Let's start with price, since money is the root of all evil. Copic Markers are expensive and often people look for a cheaper alternative. I found Copic Sketch Markers to be cheapest online at Blick.com, the online store of the name behind the Blick Studio Brush Marker. Although Copics come in a varitey of sizes, for the purposes of this comparison, we will only be focusing on the sketch variety. Blick Studio Brush markers currently only come in one size that most closely represent the size of the Copic Sketch Marker. Copic Sketch Markers are $5.24 individually there. Blick Studio Brush Markers are $3.99. These values are in US Dollars since I live here in the "good ole US of A", and do not include tax and shipping. Blick.com often runs free shipping with a $45 or more purchase. I purchased my markers for this comparison at the physical store located in Baltimore, MD. I am very fortunate that I live so close to such a great resource. This location is only about 20 mins. away from my home. I paid $5.24 because I purchased 12 or more for the Copic Sketch Markers. If you go to the physical location, you pay up to $6.99 per marker depending on the number of markers you purchase, essentially, its worth it to buy a few more, and get the discount. The cheapest value is $5.24 for purchasing 12 or more. Online however, individual markers are $5.24 unless you purchase more than 12 of the same marker. This allows schools and art facilities to purchase a greater number of supplies for a discounted rate. The Blick Studio Brush Markers, in store, were $4.99. This value was prior to me signing up for there preferred customer program. After signing up, I received a $1 discount on each marker, making them $3.99. Below is a copy of my receipt. So, with all of this having been said, it's cheaper to buy more online than to physically go into the store. In the future, unless I want something right away, I will be patient and order online at Blick.com for both Copic and Blick markers. I do enjoy the instant gratification of having my new markers in hand and the Copic display is awesome.
I did notice that some colors that were "backordered" online, were available in store and vice versa. I had prepared a list of markers that I wanted to purchase and was unable to select a few that were not available in store. When I got home, I did see that I could order them online. I have had instances where I ordered a particular color and it went "out of stock" prior to shipping and it held up my order. But that is a different blog post. The Blick Studio Brush Marker selection seemed to be in full force, having an equally awesome display.
Choosing Blick Studio Brush Markers was difficult for me and you will see in the video that I failed at finding a good blending group. I can't seem to find an explanation of there color coding system. On the display, I picked colors that looked similar and that were similar to colors in my Copic collection for comparison. I choose Light Peach, Pink, and darker pink. If you couldn't tell by my previous statement, they didn't blend well together. I don't know if it was my color selection or the ink quality. So, I can honestly say that although they seem to have a good color selection with currently 96 colors including a colorless blender, the coding system needs improvement. They fall well short by comparison to the extremely thorough Copic Color System, currently available in 358 colors.
So, after finding that the colors I chose didn't blend well together, I started blending them with my Copics to see if I could use them together. I found that when blending with a Copic marker, they seem to work fantastically. This may be because of the high quality of the Copic ink, but I'm not really sure. I found that when used with similar Copic colors, they could be used as a supplement to missing colors or in addition to your current Copic or other alcohol marker collection.
The brush nib on the Blick Studio Brush Marker is a tiny bit stiffer, in my opinion, to the brush nib on the Copic marker. This could be a positive or a negative depending on your coloring style and preference. I am used to coloring with the Copics, but I did not find the stiffness of the Blick nib to be hindering in any way, and still found them enjoyable to color with. I almost never touch the chisel nib but both types of markers offer one on the other end of the marker.
I have spent a ton of money on my Copic collection. Some people think its insane to spend that kind of money on a marker. What they don't understand right away is, they are refillable and can be used and repaired for the life of the collection. In fact, many of my markers are second hand. I started my collection by purchasing the remains of someone else's unloved markers. I can refill them. I can re-nib them. I can clean them and make them look and color just like new. Unfortunately, the Blick Studio Brush Marker is currently a one-trick pony. Unless you purchase a similar ink refill by the Copic brand and use it in your Blick Studio Brush Marker, it will die when it runs out of ink. This is the primary reason why I will not be purchasing any additional Blick Studio Brush Markers.
In conclusion, I will continue to spend the higher amounts of money adding to my Copic collection, knowing that I am purchasing a tool with extendable service life, and loving every minute.
Thank you for visiting my blog today,
Kori
