Why are Copic Markers so Expensive?!

• rzetlin wrote on 2012-05-12 05:30
  I have seen several manga artist use these brand of copic markers.
  
  I am little surprised how expensive these markers are.
  
  A set of 8 Marker + 1 Multiliner Pen cost $30. That is about $3.33 per pen.
  
  For those who have used these markers are they worth the money?
• Retard wrote on 2012-05-12 05:43
  3.33 per pen?!?!?!?!?!
  
  THAT IS FKING CHEAP FOR A FANCY PEN
  
  
  fancy pens now a day ( especially JP or KR brands ) are in stores for like 7 bucks for ONE i think lol
  
  
  this one korean girl at my school even told me she had a 12 dollar mechanical pencill....
• rzetlin wrote on 2012-05-12 17:08
  Has anybody use Prismacolor Premier Markers? They seem to be cheaper than Copic markers.
  
  But is cheaper better?
• Bakuryu wrote on 2012-05-12 17:11

  Quote from rzetlin;862017:

  Has anybody use Prismacolor Premier Markers? They seem to be cheaper than Copic markers.
  
  But is cheaper better?

  
  
  I have seen a lot of professional concept artist use them and recommend them.
  Sadly I haven't the chance to try them, since they aren't imported into Argentina, so I'm screwed or have to have a friggin' marker delivered from the US.
  But, they look lovely, specially a gray-scale pack of them to make backgrounds and full concepts with a lot of control on shading and values.
• Sedia wrote on 2012-05-12 17:21

  Quote from rzetlin;862017:

  Has anybody use Prismacolor Premier Markers? They seem to be cheaper than Copic markers.
  
  But is cheaper better?

  
  
  I use them to make the lines darker on my drawings. My mom got me a set of 5-6 with different tips and they were around $10 at Michaels. Cheap is better. The singles ones though, were $6 last time I checked. The set was on sale around Christmas.
• rzetlin wrote on 2012-05-17 04:32
  I decided to visit my local art store and try out some markers.
  
  Here are the markers I tried out from best to worst:
  
  Copic Markers aka the Royal Royce of Markers: I was split on getting the Ciao or the Sketch version. I decided to go with the Sketch because there are more colours available. For these brand of markers you may as well and go all out and get the best. Plus with the Ciao feels a ordinary sharpie marker.
  
  I ended up getting 5 Copic Sketch Markers to try them out to see if it worth buying more in the future.
  
  Letraset Pro Markers: I was very surprised how well these markers blend colours together. The marker ink is good as a Copic Marker. Another advantage Letraset has over the Copic Markers is the lower pricing - Letraset is half the price of the Copic Marker. I ended up getting the Manga Starter pack with 10 markers for under $30. If money is an issue Letraset Pro Markers are a very good cheap alternative to Copic markers.
  
  The downside with these markers is the label is nothing more than a paper wrapping - I can see this easily come off. The marker tips are not colour coded like Copic Markers so its hard to tell the colour of the marker when placed in a pile. The barrel also feels like a oversize crayon.
  
  Chartpak AD Markers: Colour blends well. The downside with this marker, it is single tip. I didn't bother buying any.
  
  Prismacolor Premier Markers: The most disappointing of the markers I have tired out. The colours do not blend well together, instead you get streaks with each stroke. I tired out two different colours to ensure it wasn't because the marker wasn't dry out. Like the Letraset Pro Markers, the labels are made out of paper and the tips are black. Prismacolor Marker is about $1 more than a Letraset Marker. I passed on this marker.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2012-05-17 05:31
  Prisma color premier markers are good but don't come close to copic markers.
  
  I feel that the best way to utilize copic however is not to use the markers but to get yourself the spray gun instead. It looks beautiful. If you're directly buying ink its actually much cheaper too.
• Nanaho wrote on 2012-05-17 12:46
  \o/ Just get a tablet.
  
