Find the Perfect Gift for an artist or creative person
We’ve all been there, shopping for a Christmas or Birthday present in a department you know nothing about. It’s frustrating.
You’re not the artist, your loved one is. You don’t know much about Copic Markers, colored pencils, paint, paper, and art supplies…
But whoa! There are a lot of junky gift suggestion articles out there, full of ads and annoying pop-ups. And the actual gifts? Ugh.
Sick of wasting time looking for great art-supply gifts?
Tired of wasting money on presents which gather dust?
We’re here to help!
It’s hard to buy art supply gifts for creative friends or family if you don’t know anything about art. Professional Illustrator Amy Shulke provides practical holiday ideas plus advice for Beginner Copic Marker gifts. Give your special person smart presents, products guaranteed to provide hours of fun and inspiration.
Hi, my name is Amy; I’m a professional freelance illustrator and art instructor. I’ve been doing artsy stuff for forty-umph years.
My family has always given me art supplies for birthdays and Christmas.
Can I share a secret?
Here’s what the artist in your life is afraid to say:
I love that you want to please me, and I really appreciate this set of art markers and paper… but the markers are not compatible with the markers I already own and the paper is for watercolor, not markers. I wish I could ask if you saved the receipt but I really don’t want to hurt your feelings…
Over the years, I’ve been given a lot of art supplies which I simply can’t use.
There are a lot of bad art supplies out there. Many are packaged in trendy, eye catching kits which seem like a great gift.
But a gift unused is money wasted.
Let’s start buying gifts which your artist can use and appreciate.
I’ve created this Creative’s Gift Guide series to provide honest advice to non-artists.
You’ll notice, there are no ads along the side of this article. I didn’t lure you here for the traffic or clicks. No blinking pop-up bonuses; no limited time offers.
I’m simply sharing practical and frank information here.
I’ve gathered a list of reasonably priced art supplies for Beginner Copic Marker artists.
Then I’ll give you a blurb about why it MAY OR MAY NOT be a good gift for your special person.
If you want more information, there’s a link to the product description. The links are part of a few affiliate programs but relax, my link does not affect your purchase price.
I strongly encourage you to shop around for the best price or for something similar but more suitable. And please, be sure to check out local independently owned art stores in your area! They’re full of great ideas.
Remember, in this article, I’m just giving you a starting point.
Now let’s find your special artist a really good gift!
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We absolutely do not link to products or services which we have not tested. Recommended products are all used in our studio frequently.
Gift Ideas for Copic Marker Beginners
Help Build a Marker Collection:
Copic Markers come in 358 colors. All 358 markers need 358 refills. Your beginner will spend years building a collection.
But you don’t know which markers they need or want.
Play it safe. Get a gift certificate.
Violeta-Ink.com is my favorite online resource for Copic Markers and refills. They have great customer service and prompt shipping.
Or purchase an Amazon Gift card which can be used at Blick.com. Blick is my 2nd favorite marker retailer, a great art store with a long established history.
Copic Marker Storage Bags:
Most artists buy Copic Markers in small sets or single colors which means storage quickly becomes a problem.
For beginners, don’t worry about finding storage for all 358 markers. Full storage is bulky but I’ve also noticed that staring daily at 200 blank holes makes a very nice collection seem inadequate.
We recommend smaller storage bags for beginners. Here are two excellent and sturdy bags they’ll use for years to come.
Copic Marker Care & Refill Kit:
Are you ready to assemble the best Copic gift ever?
Let’s make a Copic Care Kit with all the tools they need to keep Copics in tip-top condition. I’ve listed several items here but none of them are very expensive.
Your Copic beginner will know what to do with it everything here or it’s easy to find the information online. Plus they’ll appreciate having it all in one container.
Copic Replacement Super Brush Nibs
Copic Replacement Medium Broad Nibs
Use the small box to keep spare replacement nibs clean and organized. Then put everything in this ideally sized storage tin. It’s the perfect gift!
Colorful Technical Pen Sets:
Copic Markers are large markers. They’re built to color large areas with lots of juicy color.
Because they’re so large, we often switch to small fineline pens for tiny details like eyes, whiskers, or lettering.
Staedtler Triplus are hands-down my favorite detail pens.
TRIPLUS ARE COPIC SAFE. I put that in bold capital letters because there are a ton of other pens on the market which can ruin a Copic Marker!
Basically, if your artist uses an incompatible pen to draw outlines, they will contaminate their Copic nib if they add Copic over the top of the pen. It’s an expensive mistake.
Most of my students already have the 20 color set. For just a little extra money, you can upgrade them to a larger set.
A Sampling of Mini-Markers:
As I said above, Copic Markers are large. Beginners often have difficulty getting big fat marker nibs into teeny tiny spaces.
Tombow has introduced a line of markers which fit into the gap between giant Copics and itsy-bitsy fineline pens.
AND THEY’RE COPIC SAFE! Hooray!
