch of drawing made with black ink pens. Because we color over the top of these outlines, it’s very important to use marker-safe pens which will not bleed, smear, stain, or damage the marker nibs.
Copic Multiliners are excellent drawing pens and they’re completely safe for Copics or any other brand of alcohol marker. A set like this contains every size pen your marker novice may want.
I’ll also link to my favorite brand of gray, blue, and sepia drawing pens. They’re safe for alcohol markers too.
Colorless Blender + Waterbrush
I’m sure your marker novice already has what’s called a Colorless Blender Marker— it’s a clear marker, basically full of solvent which can be used to lighten mild mistakes or create textures and special effects.
What they probably don’t have is the big bottle of refill solution. Beginners tend to use a lot of colorless blender so it’s wonderful to have the giant sized refill.
I’ve also added a link here to a specific waterbrush. Normally artists fill these brushes with water but marker artists can fill them with blender solution for effects like the watermelon texture in my class here. It’s a technique I use a lot and my students love it.
Few waterbrushes work with colorless blender. The plastic can melt with prolonged exposure to solvent. I’ve linked to the brand of brush which lasts me about 5 years. I wear out the bristles but the plastic parts have never melted, softened, or turned brittle.
Color Inspiration
One of the most common complaints I hear from students at all skill levels is how much they struggle with choosing which markers to use on a project.
Often, I find that they can pick colors fairly well, it’s that the process is easier when they can choose from a selection of color palette suggestions. Coming up with an idea is always easier when you have inspiration!
I’m a big fan of Sarah Renae Clark’s color palettes— she has awesome apps and printables but new for 2022 is a lovely box of color cards. There are two boxes (called Volumes 1 and 2), and either (or both) would make the most amazing present!
Marker Storage Cases
One of the downsides to Copic Markers is that they don’t come with carrying cases. Actually, many brands of alcohol marker arrive in cardboard boxes which never last long.
The smaller case shown here claims to hold 80 markers but my students and I use this style as a class case where we only take what we need for the class. I’ve never checked to see if it truly holds 80.
The larger case is used by many students for retreats. It holds 120 markers and because there are no zippers wear out, we expect this bag will last many years.
Marker Maintenence Kit
Marker novices concentrate on building their collection, often to the detriment of maintaining the markers they already own.
Let’s make your beginner a Maintenence Kit with all the tools they need to keep their markers in tip-top condition. I’ve listed several items here and none of them are very expensive.
Your marker novice will know what to do with everything here, if not, it’s easy to find the information online. Plus they’ll appreciate having everything in one container.
Replacement Brush Nibs. Replacement Broad Nibs
Colorful Detail Pens
Copic Markers are built to color large areas with lots of juicy color. Because the nibs are large, we often switch to fineline pens for tiny details like eyes, whiskers, or lettering.
Staedtler Triplus are hands-down my favorite detail pens.
Triplus are safe for use with alcohol markers. This is important because most fineline pens will contaminate and ruin alcohol marker nibs. It’s an expensive mistake!
Triplus come in several sized sets. I use the colors from the 20 set most often but if your marker novice is a card maker or they draw manga, they’ll appreciate one of the larger sets.
One note: the clear plastic “desktop box” some of the sets come in is an excellent box. I’ve been using the same box for 5 years now and it’s still going strong. If you’re torn between two sets, skip the cardboard and pick the desktop version.
Quality Marker-Grade Sketchbooks
As I discussed above with the marker cardstock, the paper we use with alcohol markers can radically improve the look of our marker drawings. Put plainly, it’s incredibly hard to blend on bad paper.
If your marker novice sketches and draws, odds are, they love drawing in journals. The problem is, there are very few sketchbooks or journals made with marker friendly paper. We usually end up drawing in “mixed media” sketchbooks. Mixed media paper is mediocre at best for markers.
Your beginner will absolutely love having a sketchbook designed for use with markers! Here are my favorites:
Excellent Coloring Board
Markers blend better when we work on a non-porous surface— it allows the paper to stay wet longer, giving the ink particles more time to blend smoothly.
But also, I’ve seen notable improvements in the quality of student work when they move from a flat table or desk to a slanted surface.
A slanted surface allows them more freedom of movement, getting their hand and arm off the surface of the desk. But also, coloring on a consistent surface allows a beginner to focus on their technique rather than figuring out how to alter their technique to match a new location and position.
I love this slanted acrylic board. It’s easy to clean with rubbing alcohol and portable enough to take to classes or other rooms of the house.
Best Metallic & White Pens
Copic comes in 358 colors but not white, silver, or gold.
To color anything white, we’re forced to find other products. Go to any online Copic group and ask for recommendations, you’ll hear about same few pens. Read my full article here.
For metallics, I’m linking to pens which look like liquid gold and silver. Many metallic pens are actually glitter pens. Real gold and silver don’t sparkle like sequins, these pens truly mimic the look of shiny metal.
I’ve also added a link to a really cool storage bag. All together, I think this makes a great gift!
Colored Pencils
More marker artists are adding colored pencil details to their marker artwork.
I’ve played a small part in spreading this technique. Surprise! You’re getting advice from someone who has been mixing markers with pencil since before the internet existed. (now I really feel old…)
I don’t think any brand works as well with markers as Prismacolor Premier. Remember the fancy marker paper we use? Most colored pencil brands are too firm to adhere to smooth marker cardstock. Prismacolor Premiers are soft and waxy, they stick nicely and the colors are intense and vibrant.
If your marker novice is new to pencils, they don’t need a giant set. A small set is great until they decide to specialize in mixed media coloring. If your person already has a few pencils, they’ll never be sad to receive extra replacement colors. It’s a win-win gift!
Beginner Marker Classes
One of the saddest things I see nowadays is the new group of young marker novices who struggle to teach themselves to color using free internet resources.
Most of them get frustrated and give up.
The few that stay seem to stagnate and color like beginners forever because you simply can not teach yourself things you do not know.
I’m a marker instructor. I specialize in teaching marker classes to artists at every level. Here’s my class for beginners, designed to teach them basic blending skills and give them a sense of independence and confidence, all in a 12 week period.
There you go; lots of great ideas for the marker novice in your life.
Copic Marker Gifts for Beginners
I know my beginner students would love receiving anything off this list!
As an instructor but also as a marker artist myself, I know these items are useful and will not go to waste.
For more gift suggestions, see my other lists here:
“Ladybug” colored by the author, Amy Shulke. Copic Markers plus Prismacolor Colored Pencil details on X-Press It Blending Card. 3 inches. Online class here.
Amy Shulke is a professional illustrator who has used Copic Markers since 1990. She teaches artistic coloring classes online at VanillaArts.com and locally in Michigan.
Marker Novice is Amy’s completely free resource devoted to beginner marker education. For intermediate/advanced artistic coloring articles, see her Studio Journal here.
Gift Ideas for Alcohol Marker Beginners
