Arrtx has released a new set of 80 OROS alcohol markers. If you are new to Arrtx alcohol markers, OROS markers have chisel and brush dual tips, while the ALP markers have chisel and bullet dual tips. Read on for a review on how these markers perform! 🙂
The Packaging
When it comes to packaging, Arrtx always provides a great balance in design and protection. This portable box comes in a hard cardboard box with a handle, and is very sturdy. Shipped with cushioning foam, the box arrived in perfect condition. We all know how bad it feels when your Amazon packages arrive damaged, but Paul Rubens and Arrtx never disappointed me with their great packaging!
In addition, the markers are stored horizontally in this design, which is the recommended way to store alcohol markers. I love that the other end of the box has a plastic tray with slots to hold each marker in its place, so when you take one out, the other markers won’t fall into its place.
Size of the Set
Prior to the set of 80, I have purchased a limited edition set of 12 and you can see how big the 80 set is. I didn’t review the 12 because I have bought it on sale about a year after its release and it was no longer available for sale in Canada. It was a nice set that I enjoyed using. Thanks to the kind folks at Arrtx who sent me this new set of 80 OROS alcohol markers for review, I have a much bigger collection now. 🙂
The Swatches
Just like the 12 Christmas marker set, the new Arrtx OROS 80 alchol markers come with a swatch card as well. It is printed on a thinner paper:
I have heard people say that the shades appear different on the official swatch card, so I printed the ALP 80 set that was released last year on Bristol smooth 140lb paper.
The ALP set that was released recently contained the same shades as this new OROS set. I am glad Arrtx produces the OROS set as I personally prefer the brush tips.
Despite the different papers, the shades appear very similar. On thicker paper the colours run a little darker. I find that many alcohol markers run a bit darker than I expect, so be sure to swatch them on the paper you will end up drawing on before you paint with them.
Colour Selection and Names
This new set of 80 OROS alcohol markers by Arrtx has a nice range of green and turquoise, but doesn’t have too many mid tones. Arrtx sells several different sets including reds, blues, greens, greys, skin tones and pastels, so you can buy what you need to fill the shade gap.
In addition, the colours on the caps do match the actual shades.
Moreover, I would advise going with what you see on the caps rather than the names, because some of the names are a bit different from what you would expect. For example, #44 Fresh Green looks more like ochre, as does #104 brown grey. Despite their blue names #73, #75 and #77 look very purple. #84 pastel violet and #140 light orange look pink.
Furthermore, many colours are too similar in values. It would have been nice to include more mid-tones to do gradients.
Using Marker Paper
I did my first portrait with Arrtx New OROS 80 alcohol markers. If you have read my blog you might know that I love turquoise and they are beautiful in the set. For the skin, I used #29 Barely Beige and #107 Sand. There is no mid tone so the shadows either appeared too drastic or too light.
Since there are not too many light yellows I could use for the hair, it ended up looking orange rather than blonde.
By the way, I used Strathmore 400 series Marker Paper for this portrait. It says heavyweight but it is only 50.5lb, and I find that the paper did not take the blending too well.
Also, be careful not to open the caps over your artwork. Some of the markers splattered a little bit when I opened the cap. Verily, I experienced the same with Ohuhu alcohol markers too.
Even though the marker claimed to be bleed resistant, it did bleed through. As a result, I used Strathmore 300 series Bristol smooth paper (140lb) for the next piece.
Using Bristol Smooth Heavyweight Paper
For this Hotel del Luna portrait, I decided to paint the suit blue instead of brown just to use as many colours as I can to test the markers out.
Also, I have used the nibs very heavily to do the background to the point of abuse(!) but none of them had frayed. Colour me impressed!
As you may already know, this is common with most alcohol markers. There is a slight bleed through with the Bristol paper, so be sure to put something under it when you colour.
Overall Review
Arrtx New OROS 80 Alcohol Markers are juicy, pigment-rich markers. They retail at CAD$89.99 (with $15 coupon at the time of this review). The packaging provides a great storage solution that requires no additional purchase to organize the markers. As for colour selection, this set covers a variety of colours, but would benefit from including a few more mid-tones rather than different shades in darker values. However, you can purchase other Arrtx sets to fill in the shade gaps.
All in all, it is a great starter set. 🙂
Purchase Information:
Amazon US: https://bit.ly/3G5p1nn
Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/3HjlnXO
Amazon UK: https://bit.ly/3w5ISyp
Amazon EU: https://bit.ly/3CII99R
AliExpress: http://bit.ly/3X1NHDH
Disclaimer: Arrtx sent me this set for review purposes only. This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. The links to purchase are not affiliate links; they are for your convenience only, and I do not make any commission off the sales.