Your beginner can do two things with these in-betweeners:
They’re great for filling-in small areas with precision
Because they’re cheaper than Copics, your beginner can use them to supplement their small collection
Best of all, these markers are fairly new which means you’re giving them something hot and trendy!
And because storage is always an issue:
Safely Store Finished Marker Art:
Copic ink is NOT lightfast. Your Copic fan needs a safe place to keep all their finished artwork.
Plus, to be honest, we tend to doodle a lot. Your person will appreciate having a storage place other than the cork board, the walls, on the desk, in the desk, and all over the floor.
I’d give them two boxes, one for the keepers and one for the mediocres.
Slanted Coloring Board:
I’ve seen notable improvements in the quality of student work when they move from a flat table or desk to a slanted surface.
First, it allows them more freedom of movement, getting their hand and arm off the surface of the desk.
But also, coloring on a consistent surface allows a beginner to focus on their technique rather than figuring out how to alter their technique to match a new location and position.
We love this portable slanted board and the surface is easy to clean with rubbing alcohol.
It’s magnetic, so I’ve added a link for handy magnets to keep projects from sliding.
Copic Markers On The Go:
More people are coloring outside or on-the-go, taking just a few key markers to sketch in coffee shops, parks, or other scenic spots.
The inventor of this case is a serious Copic fan who loves to sketch and color. He designed this leather pouch to be durable and useful for Copics and many other drawing tools. Pencils slide into loops on the outside leaving room for Copics to fit inside. This is something every artist will use for years in a variety of ways.
I’ve added a link for an excellent marker-friendly journal to go with it. Together, they make a lovely gift.
Best Cardstocks for Copic Markers:
Copic Markers work on many different papers.
Copic Markers work BEST on specific papers.
I’m not going to lie. Copic friendly papers are expensive. Professional artists understand this, we’re used to paying more for top quality products.
But a lot of beginner Copic users cheat, buying cheap paper, unaware that their coloring will look better on better quality paper.
Get them a package of really good paper. Sometimes we have to try the good stuff to understand what we’ve been missing.
Inspiring Copic Marker Tutorials:
Beginner Copic artists tend to all visit the same websites and use the same how-to-color instructions.
This leads to limited thinking and coloring that looks the same as everyone else’s.
Encourage some out of the box thinking with this excellent book. It’s not the same ol’ blending combination technique and could open their minds to the world of artistry and creativity they’re currently missing.
Colored Pencils with Copic Markers:
More and more Copic artists are adding colored pencil details to their marker artwork.
I’ve played a small part in spreading this technique. Surprise! You’re getting advice from someone who was mixing markers and pencil back before the internet even existed. (Oh my, now I really feel old…)
If your Copic person has been coloring for any amount of time, they may already own other colored pencils. But I don’t think any brand works as well as Prismacolor Premier.
Most colored pencils are too hard to adhere to the super smooth paper we use with markers. Prismacolor Premiers are soft and waxy. They stick nicely without beading up and the colors are intense and vibrant.
If your person is new to pencils, they don’t need a giant set of pencils. An introductory set is great until they decide to specialize in mixed media coloring.
And if your person already has a few pencils, they’ll never be sad to receive extra replacement colors. It’s a win-win gift!
Unusual White Pens:
Copic comes in 358 colors but none of them are white.
To color anything white, we’re forced to find other products. Go to any online Copic group and ask for recommendations, you’ll hear about same few pens. Read my full article here.
Instead, I’d like to recommend some quality whites your person may not be familiar with. Frankly, I like these BETTER than the common ball point pens favored by hobby colorers. And of course, I’ve added a link to a really cool storage bag.
Best Metallic Pens:
I just mentioned white pens and markers, so how about some metallics?
These are high quality and luxurious looking gold, silver, and copper paints in pen format. Much nicer than the cheap looking ball point gel pens. I know several artists who use them on high end artwork.
Both brands are for use AFTER the Copic-work is done. I never recommend using Copic over the top of anything metallic.
Amazing Color Palette Advice:
Many Copic users are self taught.
Free videos and even standard online classes teach students to rely on recommended color-blending combinations. As a result, even advanced Copic users often have difficulty picking color palettes for projects.
Sarah Renae Clarke has created a wonderful digital resource called the Color Catalog. There are currently 2 editions with a special Copic adaptation coming soon.
I highly recommend this download to anyone who uses Copic Markers, either at the student or professional level. It’s jam packed with inspiration and takes the guess work out of creating professional looking art projects.
Beginner Artistic Coloring Classes:
I mentioned above that most Copic users are self taught through the use of free videos and articles. And before that, I hinted that they’re all learning the same technique which emphasizes smooth blends over creativity.
I teach realistic and artistic coloring classes. We do things different.
My goal is to mentor independent, creative artists who use markers to celebrate their own unique voice. I distill years of fine art training and professional experience into focused and intelligent classes. We color like artists, not like kids.
If you think this alternative approach to Copic Markers would appeal to your beginner Copic fan, I have gift certificates which can be used on any of my classes.
More Gift Ideas:
We’ve updated all of our older lists with fresh links and current information!
