In addition to Copics and Winsor Newton brand alcohol markers, another high quality marker line is the Blick Studio Markers. There are two different types of Blick Studio Markers: a fine tip nib and a brush nib. Since these are alcohol markers they are dye based and therefore not very lightfast. (Although they are supposed to be somewhat fade resistant.) For those who want to try out these supplies for themselves, I have included my Amazon Affiliate links down below.
The Blick Studio Brush Markers come in sets of 6, 12, 24, 48, and 96. There are 96 colors in this line plus a colorless blender. I purchased the set of 48. These sets range in price from $17.98 to $199.16. Individual markers retail for $2.96. These are available at https://www.dickblick.com/
The Blick Studio Brush Markers have a hexagonal barrel with a chisel nib and a brush nib. The regular Blick Studio Markers have a chisel nib and a fine tip nib. The caps have the color number and the color name on them. Now you can buy ink refills for these markers, but I can't seem to find any nib replacements yet. Hopefully dickblick.com will start offering those too.
Here is the first page of color swatches. There are a lot of bright colors, but there are some subtle colors that help with blending colors, too.
Here is the second page of color swatches. There are quite a few light yellows, pinks, and browns that help with skin tones.
I did a blending test on Bee Marker Paper with these markers and they blend very smoothly. These markers are comparable to Winsor Newton BrushMarkers and Copic Sketch Markers. I think the nib is not as flexible as the Winsor Newton Brush Markers, but about the same as the Copic nibs. The blending is just as good as Copics and Winsor Newton markers. Like the Winsor Newton Brush Markers, Blick Studio Brush Markers don't have as many colors as Copics and that's the main advantage that Copics have over those two brands.
Doodlin Time!
'New Mexico Yucca Coloring Page'
by Ellie Taylor
I tested these markers on some pastel paper with one of my coloring pages from my upcoming coloring book. The colors blend really well on this paper and they look really nice together. The colors also work very well for landscape paintings. Even though this is the 48 marker set there is a nice range of colors, pastels and brights. I will probably get the whole set someday, especially since there are ink refills now. I think you can actually use replacement Copic nibs on these if you need to have a new nib.
In conclusion, I would say that I really like these markers and if you are looking to save a little money, these markers are very similar to Copics, but about half the price.