Copic Markers – Everything You Need to Know About Copics Before You Buy — Art is Fun

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In addition to these 3 types of markers, there are a few other related products offered by Copic that I won’t be covering in this article, but felt they are worth mentioning. They have a range of Multiliner pens that have a very limited color range and are designed mainly for technical drawing, line art, pen & ink illustration, or anything that requires precision. Copic also used to have a range of Wide Markers that were available in 36 colors, which people primarily used for laying down lots of color quickly. They’ve been discontinued, but you can still get the empty Wide Marker that can be filled with ink of your choice. Copic also offers an airbrush system that works in combination with their Classic and Sketch markers (not the Ciao markers).

Copic Classic/Original

Copic Classic Markers (sometimes referred to as Copic Original) have two advantages over the others: more ink and an impressive array of 9 nib choices. Because the square barrel can hold more ink, you don’t need to refill them as often. While they come with the chisel and bullet tips by default, you can pick from an additional 7 tip shapes. The downside is that these additional tips have to be purchased separately, and it would be impractical to keep popping them on and off to switch between them.

Classic markers cost the same as the Sketch markers, but they have fewer colors (214 vs. 358). My biggest issue with the Classics is their default tips: the chisel and the bullet. Neither of these is as versatile as the brush tip (discussed below). And while there is a brush tip available for the Classics, it wouldn’t be cost effective to buy the additional tip for every marker purchased.

Copic Sketch

Copic Sketch Markers are the most popular and they’re definitely my favorite. Their biggest draw is their massive color range: 358 colors! There’s no other marker available that comes close to this range. Aside from the chisel tip, Sketch markers also come with the brush tip, which is by far the most useful and versatile marker tip. (I’ll explain why below.) You can buy a bullet tip separately for the Sketch, but unlike the Copic Classic Markers, there are no other nib types available for the Sketch (just the chisel, brush and bullet). I also find the oval barrel shape of the Sketch markers to be more comfortable than the square Classic or round Ciao markers.

The Sketch markers are more expensive than the Ciao, which we’ll talk about next, but if you’re not sensitive to price, these Sketch markers represent the ideal combination of Copic’s best features.

Copic Ciao

Copic Ciao markers were designed as a more-affordable alternative to the Sketch and Classic markers. They’re sometimes marketed to beginners, teens, and children, but they still include all the most important Copic features: they’re refillable, the nibs can be replaced, and they use the same high-quality ink.

They cost less because they come in fewer colors (still offering an impressive 180 colors though!) and contain less ink (so they’ll need to be refilled more often). If you’re buying for children, Ciao markers are ideal because the lids were designed with small holes for venting to prevent choking. The only thing I don’t like about Ciao markers is that they have a circular barrel, which means they can tend to roll around on your desk.