FAQ about markers

Some people asked about the traditional drawings and markers and so on.

Beware, those are just advices based on how I do things, there are many ways to use markers that are way better than my own, and with many different results.

What kind of markers do you use ?

 

I  use many markers, but mostly 3 brands : copic markers, promarkers and Graph-it markers. These are alcohol based-markers.

What paper do you use?

I used to draw on special layout paper but HoLY CoW hOw exPEnsIVe iT Is??
Now I have an A5 (5.9x8.3inch) canson sketchbook. Normal paper, 90g/m². More than good enough

Where do the dots on the paper/the texture come from?

Texture of the paper that has been destroyed by the use of markers lol. Promarkers leave less texture though.

How in the world do you get them to be so line free? 

Here are 5 tips to avoid the stains that markers make when you're colouring.

1) Make small areas to color. Obviously. Most of my drawings are actually A5. The smaller the area, the most likely you have to make a uniform zone with your markers.

2) Be faster than the Flash. Don’t let the ink dry! The stains come when the ink has dried and you apply yet another layer of ink.

3) Avoid almost empty markers. Obviously your paper need to be wet with ink, better use full markers !

4) Identify which paper and which marker go well together. Copic markers leave less stains on layout paper while promarkers/graphit are wonderful on normal paper. (Look at Coran’s shoulders??? Promarkers can be incredible!). This means trying things out and finding your perfect paper.

5) If you don’t care that markers are hella expensive : choose a slightly lighter color than what you wanted and apply it several time on a zone. But they do cost a lot so I'd advise point 1 to 4 but not this one haha.

Remember that the “stains” can give off a nice feeling on non-uniform zones (hair!) 

Do you use a blender with your markers?

It really depends on the marker I use and the amount of colors/markers I have. And of course, what I intend to do. Let's take the night skies of my Voltron series : I want a shading from light to dark with sometimes several colors and several brands of markers.

For Keith for instance, I did use copics markers, and as I don't have enough colors to do a nice shade from dark to light, I do use a blender. 
The paper is a plain normal paper so I apply the blender beforehand, even before the first Base color (which is very light) so the paper is "ready" to receive more colours and markers.
If the ink dries a bit, then the blender can be useful, but on the whole zone ! The blender tend to "unfix" the ink to the paper and thus the part where you used it could get lighter, which can be weird-looking.

Very light markers (copics : B000, B00 or R00) can also be good, they slightly taint the color of the zone and can give a good effect while making the paper wet with ink and alcohol again.

For some other drawings I used some Graph-it markers, and I have an entire set of colors (10 markers) which goes from light to dark, so blenders are not necessary, just speed.

How do you take pictures of your drawings?

A smartphone is good enough. Get some natural light, artificial light is very yellowish. If the light hits directly your drawing, it will be too strong and your colors may be weird. So indirect natural light + artificial counter-light on the other side!
Then on your computer, you can use several adjustment layers : a "luminosity/contrast" one or a "level" one to adjust the black and the whites, + a cool photo filter (can be switched with a blue layer with an overlay mode, low opacity) to erase the last bit of yellow from your light source.






Now, go and have fun with your own markers ! Do not hesitate if you have any question, I'll be more than happy to answer.