review

5 Best Art Markers in 2021 (Reviews and Buyer’s Guide)

Last updated: May 28, 2021 by Mel Stabin

Smooth, consistent, quick-drying, and versatile. These are the things most people and I think about when somebody mentions something about markers. Markers are a relatively new type of medium since it only made their way to art and everyday life in the 1950s. Markers played a significant role in making comics, manga, and cartoons possible. And markers also fill a useful purpose in our lives as writing instruments.

Best Choice

Copic Markers Sketch Basic Set

Best Art Markers for Professionals

These markers are famous in the art community, and for a good reason; tons of colors are available, and it brings terrific performance. You can also easily refill the inks and replace the nibs on these markers, making it a good set if you're planning to collect these over a long time. This marker kit might be our best recommendation for professionals, but it can also be used quite easily by beginners.

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Prismacolor vs Copic Markers – Comparison

Last updated: March 6, 2021 by Wayne Crossland

Whether you’re a beginner or a professional looking into using art markers, then It’s likely that you know or at least heard of Prismacolor and Copic markers. These markers are famous for their bright and consistent colors making them the most trusted by artists. But, these are also some of the priciest due to manufacturing and design costs. That’s why it’s important to find out what you need before going out to buy a set of markers.

The Copic Sketch markers and Prismacolor Premier markers have very similar overall performance. Both are a line of dual-tipped markers, and both bring similar color performance. One is unexpectedly pricier than the other. Let’s get to the bottom of this and figure out what’s the best marker set for you.

	Copic Sketch	Prismacolor Premier
Image
Available Colors	36 in Basic Set (358 max.)	48 in current set (200 max.)
Tips	Super Brush tip and Medium Broad Chisel tip are the standard options. The bullet tip is available as tip replacement.	Fine bullet tip and Chisel tip are the standards. The brush tip and fine bullet tip markers are available.
Inks	Alcohol-based ink, you can also mix your own colors	Artist-grade alcohol-based ink, non-refillable
Replaceability	Replaceable tips, refillable inks	Non-replaceable tip, non-refillable inks
Cost	Pricier upfront, but saves more in the long run	Cheaper upfront (inks and tips are irreplaceable)
Design	Oblong body profile, more comfortable grip	Round body profile, traditional grip
Best For	Shading and sketching	Blending and precise details
Price	Check Price	Check Price

The Best Acrylic Paint of 2021 for Beginners and Pros

Last updated: May 26, 2021 by Mel Stabin

Acrylic is the most widely used type of paint that’s not limited to art. It’s used to paint wood, concrete, rocks, and tons more. Acrylics have combined oil paint and watercolor properties, and you can get acrylic paints in spray cans, marker pens, tubes, tubs, and bottles plus, you can get them pretty much everywhere. But, compared to oil paint and other mediums, acrylics are not even a century-old medium.

Best Choice

Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Acrylic Classic Set

Best Acrylic Paint

This Liquitex Paint set is well known for bringing the best performance for experienced artists and even professionals. It brings superior handling performance bringing you precise fine details, and this can bring advanced texturing to the table. This kit is also straightforward to use even if you're a beginner; that's why we picked this as the best choice. But there's a slight caveat to it. Find out on the review.

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Best Watercolor Pencils − Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Last updated: May 26, 2021 by Mel Stabin

We all know the pencil very well. People use it every day, whether for writing, drawing, and more. However, some pencils like the standard graphite pencil, colored pencil, and charcoal pencils might be too inconvenient and limited to some people’s creativity. Switching to different pencils every time you do other parts of your artwork may be too inconvenient. If this is a problem of yours, why not try the watercolor pencil?

Best Choice

Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer Watercolor Pencils

Overall Best Watercolor Pencils

We have found this watercolor pencil set to be the best choice for anyone since it can work with everybody and deliver similar results. You don't need to be a pro to get unique illustrations, and you don't have to be a beginner to learn how to use a watercolor pencil all over again. This kit delivers vivid colors, a comfortable pencil grip, excellent resistance to fade, and color-shifting, which might be an essential tool for professionals selling their art.

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Best Paint for Rocks in 2021 (Reviews and Buyer’s Guide)

Last updated: May 28, 2021 by Mel Stabin

Rock painting has been practiced and applied since 40,000 years ago, and it’s mainly done to tell stories and entertain cave dwellers, and today, those paintings became essential parts of our history. In our modern times, rock painting is mainly done for education and decoration purposes. It can be fun for everyone, whether you are a beginner or a fine artist wanting to explore new mediums.

Best Choice

Apple Barrel Matte Acrylic Paint Set

The Best Paint Set for Rocks

This paint set does everything we wanted to see in the best paint for painting rocks, the good bond with the unusual surface of rocks, the durability it needs to last long, and the ability to make detailed illustrations on a rock. Its smooth and gliding paint also brings ease of use to beginners and bring perfection for experienced artists.

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Best Paper for Colored Pencils − Reviews and Buyer’s Guide

Last updated: May 28, 2021 by Mel Stabin

Pencils are a medium that we all know and love. These sticks can quickly transform your idea into an artwork without any complicated preparations and processes. Pencils have been around since 1795, and we have pushed through tons of innovation to make the modern pencil. You can now easily find tons of pencil varieties from graphite, charcoal, watercolor, and colored pencils.

Best Choice

Strathmore 500 Series Heavyweight Mixed Media Pad

Best Paper for Colored Pencils

This pad excels in everything a paper can do. We can't find many disadvantages of using this besides being overkill for some applications. It can grab on colored pencil pigments well but still being precise, and it brings all the features that a professional artist might want and need.

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