Hey y’all, I’m Katie from Studio Katie. Have you tried the new ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers from Tombow yet? If you have, which color set if your favorite? Today, I am sharing a review of the ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers 12-Pack Manga Palette.
How are ABT PRO Markers different from Dual Brush Pens?
First, let me tell you a little bit about the ABT PRO Markers and how they are different from the Dual Brush Pens.
- ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers are dual tipped and have permanent alcohol-based ink. They feature a chisel tip and a brush tip. The ABT PRO Markers blend by layering colors.
- Dual Brush Pens are water-based, and non-permanent. They are also dual tipped, but feature a brush tip and a bullet tip. The Dual Brush Pens blend well with water!
- To tell them apart: The ABT PRO Markers have a grey barrel with dark writing. The Dual Brush Pen has a dark barrel with white writing.
In the photo below, you can see both the brush tip and the chisel tip. I like to use the chisel tip for coloring in broader areas quickly. I use the brush tip to layer and blend colors.
ABT PRO Manga Palette Review:
The ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers 12-Pack Manga Palette includes 12 colors: P845 Carmine, P703 Pink Rose, P873 Coral, P850 Flesh, P062 Pale Yellow, P126 Light Olive, P158 Dark Olive, P452 Process Blue, P493 Reflex Blue, P603 Periwinkle, P907 Spice and PN15 Black
The markers in the 12-packs also all come in a plastic tray that can be stacked. If you have more than one set, you can begin stacking them to store them horizontally.
I created a swatch card of all twelve colors included in the ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers 12-Pack Manga Palette, so I could easily see what the inks looked like. I recommend doing this on glossy photo paper for a shiny and vibrant swatch!
How to blend the ABT PRO’s:
The Manga Palette includes a lot of very bright and neon colors in a variety of tones, so they’re good for blending as well!
Choose two or more colors that are close in number. Here, I’m using the yellow and greens from the ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers 12-Pack Manga Palette (062, 126, and 158)
Start with your lightest color and apply a base. Next, use a midtone color and flick the darker color back towards the lighter color. Taper off the ink as your brush tip leaves the stroke. If you’re using a darker tone, repeat by flicking the darker ink towards the midtone.
You can go back over the areas where the color meets with the lightest toned marker to further blend the colors.
The ABT PRO Alcohol-Based Markers 12-Pack Manga Palette is amazing for illustrations that you want to be vibrant and really pop off of the page. It also includes P850, P873 and P907. These colors are for blending different skin tones.
I’ve also tested and had a lot of luck using the ABT PRO Markers on top of both the MONO Drawing Pens and the Fudenosuke Brush Pens. So, if you want to draw line art before you color, those are both great liner pens to use with the ABT PRO Markers.
A few more key points:
- All of the ABT PRO Markers should be stored horizontally.
- The ABT PRO Markers are not refillable.
- There are 107 colors along with a blender pen in the full ABT PRO Marker set. The numbering system is similar to the Dual Brush Pens, so you can quickly identify which colors are the same. There are 18 colors that are unique to the ABT PRO Markers. They are: P077, P191, P127, P282, P502, P539, P660, P633, P680, P683, P839, P907, P848, P881, P852, P987, PN69 and PN29.
- Since alcohol ink can dry out quicker than water-based ink, Tombow recommends a maximum cap off time of 15 minutes for the chisel tip and 15-30 minutes for the brush tip. If the pen dries out, replace the cap on marker for 24 hours to revive the ink.
Do you have any questions about the Manga Palette or the ABT PRO Markers?
Leave them below!
Want more ABT PRO Projects? Check out these posts from our blog archives:
Getting Started with ABT PRO Alcohol Markers: 5 Lessons Learned.
Blending with the Tombow ABT PRO Alcohol Markers.
How to Color Lips using the ABT PRO’s.