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In case you missed it, my next coloring book is HERE – YAY! 🙂 With three KYBI coloring books out there and hopefully two more to come before the end of the year, I figured it was time to get some marker recommendations out there. After all, the second most common question after “when are you making more coloring books?” is “can I use markers with them?”
The short answer? YEP! When I designed my first coloring book, I intentionally designed it with markers in mind – going so far as to make sure they were Sharpie compatible.
Want the long answer and our marker recommendations? Keep reading! Jordyn, Amaya and I have all tried out six popular marker types and we’re here to share alllll our thoughts with you today. As a left-handed-gal, Jordyn was even able to test markers against the smudge test, so once you hear her thoughts, they’ll pair perfectly with the new left-handed coloring books that were just added.
*FYI – the links included in the blog may be affiliate links, meaning Kyndra gets a small portion of the sale if you buy through these links at no cost to you. All opinions are and always will be our own.
THE SPARK NOTES VERSION – if you're looking for recommendations but don't read through this full blog, I'll save you some time! Our favorites are Crayola Super Tips for an affordable option, Ohuhu Alcohol markers if you want to dive into your coloring a bit more, or Sharpie Creative markers if you want something super inky.
Starting off with one of the most basic markers you can find! Crayola Super Tips are water-based markers similar to what you’ll find in classrooms, and they come in TONS of colors at a great price. While they aren’t dual-tipped, you can get those finer details by using the marker straight up-and-down and get more coverage by angling your marker a bit more.
Get them here: 20 count for $10 | 100 count for $24
Bleeding & Ghosting: none (Unless you go over the same spot a lot)
Dual tipped? no
Scent: none, unless you buy the scented markers
Strokes: visible
Notable quality: amazing price for tons of colors
Leftie-notes: dries immediately, no smudging
Kyndra: these are my favorite markers! The color variety on these is fantastic, and they’re so nice and bright. The final appearance of my coloring sheet was a bit patchy, but that’s not really something that bothers me. Makes me feel like I’m back in 3rd grade.
Jordyn: no cons, 5/5 stars for me! You really can’t go wrong with these markers.
Amaya: I don’t mind coloring with these, they make me feel like a kid again. Broad strokes are a little more easy to make if you use the side of the tip, If you go over a spot a few times the color becomes more opaque. Depending on how these markers are used some streaks are visible and there is a slight ghosting. The paper also warps a little probably due to the water base.
Alcohol markers have grown in popularity for coloring over the past few years, and while we can’t test every alcohol marker brand out there, this is the brand that got recommended the most! Alcohol markers dry quickly and come in a hugeeee range of colors. They can get a bit pricey depending on the brand, but if you want to invest in your coloring, then these are a great pick.
Get them here: 80 count for $40
Bleeding & Ghosting: ghosting onto the back; may bleed if you go over the same spot a lot (the marker set I linked comes with a page separator to prevent bleeding!)
Dual tipped? yes
Scent: fairly strong, like rubbing alcohol
Strokes: slightly visible; the blending marker can be used to hide them if desired
Notable quality: the blending tool is great for shading, hiding stroke lines, etc and super fun to use
Leftie-notes: dries immediately, no smudging
Kyndra: I won’t lie – I’ve got BEEF with alcohol markers. They’ve been the result of several 1-star reviews after people experienced a bunch of bleeding onto the next coloring page. This was heart-breaking knowing I thought I made a coloring book that was bleed-proof. 🥲 With that said, I went into the alcohol markers with a bit of bias but… they’ve redeemed themselves! I loved the color variety, and the blending tool was SO FUN to use. I only had bleed issues where I used the blending tool, but not all alcohol markers are created equally, so I would definitely recommend using a page between sheets to stay on the safe side. Overall a solid pick!
Jordyn: I actually really like alcohol markers but I’ve never used Ohuhu before. My biggest con with them is the chisel tip and the price. I’ve used ones that are cheaper, but seem to be the same quality. In my experience the chisel tip ghosts/bleeds more than the bullet or brush tips so I did see more ghosting than I’m used to. I don’t know if I just don’t hold the marker correct, but chisel tips always come out in uneven strokes for me so I go out of the lines more than brush or bullet tips. But I do love that they generally leave less streaky lines!
Amaya: I like coloring with alcohol markers because the colors dry slightly different than when first applied. Alcohol makers feel like opaque watercolors but in marker form. These markers are able to be layered, and even with multilayering the paper doesn’t come up with paper crumbs. If I go over spots that have bled through to another section enough times with a different color the spot “erases” by blending in with the top color. These markers will bleed and ghost through paper and only slightly warps the paper; I would suggest coloring with something in between the coloring pages. Overall my favorite markers to use.
