An age-old question we often get asked in our store is: what’s the difference between Copics’ Sketch and Ciao lines? The short answer, there’s practically no difference. The only main difference is in the amount of ink and color range, but that’s about it. Sure the barrels are different designs and they have different product names, but there is very little differences between the two.
To be more specific, the Copic Sketches have (roughly) 1.8mLs of ink per pen. As for the pens’ technical application and usage, according to Copic themselves, the Sketch line is their more professional version. Better suited for artists who already have experience using alcohol ink markers and who mainly create designs, illustrations, and manga styled artworks. As for the color selection, you have a whopping 358 total colors to choose from!
On the other hand, the Copic Ciaos have (roughly) 1.4mLs of ink per pen, but are more of Copics’ introductory line. These markers are made with the exact same ink as the Copic Sketches, but just have a little less ink to be exact. Since they are part of their “introductory” line, they’re slightly cheaper than the Sketches, but they can be used for the same art styles as the Sketches. As for its color range, there’s only 180 available colors, a drastic difference in amount when compared to the Sketches 358 colors.
But you see what I mean? They’re practically the same! The only real differences between the two is in the barrel designs, color availability, and amount of ink per pen. Additionally, they both share the same type of ink and the same color coding system, so you may find the same exact color in both pen lines. And since they share the same ink, you can easily mix the two markers together without worry! Feel free to layer, blend, shade, and mix the Copics Sketch and Ciao markers to your heart’s content!
