After a lot of consideration, you decided to get Copic markers, but you’re wondering, which Copic marker should you buy?
There are 4 different types of Copic markers; there are Copic Classic, Copic Sketch, Copic Ciao and Copic Wide markers. All Copic markers are alcohol makers but what makes one better than the other?
If you’re new to alcohol makers and you’re just trying to test them out, my best advice to you is, get either Copic Ciao or Copic Sketch markers and I’m going to tell you why.
Want to know what alcohol markers are? Read my article about alcohol markers here.
Table of Contents
1. Copic Classic
Copic Classic markers are dual markers just like Copic Ciao and Copic Sketch markers. They are equipped with chisel and fine nibs. They have squarish profiles so you might need some time to get used to them.
I guess the shape of the markers could be convenient for storage purposes but other than that, I don’t think of any reason why i would get square markers.
They come in 214 colors and each Copic classic marker holds 2.5 ml amount of ink. They were the first markers that Copic introduced back in 1987 so they’re the oldest out of the 4.
2. Copic Wide
Unlike the other 3 marker types, Copic wide markers are not dual markers. They only have chisel nibs, but super broad nibs at that. In fact, the nib is 3 times as broad as the that of a e.g., Copic Classic marker.
Each Copic Wide marker can hold 6 ml amount of ink, which is the most amount of ink any Copic marker can hold.
With super broad nibs, you can color a huge area of your drawing quicker. If you’re into brush lettering or calligraphy and want to have that option to write in big letters, they would surely come in handy.
Other than that, Copic Wide markers aren’t really for you.
3. Copic Sketch
Each copic sketch marker can hold 1.8 ml amount of ink. Although Copic Sketch markers are the best Copic markers you can get in my opinion, I wouldn’t recommend them to beginners.
They come in 358 colors, which are the full spectrum of colors that Copic offer at the moment. The idea of spending a huge amount of money to get all the colors would be off-putting to any beginners.
But if you’re dead set on getting all of them, go for it because you would not be disappointed.
Copic Sketch markers are dual markers with chisel and brush nibs. The best thing about Copic Sketch markers is their brush nibs. You can color a big area and small area with a brush nib depending on the pressure you apply or how you angle the nib.
You can use only the tip of the nib for detailing work, you can even use it for brush lettering. They’re so versatile!
Brush nibs are also great for blending colors. When you use a chisel tip, notice how you always see the streaks it leaves on your drawing? Or when you try to blend two colors, you just can’t get that smooth, seamless transition between those colors?
That’s not the case with brush nibs. Using appropriate techniques, you can get a smooth transition between colors, creating that beautiful color gradient effect.
Except for Copic Ciao, all Copic markers have caps with color numbers printed on them. The color numbers on the caps are super helpful if you want to organize them by their color families or if you just want to find the color you want quickly!
So it doesn’t matter if you store them horizontally or upright, you can always see their color numbers.
They cover the full 358 color spectrum of Copic colors which means you have the widest range of colors from these markers. The more color options you have, the better!
4. Copic Ciao
Copic Ciao markers are like the smaller version of Copic Sketch markers, to put it simply. They are both dual markers and even though Copic Ciao markers are smaller; they both use the same chisel and brush nibs.
Naturally, due to the smaller body, each Copic Ciao marker can only hold 1.4 ml amount of ink.
Aside from being smaller, there are several other differences between Copic Ciao and Copic Sketch markers that are worth mentioning.
Copic Ciao markers are round, which means that they can roll around if you have an uneven work surface. It can get annoying if you have several markers on your desk and they keep rolling about while you’re trying to finish your drawing.
The caps, however, have little nubs on them that act as roll-stoppers, though i don’t think they help that much. So if you want to prevent them from rolling, make sure to recap them after use because without the caps, they will surely roll and move around.
Being smaller means that the manufacturer can save material cost on the marker production as well as ink costs since they only need to fill the markers so much.
That also means that they could offer them for a lower price to their customers. The Copic Ciao line is in fact, the cheapest one out of the 4.
They also come in 180 colors in total, making them the best options for beginners. You could start with 72 colors, which is what i did, then slowly work your way up to 180.
If it’s one that I hate about Copic Ciao markers is that the caps have no color numbers printed on them. The color numbers are only printed on the body of the markers. So without looking at the body, all you can do is to guess the colors judging by the color of the caps.
Although I’ve to say that the color of the cap matches almost perfectly with the actual color of the ink (my hats off to Copic!). In any case, guesswork can get super annoying especially if you’re trying to finish your drawing and you need a color that’s specifically one shade lighter, or two shades lighter than the color that you’re currently using.
So, i’ve came up with a very simple solution for my Copic markers. I’ve labelled each one of them myself. It takes a bit of work, but i promise you, it will make your life so much easier!
It’s super easy to label the caps. All you need to do is to print out the color numbers twice on a piece of paper and using a 6mm (or 1/4 inch) hole puncher and punch all of them out.
You will then need to use all-purpose glue to stick them on the caps. If you want to be extra safe, you could use super glue. Or if you have a cutting machine like Cricut or Cameo 4, just print the color numbers on a vinyl sticker and kiss-cut them into small circles.
You can read more about it in my tutorial on how to label Copic Ciao markers here.
If you don’t want to go through all the trouble to type in all the color numbers, you can get them as printable here. Just print them out on an A4 or US letter size format paper, punch them out and stick them on the caps with glue.
Check out how I labelled my Copic Ciao markers:
Conclusion
Copic Ciao markers are the best option for beginners while Copic Sketch markers are the best for all kinds of artists and for beginners whose ultimate goal is to complete all the colors eventually.
So what about the ink amount? Is the ink filling amount not a deciding factor when choosing these markers? Not at all. The ink filling amount plays an insignificant role here, since you can always refill the markers when they run out of ink.
You want to avoid buying new markers every time at all costs as you’re wasting money in the long run. You should invest money in refills, perhaps not right away, but it should be your goal.
All types of Copic markers can be refilled using Copic refills. You can either get Copic Various Ink or Copic Ink. What are their differences? Please check out my other post here.
