Which Copic Set is best for beginners?

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the many Copic Marker sets.

Copic offers boxed sets in 72, 36, and 24 marker sizes. They also sell themed collections of 6 and special blending trios. And of course, you can purchase every color one at a time, open stock.

But here’s the nerve-wracking part:

Copics are a big investment!

Unless you hit the lottery, most of us can’t buy all 358 markers at once…

Even if you could, it’s not a smart move…

Which markers should you buy first? So many colors, so many options!

How can we make the most of our starter investment?

What’s the smartest way to slowly build a full collection?

Let’s make your first markers a smart purchase!

The Hidden Problem with Copic Sets

You might assume it’s smart to start with a box assortment.

Large boxes usually offer the lowest cost per marker and if you catch a box on sale, you could save even more money!

For a list of the current sets available, see the MacPherson’s Art website here or the Too! website here. Too! is the manufacturer in Japan, MacPherson’s is the primary US distributor.

Who wouldn’t want a nice boxed set — a whole rainbow in a box!

So you might wonder:

“Should I start with Box A, B, C, D, or E?”

My answer: NONE OF THE ABOVE!

I do not recommend buying Copics in large box sets.

The big sets look like a bargain — but they’re not!

This is experience talking here, I was once in your situation. I saved for months before starting my own Copic collection. I had a set at work, owned by the studio, but as a freelance artist, I needed my own set.

So I wasn’t a Copic newbie and yet I still got burned!

After a ton of analysis, I purchased the Copic Set B (72 Markers). Then I waited by the mailbox for the markers to arrive.

Yes, I ordered my first markers from a catalog by phone. I’m a dinosaur.

When the box arrived, I couldn’t color anything!

I had many colors to choose from, but I started by drawing a simple daisy and there were no daisy colors in my box!

In fact, when I looked closer, there were NO blending combinations in my box. Sure, I had 3 greens but they weren’t from the same number family and two of them ended in a 7 making them almost the same color. And while I knew the set had a few RV markers in my set, I didn’t expect all the R markers would be pink too.

72 sounds like a lot of colors until you realize you have no red.

Here’s the dirty secret: boxed sets are designed for retailers.

Boxes look pretty on shelves; they ship easily. They divide a large color range into small, collectible assortments.

Stores don’t care if you’re missing key colors.

In fact, they want you to need another box.

The sets are deceptive. They were then, they are now. The boxes seem smart, but trust me, you will be shopping for more markers almost immediately.

No matter which set you purchase, you will be missing important colors.

The sets are designed to instigate further purchases.

There’s nothing worse than spending hundreds of dollars on markers only to find you don’t have what you need.

The Most Important Marker Question for Beginners:

Before you spend a penny on Copic Markers, ask yourself:

Will you be taking a Copic class soon?

If you plan to take a Copic class at any point in the first six months:

DO NOT buy a boxed set of Copics!

Please purchase the markers on the class supply list, even if it means paying extra for open stock markers.

I’m an instructor. Let me be very honest— it’s incredibly hard to teach beginners who do not have the required colors.

I understand you just spent $300 on Copics. I totally get why you can’t afford the special yellow I’m using…

But every class calls for specific blending combinations.

Instructors plan their class lessons using specific markers for a reason — maybe the marker blends easily or maybe it creates a special effect.

But also, it’s really hard to learn when you’re not using the required markers.

If the whole entire class is working with 3 blues and you show up with two browns and a green, then you’re not learning anything about blue blends!

It’s not fair to the instructor, the other students, or to YOURSELF when you substitute markers, especially in a beginner class.

Instructors try to be polite and welcoming. We never want to turn away a student.

But truthfully? The wrong markers are a BIG problem.

“Okay class, blend B34 with B32 unless you’re using BG13 or B95. Oh wait, Sheila is using B60… No, I’m not talking to you Janet; you’re skipping this part because you didn’t bring a blue. Okay, the rest of you keep going with B29, I mean B32, sorry, I mean B34…”

I taught a class like this once. ONCE. I almost had a nervous breakdown.

Purchase the markers on the class supply list.

Learning is easier when you have the recommended supplies.

The Best Copic Starter Set?

Beginners always want to know which markers to buy first.

So back in 2014, I developed a list— but not just any list. I wanted to make sure it was a USEFUL list.

And I tested it.

I taught local beginner classes for FOUR years using the same 42 markers.

My original Starter Marker List has now been updated for more modern coloring— the same great colors but now with a few options to better customize your set.

The Starter Marker List is part of my FREE Download Library, available exclusively to subscribers of my weekly newsletter.

This article was originally written back in 2016. The Starter Marker List part of my FREE Download Library, available only to subscribers of my Saturday newsletter. Click above to subscribe and you’ll receive the starter list plus library access.

WARNING: THE STARTER MARKER LIST IS FOR GENERAL COLORING.

The list is full of easy colors for independent coloring.

Please do not purchase the Starter List for my online classes.

I DO NOT TEACH ONLINE CLASSES USING THE STARTER MARKER LIST

Is there something wrong with the list? No, the reason is that in a class, I’m offering instruction on how to use every marker.

I use many of the starter markers in classes but I don’t use them all in one class. I also pull from a variety of other non-list colors. My starter list is more designed for easy, self-explanatory independent coloring.

