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3 Marker Challenge #12
-Artist Loft Edition-

Local Artist Uses Most HATED Art Brand! (Not Click Bait!)

(I kind of wish this WAS click-bait, but no, I actually put myself through this. I’m going to try NOT to turn this into an Artist Loft roast post, so bear with me.)

The short and sweet version: I think over the past couple years I’ve proven myself to be fairly capable with alcohol markers, but y’all, these were hard to work with. I honest to goodness gave this piece my all, but these supplies just didn’t want to work with me. I don’t hate the piece, and it’s not awful, but I know I could do better with other brands, so looking at it puts a bitter taste in my mouth. I rate this product 4/10. Better than they were, but that bar was so low it was bonking fish in the Mariana Trench.

The long-winded version I’m known for (get a hot drink and settle down for this one):

Several years ago, when I was still testing the waters to see which marker brand I wanted to suction to like an inebriated squid, I ended up buying a couple Artist Loft Sketch markers and…they were awful. Straight up the worst markers I’d ever used, and that includes a few of the mystery 50 cent ones off Ebay. The brush nib started falling apart after literally just swatching them, they left this weird oily sludge on top of the paper, and SOMETHING (mold? crystals? the world may never know) was growing on the nibs after a few weeks. They also didn’t feel like they had much ink in them, but I didn’t bother to try finishing them off before throwing them out because I hated them so much.

Y’all, they were bad.

BUT.

An artist friend of mine was given a set a year or two later and she swears by them. I trust her judgement in art supplies, so I thought the odds were good that they’d done a major product revamp. I was in the mood to do a 3 Marker Challenge a few months ago and figured that would be the perfect test to see if they’re still deserving of the hatred I harbor towards them, so I headed to Michaels to pick up a few.

Pros:
-Nothing weird is growing on them this time! Improvement!
-The brush nib is MUCH better quality. And I’m glad, because this piece would have been impossible if it was the same sea sponge material they’d made it from before. Even after doing this full illustration they’re showing wear but not damage with no fraying at the tip. So the brush nib is good.
-Getting flat areas of colour was fairly pain-free. I was using my RendR paper which is the king of giving flat washes, but I’ll give it this one.
-They have a smell but aren’t overly stinky. They didn’t give me migraines like a few brands I’ve tried. (Looking at you, mystery Ebay markers.)
-They were reasonably comfortable to hold. I’m used to smaller markers, but these weren’t awful. The triangle shape also keeps them from rolling away when you put them down.

Cons:
-Layering the same colour over itself was a bit of a mixed result. It would get a bit darker the second go-round, but that was pretty much it. This made it easy to get flat washes but really hard to get any contrast within the colour.
-The ink just doesn’t blend. The whole appeal of alcohol markers is how well they blend together, but these just…didn’t. The blends I ended up with here took a LOT of planning, testing, and strategy, and I felt I was being fought the whole time, when I don’t even have to think of it with Copic or Ohuhu.
-In the same vein, the ink doesn’t layer the same way it does with other markers. Kind of hard to explain that one. Almost like the ink is runnier, having more alcohol than ink when compared to the same shades of other brands? I don’t know.
-One of the colour codes has almost completely rubbed off of one cap. Since the colours aren’t listed on the barrel, when you lose these you can’t read what colour it is and have to just hope you can guess it from the colour caps.
-And on that note, the caps don’t really match the inks within, either. They’re not terrible, but they’re definitely off.
-And the main con here is price. These are $5.99 per marker. As of today, a pack of 12 at the absolute cheapest goes for $54.99. When I first bought these years ago they were marked at $3.49 per marker, and if that was the current price for the improved version I would still consider it high but not necessarily unreasonable. But these prices encroach on Copic Ciao territory. With this price they no longer qualify as a budget product even though they’re presented as the budget alternative to Copic.

So in the end, with all of the improvements that they’ve made since the last time I used them, would I recommend them?

Honestly, no.

They’re no longer the worst markers I’ve ever used, but they’re really not all that far behind. Being better than they were doesn’t make them good. If these were ACTUALLY a budget product then maybe, though I’d still recommend other budget brands, but these are premium cost with budget quality, and I genuinely implore you to buy anything else.

That said, I’m not going to just leave you with a “don’t buy this,” as that doesn’t help anybody.

If you absolutely have to pick up markers at Michaels and don’t want to shell out for the Copic Sketch, then I recommend the Copic Ciao. Individually they’re only 50 cents more than the Artist Loft, a set of 6 is only $3 more, and they are infinitely better quality. These are literally the industry standard of professional markers but in slightly smaller form. You can buy refills, replacement nibs when they wear out after years of use, are available in 180 colours, and bring all of the quality of the Copic Sketch but at a more affordable price (the trade-off being slightly less ink in the initial buy, no colour names on the caps, and fewer colours compared to the 358 of the Sketch flagship markers). So if you’re looking to buy markers specifically from Michael’s/not buy them online, these will give you a much higher quality product while being criminally close to the same price.