  -Brick'd-
  
  But in all seriousness, if you're an artist and want to experiment with colour and such, but the good markers are a little too high priced for you, a tablet would be a good solution. Especially if you're thinking about doing art for a living. Whether or not you specialize in traditional art or digital art, it's always good to be able to work with a tablet and be familiar with one. A lot of jobs related to art now a days require working with tablets. And considering a tablet can be about 60 bucks, it might be cheaper than buying new markers every couple of months. (Well, when I used markers, I REALLY used them, so I had to get new ones every few months.)
• rzetlin wrote on 2012-05-17 18:14

  Quote from Nanaho;865915:

  \o/ Just get a tablet.
  
  -Brick'd-
  
  But in all seriousness, if you're an artist and want to experiment with colour and such, but the good markers are a little too high priced for you, a tablet would be a good solution. Especially if you're thinking about doing art for a living. Whether or not you specialize in traditional art or digital art, it's always good to be able to work with a tablet and be familiar with one. A lot of jobs related to art now a days require working with tablets. And considering a tablet can be about 60 bucks, it might be cheaper than buying new markers every couple of months. (Well, when I used markers, I REALLY used them, so I had to get new ones every few months.)

  
  
  True, a tablet is more cost effective. (Which I already have - Wacom Bamboo Create).
  
  But I find with colouring with a PC takes longer than colouring directly on a piece of paper especially if you want to do a quick sketch.
  
  I have been drawing on and off, but I want to spend more time on this art.
  
  At this point in time it's more of hobby but I hope to morph it to more of a profession later on.
• Cucurbita wrote on 2012-05-17 22:19
  I can't stand drawing on paper anymore.
  
  No Ctrl+Z
• ♪ wrote on 2012-05-17 23:19

  Quote from Purrz24;861794:

  3.33 per pen?!?!?!?!?!
  
  THAT IS FKING CHEAP FOR A FANCY PEN
  
  
  fancy pens now a day ( especially JP or KR brands ) are in stores for like 7 bucks for ONE i think lol
  
  
  this one korean girl at my school even told me she had a 12 dollar mechanical pencill....

  
  My dad has an $80 pen O:
• Elena wrote on 2012-05-18 05:13
  I had an expensive mechanical pencil. The art store near my school gives us discounts fairly often. I told him I didn't have enough to pay for the pencil so I said I'd be back for it later. The guy told me to just take it. It was $12, and very sturdy. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find it. I suppose that's alright. It was free, after all.
  
  As for copics...Well, they're expensive, but also refillable. I think the refills are relatively cheap by comparison though.
  
  

  One bottle of Copic Various Ink refills a Ciao marker 13 times, a Sketch marker 8–10 times, a Copic marker 7–9 times, and a Wide marker 5–6 times — simply match the color number with the marker color.

  
  Source
  Most of the refills have a similar cost to the markers themselves, except that with the minimum refill from one bottle being around 5 times, it's almost like buying 5 markers. The first-time buy probably hurts, but if one uses them regularly, then the refills should make up for it.
  
  I currently only own one marker that I bought to test out what the big deal was. So far, I quite like it. If I were better at traditional work, I'd try to invest in more.
• ＣＩＲＮＯ wrote on 2012-05-20 03:23
  I have a 150 dollars diamond encrusted mechanical pencil and a 174 dollars Syntech paper bleach eraser.
  
  Hmmm, draws the same as the stuffs you can buy for 2 dollars.
  
  
  ITT: Screw everything. I draw with whatever medium I like. People who buy branded "good" markers and pencils are losers that sticks with the mainstream and should learn to use their equipment well instead of depending on expensive crap that doesn't really help unless you have the skills to do so.
• Jarvan IV wrote on 2012-05-26 00:27

  Quote from ＣＩＲＮＯ;867810:

  I have a 150 dollars diamond encrusted mechanical pencil and a 174 dollars Syntech paper bleach eraser.
  
  Hmmm, draws the same as the stuffs you can buy for 2 dollars.
  
  
  ITT: Screw everything. I draw with whatever medium I like. People who buy branded "good" markers and pencils are losers that sticks with the mainstream and should learn to use their equipment well instead of depending on expensive crap that doesn't really help unless you have the skills to do so.

  
  
  
  I can imagine the faces people give you when you tell them you have a diamond encrusted pencil, or the fact that you just draw with the mechanical pencil in the first place.
• ＣＩＲＮＯ wrote on 2012-05-26 01:09
  Most people shit in their pants right after that.