13 Best Blending Markers That Match Your Budget And Need In 2023
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Are you looking for the best blending markers for your next project? Whether you're on a tight budget or looking to splurge on the best of the best, we've got you covered. In this blog post, we'll review 13 of the best blending markers available on the market today. We'll discuss what makes each marker unique and how it can benefit your projects.
So whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, read on to find the perfect blending marker for you.
Our Top Picks
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Best Overall: Arteza Everblend Art Markers• AP-certified color blending markers |
Runner-up: Shuttle Art Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers• Extensive color selection |
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Best Starter Set: Crayola Signature Blending Markers• Non-toxic inks |
1. Arteza Everblend Art Markers - Best Overall
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What Customers Have to Say
Arteza markers blend well with more expensive marker brands. They're not streaky and give great value for your money. It has an excellent storage bag that’s very sturdy and organized. However, according to some users, customer service is not at par with the perceived quality of the products.
Why We Think It's Great
Arteza Everblend Art Markers are vibrant alcohol-based blending markers that let you mix and blend colors to your heart's content for beautiful, unique artwork. They bear the AP-certified logo for your safety and assurance in quality.
The replaceable nibs allow you to keep the markers for a long time or customize the nibs as you need them. The set has 60 alcohol art markers organized in a sturdy zippered carrying case with 72 slots to provide additional markers or colorless blenders.
You can use these markers for creating gradients, hatching, and 3D art projects.
Who Should Buy It
For anyone who wants high-quality, affordable blending markers with a wide range of colors, Arteza Everblend Art Markers is your perfect choice.
2. Shuttle Art Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers - Runner-up
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What Customers Have to Say
Given the price, many customers think that these markers are better than they expect in this set. However, some users complain about the canvas bag since it doesn't have a divider and won't stay up when open.
Why We Think It's Great
The markers have a 300m marker rating, meaning you can use this marker for a guaranteed 300 meters before it runs out.
Though the canvas bag is not the best feature of this blending marker set, it's not a reason to discourage artists from getting this set. The markers use non-toxic and acid-free inks safe for kids and people with allergies and other health issues.
The set has 171 alcohol-based art markers, a colorless blender marker, a color swatch card, and marker paper for a good value on your money. The markers have a square barrel for easier handling. To achieve smooth blending, always use the colorless blending marker included in the set.
Who Should Buy It
Professional artists love to use these cheap markers for product or fashion designing, animation, and manga illustrations. You can create sharp lines with the fine tips and broad lines with the chisel tips.
3. Spectrum Noir Triblend Alcohol Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
Artists appreciate the innovative design of these marker pens since they don't have to do any guessing game when blending. Each pen has three gradient-ready colors that solve all the blending issues artists face when using individual markers.
Why We Think It's Great
Spectrum Noir Triblend Alcohol Markers are innovative markers that feature three colors in one pen, making them easy to use and blend. The seamless blending capability ensures smooth, flawless results, while the high-quality Japanese nibs provide a premium writing experience.
The micro-porous ink filter ensures a consistent ink flow with every stroke, while the ergonomic barrel provides hours of comfortable use. The airtight caps keep your markers safe and prevent them from drying when not in use.
Each pack has 24 pens - dark red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, skin tone, and gray in 3-color blends for easy blending. You get 72 colors in one compact box for easier coloring on the go. And if you need more skin tone blends in this brand, this portrait blend is a good choice.
Who Should Buy It
Spectrum Noir Triblend Alcohol Markers are an excellent choice for artists who want a limited number of pens to work with and make smooth gradients without guessing which colors go together.
4. Chameleon Kidz Blendy Pens
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What Customers Have to Say
Young artists who received these marker pens as a gift loved using them and the fun freebies that come with the kit. Moms complained of finding more coloring books for their kids to use. The airbrush is a bonus that everyone recommends to their fellow artists.
Why We Think It's Great
Chameleon Kidz Blendy Pens are water-based markers that are the perfect way to express your kid's creative side. There's no limit to what they can create with 24 vibrant colors and 276 possible color combinations. The fun fusion chamber integrates play and art, providing hours of entertainment for kids of all ages while allowing the markers to blend and create new colors.
The inks are non-toxic and washable, while the markers use safe materials, making this a worry-free product for parents. The inks don't have any scent, so kids won't be tempted to put these markers in their mouths.
The kit comes with 12 detachable fusion chambers, 10 Magic Reveal posters, 2 reusable stencils, and a Blendy Pen Airbrush. Even if the kits are best for kids to use, they also offer hours of fun for adults. However, the nibs are too large for detailed jobs in adult coloring books.
