A few months ago I showed you some Staedtler Pigment Brush pens – water-based markers that become permanent once dry. You might remember this one:
I was tickled to find out that while I was working on a freelance design project for one of Staedtler’s satellite offices, HQ saw it and was impressed. So much so they wanted to send me a pack of promo goodies!
It was so nice to hear their appreciation of my work; and though I didn’t know what would be in this promo pack, I looked forward to it. Just before Christmas a BIG box arrived, and I put it under the tree – so I’d have something to open on Christmas morning. Not only did I find the full line of 60 marker colors in it – they also included a 24-pack and a 12 pack of portrait colors – so read on for the giveaway later in this post!
Tutorial: Do these markers bleed through? (paper tests)
Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!
SUPPLIES
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MARKERS
- Staedtler Mars Pigment Arts Pen 36 BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS
- Staedtler Mars Pigment Arts Pen 24 BLICK | JACKSONS
- Staedtler Mars Pigment Arts Pen 12 flesh AMZ | JACKSONS
- Staedtler Mars Pigment Arts Black pigment liner pens set BLICK | AMZ | JACKSONS
- Staedtler MultiInk Blending Liquid
PAPERS
- Canson XL watercolor pad 9×12 BLICK | AMZ JACKSONS
- Copic Sketchbook 9×12 BLICK | AMZ
- Coco Wyo coloring book (cheap paper)
- Kanoko Egusa Symphony of Cute animals
- Johanna Basford Rooms of Wonder
Student grade watercolor paper
For years I’ve recommended student grade watercolor papers for water-based markers. There’s just something about how they “cling” to anything with too much cotton in them, so something a little slipperier is warranted to help the color move more easily.
I didn’t fuss over streaks – because I chose a subject that I could use the marker lines to my advantage. Always think about that when choosing a subject for a medium – or your medium for a subject. Some things are just better for one or the other.
In this case the veins were calling me….my neighbor thought I was crazy when I asked if I could take a photo of her houseplant, and proceeded to move it closer to the window and cleared a shelf for myself. HA! I knew I could also capture the thin stems of the plant, and tiny leaves. These markers have a nice small brush for that kind of detail.
There was zero bleed through on the back, which would be pretty obvious if you know this paper – it’s pretty thick!
Marker paper
While marker paper tends to be more slippery, it also isn’t made to have any flow; it’s not soft enough OR hard enough! (It would be FABULOUS for lettering with these pens though!)
To simulate a blend, there’s a few possibilities:
-create a line of a dark color, and next to it a line of a midtone, then a line of a light, and let the viewer’s eye “mix” it for them. You’d be surpised how well a graphic approach like that comes across to a person looking at your art!
-use blending liquid to smooth out areas – even just the larger ones that are large enough to wield a brush in them.
-pull out the colored pencils after it’s dry! Colored pencils love working on top of any flood of color, since the white speckles typically left behind are pre-covered by the marker ink, so blending is easier.
And after all the application of color, it’s pretty awesome this doesn’t bleed through.
Cheap coloring book paper
While the cheap paper Amazon prints on can work fine with colored pencils and alcohol markers (though marker bleeds like mad, so choose books printed on only one side)……the streakiness is pretty much off the charts! I couldn’t get the blending liquid to work at all on it.
Nicer coloring book paper
There’s much more possibility with a higher end paper. Streakiness is still present if the spaces are large, but much more controllable. Wide open areas is where it’s mostly in danger of showing marker lines.
Kanoko Egusa’s style is one I love, primarily because it has both small details and open enough areas to have fun coloring. Might not be best for this particular marker though.
As I said before though, with practiced lines it’s possible to make the lines on a large space like the face look like muscle. Blending liquid had some efficacy so try it out – but as always be sure you test in your own coloring book to see how different mediums will perform.
Nicer coloring book paper, smaller designs
If you’re a Johanna Basford fan, her work is really suited for these pens! Lots of tiny areas that you can cover quickly and easily with the pigment brush markers, and the fine details can be easily handled with the fine marker tip.
No bleeding through means you won’t lose any of the back sides of any pages!
Giveaway!
Staedtler sent me extra markers, and I’m thrilled to be able to get them out to some lucky folks to try out! And I’d like to target each of them to someone who will actually use them, so do me a favor and check off all three items on this list, okay? I’d hate to pay all that shipping cost to send out a pack you won’t touch!
To qualify to WIN, do all three:
- Leave a comment – and tell me which of the two sets of markers would work for you! Even though the “portrait” set is called portrait, it’d be fabulous for animals too!
- Sign up for my e-newsletter below; it’s free! It comes out every Saturday and I let you know what’s posted that week, so you won’t miss out on any creativity. Or the winner announcement next weekend!
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel! I mean cmon. Seriously. It’s free, too, right?
I’ll be picking winners on Friday night and will include the winners’ names in the newsletter. Go tell a friend or two about the giveaway, you probably know someone who likes using markers!
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I’d love the 24 set. Thank you for showing performance on different paper!
