While shopping at the mall the other day, I came across a $7 set of 24 Pepco artist markers, and I got curious to try them out and review them for anyone who might want to buy them in the future. For reference, I am currently living in the Czech Republic, and I shopped these markers in store. So if you are reading my blog from the USA or any other country, you can still find them online for half the price probably. But lets see if they are worth buying in the first place.
Key tips from my review (if you are in a hurry)
- Do not use the markers on grainy paper.
- Not all colors have the same pigmentation and tolerance with layering.
- Like all alcohol markers, the pepco artist markers are going to bleed into each other, so make sure you adjust your technique.
- The markers do not bleed to the back of the page (great for double sided coloring pages).
- The markers are great for simple drawings/illustrations but I wouldn’t recommend them for portraits or any art that requires layering.
This article is not sponsored and my opinions are based on my own product testing.
You can also read: Are the Prismacolor-colored pencils really worth the price?
Cheap Pepco artist markers first impression
My first impression of the markers is that although they are really cheap, they don’t actually feel like it. I mean they come in a box, they are double ended and there were 24 colors in the set that I picked up. The markers feel sturdy and well made.
Pepco artist markers swatch
The first thing I did was to swatch the markers and see their color payoff. All the swatches are one swipe of both the broad and the fine tip and I made sure to add the reference of each marker to make it easier for you.
The color pay off mostly matches the color on the marker. Some colors were a bit brighter or darker but nothing too far off.
Pepco markers didn’t bleed to the back of the page which is a bonus if you want to use them on double sided pages(coloring books or journals).
What were my first impressions of the markers?
As you can already tell from the picture, when swatching the pepco artist markers, some of them were more pigmented than the others, and by the look of it, I know that some of them will have a more streaky application than others. However, we can only decide after testing them out in an actual drawing.
Drawing a portrait using the pepco artist markers
Now these portraits were painfully hard to draw with the markers. I made the mistake of drawing on a grainy paper which I feel like wasn’t the best choice either. The color pay off was really good. The layering was almost impossible. The more layers I was adding, the more the paper started peeling off, which is not a good thing to experience, however, is more common with alcohol markers. The shade range in this set was versatile enough to create different skintones which is a good thing as well.
My conclusion from this is that if you are planning on drawing portraits or something that requires layering, these markers are not gonna work for you.
Drawing something less realistic and requires less layering with the Pepco artist markers
I took a second try with the Pepco artist markers and I tried drawing simpler things that require less layering. And I have to say, they did not disappoint.
The avocado drawing was on a softer paper and I would say that it was the best option to go with. My application was also more rough and less precise with these little illustrations which is what I think is the style that would benefit the most from these Pepco artist markers.
Conclusion and tips from my review
I would personally give these markers a 6/10. For the price, they are definitely above average.
- Do not use the markers on grainy paper.
- Not all colors have the same pigmentation and tolerance with layering.
- Like all alcohol markers, the pepco artist markers are going to bleed into each other, so make sure you adjust your technique.
- The markers do not bleed to the back of the page (great for double sided coloring pages).
- The markers are great for simple drawings/illustrations but I wouldn’t recommend them for portraits or any art that requires layering.
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