To blend the markers, twist the pen to remove the cap, push two pens to both ends of the fusion chamber until the tip of the markers touch and blend. To use the airbrush, attach a pen to the airbrush, then blow on it to get an airbrush effect on your artwork.
Who Should Buy It
This jumbo kit of Blendy Pens and fun freebies is an excellent gift for aspiring artists. Like we always say, it's never too early to get your kids interested in anything, and art is a fun and timeless activity for your kids to try.
5. Art-n-Fly Colorless Blender Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
Though these clear blending markers are brand-specific, some users swear that you can use these markers on Copic markers but are useless on Prismacolor markers. Art-n-Fly is also an excellent alternative to Copic markers.
Why We Think It's Great
Art-n-Fly's colorless blender markers are perfect for alcohol marker artists of all skill levels. These dual-tipped markers feature replaceable Japanese-quality nibs and refillable inks, so you can keep them working like new for years to come. You can buy the inks and nibs separately, but they're available in many art and craft stores.
The comfortable barrel design makes them easy to hold, even for long sessions. You can blend your alcohol ink markers without using the brush tips and the chisel tips, each tip serving its specific purpose.
You can use these clear blending markers to layer over the alcohol markers to fade the colors or apply them under the alcohol markers for better blending. However, it is specific only to the Art-n-Fly brand, so if you're using other markers, like Copic Sketch markers or Prismacolor markers, you need to buy blending markers from those brands too.
Who Should Buy It
These dual-tip blending markers are best for artists using Art-n-Fly alcohol markers. These are excellent markers for blending and erasing your alcohol-based markers. These markers also make ideal professional markers because of their quality and longevity.
6. Abeier Alcohol Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
Artists think this set is one of the best blending markers because of its affordable cost and extensive colors. Art students love double-ended markers because they can use them for fine details and filling in colors.
Why We Think It's Great
Abeier Alcohol Markers are premium markers that are perfect as an alternative for Copic markers. The dual-tip design provides a fine point and a broad tip, making it easy to create detailed lines or large areas of color. The alcohol ink is non-toxic and has a low odor, so you can use them without worrying about fumes.
These markers are best for product design, illustrations, cartooning, and adult coloring books. The set has 80 colored markers and a colorless blending marker organized in a zippered canvas case.
The company also offers a 100% product warranty and refund policy, so you don't have to worry about your risk when buying these blending markers.
Who Should Buy It
These alcohol-based markers make the perfect gift for aspiring artists and art students. They are perfect for blending colors and other marker coloring projects.
7. Winsor & Newton Promarker
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What Customers Have to Say
One aspiring artist bought these marker pens as a gift for himself for his birthday and loved the amazing colors. The cap is a bit tricky to remove, though, especially if you have grip issues. Artists highly recommend these markers because of their quality. One artist even reported that these markers brought his art to another level.
Why We Think It's Great
Winsor & Newton Promarker, Architecture Tones has fine tip markers to draw fine lines and do detailed work on adult coloring books and designs. The other end of the marker is a chisel tip for broad strokes. This set is an excellent addition to your art supplies.
The quick-drying inks prevent smudging and streaking, while the lightfast colors keep your work looking vibrant for years. Ink flow is smooth, and coverage is good and partially transparent to allow better layering and blending.
Each set has 22 colored markers and 2 blender markers in a sleek black barrel and color-coded barrels for easy identification. If you want these markers to work perfectly, use Winsor & Newton Bleedproof Paper.
The zippered case also comes with gartered slots and prop-up support for easy access when in use. You can use the canvas bag to store or travel with your markers.
Who Should Buy It
This 24-piece set is best for architectural designs. However, they also work great as an alternative to skin tone markers because of its champagne, apricot, caramel, and burnt sienna shades.
8. Prismacolor Double-Ended Art Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
This set impressed many users because of its rich, vibrant colors, consistent ink quality, and overall result on their art projects. However, some users hate that the caps are too tight to remove.
Why We Think It's Great
Prismacolor Double-Ended Art Markers allow you to easily create vibrant and professional-quality artwork. The dye-based alcohol markers provide rich saturation of colors, and the consistent ink quality ensures that your results will be stunning every time.
The markers don't come with a colorless blender marker, so you have to buy them separately to make your colors. The chisel-tip end is perfect for creating broad strokes, and the fine-point end lets you achieve clear lines and accents.
