At my last show, I was explaining to people who came by my table why I don't use Copic markers, and why I insist on using archival, lightfast materials in my work whenever I can. And some guy sort of sneered and remarked "Well, you're really opinionated."

Because the little woman opened her mouth to talk.

Look folks, this is my job. I've been doing this job for many years. And the fact is, many creators in our industry use non-archival quality materials either out of ignorance or lack of pride in craftsmanship. And some of those tools include Copic markers which fade drastically on exposure to light, and fade even when not exposed to light. People are paying sometimes hundreds - or even thousands - of dollars for original art that will not last. It won't kinda sorta not last, it will be nothing but a faded smear at some point, because the tools many artists use are not intended for fine art, they are intended for immediate results. Commercial art.

If you buy this art, it will be destroyed. If you hang it on your wall, it will fade drastically in a relatively short period of time. If you keep it in a sketchbook, it will fade more slowly, but it will fade.

This is not a matter of opinion. This is a fact. This is science. Pigments, and solvents and the way they react to UV light and paper...not opinion. Fact.

This is my job. People pay me money to go to shows and talk to people about what I know. I am paid to tell it like it is.

And it is what it is.

A matter of opinion would be my guessing that this dude would not venture to make a crack about it if he were hearing the same damned thing from a male artist with 10% of my experience.

Carry on.