Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers Review

Finally, I'm back. It has been a while. I've been having that awful feeling that nothing I do is good enough and no one cares about anything I write. But now that that feeling is passing, and it's a feeling I think every creator keeps in the back of their head no matter how hard they try to get rid of it, I can move forward and continue to create content on this platform for the only person whose opinion of my work truly matters, myself.

Okay, now even though I've been on a blogging hiatus, I have been creating a lot of original content on my other platforms (Instagram and Tumblr) as well as some work just for me (my sketchbooks and journals). What I want to review today is the Spectrum Noir Professional Alcohol Markers in the Blues collection. These markers are purported to be a cheaper alternative to the famous Copic markers and come in 168 different shades including a colorless blender marker. They are double-ended, refillable and highly blendable according to the package.

Front

Back

Depending on the collection of colors you want, a 6-pack of these markers run anywhere from $10-13 on Amazon. However, I picked my set up at my local Joann's for only $7.99 using their 50% coupon (which they ALWAYS have online). I don't know if Michaels carries these but if they do I would suggest buying them there as well since they are known for also having 50% off coupons all the time. Oh, and I should mention that without the coupon, the markers cost $14.99. One thing I will say about purchasing through Joanns is that the color selection is limited, I really wanted to but either the Warm Greys, Browns or Essentials collection but settled for the Blues.

This is the selection of colors Spectrum Noir offers (does not show colorless blender)

Now that's over with let's move onto the fun part, starting with packaging. These markers are huge! When I use these I feel like I'm holding those giant pencils that you buy with a handful of tickets at an arcade. While I do enjoy the feeling, it does make it hard to handle and really get into tight fine details. However, I do not think these pens were made to handle time details so I can't really call that a flaw. As for the blendability (I just made that word up), I thought they blended pretty well. I will say that it's best to work from lightest to dark so that you don't mess up the tips of your markers. Personally, I used the wide end of the marker to cover my drawing in a base and added the darker colors on top, but everyone's gonna have their own technique.

Colors that come in the Blues collection

Tested on cheap Mixed Media Paper

As for my overall experience with these markers, I really like them. I think that they are perfect for use on a sturdy paper such as Acrylic or Watercolor and I would definitely repurchase them (I actually have my eye out for the colorless blender, the Essentials and Warm Greys). Below I'll post an example of how I used the markers.

Back
You can see how much the markers
bled through the back. 

Untitled Self-Portrait
Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers on Oil paper

Not bad right? I really liked how seamless the colors blend, no harsh lines, no weird marks, everything just looks like it should. What I don't really understand is why the markers don't follow a sequential order? Why wouldn't I have TB1 - TB6? Why did they skip numbers? That's a little strange. Anyway tell me what you all think about these markers? Have you used them in different ways? Would you reccomend a different brand of alcohol markers? Let me know!

Thanks for reading,

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