X-Press It Blending Card: Too Expensive or Worth It? 

Hahaha. Geeks gotta geek.

That's great to hear. Sometimes it's not you, it's the paper! I've got another brand of paper in this Friday's video. I'm expecting fewer warm fuzzies in the comment section for that one. Batten down the hatches.

LOL. You're right, card makers do collect a lot of everything. But I understand that paper doesn't sound nearly as fun or interesting as a new gadget or trendy medium. Nobody ever says "hey, what's that white paper you're using? It's soooooo cool!" Hahahaha

I've tried it too. I was not impressed. Nice card base, not great for markers.

I wholeheartedly agree and I do the same thing. What paper do you switch to for markers + pencils?

I still use cryogen white as I bought a ream of 250 sheets a couple of years ago. I have bristol but haven't tried copics on it yet.

@@micronerdhs Lucky Duck!!!

Bingo. Torment is a good word. Wait until you see next week's video. We know what works, if a sub worked as well, they'd charge the same price as the original it was mimicking. It's time to start valuing the products which encourage enjoyment and efficiency.

Totally agree! I'm dealing with the "No not really" effect now as I'm working on the next video. I think you'll nod your head a lot as you watch it next week.

Thanks Nykki! Always happy to see your name in the comment section :) If you have topic suggestions, I'm all ears for you.

OMG, I KNOW!!! My ideal size is 12x12 so I would totally buy larger XPI if they offered it here.

Great suggestion! Noted. BTW, I do have a group that colors a lot of florals here: vanilla-workshops.com/p/colorwonk

100% agree. Thanks for watching!

@@AmyShulke Thank you for providing your opinions! I'll certainly be checking out more of your stuff for other recommendations! I do appreciate your background as an illustrator turned art teacher too! I have tried a lot of those cheap brands that aren't really cheap as well as the more "upscale" brands and I found things that I like about them. I certainly enjoy some copics and Xpress-It Blending when I wanna do some serious realistic works or working on commissions, but I also enjoy the competitor Ohuhu with store brand Marker paper for just some slap happy silly works or practicing concepts. And I have used them both for several months. I think it's the experience I have just using them for me that has allowed me to enjoy both and pretty much relax, which has always been my goal for art. I think the only thing that I don't like is if I'm putting a lot of layers on things that it bleeds through to the back as I have had a lot of that happened even with the Xpress-It, though that may also just be my fault if I haven't figured out how to keep that from happening, but that hasn't deterred me from using it or any other papers that do something similar. That's just my experience though. And while it will always be fun to me to try out different markers, I will always love my Copics.

That's great! Glad I could help. I always chuckle at how early card makers start their Christmas coloring. Then again, maybe coloring snow helps during a heat wave :)

Hi Kim. Can you please clarify because I'm genuinely confused. You're saying XPI and Bristol both pill on you... with Copics? What kind of technique are you using? In all my years of Copic, I've NEVER had pilling with either of those papers and I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around using enough layers to cause pilling. Last question... are you sure you're using Copics and not a waterbased marker???? I'd like to help if I can. Something doesn't add up.

Cool! I know it seems a bit overboard to send marker paper out for chemical analysis but years of telling people "no, this paper really is different" hasn't helped much. Are you currently using XPI or do you have a another favorite? I'm collecting a list of favorites to cover in future episodes.

It's not a silly question at all. Archival paper is ph balanced so it does not yellow over time. Think about old newspapers and how amber they turn over time. XPI will stay white. Lightfast is different, meaning the color of the product will not fade with exposure to light. Alcohol markers are made with dye and dyes are not lightfast. Here's where it gets tricky though-- the cheaper brands of markers use dyes that fade faster (they're less expensive dyes because they fade). So while both Copic and Ohuhu are both not lightfast, The Copic inks take months or years to fade meanwhile my Ohuhu tests showed serious fading in just a week or two.

@@AmyShulke thank you ☺️ I’m not a selling artist (yet), but sometimes I buy artwork from artists like myself. I know how much time they spend on it so I understand the prices of the piece. But… I would be bummed if the artwork fades after two years. You know what I mean?

@@Art_by_Nicole I totally get it. Markers were developed for disposable sketches as idea generation, so they never had to be lightfast. Now, marker art is best sold as prints and litho, not the fragile originals.

LOL, you figured it out before I could answer. The alcohol propellant/solvent in most fixatives can damage Copic. I just plan my projects ahead of time and if I'm working on XPI, I do more with the markers. If I want a pencil-forward piece, then I switch to Strathmore Bristol or Fabriano Artistic watercolor paper.

I hear ya. After years of buying watercolor paper and canvases before that, marker paper is nothing. So glad you found my channel and thanks for the feedback about the science. I tend to think that way but wasn't sure others would appreciate it.

Good on ya!

@@AmyShulke - You replied with an Aussie saying. I LOVE IT.

You're lucky, the only other Aussie phrase I know is "That's not a knife..." which wasn't exactly appropriate for the situation.

The printer in the video is actually a very old HP LaserJet Pro Mfp 277dw. It's a dinosaur but still works great with XPI. Laser printers use toner which is safer for Copic than ink. I haven't had an inkjet printer in well over a decade. It was also an HP... I think it was a PhotoJet or PhotoSmart???? It was Copic safe and printed on the old version of XPI nicely, but I have no idea about modern models. There's a list of Copic-safe printers pinned at the top of my group at Facebook. It's member submitted info so I don't know which are laser and which are ink printers. facebook.com/groups/markerpencil

Glad it was helpful! If you try it, let me know what you think!

@@AmyShulke I will! I’m a card maker, and I love coloring stamped images with my Copics. I use Neenah, but want to try this now.

Test it with red or a stubborn G combination. I think you'll like it. BTW, Neenah is on my list for an upcoming video. I totally understand why card makers gravitate towards it.

Ahhhh, you'll see this exact thing happen in my next video coming on Friday. Every paper has a saturation point, when you exceed what the fibers can hold, you get puddles.

@@AmyShulke Huh, I thought it was because it's coated and it wasn't penetrating at all. I'm not sure I like its performance

@@rebeldown771 I need to do a video about this soon but there's a difference between "marker" paper and "blending" paper. Blending is less than 20 years old meanwhile we've been using markers on marker paper since the 1950s. I can't say for sure about your paper without using it myself but what you're describing (especially the pooling) sounds exactly like paper for the quick sketches done by fashion designers, architects, and urban sketchers. Thin papers are not intended for blending or layering.

Plus its not the price that made me want to like ohuhu so bad..its the availability..ohuhu easier to find but for middle east.. its nearly impossible..the same goes for the x press it blending card papers..trying to find them for months but still not able to.

I totally understand the availability issues. Try looking for Transotype Perfect Colouring Paper. It's not available in the US anymore but I tried it back when it was available here under the name Holtz. It's close to XPI but not as calcium rich (I had it tested at the same time as XPI, just didn't use the data in this video). The ink dispersal and timing are different with Holtz and the calcium is not deeply embedded, but it's the closest I've found to XPI.

@@RevJoan I use Posca on it but OVER layers of marker and pencil. I don’t think it will stand up to the friction of 2-3 layers of water pens or blending.

@@AmyShulke Thanks for the quick answer! :)

My theory is that markers are just the beginning. We're already seeing a flood of cheap gouache imports and I think watercolorists did get pretty hard by the student grade and crafty sets. These companies won't stop until they've trashed the definition of artist-grade in every medium. Sadly, they won't stop until we stop buying it.