Thursday, October 28, 2010

Product Review Letraset ProMarkers

I received 40 Letraset ProMarkers in the mail yesterday direclty from Letraset UK (VERY nice people!).  I really wanted to see for myself the difference between the ProMarkers and the Copics.  Straight out of the box they look extremely different to each other.
Here are my thoughts on the markers after having colored just this one image iam going to show you today. 
Pros:
PRICE! These are less than half the price of Copics
The 40 marker kit, i received is a great way if you want to get yourself started with alcohol based markers. It includes a handpicked selection of markers. I think each color has 2 markers plus blender, warm grey and cold grey’s. However i felt i needed a couple of extra shades for the skin. Mind you… i use for my faces up to 7 shades sometimes :-) i might getting a bit overboard on that too.
Here are a couple of extra
skin tones sets
Set 1 and set 2
I would like to suggest.

The ink went on smooth onto my cardstock and i was able to blend the ink to the desired intensity without having any problems.
The blender pen worked great in fixing mistakes, blending the colors and smoothen areas to set stronger highlights.
I have tried the tip-tip coloring method on the hair line and i was very pleased how well the colors are moving on my paper.
Colors have a nice intensity on paper and therefore i think i was able to get great pictures out of my card.
Shape of the marker.. it is round and a bit thicker in diameter than Copics. Which i think can be a plus if you have joint pain or arthritis.
The fine end tip on one side makes filling in tiny areas easy.

Neutral:
As good i found the fine end of the tip great for coloring tiny areas in.. it was an adjustment for me filling in the larger areas because, i was used to have a brush nip.
I think it is just a bit of a getting used to a different feel of the marker.

Cons:
Less colors (148 vs 320 Copics), but who needs all 320 colors anyways? i do not have them and honestly i do not even want to.  See the entire range of available ProMarkers here.
To make colors even you may have to apply a “second coat”.  Basically the first time coloring in a large area there are lines if you overlap and if you color the area again. As said the colors blend really well.  This happens to me to some extent with the my Copics as well.
Color numbers or color name on the markers are tiny printed. I wished that would be bigger or even the number printed on the end cap of the marker. When i color, i constantly check when switching pens.

Overall I think that these are pretty good markers.  NO, they are not Copic’s but if you can overlook those tiny points.. i think you are getting a great marker for a fabulous price. Remember you can always mix and match too. 

I think for those of us who are on a pretty strict crafting budget, they are definitely a great option to expand our marker collections without breaking the bank.

So, here is my result.. as mentioned.. i had per color only 2 shades available and it was my first try.. i did not have to try a few times. The coloring was so easy with the markers i could use my image right away.

Claudia_Rosa_Acetate_Card

Well .. now for the card. Cute Card Thursdays Challenge is “Acetate” I used it on my card – punched snowflakes out and covered them with Twinklets and altered a “Prima” flower tin to match. Loved the acetate on the lid – i did not want to cover it completely but also wanted to decorate it a bit.. so a big snowflake did the trick. Iam going to fill the tin with some ribbons and gifts for a friend to give for Christmas

Claudia_Rosa_Acetate_Set

Papers: Designed by my friend Kristine, printed and distributed by Inkidoo
This line is called: Christmas Elegance

Well.. i talked enough about the fabulous line of Letraset ProMarkers. Iam having a set of extra markers to give as blog candy for one of you. I just had no time to get the picture taken. I will put the candy up in a few days.

36 comments:

DawnMarie said...

Beautiful Claudia.xx

Debby said...

pretty card,I have promarkers and had them before I got copics and I like them too.

Margreet said...

great card Claudia....thanks for your explanation...I only have copics so far....
xxx Margreet

Christina C. said...

Fantastische Karte...wunderschoen koloriert!! Die Schneeflocken sind traumhaft, Claudia, sowie auch die schoene Schleife. Die Promarkers gefallen mir genau so gut wie die copics! Ich danke dir fuer die Erklaerung.

Tammi said...

Great review, was wondering about them. A beautiful card and gift, and love your snowflakes and ribbon! ~hugs

Jane said...

Oh this is stunning hun!! gorgeous colours and details as always and your colouring is as superb as ever even with a new medium! Gorgeous little set! hugs, Jane xxx

Jacilynn said...

great card and project! Thanks for the info..I've wondered this before

Andrea said...

Such a gorgeous card - I love the sentiment, and your colouring is fab. Thanks for your review - I have a few Promarkers, just don't own enough shades of colours - have never tried Copics. I can't believe you use up to 7 colours on faces sometimes - wow!
Love, Andrea xx

Karen said...

Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of these but now I'm encouraged I might be able to afford them. I'm excited. And your coloring is great! Thanks!!
Karen

Lelia Pierce said...

WOW! Your card and altered tin are fabulous! I love everything about the whole set! :O)

XXX

Marja Sch said...