These are a new offering from Sharpie, and they are SO FUN! They’re a water-based paint pen, kind of like a hybrid between Tombow’s brush tip and Posca’s paint material. Since they’re new, there aren’t a lot of colors yet, but for what they have, it’s a nice range, and all the colors are very vibrant. We tested using the brush tip, but they come with a bullet tip as well.
Get them here: brush tip 12-pack for $20 | bullet tip 12-pack for $20
Bleeding & Ghosting: none
Dual tipped? no, but available in different tip sizes
Scent: none
Strokes: visible up-close; hidden from afar. The paint will cover any black lines, so you’ll need to be careful to stay in the lines if that bothers you
Notable quality: colors can be layered without blending with each other
Leftie-notes: these dry fairly quick (1-3 seconds) but if you touch it immediately after they will smudge
Kyndra: I really enjoyed these! Since we had tested with the brush version, I was initially only going to recommend these markers for simpler pages with large areas to color, but have since learned there’s a fine-tip option too. I wish they were dual tipped instead of requiring the purchase of two separate packs, but overall, I thought these were a nice coloring choice and loved how vibrant the colors were. The layering ability is a huge plus too. This is a minor point, but I also appreciated that these markers didn’t need to be pumped in the beginning like traditional paint markers – don’t ask me why, but that process drives me nuts.
Jordyn: I really like these! I love love love how juicy they are, they just really made the coloring experience enjoyable. Despite them being a paint marker, there was no ghosting which surprised me
Amaya: These markers are vibrant and I love the fact that you can put the cap on the back of the marker. They don’t dry quickly so the marker can get on your hand. Layering colors is possible but blending is difficult. If staying in the lines is a big deal then beware that these markers will cover up the coloring lines if you aren’t careful (I’m not). The white marker shows up on white paper which is cool but the color is not super opaque. The black marker looks like it goes on like an ink brush but drys like a marker. These markers aren’t bad but I would use these as a base rather than using them to color with.
Okay – you know these! Standard Sharpie permanent markers are a wild-card marker to be coloring with, but since they can be found readily at any store and in many households, we figured we better test them! Sharpies are typically going to be fine-tipped unless you go out and buy chisel tipped ones, and they have tons of colors. These tend to be more expensive per marker, so the price will start to add up if you want to add a lot of color variety to your collection.
Get them here: 24-pack for $18
Bleeding & Ghosting: ghosting onto the back; may bleed if you go over the same spot a lot
Dual tipped? no
Scent: strong permanent marker scent
Strokes: highly visible; going over the same spot creates patches
Notable quality: the fine tip is great for more detailed pages
Leftie-notes: dries immediately, no smudging
Kyndra: Honestly I don’t really like coloring with standard Sharpie markers. Even though you can find them in a lot of colors, I think most colors go on the page darker than I’m expecting, and as someone who loves bright options, these just look a bit too muddy to me. I have a hard time creating cohesive artwork with them. Their fine tip gets them a few points – it’s great for more detailed pages – but other than that, I wouldn’t really choose these for coloring with.
Jordyn: I don’t really like coloring with these. With the smaller tips you have to color the same spot longer, and the smell gets to me after a while.
Amaya: I am not a fan of coloring with sharpies. They ghost and bleed through the paper more often than not, and they smell so strong. It is hard to make broad strokes with these because of the fine point. Overall the coloring doesn’t look terrible, but sharpies would be my last resort for coloring with.
Tombow Brush Markers are typically used for lettering artwork or anything that requires a change in angles and pressure. Instead of having different sized packs that grow in variety, Tombow tends to sell these markers on a 10-pack themed basis (i.e. celebration, bright, pastel, etc.), which can be great if you want your coloring pages to be cohesive across the book. The down-side of this is that the price can add up quickly if you want to use more than 10 colors since you’ll probably need to buy another pack.
Get them here: 10-pack of “bright” colors for $24 | 10-pack of “cottage” colors for $24
Bleeding & Ghosting: none
Dual tipped? yes
Scent: none
Strokes: slightly visible
Notable quality: comes with a blending tool that allows you to create any color you desire (assuming you have access to the right base colors)
Leftie-notes: dries immediately, no smudging
Kyndra: haha okay – I used to use Tombow for lettering ALL the time, so when I sat down to color with these, I was a bit too confident. I thought I remembered how to use the blending tool, but I ended up having to google it midway through my session and realized I was completely wrong. I didn’t end up getting to try out the blending tool in full, but I do know it’s a fun option to have access to (just make sure you look up how to do it first). I like these for matching themes without any of the brain work (e.g. I’d pick a “cottage” set for the garden coloring book), but overall, I don’t think I’d go out of my way to use these for coloring specifically. The final result was nice, but not my favorite.