But if you want an actual budget product, either for yourself or for a budding artist? Ohuhu. Seriously. I can’t recommend these guys enough. Their quality is absolutely mind-blowing for the price they are. They’re about an 8.5/10 compared to Copic but cost 1/10th the price. The ink is good, the brush nibs are fantastic (AND dual-ended so if one ever frays you can just flip it around for a fresh nib, but I haven’t had one fray yet), they come in 320 colours (in comparison, the Artist Loft comes in 80). Literally the only downside is that you have to buy them online (either through Amazon or through their official store).

For a quick price comparison (the brush markers specifically, prices as of today in $CAD):

$34.99 Artist Loft: Pack of 6
$34.99 Ohuhu: Pack of 24 (and you can also get a pack of 24 for $24.99; the more expensive set is just a more specifically curated set)

$54.99 Artist Loft: Pack of 12 (limited; normally their 12 packs are $67.99)
$54.99 Ohuhu: Pack of 48

$199.99 Artist Loft: Pack of 48, their largest set
$170.39 Ohuhu: Pack of 216 (with Prime)
$280.49 Ohuhu: Pack of 320 (with Prime), their largest set

OR

If you want to go REALLY budget:

For just under the $199 of Artist Loft’s pack of 48, you can get the 320 set of Ohuhu markers with a bullet nib instead of a brush nib.

48 Artist Loft markers. Compared to 320 Ohuhus. And they are far worse quality.

…I think I failed in my goal of not making this an Artist Loft roast post. But hey, that’s where honesty gets you. I was going to save this for an Easter post, but I don’t think that this absolute slandering of the product name all that festive. Maybe I’ll share the line art that day instead.

So if you’re still with me:

Artist Loft: 4/10, $5.99/marker, 80 colours
Copic Ciao: 9/10, $6.49/marker, 180 colours
Ohuhu: 8.5/10, circa $1.25/marker, 320 colours
Copic Sketch: 10/10, $8.99/marker, 358 colours

If you like this product, I’m genuinely happy for you. I’m not telling you that you can’t like this. But I tried REALLY hard to like it, and comparing it to other markers it's just not there. In my (professional? maybe??) opinion, you can get a far higher quality product for a fraction of the price, making this specific product obsolete.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Done with Artist Loft markers on Rendr marker paper. Touches of white Prismacolor pencil crayon and Sakura Gellyroll.

Description
3 Marker Challenge #12
-Artist Loft Edition-

Local Artist Uses Most HATED Art Brand! (Not Click Bait!)

(I kind of wish this WAS click-bait, but no, I actually put myself through this. I’m going to try NOT to turn this into an Artist Loft roast post, so bear with me.)

The short and sweet version: I think over the past couple years I’ve proven myself to be fairly capable with alcohol markers, but y’all, these were hard to work with. I honest to goodness gave this piece my all, but these supplies just didn’t want to work with me. I don’t hate the piece, and it’s not awful, but I know I could do better with other brands, so looking at it puts a bitter taste in my mouth. I rate this product 4/10. Better than they were, but that bar was so low it was bonking fish in the Mariana Trench.

The long-winded version I’m known for (get a hot drink and settle down for this one):

Several years ago, when I was still testing the waters to see which marker brand I wanted to suction to like an inebriated squid, I ended up buying a couple Artist Loft Sketch markers and…they were awful. Straight up the worst markers I’d ever used, and that includes a few of the mystery 50 cent ones off Ebay. The brush nib started falling apart after literally just swatching them, they left this weird oily sludge on top of the paper, and SOMETHING (mold? crystals? the world may never know) was growing on the nibs after a few weeks. They also didn’t feel like they had much ink in them, but I didn’t bother to try finishing them off before throwing them out because I hated them so much.

Y’all, they were bad.

BUT.

An artist friend of mine was given a set a year or two later and she swears by them. I trust her judgement in art supplies, so I thought the odds were good that they’d done a major product revamp. I was in the mood to do a 3 Marker Challenge a few months ago and figured that would be the perfect test to see if they’re still deserving of the hatred I harbor towards them, so I headed to Michaels to pick up a few.

Pros:
-Nothing weird is growing on them this time! Improvement!
-The brush nib is MUCH better quality. And I’m glad, because this piece would have been impossible if it was the same sea sponge material they’d made it from before. Even after doing this full illustration they’re showing wear but not damage with no fraying at the tip. So the brush nib is good.
-Getting flat areas of colour was fairly pain-free. I was using my RendR paper which is the king of giving flat washes, but I’ll give it this one.
-They have a smell but aren’t overly stinky. They didn’t give me migraines like a few brands I’ve tried. (Looking at you, mystery Ebay markers.)
-They were reasonably comfortable to hold. I’m used to smaller markers, but these weren’t awful. The triangle shape also keeps them from rolling away when you put them down.

