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.
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.