Each set has 12 markers in Canary Yellow, Yellow Orange, Dark Umber, Carmine Red, Crimson Red, Pink, Mulberry, Violet, Ultramarine, Dark Green, Parrot Green, Black.
Who Should Buy It
Artists who love drawing with markers will appreciate having this alcohol marker in their art supplies. These markers apply smoothly on almost any paper, but they leave the best results on thicker paper.
9. Copic Blending Basic Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
Many artists who had kept a good eye on maintaining their markers swear that their markers could last up to 20 years or more. The light shades allow you to create pastels, essentially adding more colors to your collection.
Why We Think It's Great
Copic Blending Basic Markers have acid-free inks that leave a permanent mark that you can use on paper, canvas, or any other surface. It has replaceable nibs (sold separately) that ensure your markers stay in excellent condition no matter how often you use them. On the other hand, the refillable barrels let you keep using your favorite markers for a long time.
The non-toxic inks make these markers safe for anyone to use. The markers are too light to color on their own. However, their best use is for blending your colors. This set has pale celestine, neutral gray, pale pink, yellow fluorite, and a colorless blender. It also comes with a 0.3mm black multi-liner pen.
The double-ended markers have a broad chisel tip on one end and a super brush nib on the other for filling in your artwork.
Who Should Buy It
If you're looking for a perfect marker set for blending, the Copic Blending Basic Markers should be at the top of your list. These markers offer fabulous blendability, and their construction ensures that your results will be stunning every time.
10. Shuttle Art Triangular Art Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
Many customers bought these markers for their children or other younger family members. They also believe these are a great assortment of colors, portable, and easy to use for beginners.
Why We Think It's Great
The Shuttle Art Triangular Art Markers are the perfect alternative to more expensive alcohol markers. The triangular barrel is comfortable to hold, while the non-toxic, acid-free inks layer and blend well.
The zippered organizer case protects your markers and makes them easy to transport. The set has 50 markers and a colorless blending marker. The dual-tip markers have a 1mm fine tip for adding details and 7mm broad tip for better coverage.
The company offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of its products, and the excellent customer care service is very accommodating of customers' complaints.
Who Should Buy It
Shuttle Art Triangular Art Markers are best for artists who want affordable alcohol-based markers for their art projects. These markers are great for design artists, illustrators, cartoonists, and manga artists.
11. Chameleon Color Tones
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What Customers Have to Say
According to those who have tried, these markers are excellent but they advise getting a good set of marker paper for better results. They also appreciate that they get more colors from blending these markers in the color chamber. However, blending in the chamber takes practice to get the perfect blend.
Why We Think It's Great
Unlike other markers where you blend the colors on paper, Chameleon Color Tones has a mixing chamber where you can blend the colors yourselves to get a gradient effect on your paper. By doing that, you can create over a hundred colors if you wish.
This set includes a carrying bag with straps that easily converts into a portable workstation, a pair of tweezers for removing and replacing the nibs, free replacement nibs, an instruction manual, and a free idea guide.
It also includes 30 pens in nature tones, blue tones, floral tones, warm tones, skin tones, and gray tones so you can make several artworks. Each pen has dual nibs, a super brush tip, and a bullet tip for manga art, graphic art, and design projects.
Who Should Buy It
Chameleon Color Tones set is best for artists of all skill levels because they're easy for amateurs to use, and it also blends smoothly for all kinds of effects for your professional work.
12. Crayola Signature Blending Markers - Best Starter Set
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What Customers Have to Say
Customers find this set of great value for its price, good enough for beginners. Great colors and saturation, perfect for layering and blending. Artists discovered that the more you layer, the deeper the colors set.
Why We Think It's Great
Crayola Signature Blending Markers are the perfect tool for creative expression. The non-toxic inks are safe for kids starting at 9 years old and up, and the colors are vibrant. The easy-to-use design makes the0m perfect for any project.
The set includes 14 color markers and 2 colorless blending markers, organized in a decorative metal case with two layers of plastic trays for keeping the markers intact. You can use these markers to add dimension to your art with shading, blending, and adding details.
Who Should Buy It
Crayola markers are best for adding a soft effect to your artwork. You can layer the colors beautifully. This set is also perfect for gifts for mother's day or for gifting to any artist you love.
13. Ohuhu Pastel Markers
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What Customers Have to Say
Customers agree that this dual-tipped marker set is excellent for any budding artist. They highly recommend this set to complement dark-colored markers. Some artists showed their artworks using colored pencils for mixed media art.
Why We Think It's Great
The Ohuhu Markers use alcohol-based ink that offers the best quality effect on your marker drawing and coloring projects. They blend easily, and the quick-drying inks ensure that your colors will stay true.
