After hearing so many good things about Ohuhu alcohol markers, I finally bought a set on Amazon for CAD$24 when it was on sale. At just a dollar a marker, this set is considerably cheaper than Copic, which is the gold standard as far as alcohol markers go. So, at $1 per marker, is this set worth the money? Read on for an honest, unsponsored Ohuhu alcohol markers review.
First Impression
First off, the set comes in a zipper pouch and I do appreciate the colour chart card on decent paper. It makes it that much easier to gauge the shades, which, as I found shortly after, was very useful. Why? Because the colours run very dark, especially if you do more detailed colouring.
The Colours
You get pretty much all the primary colours and they are rich, vibrant shades. The ink dries nicely without looking splotchy on good marker papers, which are important when it comes to reviewing alcohol markers.
Also, as far as selection of the colours goes, the yellows were the only shades I could do some gradient shading. The other colours run so dark that everything escalates too quickly. This set is great if you need very vivid, intense colours.
Paper Matters!
The colour lay down is good, but like any alcohol markers, you have to use the right paper. I used a mixed media paper and I noticed a bit of feathering and bleeding outside of the lines. I am generally not the biggest fan of mixed media paper (I have Strathmore 400 series) because I find that it isn’t good for any specific medium, while trying to be the be-all and catch-all.
On cheaper paper like the Recollections (Michaels’ brand) cardstock paper, even at 110lb, the moment the tip of the nib touched the paper, the ink spread like crazy and went all over the lines. Demonstration as below:
As you can see, this did not go down well. Blending was terrible on this cheap paper, and when I tried to use the colourless blender to lift the extra ink, it feathered like crazy and left smudges.
When in doubt, go for Bristol smooth paper
I had better luck with better quality paper such as this one from Lawn Fawn. I didn’t experience any of the feathering and bleeding; the colours laid down smoothly. The best paper to use is actually the Strathmore series 300 Bristol smooth paper. I usually use that for my colour pencils portraits and the smoothness of the paper allows very good blending when used with Ohuhu alcohol markers.
The Smell
As with any alcohol markers, these have an odour. Not faint, but not the worst. If you use them in a well ventilated area you should be okay.
Overall
At $1 per marker, this is a fine set, but I end up having to buy much lighter shades of some of the colours elsewhere (Ohuhu does not carry open stock) just so I can do gradient shading. This is a good basic set and the colours are rich and vivid, but if you don’t just do the basic one solid shade colouring, you will need additional colours to fill the shade gap.
Ohuhu Alcohol Markers Review:
Colour Selection: 3.5/5
Pigment/vibrancy: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Blending: 4.5/5
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
