When I first started reviewing art supplies for our team, I assumed the best strategy was to buy the biggest Copic set available. You know—maximum colors, maximum flexibility, maximum budget. Eighteen months and one very expensive storage cabinet later, I learned that approach was completely wrong. The truth is, most artists who buy the full 358-color set end up using maybe 60 of them regularly. That's not a criticism of Copics—it's a reality of how color preference works.
My experience is based on reviewing roughly 200+ marker orders annually for our studio's illustration department. If you're working in a completely different medium—like architectural rendering or fashion design—your mileage might vary. But for general illustration and comic work? This checklist works. Let's get into it.
1. Figure Out Your Color Personality First
Before you spend a dime, grab a piece of A4 paper—standard printer paper is fine—and sketch something simple. Maybe a character, maybe a landscape. Now, here's the trick: don't color it. Instead, mark the areas you'd color, and label them with what you think you'd reach for.
Are you filling in shadows with purples or blues? Skin tones with warm or cool bases? Backgrounds in desaturated tones or vibrant pops? This five-minute exercise will tell you more about your actual color needs than any chart.
I did this with our team of 15 illustrators. Turns out, 80% of them gravitated toward the same 50–60 colors despite having wildly different styles. We saved roughly $3,600 by not buying full sets for everyone—instead, we customized individual palettes.
2. Start with 6–12 Essential Colors
Here's where most guides get it wrong. They'll tell you to buy a pre-made "starter set"—and those sets aren't bad. But they're designed for a mythical "average" artist who doesn't exist. Instead, build your own mini set:
- 2 warm neutrals (like E50, E51)—for skin tones and warm grays
- 2 cool neutrals (like C3, C5)—for shading and cool grays
- 2–4 core colors (pick 2 you use constantly, plus 2 you'd like to explore)
- 2 blending/colorless blenders (trust me—you'll burn through these)
Total cost for 6 Ciao markers at roughly $5–7 each? Around $35–40. That's less than a single Sketch marker bundle. And it's enough to determine whether Copic's blendability actually suits your workflow. (Should mention: Ciao markers have the same nibs and ink as Sketch, just a smaller housing. If you're testing the waters, go Ciao.)
3. Learn the Numbering System (It's Actually Useful)
I'll be honest—I didn't fully understand the Copic numbering system until my third year of sourcing. It's not intuitive at first, but it saves you from buying duplicates or near-duplicates.
Every Copic marker has a code like BV17. The letters tell you the color family (BV = Blue Violet), the first number tells you saturation (0–9, where 0 is most saturated), and the second number tells you brightness (0–9, where 9 is lightest). So BV17 is a vibrant, medium-light blue violet. BV29? Same family, more saturated, darker.
Once this clicks, you'll stop accidentally buying YG03 when you already have YG13. (I've seen that exact mistake cost someone $60 in a single order.)
4. Test Blendability Before You Commit
Here's the step most people skip: take your markers out of the packaging and test them. Not on scrap paper—on the actual surface you'll be drawing on. Bristol board, marker paper, mixed-media sketchbooks—they all behave differently.
I ran a blind test with our team: same three markers (E00, E11, E13) on four different papers. Two of the papers showed visible streaking even with the "premium" markers. The difference wasn't the markers—it was the paper. Industry standard for marker-friendly paper is around 120–150 gsm with a smooth finish. Anything less and you're fighting the surface, not the marker.
5. Consider Refill Economics (Not Just Upfront Cost)
Copic markers are refillable. That's a key advantage, but here's where the upfront cost math gets interesting.
A Sketch marker costs about $7–9. A refill ink bottle costs about $6 and refills roughly 10 times. So the first fill is included in the marker price, and each subsequent refill is about $0.60 worth of ink. (Those are rough estimates—prices vary by retailer.)
Compared to a disposable marker you'd replace at $4–5 each? After 10 uses, a Copic Sketch costs about $1.50 per use, while a disposable costs $4–5 per use. The savings kick in around the third or fourth refill. (I should add that this assumes you don't lose the marker. Lost markers are their own math problem.)
6. The "One In, One Out" Color Audit
After you've used your starter set for a month, lay out every marker you own. Which ones are empty or nearly empty? Those are your workhorses—refill and buy backups. Which ones have you touched once? Seriously consider selling or trading them.
I've rejected at least 12% of first-time Copic purchases from new artists because they bought sets with colors that made no sense for their style. The most common mistake? Buying the "Skin Tone" set only to realize they prefer cool-toned shading. That's not the marker's fault—it's a selection error.
Oh, and a practical note: store your markers horizontally. Alcohol-based ink settles over time. Horizontal storage keeps the nibs saturated. I didn't do this for my first six months, and I ended up with two markers that needed priming every time I picked them up.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Buying the "complete" set immediately. The 358-color set costs around $800–1,000. If half of those colors don't match your workflow, you're not investing—you're hoarding. A better strategy is to build over 6–12 months as you discover actual gaps.
Ignoring the colorless blender. This isn't a gimmick—it's literally a marker with just the alcohol solvent. You can use it to lighten colors, create gradients, and fix small mistakes. It's the single most versatile tool in the system.
Assuming all alcohol markers blend the same. They don't. Copic's ink formulation is specifically designed for a certain evaporation rate that gives you a longer working time. Cheaper markers dry faster, meaning your blend window shrinks. I've seen artists waste entire sketches learning this lesson the hard way.
Not checking the date codes. Every Copic has a manufacturing date stamped on the barrel. Markers older than 2 years might have dried out partially even if never used. If you're buying from a discount store or reseller, check the dates. A $5 discount isn't worth it if the marker's half-dry.
