Last August of 2018 I bought the biggest investment in my art artillery, and that is this beaut:

My precious

I admit up until now, I look at my Copic Sketch Cardcaptor Sakura set with a glimmer in my eyes! I mean just look at it, isn't it precious? I remember when I got this, I was so happy that I couldn't wait to go home to open this, that I immediately ripped off the packaging, and took this photo at the McDonalds at Canal City! Hahahaha excited much? 👌😂🙃

I mean I have always wanted to have me self a simple set of Copic Markers despite the fact that I have 0% expertise in rendering artworks with markers! What's worse, my desire to have Copics grew stronger upon finding out about this limited edition set, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Copic, where they decided to collaborate with CLAMP to further celebrate their glory. A simple intro of what is CLAMP: It is an all-girls group of Manga artists that gave the world great mangas such as Cardcaptor Sakura, and Chobits.

Yep, this masterpiece is from CLAMP 😻

Ok I'm just gushing and babbling now.

But for those who are curious, or are planning on buying this, Are Copic Markers really worth the coins?

Noted with thanks 👍

First, let's talk about the brand itself. Copic (コピック) is a Japanese brand of high-quality markers and related art materials made by Too Corporation which according to it's website HERE:

 has been offering a wide variety of art/design-related services and supplies with world-class, cutting-edge technology.

I remember hearing about Copic markers when I was in college, where my architecture friends would jokingly say, "Alam mong mahal ka ng magulang mo pag madami Copics mo," or in English, "Your parents really love you if you have Copics," because they are so DARN EXPENSIIIIVE!

In case you want to pay a visit to their HQ after the quarantine hahaha!

Copic markers are available in a myriad of colors and different versions, namely Classic, Ciao, Wide, and what I have here is the Sketch. What they differ from each other are its brush tips, where the Classic comes in Broad and Fine Nib.

On the other hand, Copic Sketch is a hybrid of chisel tip...



 and brush tip...



... both makes a perfect combination for those who love to render with markers.

My Precious

What I find particularly nifty about this set is that it comes in a clear acrylic case with little dividers, so that it won't jiggle wildly. Also, it looks really sleek and professional, making me feel like I am an expert whenever I see this standing proudly in my work station-which I am 10000% definitely not 🙅




I am very fortunate to get this special edition Cardcaptor Sakura set, where it includes colors that CLAMP usually use in rendering the beloved character Sakura Kinomoto. As you can see in the photos, they have the colors BV25 Grayish Violet and BV23 Grayish Lavender for the dark hair, and E21 Soft Sun and E31 Brick Beige colors for the skin. I find it cool that this selection comes with colors that are suitable for drawing portraits, because it includes a number of shades perfect for coloring skin tone 👍

I used a planner's extra page for this, but the ink still seeped through

Just like working with different art media, not limited to Copic markers, it's important to use a certain type of paper when working with markers. I figured, given that there's a huge chance of fraying, refrain from using the markers in rough services, and yep that includes watercolor paper. Instead you can opt to use vellum paper, preferably with 200 GSM, but just remember that the color of the Copic Markers, or rather its ink, are strong enough to filter through the back of a 200 gsm vellum paper ☝ Take note of that mah friends!

Like this.

Anyhoo, let's move on to actual application of this on a fashion illustration.

Made use of my washi tape in creating a mixed media fashion illustration ❤

So how did I fare with in working with these babies to produce this fashion illustration? I know it sucks. For a beginner who is more adept with watercolor, I definitely needed more practice ☝ I still find it hard to blend colors seamlessly, since in order to blend you have to be precise with how many coats of color you'll put in your paper, which in watercolor's case you can just fill it in with more water to dilute the color, then swipe it off with tissue paper hoping the world will not see an evidence of your mistake🤞🤞🤞



One trick I have gotten from my countless hours of watching Youtube tutorials is the use of colored pencils. If you need more depth, but has limited Copic colors, you can opt to use color pencils. This one is a good suggestion, given that it made me revive my hardly used Faber Castell watercolor pencils 🤗


As I have mentioned in a joke awhile ago, Copics are expensive! One piece costs around Php 230 to Php 300 or around $4 to $6 depending on where you buy it- but of course it's a lot more affordable when you buy it in Japan. This baby cost me around Php 4,500 or roughly ¥ 9,000 when I bought the very last piece in Yamamoto Bumpodo *HALLELUJAHHH* (Blog about this experience HERE) which is a huge contrast to how much it is sold online, like here in Artillery Philippines:

Yup, I saved as much as Php 3,000!

Another good thing about Copics is that it's refillable! Imagine how much you'll actually be saving in the long run! Imagine if this is the case, you won't need to throw out the markers once they have dried out. Efficient? Check! Economical? Check! Environmentally-friendly? TRIPLE CHECK!