Thank you for the great samples of how these markers lay down on different papers. I often forget to try different papers with my coloring mediums. I think the 24 marker assortment would be a great place to start.
I’d love the 24 set. I would use either though. I love your channel. Only just found your blog. Will enjoy all the details here too.
Would love either set but the 24 set would be brilliant! They’d definitely make my journaling and sketching more fun!
I am a sucker for having the most choices so I would go with the 24 pack. Great info.
I absolutely adore you and your videos. I would love to try the 24 set. I often do not treat myself to art supplies so this would be a treat. I too am interested to see if it would work with my Bible journal.
I think the set of 35 would work best for me. I like doing flowers and nature
What fun it was to watch you coloring and drawing with these markers. I do most of my art for cards so I would love to win the 24 pack. My work is mostly small critters, plants, flowers and some scenery on my card backgrounds. These would be wonderful for single layer cards with no bleed through.
These look so awesome! I love the fine tip!
Great video, Sandy…so helpful to see the results using a variety of papers and variety of sized images, even your own hand-drawn plant. I would like to use the 24 colors set for making cards. Fortunately, I can stamp a design on a variety of papers to make card fronts. Thanks for considering me for this giveaway. I have been subscribed to your YouTube channel. I get your newsletters also.
I love how your plants turned out! I would enjoy using the 24 marker set. I already subscribe to your YouTube channel. It’s such a bright spot in my day!
Thank you Sandy for showing us these markers! I have been looking for alternatives for a while now. I use the set of 24 more likely than the flesh colours. For me nature is the deal and I love landscapes, flowers and leaves.
Really enjoyed your assessment! I was very interested to see also that the reds don’t seem to turn pink when diluted, which is a problem with so many watercolor sets.
I don’t ever do people coloring, so the flesh set would be wasted on me. But either of the basic sets would be great!
I’ve been a YouTube subscriber for years, and I’ve been getting emails from you for years as well, so I may already be a newsletter subscriber. But in case if not, I subscribed!
Love your Channel have been watching for a few years now.. Love your overview of these pens. They look so intriguing. I have Tombos which I really love but would love to try these out ..would be really interested in the portrait set.
Hi sand
Thank you for showing these sets, honestly it’s hard to pick a set, I love all the colors
Either set would be awesome to play with. You provide so much inspiration Sandy, thank you!
I think I’d want the larger set only because I do more flowers then I do animals. But I’m sure either set would be used a lot!
Hi Sandy, Happy New Year! Thank you for the givaway, so very thoughful.Already signed up everywhere you are,(I feel like a stalker) LOL. Would love to try the multi-color set for botanical art.
I’d love to try these…. the 24 set looks awesome! Thanks for the chance!
I’m subscribed to the newsletter and your YouTube!
I’d love either set but I think I’m probably lacking most in the skin tones. I also got some of these for Christmas. Where did you find the 60 set?
That was sent to me by HQ – they had seen the video I did in September after I did a freelance project for their Canadian division, and asked if they could send me a box. I was surprised with how much they sent!
They appreciate your artistry! What a wonderful way to compliment your talents.
Also I haven’t found the 60 set online anywhere. A couple reviews of it dating back to spring 2024, but I don’t see it available elsewhere. Yet. I suspect it could be coming out sometime soon but they didn’t tell me any info.
Love all your artwork! The 24 pack would be awesome. I have a variety of paper that I’d love to experiment them on. I do subscribe to both your newsletter and YouTube channel.
I would love either set, but I’m limited on skin tone markers so I’d love the portrait. All the colors look beautiful though!
I love your videos and your hex chart is the best!!! I would love the set of 24!!!
I love coloring books and have always used pencils because of the bleeding. It would be great to try the 24 set to see how they work for me. I have other color books by
Johanna Basford, but I’m going to look up Kanoko Egusa. I’m already signed up for your newsletter and YouTube channel, but I’ll do it again, just in case.
Video was great. Love the tips on how best to use these pigment markers. I love either set but the portrait would be nice to have because of the skin tones.
Hi, Sandy. Thanks for making these sets available. I would be honored to have either set, but I would use the 24-set more easily. I would love to test a set in your Bible journaling workbook to see how it does. Right now, I am primarily Bible journaling with colored pencils because I don’t particularly enjoy the ironing that comes with wet media. Perhaps that could be avoided with these? I have also bought the Grainger and Egusa coloring books recently. It would be lovely to color some of those images without worrying about a bleed-through. I hate having to choose between images because one will be unusable. I already subscribe to your newsletter and YouTube channel. Thank you!
Sandy, so nice of you to share with your subscribers. I subscribed to your channel several years ago, and I’ve learned so much watching your videos! I’m also signed up for your newsletter. I use markers when stamping and coloring greeting cards for all occasions. I would be happy with either set to use when making cards. Recently been using a sketch book and improving my skills with sketching different things from plants to animals and beaches/palm trees and seagrass on the dunes! Building my confidence every time I the book! Thank you for sharing your videos that inspire us!
