#and also he was an ornery old coot and fucking hated having to use any kind of accommodation even when he remembered he needed it

[artfulparadox]

Alcohol markers in general don't tear up even printer paper the way even the nicest, most expensive water-based markers do (though they bleed through like a motherfucker, so put something underneath!), which means you don't have to worry as much about putting down too much ink (as op mentioned), and you can layer colors without worrying about the paper shredding; printer paper can only take maybe a couple of layers before the ink starts bleeding into surrounding areas, but that still lets you get more out of a smaller number of markers, and it also means you can go over mistakes in a darker color without too much worry. ;) This has to do with the basic physical and chemical properties of water vs alcohol, so it should apply to even the cheapest, shittiest alcohol markers!

And you can use the so-called "blender" to lift areas of pigment (it actually...isn't really a blender--you can find out more by looking up tips for copics and alcohol markers). It's not exactly an eraser, but it can lighten things quite a bit, which is useful for ameliorating mistakes as well as for creating cool effects! Alcohol markers also don't show lines between strokes the way, again, even nice water-based markers do, so you can use messier or jerkier hand movements without it coming out looking childish.

My first alcohol markers were a store brand set from Hobby Lobby (yes I know, but I didn't know then, okay?) years ago, and they actually were really great aside from the somewhat limited number of colors (but they have a wider variety of colors and sets last I looked). Michaels now also has a line of store-brand alcohol markers, and I think Jo-Ann might as well! Ohuhu is also a great lower-priced alternative to Copic that has been skyrocketing in popularity--the only complaint I've seen is that you can't buy all the colors individually, and there is no set that includes every color (not even the big 320 marker set). Every review I can find gushes about the high quality of the markers, though. They also have a line of water-based markers that are designed to be much kinder to paper, which I can attest to personally (they'll start tearing it up eventually, but it takes a few layers/a lot of saturation to get there) as well as pens, colored pencil, and acrylic markers. :)

also, like, re: adult coloring with alcohol markers specifically, if you struggle with grip, tremor, pressing too hard with pencils, other hand issues and fine motor etc - i'm finding the alcohol markers to be particularly satisfying for controlling with a tight and aggressive grip while their smooth flow makes it so really don't have to press at all, let alone worry about how hard, and they're forgiving enough that a shaky hand can go unnoticed once you're familiar with them. they actually work better for me than regular markers, which I always oversaturate and tear the paper with because I don't have the control necessary for the smooth back and forth people do, but these alcohol markers can thrive with smaller jerkier movements