Arteza Everblend Markers
Arteza Everblend Markers
Over the past year or so now, I have had the pleasure of testing, demonstrating and reviewing quite a few products from Arteza. Arteza really hit the art community like a tornado, in the sense of they launched wave after wave of art supplies, ranging from colored pencils, watercolors, sketch pads, acrylic paints, brush pens and the list is still growing. To date I have reviewed the Arteza Colored Pencils, Watercolor Pencils, Real Brush Pens, tested and demonstrated their mixed media and watercolor pads. I am now reviewing their latest product to the world of art supplies, the Arteza Everblend Markers.
Since getting involved in art, my own personal favourite supplies to use when creating art is colored pencils and markers. I think they both compliment each other perfectly, the bright vividness of the markers and the level of detail obtained by the colored pencils married together make for some breathtaking art. There are many amazing artists on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest etc showcase some of the most incredible work created. There are of course a wide range of markers available and as always, for an artist, whilst the large selection available is fantastic, ensuring that you select the best quality marker affordable to you can become challenging; hopefully that is were The Art Gear Guide can help you out.
Arteza Everblend Marker Sets Available.
As things currently stand, the only sets available for the Arteza Everblend Markers is the 60 set and the more recent 120 set. I say as things currently stand, because one thing Arteza can never ever be accused of, is standing still, Arteza are always on the move adding more and more awesome products to their line.
I have asked Arteza about the open stock availability or refills, as of yet they have not confirmed anything, however, as soon as they do, I will of course update this section of the review. However, at the time of writing this review, you cannot purchase open stock markers or refills.
Arteza Everblend Marker Characteristics.
Perhaps the very first thing you will notice about the Arteza Everblend Markers, is less about the actual markers and more about the package they are sold in. Arteza have included a canvas carry case come storage facility for the markers and this is the case for both the 60 and 120 sets. The bag itself sports a shoulder strap as well as a simple carry handle on top of the bag, this just makes transportation of the markers simple and easy, especially for those artists who love to get out and about with their supplies, be it sat in a coffee shop admiring the local architecture or out in the filed, observing the local wild life or even the rolling hills. Holding the entire system closed is a velcro strip on the flap of the bag as well as two plastic clips, to accommodate the individual artist, the shoulder strap can be removed, leaving only the carry handle.
At first glance it is difficult to see how or 120 markers can be housed in such a compact system, however releasing the top velcro strip and front clips, along with both velcro side panels and the bag transforms into a intelligently designed presentation system. Each marker firmly held in place by elastic cloth bands, the bag transforms from a simple carry system to a sophisticated presentation system, making the selection of markers easy. Whether the artist is using the system in the studio or out and about, the markers are held firmly in place, ensuring the artist can concentrate on their work as opposed to a juggling act, trying to prevent their supplies from falling all over the place. It is worth checking out my YouTube video review of the markers to see the bag open and close etc, to see the video follow the link.
Of course the markers are the star of the show, but Arteza have gone that little bit further and provided the perfect system to safely store the markers as well as selecting the supplies regardless of where you are using them. On the back of the bag there is a small zip compartment that can store extra supplies like pencils, erasers, gel pens etc, inside the bag, Arteza have also provide an extra elastic band for the artist to place other art supplies that they will use
The Arteza Everblend Marker itself is actually a really attractive supply and incredibly comfortable to hold and use. The barrel is triangular in shape, which is the perfect shape for those people who hold their pens in the correct fashion, for those of us who hold our pens like a Bear clawing an apple, this shape is surprisingly comfortable for us as well. I really enjoyed the comfort of holding and using the Arteza Everblend, I never once experienced cramp or discomfort.
All barrels are white, which makes the color indicators stand out really well. Along one side of the barrel is printed in black print the companies name, “Arteza” followed by the product name, “Everblend Art Marker”. Also along the same side of the barrel, at each end there is depicted a small icon which indicates the type of nib present at that side of the marker. On one end there is an icon of the Chisel Nib and on the other side an icon of a bullet nib. To make selection of the nibs even easier, on the end of the bullet nib, whatever color the marker is, a thin band of that particular colored marker is present between the barrel and lid, it is just another subtle indication to help locate the desired nib.