Hi Sandy,
I would like to try the 24 set. Thanks for giving me a chance to enter this giveaway and for being such a great teacher. I don’t comment much but I do appreciate your easy way of explaining things.
Sandy, i love that you are showing markers that don’t bleed through. i have a bunch of coloring books, and picking which side to color was sometimes hard. I think I would like the skintone one. can’t wait to try the coloring book class.
Thank you for such a lovely giveaway 🙂 I’m torn between the two sets lol. I do like to do a lot of botanicals / nature so the 24 set with more colours might be more useful ? But either one would be awesome
Sandy, like you I came from an artistic household. Both of my parent were artists. My siblings got the talent as well. Me, well, not as much.
how exciting! as much as I love markers, the bleed thru has always been disappointing for me. Even though I know it’s not true, I always somehow felt my work was less than perfect because of it. makes no sense, I know, but my mind works in mysterious ways sometimes.
I would love to try any of the markers, I am not picky.
Thank you Sandy for what you do. I absolutely love and enjoy your videos. I absorb them like a sponge. I will never reach your artistic abilities, it’s more struggle and practice than coming naturally for me but hey, a girl can only pursue and work with the talents God gave her.
take care and keep on creating, I learn so much from you.
Thanks for showing how these markers work on different types of paper.
I’m a cardmaker and also love coloring in books. It helps me practice different shading options.
I don’t do portraits but any of the markers would be so kind.
You could color with dirt and a rock and it would be beautiful!! I would be happy with either set. Thank you for the opportunity.
I would be interested in trying out the portrait pack of markers. After your first video, I decided to invest in the 24 pack of markers and I’ve used them before the holidays. You are correct in that it takes a little time to learn how to use them to their advantages and not to think of them like an alcohol marker. I do like the fact that the colors do not bleed through to the back side of the paper so I plan to use them mainly for cards.
I love the information & honest opinions you offer in your videos pertaining to various art materials.
I would be delighted to recieve & use the 24 set of color markers!
I have been coloring all my life. Starting with Crayola crayons. I have some experience over the years with acrylics & watercolors. My favorite has been colored pencil. I have been frustrated with markers due to lack of blending. I have not yet invested in good quality markers, so these would be awesome to try.
Hi Sandy, I would love the 24 as it has more colors ☺️ thank you.
I would love any set, but would prefer the 24 set, as it has more colors that I would use. Thank you for the motivation to get drawing again!
I would love the set with the most colors as I love making mandalas! My problem is finding pens that don’t bleed through. I want to try drawing my succulents and cacti in my backyard too and feel the more colorful set would be amazing to use for this!
Thank you for the informative video. I would love either set, but lean toward the colorful set. Already signed up on YouTube and just signed up for your newsletter.
I’d love to try the “flesh/portrait” ones, as I have lots of the full range of primary colors.
I am already sub’d to your newsletter and You Tube channel.
Thanks, Sandy, for sharing and your always-valuable demo’s.
~~linda
Oh, Sandy! You are so generous!
Bleed-free??? OMG! I will accept ANY set you are nice enough to part with, but I guess I am partial to a more colorful set because I like to color flowers.
I must say, your flower plant project in this post is GORGEOUS! If I could replicate something like that, I would be ecstatic!
Thank you!
The set of 12 would be a great starter set to try out. Your posts are inspiring and love watching you create!
So exciting, I would love to try either set. Thanks for the chance to win.
I’d love to try the 24 color set. These look so good and I’m excited about no bleed through!
I’d love the 24 pack because it has more colors, but I’d be just as chuffed to receive the 12 pack to try out. Thank you for the thorough review of the markers on different papers!
I’d love to try either set! Thank you for the great video and the giveaway!
I’d love any set. Markers, all kinds are my passion.
I also love the 24 color set…I would love to try them on the stack of coloring books that I have…because they wouldn’t bleed! Great!
Either set would be so wonderful to try. I would love the set of 24 to go with my new Color Cube Planner-I am excited to try these with those pages. I appreciate all that you do to provide us with helpful tips on our artistic endeavors!
I don’t know the paper in a planner but I bet they’d work and wouldn’t bleed. If these don’t bleed on a cheap coloring book, they’re going to work on most anything!
Hi, thanks for introducing these to me & the opportunity! I would love the 24 pack.
Oh wonderful. I love new art supplies and love the experiment. More fun.
I would love to have the 24 pak. And stay warm, I can’t believe they can’t get to you till Monday! Another tv suggestion is Ted Lasso, in my top 5 of all time. Super beautiful show, optimistic, heartwarming. I have watched the whole series several times.
The set of 24 markers would be amazing!
Good morning Sandy,
Thank you for your willingness to share all that you know and discover in art – you’re a rock star!
If my name should be pulled out of the hat for markers I would like the non-portrait set which looks like it might be a 24 pack. I am going to have to check out Johanna Basford’s coloring books as they look fun!
Hello
I’d like to try the colourful set. What a great giveaway. I’m already signed up for your news letter and YouTube channel!