The rest of this article contains affiliate links to trusted retailers.

Vanilla Arts Company is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for use to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.

“But I want a Copic set! Which one is best?”

If you must have a set of 72— please remember, it’s very hard to function with only one set...

I think Set B plus Set E look like they’d form a workable collection but there are big color gaps in both.

I teach with a lot of grays, so I like the Sketching Grays set. It’s five N gray markers (every other number in a gray set is perfect until you’re a pro) plus a black SP Multiliner which you’ll love. I’d choose the Neutral grays before the Cools, and either N or C long before buying the Warms.

The trios are handy since they’re a tested blending combination. Beginners will love that they easily blend right out of the package.

If you like the Copic six-packs, please look at the colors closely to ensure that you’re getting at least 2 shades of each color rather than six unrelated colors. The primary packs look fun until you realize they’ve given you six markers which hate each other.

I purchased the Skin Tones six-pack but I have to confess, I’ve never used them for actual skin.

Tips for purchasing your first Copic Markers:

1. Do not buy the black markers.

Honestly, I only use black at Halloween. When you see black objects in my projects, it’s actually N8 or C8.

2. Colorless Blender is not what you think. You don’t need it right away.

Colorless blender does not blend!

I use Colorless Blender a lot but mostly for softening mistakes and special effects.

Notice that I didn’t say “erasing mistakes”?

Colorless Blender does not erase either.

The worst way to buy Copic Markers:

Don’t be this person:

“I went to the craft store and bought 20 of my favorite colors. Now I have seven purples a bunch of Gs and something with four zeros. I can’t color anything with these random colors! What should I do?”

My favorite color is red. I love R29 with a fervor that would make a French floozie blush.

But how often do I use R29 in projects? Maybe five times a year. Usually in December.

You will not use your favorite color as much as you expect.

Pretty is different than useful.

Don’t buy favorite colors unless you plan on coloring a lot of clowns.

Wise Advice: You don’t need 358 Copic Markers!

Notice that I keep saying that I have a large collection?

I do not have a complete Copic collection.

And I don’t plan to buy them all. Unless they invent a B60.5 or an R29.999, I’m done.

It’ll be a cold day in Death Valley before I use a florescent marker. There’s no reason for me to buy the F family.

I don’t own any Toner Grays. They were developed for the print industry, hence the name “toner”. Save yourself $100 by skipping the whole entire T family.

What were my low priority colors?

• If you have light reds, you can postpone RV purchases.

• I had only 3 Warm Grays for years and I didn’t die.

• I was slow to get the 0 groups in each family, i.e. B05, G05, R05, etc. Anything that starts with a zero tends to be bright and artificial. Because color with realism, I don’t use highly saturated colors.

• I had all the yellow greens before I had many Gs. I still choose YG over G most of the time.

Which colors would I not buy again?

• My N9 went missing years ago. Can’t say I’ve suffered.

• Now that I think about it, I don’t use the gray 10s much either.

• You could steal Y02-04-06 and I’d never notice.

• G28 ink was dug up from the depths of Lucifer’s latrine. You have to work it fast to make it blend. G29 is only a smidgen darker and blends beautifully. Skip the 28.

• R0000 is the most useless color in the world. It’s almost invisible to the naked eye. RV0000 isn’t much better. Having said that, I must now admit that I have both in classes… but it was a personal challenge because they’re dumb colors which I wouldn’t normally use.

• G0000, G000, and G00 look blue to me. I never use them.

• YR15 and Y38 are practically twins. Skip the YR15 until the end.

• I want to use the E90 series, but I never seem to find a use for it.

• YR82 has no natural blending partners. It sits there alone and sad. I’ve only used it to fill in swatch charts, never in a project.

• If you have Black 100, you don’t need 110— or vice versa.

So there you go. Let’s summarize:

Advice for your first Copic purchase:

1. The big sets of 72 markers are a better price per marker but you’ll end up buying open stock markers to make blending combinations for everything in the set.

2. If you’re taking a class, don’t spend all your money on a set and then try to substitute in class. Beginner classes work best when you have the required supplies.

3. My beginner list is a general group of useful colors and at 42 markers, can be slowly collected.

4. If you mix sets (like 72 + 36 + several 6 sets) but you will accumulate duplicates.

5. Skip black for a while.

6. Colorless Blender doesn’t blend but buy it anyway.

7. Don’t shop for just your favorite colors.

8. Take your time and buy wisely.

9. Nobody uses all 358 colors.

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Let’s Color Ducks!

Join me for a fun Copic + Colored Pencil project.

Duck Stackers is a darling stamp image + sentiment from Art Impressions. Now you can color it Vanilla style!

Practice the Push & Pull method with like-colored objects.

Can you color a stack of yellow ducklings without resorting to orange in the shade?

Packet Includes: PDF Recipe Guide, Photo Reference, Underpainting Guide, Color Map, Marker Only Sample, Full Color Project Sample. Sorry, no video included as this is not a class.

PURCHASE DOES NOT INCLUDE PROJECT STAMP.

Duck Stackers stamp set is available for purchase here.

Select supplies used in Duck Stackers:

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