The preferred method for storing markers is horizontally, this is to ensure the ink in the barrel keeps both ends of the marker nibs moist with ink. To store the barrel vertically, would mean the ink flows to one nib leaving the upper most nib dry. This being said, when the markers are stored in the horizontal position, if the marker information such as color name and color code is printed on the barrel, this information is unobtainable. Arteza have eradicated this problem and printed such information on both ends of the lids. The Color name and color code of the marker is printed on the end of each barrel lid as well as a color identifier
Arteza Everblend Marker Performance
The Arteza Everblend Marker sports a chisel nib and what is commonly referred to as a bullet nib. The Chisel nib is perhaps the most common nib to be found on markers, although not my own personal favourite nib, the chisel nib is really quite versatile. The Chisel nib is excellent for covering large areas due to its flat surface, but it can also be used for detailed line work. The Bullet nib is excellent for detailed work also, it is similar in shape to round paint brush only much stiffer.
The ink quality inside the Arteza Everblend markers is absolutely fantastic, there is no blotchiness at all which can sometimes occur with the cheaper lesser quality inks. As always I completed a piece of art work to help demonstrate the markers. I chose an image from the Lion King I found on Pinterest as I thought the image would allow me to best displayed the lights and darks of the markers. You can see my speed drawing video on YouTube and see the markers in action.
Blending is perhaps the most important factor for markers and marker artists, those who use markers, want to know the blending ability, if the markers are streaky, if the blending is hard work or if the ink flows effortlessly into one another. I am happy to announce that on the testing and demonstrating I completed with the Arteza Everblend Markers, this was absolutely the case.
The image below shows blending four of the greens on X-PressIt Blending Card, the top blend was done with the bullet nib and the bottom blend was done with the chisel nib. In my video demonstration of the Everblend markers I complete this demonstration, as well as another on Bristol Smooth paper just to show any differences, to see this simply follow the link to my YouTube video review.
I will say that ordinarily when I use markers, I tend to avoid or neglect the chisel tips, however, with the Arteza Everblend I used the Chisel Tips for blending the larger areas of color on the Lion King piece and life was made so much easier. The flat surface of the chisel tip, allowed for the ink to cover large areas of paper fast and the quality of the tip allowed for me to work and blend the inks beautifully.
I really enjoyed using the 60 set and I think this size set would be absolutely perfect for a beginner to get get started with. The 120 set offers a lot more greys and lighter tones which is ideal for some more complex blending and gradients. In both the 60 and 120 sets you are provided with a blender marker as well, this is essentially a non pigmented marker that allows you to lift color whenever needed. Using the blender marker can take a bit of time to get used to it and the tricks that can be performed with it also, but practising is well worth the extra work.
Arteza Everblend Pricing
As I have mentioned, so far, there are only two sets available, the 60 and 120 set, I say only two sets as if this is not enough, this is not my intention, both the 60 and 120 sets are perfect for beginner or expert marker artist.
Here in the UK, for the Arteza Everblend 60 set you can expect to pay £69 and for the massive 120 set you can expect to pay £129. Not forgetting of course that the prices listed include the storage come presentation canvas bag, which is an absolute bargain. If you break things down, it works out £1 per marker and the bag £9 which you really can’t grumble about, the fact the markers are so high quality is just an awesome bonus.
In the US, for the Arteza Everblend 60 set you can expect to pay $69 and for the 120 set you can expect to pay $129
In Europe, for the Arteza Everblend 60 set you can expect to pay €69 and for the awesome 120 set you can expect to pay €146
Arteza Everblend Marker Conclusion
As with all of the Arteza products I have tested and reviewed, I have been well impressed with the Arteza Everblend Marker set. I conducted tests on a number of papers including Xpress-It Blending Card, Strathmore Bristol Smooth, Frisks Bristol Board and Letraset Bleedproof Marker Pad, all of the papers performed well, however the Xpress-It stood out. As with all art supplies, the surface you use will very much depend on the results and the same is absolutely true for markers.
In making a final conclusion on the markers, it is so important that their pricing is taking into consideration. If you are the type of artist who just can’t work without a brush tip for your markers, then the Everblend are not for you, however, I would definitely say to keep an eye on Arteza because it would not surprise me in the slightest if they produced a Brush Tip Everblend set in the not too distant future. My experience of Arteza has been they very much listen to their customers.
I personally loved using the markers, I found blending very easy, I thought the quality of the ink being used excellent and there was no blotchiness, patches or streaks when the ink dried. As I mentioned, I think the Arteza Everblend Markers would be excellent for those looking to get into using alcohol based markers, and I think especially the 120 set of Everblend Markers would be a fantastic set for those who have experience with markers and are looking for an affordable set that will offer so many blending combinations.
As always you can check out my YouTube video review of the markers and see the bag in operation as well as the markers demonstrated. You can also check out my speed drawing which will help demonstrate the markers blending ability.