Jordyn: I have also used Tombow for lettering, but never for coloring. I will say, Tombows should be used on smooth paper or else they will start to fray. Even something like regular printer paper can fray them quicker, so long term they’re not the best option for coloring with. But if you already have them on hand, they’re solid markers. The dual tips are great for coloring both big sections and small detailed sections.
Amaya: I love the dual tips because it helps with coloring large and small places; I am partial to the brush side through. These remind me of Crayola markers but the colors are more vibrant. (There isn’t as much color variety though.) Since these markers are water-based, blending colors does rub off on the markers but they’re able to go back to their original color with some work (but you might see paper crumbs).
This is another wild-card marker to be coloring with, as paint pens are typically used for more intense art projects, but we had them on hand, so we figured why not! These paint pens are super inky and come in lots of color varieties, but can get pricey if you want to buy a pack that has more than 10 options. A lot of art stores sell these on an individual basis, so you can build your own color scheme if you want!
Get them here: 24-pack of fine-tip for $38 | 29-pack of bullet-tip for $48
Bleeding & Ghosting: none
Dual tipped? no, but available in different tip sizes
Scent: none
Strokes: overall hidden; the paint will cover any black lines, so you’ll need to be careful to stay in the lines if that bothers you.
Notable quality: super bright colors!
Leftie-notes: can take a while to dry and they will smudge
Kyndra: I like Posca markers because I use them to letter the names on inserts, so I mostly knew what they’d be like for coloring. Overall, I think they’re a nice choice if you want something super bright for a large area, but I wouldn’t recommend them for more detailed coloring sheets. I also noticed that the ink was pilling up in some spots which was… weird. They take a bit of time to dry, so you have to be patient with these. This is another marker that I’d only use simply because I already have it; I wouldn’t go out of my way to use it for coloring.
Jordyn: I’ve never used Posca before and to be honest I don’t love them for coloring. They smudge the most out of everything listed, so they’re not great for lefties. They also take a while to color since they are a round tip which just leads to more smudging for me, so I had to be really careful with it. I know this is super picky of me, but I don’t love the feeling of it when it dries on the paper… it has a texture to it that I just don’t love.
Amaya: I don’t like the look, the sound, or the feel of coloring with POSCA markers. The colors don’t bleed through the paper or ghost, but the paper ends up getting wavy. Different colors are less streaky but you can still see where the lines of the markers. The color lines do end up getting colored over if you aren’t careful (I am not). I would use these on a blank sheet of paper first then use a pen or a black POSCA marker to make the outlines. I didn’t try to blend colors because it seemed like it would ruin both markers.
Fun fact! Jordyn is left-handed. She's obviously a big fan of the left-handing binding that's available on our coloring books. :)
When she tried out these markers, she also did a quick smudge test for lefties. (For those who don't know – since you typically write & color left-to-right, lefties' hands go right over anything they just put on the page, so smudging is an extra annoyance unless the ink dries quick.)
Here's what she found! Generally speaking, inky paint pens have the most trouble with smudging, while markers that dry quick, like Crayola Super Tips and Ohuhu, don't have any issue.
Kyndra: my go-to for coloring will always be Crayola Super Tips, but the Ohuhu alcohol markers certainly have a new fan. Sharpie’s Creative Markers have also gained a new fan, but I’d only go for them on simple coloring sheets. As for the rest?? They’re all solid choices depending on your needs, but I won’t be coloring with them again unless I have to.
Jordyn: I think Crayola Super Tips and Sharpie Creative Markers are my top picks from this list. You really can’t go wrong with Crayola’s, and the Sharpie Creative Markers were just so smooth of a coloring experience that I would use them again despite the limited colors
Amaya: My top pick for coloring would be the Ohuhu alcohol markers, dual tips are a plus especially if there is a brush side. The Tombows are nice but are maybe not as accessible. Crayola is tried and true for coloring: the color variety is there at a reasonable price point and they get the job done.
We hope this blog was useful to you! If you have any other markers you'd like us to try out, be sure to send your recommendations to hello@kynyoubelieveit.com. Happy coloring!