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Art Supply Recommendations and Information

Marker Art Suggestions

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Artists that need speed and vivid colours will tend to use markers as their medium of choice. The choice of markers or pencil crayons (coloured pencils) is the first choice and an important one, but the decisions do not end there. Once the artist has decided markers, if that is the choice they make, they will then need to decide on they type of marker. There are alcohol and water based liquid ink variations, and the next choice would be to choose from several brands. Each brand has its own pros and cons and each will have to be experimented with unitl the right type is found. It is also possible to mix and match brands as well as water and alcohol markers to find the perfect setup. It is important to note that patience will be needed when using markers of any type as they are unforgiving when mistakes are made. Significant mistakes can cause many artists to give up on an entire piece of work rather than try to correct it. The learning curve is high if the artist is used to other mediums, such as paint, where the layering of of colours is opposite to other mediums.

Some Examples of Paint Marker Art

2 drawn red tear drops showing the difference using either water or alcohol based markers.

If you’ve ever drawn with markers and found them to be bleeding too much or ruining your paper, they were probably cheap ones. The levels of marker quality is extensive and you will need to try several to find really high quality ones like copics. Professional markers have have strong colours and the ability to allow you to layer color similar to how colored pencils can be layered. Coloured pencils are more accurate than markers, but markers make up for that by allowing an artist to put down color more quickly and easily than colored pencils.

Markers are not for the take their time type of artist. You need to be quick while working with alcohol based markers as they dry in a short amount of time. After laying down the first layer the next layer will have to be laid soon after if blending is to be attempted. The ability to blend markers takes a lot of skill, if you are not going to be able to work without distractions, then attempting to blend markers will likely leave you frustrated. But, if you learn how to do so, colouring with alcohol markers will give your work deeper, and more saturated colours.

Water based markers are just a form of watercolors you’re able to dip a brush in water. If you add water, the color can easily be diluted or washed off. They're washable and are very simple to use. Plus, as they’re cheap, it probably makes little difference if they are damaged, and are good for those who are new to the world of art and want to see if it’s for them, then water based markers are a good starting point.