Wow what a wonderful card. Hugs Marja

Dena said...

Claudia, oh how funny, I just did an internet search last night on the differences! Thanks so much for your input, it sounds like they might be worth a try without breaking the bank!
Your card is to die for gorgeous and your papers AMAZING!!!!
Hugs, Dena

Craftnut said...

I have only ever had pro's and i love them. Blush, saffron, vanilla and pastel pink are good for skin tones.

Tracy x

cowboydutrem said...

I only have promarkers so can't say what the difference with the copics but I love mine. I still miss some colors to be able to do all the coloring I want... will certainly ask for some at Christmas! Two tones for one color doesn't seem enough to me, I usually use three (dark, medium,light).

Kimmi said...

Thanks for the information on the Promarkers. I've wanted to try them for a long time, but money is tight at the moment so I've just been renewing copic colours as its cheaper than starting a new brand.

Lucky girl being asked to review them!!

Love the card by the way and the colouring you've achieved is brilliant. People say there is no difference between the two, but if you've been used to one brand I'm sure there is a nack to getting it right with the promarkers and vice versa.

Ooooo I just know if I bought one or two I'd need the lot!

Hugs

Kimmi x

Rufus said...

Thanks for the comparison, I've always wondered. I don't have either, but have been wondering. You're card is lovely! Can't believe that's your first go with Pro-markers.
R/

Loz said...

Oh, these are gorgeous! I'm still using my chalks to colour and would love some markers (though I'm yet to win the lottery for some Copics) so thanks for the info on the promarkers! Your colouring looks great ♥

Haystack Creations said...

Thanks for the comparison, it is always good to find out these things. Your colouring looks fantastic.

Niki Estes said...

Beautiful cards, Claudia! Gorgeous coloring as always and I love the colors, sponged ink, and snowflakes!

Linda Carson said...

Beautiful artwork! Thanks for sharing the pros & cons of these markers!

Leonie said...

Thanks so much for this information Claudia! I don't have Copics yet but when I saw your tutorial I thought it would be a great way to color the stamped images! But maybe these Promarkers are good enough for me. I always found the Copics too expensive and because of your honest opinion I think this will be a great alternative!

Leonie xx

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the review. I have some Copics and would love to find markers that are not as expensive.

My name is Wynneth said...

Fabulous project Claudia - thank for sharing your thoughts on Promarkers. I have the full set and use them most of the time, although I do confess to preferring Copics for skin tones. Maybe Letraset will add some more skin tones to their range. I love the intensity of colour with PM's although I do have a few Copics and prefer to use those for subtle colouring eg shadows on snowmen or other 'white' images.
hugs
wynneth
x

Lauretta See said...

this is gorgeous :)) i love reading what you think about the promarks.. :) you.. what i would of really have loved to see.. the same image colored with the copics too.. in the same shades :) to see the differences. But overall i just love everything you do ;)

Hugs x

Sherry said...

Wow thanks for the endorsement your card looks awesome I have already invested a small fortune in copics so I think I will use them up first but willing to give these a try then

nessy said...

stunning card ~love the papers and delicate detail ~tilda is so beautifully coloured
vanessa xx

carrie said...

Great card! She is so soft and sweet and like the touch of pink on the heart. Thanks for the comparison of the pens.

Unknown said...

Great card. I love your coloring.
Thanks for the explanation.

Diane said...

Great review of the Prmarkers, Claudia and very timely for me because I just bought my first three Promarkers! I'm hoping for some softer pastels, particularly pink because I find the RV family in the Copics very harsh. Your project is lovely too!
Diane x

Jóna said...

I think this is very interesting thoughts about Promarkers versus Copics. Before I bought my pens (Tria Markers pens from Letraset) I borrowed Copics and Promarkers to try. I felt the Copics and Promarkers very similarly in use and blending the colors but thought Promarkers had a little plus over Copics in blending. I wanted to have paint brush tip so I decided to buy TriaMarkers in stead of Promarkers to get the tips. It has the same ink but many hundreds of colors so there is no problem to buy TriaMarkers when one thinks he wants more colors (they are more expensive though ) and also use together Promarkers and Copics. I have experience on Promarkers pens fore than 25 years ago and 2 of them are still ok to use.
I also have to say, your cards are always so beautiful :o)
All the best, Jóna

Tanya said...

Very beautiful card Claudia.

Edith said...

Wow, die Karte ist mal wieder wunderschön geworden! Tolle Details und Farben!
Gefällt mir sehr gut!!
Liebe Grüße!
Edith

Lori said...

WOW!!! LOVE the snowflakes :)
Love and hugs ~ Lori

1CardCreator said...

Love the card your coloring is beautiful. The snowflake gift box is gorgeous too. Thanks for the review on Pro markers. ~Diane

sockamom13 said...

I never heard of promarkers but they sound worth a try. Cute card.

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