ldakers
Introduction
Copic has a new exciting product range: The Copic Acrea marker! When I heard this, I was super enthousiastic to try them out. The Copic Classic marker are a an all time favorite and have been there basically during my entire creative career. So, naturally I was curious to get my hands on their new waterbased and pigmented paint markers from this high quality company from Japan. Also because they seem to fit my working style nowadays much better, which is mainly Mixed Media. Let‘s see how it went.
About the markers
General;
The new Copic Acrea marker are waterbased pigmented markers. That means they are odor-less and working with them is quite different than with Copics famous alcohol marker, the Copic Classic. They feature one nib, an 0,8mm plastic nib.
Design;
For me as a designer, the new Copic Acrea markers look super elegant! I love the minimalist yet elegant design, especially the white matte appearance. I also like that they are fairly thin compared to other markers. That might be a personal preference, but working with thinner markers is more comfortable to me. The little colour spot on the cap and the coloured ring indicate the colour of the chosen marker. You can stick the cap to the end of the marker, because as I mentioned before, there is only one nib. I like this simple but useful feature.
Sets and colours;
I tried out two sets with 6 markers each. The “deep” and the “vivid” set. In total there are 4 sets altogether, 24 wonderful markers, also available as open stock.
I am very positively surprised by the colour palette of each set. And even though I like the saturated tones more often, I was very pleased with the colours from the “vivid” set. They are bright and colorful, but like all of the new Acrea markers they are opaque, dry flat and without any streaks. To me the colours are very modern and not so first grade school like, which is a big plus for me. The “deeper” colours are wonderfully chosen. My favorites are definitely “red bean” and “mustard yellow”. The two sets can be used to make very harmonious colour palettes and go super well together.
Nib and ink;
The nib has a width of 0,8mm. When you use it first you need to shake the marker shortly and then pump the ink to the nib, to get the ink flow going. The nib is fairly small. By changing the ankle of how the nib touches the paper you can increase the surface and are able to make slightly bigger lines. The ink flow is very constant and dries rather quickly. Since the ink is waterbased, there is no smell that distracts you from drawing and being creative.
Since the ink is opaque, it also works very well on colored paper. Here I used them in a black sketchbook and even the light colors stand out from the dark paper.
But you can also try them on other materials than paper. Try wood, glass, plastic and glass. The possibilities are endless. It‘s also a pigmented ink, which means it‘s lightfast and your artwork can endure sunlight.
Usage;
If you are looking for a marker with a great and modern colour range with an opaque ink and a precise ink nib, you should definitely look into the new copic acrea marker. I love using them for detailed botanical drawings. But I can also image using them for my Lettering work more often, since the colours themselves layer very well. I adore the colours that are available.
If you want to cover large surfaces fast, this isn’t the right choice. The nib is to small for colouring in surfaces, unless you really enjoy this as a meditative process.
The markers are a great addition to my tools and I can‘t wait to test them further. My first impression is more than positive. Thank you for asking me to test them.
Nadine Bieg is an german illustrator, artist and sketchbook lover. She is never seen without her sketchbook. She likes to fill the pages with small illustrations, but her favorite thing to draw are letters, which she likes to put on paper in any form and with a wide variety of materials. In addition to mixed media painting and drawing, she often carves stamps at her desk at home in The Hague in the Netherlands. When she’s not drawing, she’s probably experimenting with colours. Because she also has a soft spot for the most beautiful colour combinations.
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