Gonna Have To Face It...

...I'm addicted to markers!

Who doesn't love to color? When I was a very little girl I loved those watercolor books with the pigment right on the page - just add water! Later on down the road, Prang watercolor pencils and a small set of Peerless watercolors were my coloring media of choice, in addition to the ubiquitous Crayolas, of course.

In my high school days I had two favorite writing instruments: the Bic ballpoint pen that wrote in 4 different colors - redgreenblueblack; and my  beloved Flair felt-tip pens in hot pink, aqua and red. I still have my old notebooks with the lovingly doodled margins.

These days I've thrown over the old Crayolas for more sophisticated forms of joy. I confess, I frequently indulge in rampant pen acquisition. Gotta have 'em. Annnnnnnd store them just so:

All comfy cozy, in ink type and ROY G BIV order. It makes me happy.

Those racks, by the way, are from Totally Tiffany's Metal Maid line. Currently they are out of stock after a sale, but as soon as they come back in, I'll be getting more. They perfectly double-face on my IKEA shelving and hold any pen, plus there's that nifty reinker/spray ink/paint dauber storage on top.

I feel it only fair to state that this picture does NOT show my Stampin' Up markers, in every color, past & present (140+), or my Tim Holtz Distress markers in every color (50+). They are in two other racks keeping my Close To My Heart ink pads company. And my Spectrum pens? Don't ask. I'm trying to avoid counting them. Let's just say if you need a color, I'm your girl.

Why so many?

Like the colors they hold, they are all different. Different colors, different ink formulations, different properties that give a variety of effects. Some are more comfortable in the hand. Some blend better, some give dimension or sparkle to the finished work. All are useful, and are used, frequently.

My favorites, the ones I recommend, are these:

Alcohol-based markers: I know, you think I'm going to say Copic or Spectrum.

Nope.

I have not (as yet) fallen prey to Copic mania. My entire collection consists of the six markers on the bottom row of the rack on the right. I found the sheer number of colors and expense involved in acquiring them intimidating, to say the least. Instead, when I decided to try alcohol coloring, I opted to get Spectrum markers. Although I liked them at first, I found some problems. The old-style square barrels made my index finger fall asleep every time I used them, and in more than one pack, at least one pen was dry when I bought it, leading me to believe the manufacturing process left something to be desired.

My winner? Last year Close To My Heart began carrying Shinhan Touch Twin Markers. I was eager to try them and very pleasantly surprised. The barrel is slimmer and the caps close tightly. The pens have a chisel nib and a fine point nib. The laydown of ink is ultra-smooth, making the marker very enjoyable to use. Currently there are 24 colors plus a blender to choose from in the CTMH line; Shinhan offers over 200 colors, reinkers and replaceable nibs as well.

One of the things I most love about these markers is their blendability. The inks blend seamlessly and can be layered over one another to create new colors. I found that for most coloring tasks the 24 CTMH colors worked very well either alone or combined, making them an economical choice for testing the alcohol ink waters, as it were. And if that wasn't enough, now there's this:

The Close To My Heart Marker Rollup holds 25 Shinhan markers (or other similar pens), rolls up and snaps closed for travel. Sweet!! I tested it - you can fit two slimmer pens in each loop, too - I plan on using mine to pack various brands of pens for cropping on the go!

 

Water-based Markers: Years ago I invested in a set of water-based markers from Stampin' Up, and I still use them. They come in lots of colors, hold up well and last forever, it seems. BUT - my current favorite water-based markers are...

 

Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. They are unique, different, and take practice but are incredibly FUN to use. The end of the pen is not a nib, but an actual brush, so you really feel like you are painting with the marker. You can blend with or without water, use a watercolor blender, even blend colors using a clear Wink of Stella glitter marker. Your pen stroke can be made thicker or thinner simply by increasing or decreasing the pressure you put on the brush. It is very easy to get beautiful blends, and because the pen is really a brush, you can transfer ink from the tip of one brush to another, blend on your project and then simply scribble to clean it off without contaminating the pen. Brilliant!

 

Specialty Markers: We all have certain specialty pens we love, whether it's the fine line zentangle liner, the glitter pen or the ever-elusive white ink pen of the moment. Here are mine:

 

Zig Wink of Stella brush pens. Glitter was never so easy! These pens are water-based brushes that contain ultra-fine glitter in suspension. They give a beautiful shimmer without flaking off, don't clog and come in several colors. The clear WOS pen is the most versatile, allowing you to add a touch of sparkle to almost anything. Be careful to store them upright with the brush end facing UP, because they can leak if stored sideways or brush down. And when your WOS brush begins to go dry, add a bit of water and shake to get the last of the glitter!

 

Sakura Glaze Pens. I love these, my favorite being the white glaze. This ball-point pen goes on clear but dries to an opaque white with a slight sheen, as the name "glaze" implies. The other colors of glaze pens dry to a shine that is more pronounced. Lovely on areas where you want some shine but not gloss. They are very wet when applied so you have to let them dry completely but once dry they are lovely!

 

What do you like to color with? Let me know!

 

...And if you'd like to try the Shinhan Touch Twin markers from Close To My Heart, contact me and mention this blog post for 25% off your first pen!

 

Happy coloring!!