Cons:
-Layering the same colour over itself was a bit of a mixed result. It would get a bit darker the second go-round, but that was pretty much it. This made it easy to get flat washes but really hard to get any contrast within the colour.
-The ink just doesn’t blend. The whole appeal of alcohol markers is how well they blend together, but these just…didn’t. The blends I ended up with here took a LOT of planning, testing, and strategy, and I felt I was being fought the whole time, when I don’t even have to think of it with Copic or Ohuhu.
-In the same vein, the ink doesn’t layer the same way it does with other markers. Kind of hard to explain that one. Almost like the ink is runnier, having more alcohol than ink when compared to the same shades of other brands? I don’t know.
-One of the colour codes has almost completely rubbed off of one cap. Since the colours aren’t listed on the barrel, when you lose these you can’t read what colour it is and have to just hope you can guess it from the colour caps.
-And on that note, the caps don’t really match the inks within, either. They’re not terrible, but they’re definitely off.
-And the main con here is price. These are $5.99 per marker. As of today, a pack of 12 at the absolute cheapest goes for $54.99. When I first bought these years ago they were marked at $3.49 per marker, and if that was the current price for the improved version I would still consider it high but not necessarily unreasonable. But these prices encroach on Copic Ciao territory. With this price they no longer qualify as a budget product even though they’re presented as the budget alternative to Copic.

So in the end, with all of the improvements that they’ve made since the last time I used them, would I recommend them?

Honestly, no.

They’re no longer the worst markers I’ve ever used, but they’re really not all that far behind. Being better than they were doesn’t make them good. If these were ACTUALLY a budget product then maybe, though I’d still recommend other budget brands, but these are premium cost with budget quality, and I genuinely implore you to buy anything else.

That said, I’m not going to just leave you with a “don’t buy this,” as that doesn’t help anybody.

If you absolutely have to pick up markers at Michaels and don’t want to shell out for the Copic Sketch, then I recommend the Copic Ciao. Individually they’re only 50 cents more than the Artist Loft, a set of 6 is only $3 more, and they are infinitely better quality. These are literally the industry standard of professional markers but in slightly smaller form. You can buy refills, replacement nibs when they wear out after years of use, are available in 180 colours, and bring all of the quality of the Copic Sketch but at a more affordable price (the trade-off being slightly less ink in the initial buy, no colour names on the caps, and fewer colours compared to the 358 of the Sketch flagship markers). So if you’re looking to buy markers specifically from Michael’s/not buy them online, these will give you a much higher quality product while being criminally close to the same price.

But if you want an actual budget product, either for yourself or for a budding artist? Ohuhu. Seriously. I can’t recommend these guys enough. Their quality is absolutely mind-blowing for the price they are. They’re about an 8.5/10 compared to Copic but cost 1/10th the price. The ink is good, the brush nibs are fantastic (AND dual-ended so if one ever frays you can just flip it around for a fresh nib, but I haven’t had one fray yet), they come in 320 colours (in comparison, the Artist Loft comes in 80). Literally the only downside is that you have to buy them online (either through Amazon or through their official store).

For a quick price comparison (the brush markers specifically, prices as of today in $CAD):

$34.99 Artist Loft: Pack of 6
$34.99 Ohuhu: Pack of 24 (and you can also get a pack of 24 for $24.99; the more expensive set is just a more specifically curated set)

$54.99 Artist Loft: Pack of 12 (limited; normally their 12 packs are $67.99)
$54.99 Ohuhu: Pack of 48

$199.99 Artist Loft: Pack of 48, their largest set
$170.39 Ohuhu: Pack of 216 (with Prime)
$280.49 Ohuhu: Pack of 320 (with Prime), their largest set

OR

If you want to go REALLY budget:

For just under the $199 of Artist Loft’s pack of 48, you can get the 320 set of Ohuhu markers with a bullet nib instead of a brush nib.

48 Artist Loft markers. Compared to 320 Ohuhus. And they are far worse quality.

…I think I failed in my goal of not making this an Artist Loft roast post. But hey, that’s where honesty gets you. I was going to save this for an Easter post, but I don’t think that this absolute slandering of the product name all that festive. Maybe I’ll share the line art that day instead.

So if you’re still with me:

Artist Loft: 4/10, $5.99/marker, 80 colours
Copic Ciao: 9/10, $6.49/marker, 180 colours
Ohuhu: 8.5/10, circa $1.25/marker, 320 colours
Copic Sketch: 10/10, $8.99/marker, 358 colours

If you like this product, I’m genuinely happy for you. I’m not telling you that you can’t like this. But I tried REALLY hard to like it, and comparing it to other markers it's just not there. In my (professional? maybe??) opinion, you can get a far higher quality product for a fraction of the price, making this specific product obsolete.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

Done with Artist Loft markers on Rendr marker paper. Touches of white Prismacolor pencil crayon and Sakura Gellyroll.