Everything here is so beautifully colorful: Which markers should I use?
1. There is a difference between felt-tip pens and markers.
Felt-tip pens! These are only seemingly inexpensive plastic tubes filled with cheap paint, usually available in packs of six and in standard colors at department stores. They are especially popular at the beginning of the school year, which is why they soon appear in every school cone.
Anyone who draws professionally will warn all parents against buying these pencils, because they dry out far too quickly and their tips are often scratchy or simply too soft – it's hard to estimate how many aspiring artists have given up because of these colorful disasters. In that sense, the term "felt-tip pen" is an insult.
2. There is an evolution in markers.
In 1952, Sidney Rosenthal developed felt-tip pens that, due to their elaborate construction, no longer deserved the mundane name "felt-tip pen." Thick pieces of wool saturated with ink were housed in an airtight, screw-top glass bottle. The nib was contained in a metal tube, which in turn could be sealed with a precisely fitted cap. Finally, they were available in an unimaginable number of colors—for example, ten different shades of cool and warm gray alone. These "Magic Markers," with their bold tips, were the first tools for professional use, and by the early 1980s, they were indispensable in design studios and advertising agencies, as well as for illustrators and storyboard artists.
Some early markers showed colors that weren't actually there…
The only problem was with thinking. The early "magic markers" used a solvent whose components are probably completely banned today: they smelled strong, and some artists only used them with the window open to avoid suddenly putting any fume-induced hallucinations on paper.
Fortunately for artists (and unfortunately for manufacturers), new developments gradually appeared on the market. There were – and still are – markers with less aggressive solvents, markers with broad and fine tips, with brush tips or angled tips (e.g., for poster lettering). Many markers are also refillable, which can be very worthwhile for frequently used colors. There is… almost everything.
3. There are markers for everything.
But not one that does everything.
The selection is now almost impossible to navigate. You can find waterproof and water-soluble markers, opaque and transparent ones, glossy and matte ones, thick and thin ones, for whiteboards and overhead projection, for different types of paper… – one manufacturer even offers an app that lets you simulate the typical marker stroke on a tablet or computer monitor. (Probably more for marketing purposes…)
And even when you try to limit the product range to the essentials – which we do at Neuland – there are still plenty of variations. A permanent black marker, for example, simply has to be that way so that an outline remains sharp even after coloring. And that's just one of many requirements our product line has to meet. So, what do you do now?
4. You make the difference.
Which markers (and which brand) you need will simply depend on your daily work. Therefore, we won't recommend ordering a complete set from us right away. Instead, we suggest making a small selection – and you're welcome to check out our competitors' offerings as well.
Then compare and test: How does the marker feel in your hand? Is it easy to refill? How does it perform on different surfaces? Does the ink bleed through to the other side? Is the marker easy to refill? Is it refillable at all? In short: Put your markers to the test. And then decide which one you prefer and work best with.
As the saying goes, practice is better than sketching.