Continuing onward with my exploration of alcohol markers, I took a look at Winsor Newton Brushmarkers. Like Copics, these markers are dye based and therefore not lightfast. I purchased three different sets to try out. How do these compare to Copics? Let's take a look.
The first set I purchased was the Twelve plus One Standard Set. The Standard sets have a lot of primary colors in them and retail for around $27.26 on Amazon. A colorless blender is included in this set.
The second set was the Six Pastel Tones. This set contained blues, pinks, lavender, and light green. On Amazon it retails for around $16.35.
The last set I purchased was the six marker Skin Tones Set. This set contains light tans and peach colors. This set retails for $17.99 on Amazon. There are several other color sets of Winsor Newton Brushmarkers or you can get them open stock.
These markers come with a brush nib and a chisel tip nib. The brush nib has a bullet shaped cap and the chisel tip nib has a cylindrical cap. They even have a little piece of plastic on the cap to keep it from rolling off the table.
There are 72 colors in this Winsor Newton BrushMarker line. You can download the color chart from their website at http://www.winsornewton.com/na/shop/graphic-markers/brushmarker
Unfortunately these markers don't have refills or replaceable nibs, but you can get these open stock for $3.49 at Misterart.com or dickblick.com for $3.59.
There is a blank downloadable chart from the Winsor Newton website that you can use to keep track of your marker collection and see how the colors look on paper.
Doodlin' Time!
'Autumn Flower Mask'
by Ellie Taylor
Prints of this painting are available at http://www.redbubble.com/people/ellietaylorart
I used Canson card stock for this picture. I painted a picture of a Venetian mask decorated with autumn flowers and leaves. I used reds, oranges, and yellows for the flowers, leaves, and cloth. I kept the mask white and blended some subtle purple shading with the colorless blender. I put a little bit of reflected yellow color on the mask and blended it with the colorless blender.
The nibs on the Winsor Newton Brushmarkers are a little bit softer than the Copic brush nibs. I like that because it seems more like a paintbrush. These markers blend just as well as Copics and I really can't tell the difference between the two. Mainly the difference is in the nibs and the selection of colors. Copic markers have at least double the number of colors of the Winsor Newton Brushmarkers and that might make it easier to make more subtle color blends with Copic markers.
In conclusion, I would say that the Winsor Newton BrushMarkers are definitely professional type markers and can be a slightly cheaper alternative to Copics. I sort of like the Winsor Newton markers the best of all the blendable markers. I just wish they were refillable.