The lightfast colors make your art projects comparable with more expensive alcohol marker brands. Color-coded caps make it easy to find the right marker every time. The round barrel is comfortable on the hands so that you can use it for hours without unnecessary strain.
The set has 48 colors plus a colorless blending marker, organized in a zippered canvas bag. For best results, use paper designed for markers. Watercolor paper is not the best choice for markers because it is highly absorbent, thus causing the paper to bleed.
Who Should Buy It
Ohuhu markers have excellent blending capabilities with their dual-tips and fade-resistant inks. Artists who need brush nibs for blending will appreciate having these markers in their art supplies.
Blendable Marker Buying Guide
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Skill Level & Budget
For beginners and amateur artists, we recommend less expensive alcohol markers. Professional artists love to use more artist-grade alcohol markers, which are generally more costly. Kids may also use alcohol markers. However, make sure that they're non-toxic, low odor, and easy to use.
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Intended Use
Where do you intend to use your alcohol markers? Crafters love to use alcohol markers for making cards, drawing on shirts, and other similar crafts. Artists can use alcohol markers on glass paintings or for coloring and drawing.
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Compatibility with Other Art Supplies
You may use alcohol markers with other art supplies, like colored pencils, micron pens, or acrylic paint. However, always check the compatibility of the markers. Try working on a small piece of paper to see how your markers work with these supplies.
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Durability
Alcohol markers are a significant investment so go for durable brands. Markers with refillable barrels and replaceable nibs are notorious for their longevity and durability. If you're one of those who periodically change art supplies, go for cheaper ones.
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Nib Type and Size
Nib type and size are important when buying an alcohol marker set. Fine nibs are ideal for detailed work, while chisel nibs are perfect for coloring large areas. Other markers also have brush nibs for softening gradients and creating faux calligraphy art.
If you're a beginner, start with a medium-sized nib and then move on to other sizes once you get the hang of it.
Blendable Marker FAQ
1. What markers are good for blending?
Of the different types of markers, only alcohol markers are blendable. However, you have to work fast with alcohol markers since they dry quicker than water-based markers.
Blending water-based markers may ruin the paper due to excessive wetness because they take longer to dry. Also, you have to take extra steps like taping down your paper to prevent it from warping when the drawing dries.
2. How do you use blending markers?
You can use a colorless blending marker in different ways. One is to use it to prime the area you want to color without leaving it too wet. Apply the darker color first, then apply the lighter color to blend them.
However, leave a small space around the area you want to color, as saturating the area with a colorless blending marker will cause the colors to run.
You may also apply the lighter color first, then the darker color, and blend with the colorless marker. The resulting gradient is much more vibrant than when you use the blending marker to prime your work.
Another technique is to blend the colors on a palette, then pick up the blended colors with a blending marker to apply it on the paper.
Aside from blending, you may also use the colorless blending markers to make details on your marker drawing, add dimension and texture, soften the effect of the colors, or erase your errors. However, remember that you only mask your errors, never completely erase them.
3. Can markers be blended?
Not all markers are equal in blending capability. You can only blend alcohol-based markers, even without the aid of a colorless blending marker.
While you can layer water-based and solvent-based markers, the layers are visible and not as seamless when working with alcohol markers. Use a watercolor brush to blend the colors better.
4. What can I use to blend alcohol inks?
Alcohol blending solution is an excellent supply to blend alcohol inks. You can also make a DIY alcohol ink blending solution using this combination:
- 100ml 90% isopropyl alcohol
- 2 drops liquid glycerin
Mix the glycerin well into the rubbing alcohol. The glycerin enhances the blending capability of the solution and slows down the drying process to achieve the effect you want.
Alcohol ink markers are almost the same as watercolor pens because they allow you to work with your favorite medium without the hassle of using a brush.
Conclusion
Arteza Everblend Art Markers are the best overall markers for blending because they have AP-certified inks safe for amateur and professional artists. You can also use them on various projects, and they have replaceable nibs so that you can be assured of the longevity of your markers.
If you want more colors at an affordable price, go for the Shuttle Art Dual-Tip Alcohol Markers. Aside from having acid-free and low-odor inks, the set also has 172 markers, organized in a zippered canvas.
Meanwhile, Crayola Signature Blending Markers are the best starter marker set for anyone looking for a set of markers for versatile use. The 14-marker set uses non-toxic inks and also comes with a cute metal storage case that you can easily fit into your purse for on-the-go marker drawing projects.