COPIC Colorless Blender...

[VENGEANCE MX]

What's it for, and how do I use it? Bought it today for my impending art exam, and I've heard it's very good for blending, but I'm not finding this myself... I just get horrible ringed blemishes on the paper. Plus I can't find any information about it on the internet (there must be some kind of mistake!).

Any help, links, information, or opinions would be muchly appreciated.

Also, what kind of paper is ideal for COPIC Ciao markers? Would cartridge paper suffice?

[The_e-Tahn]

hmm ok I've never done any work with COPIC markers, though what I would be led to believe after observing other artists working is that you blend while the ink is still wet on the page..
...so say you lay down a pink and then you lay down an orange riiight after, then you use the blender to mix and blend them together.
Just a guess, though if that's what's getting your weird ring effects then try it when they're dry.
From what I understand Prismacolor markers all blend into each other automatically, so long as you use them wet-on-wet.
But I don't have any actual experience so play around with them!

And I'd say the best paper for any sort of inking is smooth Bristol board. (it's not an actual board, it's just a really thick sheet of paper). Very smooth, and its absorbency is pretty good, but I wouldn't go doing layers and layers of watercolor on it. I do all my ink wash and crow quill pen work on smooth plate bristol. And, Graphics 360 marker paper is supposedly the very best for markerwork. Rumor has it you can get it cheap at hardware stores like Home Depot if you look in the architecture department

[VENGEANCE MX]

Still just getting rings, whether I use it dry or wet.

Shouldn't be too hard for me to find some Bristol board (seeing as how I live in Bristol). I'll also keep a lookout for Graphics 360.

[renderhjs]

for copic markers its best to have special paper wich is usually thin (to trace) and has a flat surface so that the colors are brighter I buyed once copic marker paper (special paper just for copic markers) but you cant get it anywhere. If you can´t get it perhaps copy paper though such paper usually tries to suck up the ink wich may result in a little bleeding.

I never had some of those blender´s but just like the other copics I assume you can create seamlesss gradients from 1 or 2/3 colors to others.