Cool, Warm, French Grays?

[amphex]

I know Ive been asking alot of questions lately, and Im really sorry..but I really appreciate everyones kind help =)

Well Ive been looking into buying some art supplies lately, and one of the things I wanted to buy possibly was a set of gray markers. But Im not sure whether to get a set of cools, warms, or french grays. Does anyone here use gray markers? If so, do you have a preference between the 3 types? Any tips on how to decide?
lol, thanks in advance for your help =P

[amphex]

eh..lol, made this late last night..dumb question?

[sin]

good question, i actually use all three kinds, for sketching and stuff. the only problem is im POOR, woo! Poor! Yeah, so those markers are hard for me to get, but um the cool greys are like light blues and they (obviously) get darker, warm greys are a little purpler (is that a word?) and the french greys are a little more brown, its all preference really... hope this helps

[amphex]

Okay, my french gray set will be arriving within the next 2-3 weeks! (had to order online because the nearest art store to me is 30 miles =\)
Got any suggestions on keeping them from drying out? Any tricks of the trade?!
Thanks for your help sin =)

[vfxart]

It's not a stupid question at all; may be one that you face constantly and that can be a good thing. But it's not a hard one to answer. It's really going to depend on what look and direction you want to go in the piece with. Do you have a style to work within, one that's been set by an AD, or are you just futzing for yourself, and what you think is gonna look cool?Also, are you working on white or toned paper, is your design mechanical, organic, human or a creature, etc. Some of these conditions may warrant a warmer or cooler look from your materials, or a combination.
In time you'll either decide that one look is good for you, or that you want to vary your media and maybe even techniques for the hell of it.
May I also suggest mrart.com? They have a decent turnaround time, are usually 15% or so lower than retail, have good stock and tackle problems quickly.

Best...

Yipes, as for keepng them from drying out... don't use them! Ah, seriously though... I would recommend that you DON'T BUY WHOLE SETS!!! Sorry about the shout, but in case it's late again. Buy them in lots of six, they'll even come in their own little boxes if you get 'em from 'mrart'. Get a set of 10, 30, 50 and 70... and a set of black. Yes, it's more than a dozen, but will keep you in good shape for some time. You will find that some markers become more useful as they dry as wll. DO NOT throw any of them away until you can't squeeze another freaking drop from them. Write on the sides with a sharpie or permanent ink that they are 'weak' or some such. The drier markers will give you some wonderful effects and learning to control the dry markers will be as much of a challenge as the new ones. Again, my best, and good luck...

[amphex]

Wow vfx, thank you so much man!
Well its too late lol, I bought my set of 10, 30, 50, 70, and 90 French grays from dickblick.com! I cant wait for them to come =D
I was gonna buy from misterart, but at the last second I found dickblick, and I noticed the prices were only like .03 off, and it seemed like a more respectable site, so I ended up buying from there.
I hope I didnt make the wrong decision =\
Now all I gotta do is wait the 8-11 business days for them to come =D

[amphex]

Also, ive heard something about dipping the markers in alcohol or something..what is that all about?

[vfxart]

Well, a while bacK Berol made a couple of changes in the 'base' of the marker, from xylene (lethal) to a mix of components. Claiming they're non-toxic (they aren't) there seems to be enough of an alcohol base to them that you can use a small amount of isopropyl to 'wake up' the marker and get a bit more out of it, if you think it's completely shot. Me, that's about the time that you trash it for good: when it absolutely won't give any more ink on it's own.

[amphex]

Ah-ha!
Very interesting face about the xylene =D
Thanks again vfx

[amphex]

Another noob question =)
Whats the main difference between Pantone Tria Markers and Prismacolor markers?
Will Tria markers last longer? Are there any downsides?

[vfxart]

The Trias have a purer base, and aren't as toxic.
They have three nibs, the bullet end that is similar to the Prismacolor markers has a nib that can be taken off to find a smaller fine line underneath.
Trias are refillable. Take the broad end out and you can get ink that can be poured in. The refill bottles are expensive, but you get a lot of ink from them.
The marker numbering matches the Pantone color system. So if you are familiar with their swatches and process colors, you can get reasonable matches from them.
Lastly, you can get a variety of nibs, a blender that actually works, and markers that have only the ink well, no ink, so you can custom create your own colors from the 'refill' inks.

[amphex]

I just got my markers today!!
Boy are they fun!!!
*runs off to play with them some more*
=P

[amphex]

I think theyre running out of ink already =P

[Darrell Bowman]

In 30 yrs i only used cool greys.