Exciting news, everyone! Since coming out with my new Catholic How To Draw video the other day, I have had such an overwhelming positive response and so many requests for more, that I have decided to post a new Catholic How To Draw video each Friday!!! Yay!
So be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss any! I’m going to go ahead and commit to posting these through the end of 2019 and see if they are being useful to the Catholic community in a group. I’m super super happy about this!
Also since coming out with my how to draw video, I have had a LOT of questions about the markers I use. So today, I wanted to share my thoughts with you about choosing markers for kids.
I have given a guide to buying arts and crafts supplies before, but today… Everything you need to know about choosing markers for your kids! 🙂
My Artistic Credentials:
Yes, I design children’s crafts for a living. I am also an artist, and have been for my entire life. I was an Art major at the University of South Carolina. I draw, paint, build with ceramics… basically, if it’s artistic, I do it. And while I am a super super cheap person, there are some Art supplies you can skimp on, and others that you can’t. And I do (for the most part at this point) know what those things are, and I have my favorite brands for all different artistic materials.
Why Marker Brands Matter:
Art supplies can absolutely make or break a project. Sometimes people have no idea what they’re missing because they’ve never used the proper supply. This can be so true of markers! For children, I don’t buy the off-brand markers (such as Rose Art, or dollar store markers). I find they are fast to dry out, and draw poorly, therefore causing frustration. So basically… Crayola is my go-to for kid markers. If you buy them at the start of the school year, they are about the price that the off-brand markers are normally. I stock up in August for the year.
I was looking to possibly upgrade my kids from Crayola markers and look into an “in between” option for them, and these were my findings.
*EVERY MARKER USED IN THIS COMPARISON WAS BRAND NEW FROM THE BOX*
Crayola Marker Comparison
Regular Crayola Markers vs. Washable Crayola Markers vs. Crayola Signature Markers
So it’s pretty easy to see in this sample that the “Crayola Signature” markers (which are being packaged like fancy artist markers) are certainly a disappointment. The regular Crayola markers color nicer than these. In fact, the “signature” markers resemble the little kid washable markers more than anything. I was super disappointed in this purchase.
Washable supplies are never going to be as nice as non-washable supplies because basically… washable art supplies have a detergent mixed into them. It’s like mixing a laundry pre-treater into your paint. It’s genius, but it doesn’t make for the best art supply. HOWEVER… if you need washable because otherwise you’re not going to let your children create art, by all means get the washable! haha
Here is a closer look at the Crayola Signature marker swatches.
Are Crayola Signature Markers Any Good???…
Post continues after this brief information about the Catholic Icing Monthly Membership
Monthly Liturgical Membership
To give you some perspective, here is a comparison of the Crayola Signature markers next to my artist Prismacolor markers.
Crayola Signature Markers Vs. Prismacolor Markers
I absolutely love my Prismacolor markers, but they are a bit pricy, so I don’t personally recommend splurging on them for children under middle school ages. Prismacolor markers need to be appreciated and properly cared for.
What I learned about Crayola markers:
- I love the standard (classic) Crayola markers for kids.
- Washable Crayola markers certainly have their place for little kids, but they are dryer and don’t color as nicely.
- I don’t see any reason to spend the money on the Crayola Signature markers. They don’t color as nicely as the regular markers, and they are more expensive.
- If you’re ready to upgrade to nicer markers, get your kids some Prismacolors.
- Whatever markers you get, the bigger box you get the more colors you get, and that’s important because markers don’t really mix like other mediums can, so more colors really does mean more fun!
There Are 2 Basic Types Of Markers:
- Water based markers (what you’ve most probably been coloring with your whole life)
- Alcohol based markers
The water based markers (the cheap ones) are the ones that break the surface of your paper and tear up the paper when you pass over the same place more than once. They also show stroke lines when overlapping.
Alcohol based markers dry super fast, and don’t break the surface of the paper. They can also be beautiful when colored on the paper- appearing perfect as if the color was printed on the paper! The Crayola are all water-based, and the Prismacolors are alcohol based.
Comparison of Alcohol Based Markers:
Ya’ll… let me tell you… I am cheap! Lol. And if I’m going to spend real money on something, I am going to think it through, do my research, read reviews, and find the best deal.
So this year when I decided to get a new set of artist markers to use for Catholic Icing, I went to Michael’s and I tried them all. haha
“Please Test Here”… Don’t mind if I do! 😉
If you want to see why I picked Prismacolor markers for my alcohol based marker set and where I found the best deal, check out my reasons here in this post about choosing the best expensive marker.
Markers Mentioned In This Post:
- Washable Crayola Markers
- Regular Crayola Markers The “Classic” Markers
- Crayola Signature Series Markers
- Prismacolor Markers
You can find all of my Art supply buying guides here!
Unfortunately for me, I was completely unsponsored for this blog post lol. So I’m not getting money from Crayola, Prismacolor, or any other company for this, all opinions are my own and totally honest- as always. If you order through my Amazon links I do make a little bit of affiliate money, however, so as always, I appreciate you using my Amazon links. Have a blessed day! 🙂
