When is a marker not really a marker? When it’s a Mermaid Marker by Jane Davenport, I guess! These “markers” are really waterbrushes filled with yummy watercolors. And these have been FLYING off of the shelves at Michael’s Stores. Let’s take a look!
These are super bright and super concentrated. This is how Jane describes them on her website:
Create a stunning masterpiece with these Jane Davenport mermaid markers. Pre-filled with bright dye-based ink, these brush pens are perfect for beginners as well as professionals. You can use them to decorate your journals, scrapbooks, cards or other papercraft projects.
Details:
Includes assorted colors
12 mermaid markers
Conforms to ASTM D-4236
They really do look just like a water brush- the reservoir handle is filled with the ink, there is a regulator nib and actual nylon bristles.

They come in a set of 12; available at Michael’s stores in the US.
Disclosure: I purchased these with my own funds; this is not a sponsored review.
So let’s take a look at color swatches:

Swatches on Watercolor Paper.
Here you can see that the color is rich and flows; where it puddles, the color will be darker and more intense, but you can tease it out a bit. And these are absolutely watercolors in the truest sense; a wet brush will cause the colors to blend and migrate even after they are dry. (See the light dots? That’s where I added one drop of water and waited 10 seconds and then blotted it up with a paper towel. And the colors are easily moved and lightened by wet brush, also shown above.)

Color swatches on cardstock, misted with water.
If you really want to have some fun, mist them with water. The color dispersal is gorgeous.
OH- and I forgot to take a photo, but they do show up somewhat on black paper. I have that in the video below. It’s about 5 minutes and will take you through the swatches and some samples.
If I’d only known, I would have gotten 2 sets! They retail for $39.99, but of course you can use those coupons to help bring the cost down to a more manageable level. And I’m guessing you can recycle them too- maybe put your OWN inks or watercolors in the empty brushes. Personally, I wish they’d sell refills, because I love the yellow and am burning through it like crazy.
I just can’t get enough of them for applications like this- watercolor emboss resist. YUM!
I’d love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave me a comment below!
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Holy Moly! I want to try these. My first try at watercolor anything.
Oh my! I am obsessed with watercolor IG and these look and sound like a dream! Off to Michael’s to see if I can get me some! TFS!
This looks like a big space saver compared to my mist bottles. I go to Michaels way too much, and I’ve never seen these. It’s funny how much they have and what you miss when you don’t know it’s available!
How do these compare to Zig Markers, any idea? I already own a set of them and don’t really want to buy something else that is the same. But otherwise they look AWESOME!!!!