I fell in love with the Copic Ciao series of markers after some of my geek friends turned me on to them. I'd heard of them and use the Sketch markers but the Ciao were new to me. One of the biggest perks to them is that you are getting a double sided marker; that's not exactly a new concept because Sanford has made a couple of different pieces like that. What makes this one different? The tips / tips are changeable and the ink cartridge can be replaced. That lessens the impact of the four to six dollar price per marker. There are 180 shades in this series; this is not the only marker from Copic so if you are going to be getting these online you are going to want to make sure that you are getting the Ciao version and not one of the other ones that they make.

What Shade Is The Ciao Crimson [RV29]? It is a dark rose shade; it is not as intense as a typical red hue but it is darker than a pink. One thing you have to keep in mind about marker color names is that they might not match up to common views of a color. To me crimson is something darker and meatier than the Copic version. It is in the RV family of colors with the Dog Rose Wood [RV25] and the Shadow Pink [RV32]. The Crimson is a nice shade for flowers and hearts but it is too weak of a shade for something bold like a primary color red for a rainbow or an apple. For that you are going to have to go with the Lipstick Red [R29]. You are going to want to make sure that you know the exact name of the marker as well as the marker number; this makes it a lot easier to order online from third party websites or when shopping in stores that sell these individually. The Crimson is a distinct shade that is a little hard to confuse with other colors but with 180 to choose from, there is always room for error. One of the nicest compliment colors to this shade is the amazing Fuchsia [RV09] but if you need something as a buffer between the two, Sugared Almond [RV02] is an amazing delicate pink.

Copic Ciao Colors: Phthalo Blue, Chrome Orange, Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, Robin's Egg Blue, Lipstick Natural, Cool Shadow, Horizon Green, Honey, Sugared Almond, Moss, Forest Green, Salmon Red, Ice Blue, Blue Violet, Jade Green, Mallow, Pale Lavender, Emerald Green, Frost Blue, Baby Skin Pink, Verdigris, Fruit Pink, Raw Silk, Flesh, Nile Green

One of the coolest things about this series is that they are a real pleasure to work with. The no-roll design of the barrel allows you to use them on drafting tables without having them slide all over the place. The ink is refillable and the tips can be replaced; for some people and in some cases that isn't exactly the best option. If the barrel is a little haggard then you can refill them and chance the tips but if it is shown signs of wear it's better to just get a new one. If you are taking these out of the home or office then you might want to invest in a carrier for them to protect them but the ones that I've had to take out of the house have all help up well.

You can get these in smaller sets, individually or in large sets; the price is about four to six dollars each but you can get a little bit of a price break if you buy them in sets or kits. That can be a big investment but if they are something that you are going to be using often then it's a solid spend. I do like the feel of them; there's no squeaking or squealing when you are using them on most paper and you can overlap the colors to create completely unique tones. A lot of the end resulting color is going to depend on the paper you are using too so make sure that you test out the colors on scrap sheets. When I used this on vellum it came out a little darker than I expected but on regular card stock it was a true Copic Crimson.


^V^ ©Freak369 - 2012 ^V^


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Recommended: Yes