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Hi friends! It’s October, and I know many of you are taking part in the Inktober drawing challenge. I’m sitting this year out as my month is very full, but I thought this overview of grey marker sets would help some of you taking part. I went on the quest to find a good grey marker set after the affordable one I recommended from my Alcohol Marker Workshop class was discontinued, and I think I found it! Watch the video to see my top recommendations in action and read the synopsis below the video for more info.

The markers I am recommending have to have these features:

• 1. A logical numbering system, for instance, a cool gray gradient range going from CG1/CG10% (lightest) to CG9/CG90% (darkest) *There are lots of fantastic markers that were eliminated because they used illogical numbering and naming systems. If you already have a set like this, I recommend swatching them out and renaming your markers so they make more sense if you are struggling with values.

• 2. All markers in a range must have the same undertone

• 3. The markers must blend well with good-quality brush nibs and not feather excessively

The results:

Best Budget Option: Meicolor/Masonnice grey markers. I bought the set of 20 that had 10 warm gray and 10 cool gray tones. The ink in these markers was the smoothest out of all the markers I swatched today. The nibs are reversible and are the same as the Ohuhu brush nib, should you need to replace them. The undertones match the Copic cool and warm greys, should you want to refill them. *There was a set of 12 gool greys that had the 10 that I showed, plus a colorless blender and black, which would be sufficient for my class, but it was sold out at the time of filming. That said I am glad I purchased the set of 20. There is also a set of 3,0, which includes a set of 10 neutral greys as well.

Best Bougie Option: Copic. You can get the set of 12 cool greys for $95 on Blick, or single markers $5.85 each. These blend well enough that you can get every other tone and have no issue blending. Plus, they are cheaper to buy open stock. They feature replaceable neoprene (aka foam rubber) nibs, and you can get ink refills for them. That said, there have been some quality control issues with copic reported in recent years, so keep that in mind.

Bougie runner-up: Blick Studio Brush markers. You can get them open stock for $3.73 each or a set of 6 basic grey tones for under $15. They have the softest nibs (high-quality neoprene) and they are replaceable. Their ink blends well, but it has the strongest smell out of the 3. The refill inks are twice the size of copics and about $1 cheaper. These markers are a solid value!

There are so many markers on the market right now, and a lot of them are good. Many other brands didn’t make the cut here ONLY because their number system was confusing. For instance, I love the Ohuhu and Arteza grey markers but the numbering was inconsistent or weird. If you have markers, use them, maybe make swatch labels for the caps and group them with similar undertones and lable them in a way that makes sense to you. Or eyeball them. You do you, and til next time, happy crafting!