Choosing your first set of brush markers
Choosing your first set of brush markers
Brush markers cover two quite different products that look identical on a shelf. Getting the distinction right before the first purchase saves a lot of frustration, because they behave nothing alike on paper.
Alcohol-based markers
Alcohol markers carry dye in an alcohol solvent. The ink dries fast, blends beautifully into itself while still wet, and produces the smooth, even fields of colour associated with illustration and design work.
The trade-off is bleed. Alcohol ink soaks through ordinary paper and will mark whatever is underneath, so it needs marker paper or a sheet behind it. Alcohol markers are also refillable in many ranges, and the nibs are replaceable, which changes the long-term cost considerably.
Water-based markers
Water-based markers behave more like a brush pen or a watercolour. They bleed far less, they work on ordinary paper, and they can be reactivated with a wet brush to blend after the fact.
They generally leave more visible stroke edges than alcohol markers and can lift or damage the paper surface if worked heavily. For lettering, journaling and colouring on normal paper, they are usually the better first purchase.
What a dual tip actually gives you
Most sets sold as “dual tip” have a flexible brush nib at one end and a fine bullet or chisel nib at the other. This is genuinely useful rather than a marketing feature: the brush nib does fills and lettering strokes, the fine nib does outlines and detail, and you are not swapping pens constantly.
The thing to check is what the second tip actually is. A fine bullet tip and a broad chisel tip suit different work — chisel for lettering and wide strokes, bullet for line work.
Nib flexibility
Brush nibs vary from quite stiff to very soft. A softer nib gives more line variation and is more expressive; it is also harder to control and wears faster. A firmer nib is more forgiving for a beginner and better for small lettering.
Paper matters as much as the marker
This is the part most first-time buyers discover afterwards. Alcohol markers on copier paper bleed, feather and look muddy. The same markers on marker paper look like the product photograph.
Marker paper is smooth and coated so the ink sits rather than soaks. Bristol board is a heavier alternative that also takes fine detail well. Where a set includes paper, the type is on the listing; where it does not, adding a pad is the single best accompanying purchase.
Colour count and what to look for
Large sets look generous, and much of the count is often taken up by closely spaced brights. What makes a set usable is families: several values of the same hue so they can be blended into each other, plus a proper range of greys.
Greys deserve particular attention. Cool greys, warm greys and neutral greys are different families, and having three or four values of one family does more for shading than a dozen scattered colours.
Blending, briefly
With alcohol markers, blending is done wet: lay the lighter colour, then work the darker one into it before either dries, or use a colourless blender to push the edge. With water-based markers, blending is generally done by overlapping and then softening with a damp brush.
Both techniques reward working light-to-dark. Going the other way is possible but far harder.
Practical checks before buying
- Decide alcohol or water-based based on what you will draw on.
- Check what the second tip is: brush plus fine, or brush plus chisel.
- Look for value families and a proper grey range rather than raw colour count.
- Budget for marker paper if the set is alcohol-based.
- Check whether nibs and ink are replaceable if this will be a long-term set.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: Brush Markers and Pens, which currently holds 3 listings between $8.99 and $26.99. The whole of it is picked and packed at Rudy's Hobby & Art, 35-16 30th Ave, Long Island City, NY, during Wed–Sat 11am–6:30pm, closed Sun–Tue — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((718) 545-8280.
From our shelves
- 36 Dual Brush Markers for Adult Coloring Books, Double Tip Pens Art Set — $8.99
- 120 Colors Dual Tip Brush Pens Art Markers for Adult Coloring Books, Artist Drawing Sketch Markers Set with Fine & Brush Tip — $26.99
- Alcohol Markers Set, 80 Color Dual Tip Art Drawing Markers, Artist Pens with Organizing Case for Adult Drawing Coloring Sketching — $16.99
What we get asked about this
What can I pay with?
Checkout accepts Pay with cards and more, Card, WeChat Pay, Airwallex – Express Checkout, Klarna and Afterpay. Card details are handled by the payment provider and never stored on this site.
Can I return something?
Yes — unused goods, within 30 days of delivery. If the mistake was ours, we pay the return postage. Full detail is on the Refund and Returns Policy page.
Read next
- Oil-based or wax-based coloured pencils: what actually changes
- Blending coloured pencils without a solvent
- Why the paper matters more than the pens
Ordering from Rudy's Hobby and Art
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $5.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (718) 545-8280. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.