Everything I know about Drawing with Alcohol Markers!
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Sparkle shares her experience and tips on coloring with alcohol-based markers. She covers important aspects like preventing ink bleed-through, choosing the right paper, and using different marker brands. Sparkle also demonstrates how to blend colors effectively and provides shading tips. Throughout, she emphasizes the importance of experimenting and practicing with different supplies. Additionally, Sparkle talks about combining markers with other mediums such as colored pencils and watercolors to enhance artwork. Despite feeling low-energy, she delivers a detailed guide to help viewers improve their skills.
Takeaways
- đš The video is a tutorial on using alcohol-based markers for coloring, shared by Sparkle and June.
- đ Alcohol-based markers tend to bleed through paper, so using a protective sheet is recommended.
- đïž Sparkle has been using alcohol-based markers for over three years and has built a sizable collection of different brands.
- đïž Different marker brands like Artex, Prismacolor Premiere, and Copic are mentioned, each with their unique features.
- âïž Fine liners are also important tools for detailed work alongside markers, with brands like Oh! and Stabilo highlighted.
- đ Paper choice significantly affects marker performance, with printer paper and thicker art paper having different outcomes.
- đš Blending with pastel markers is often easier due to their lighter and more desaturated nature compared to darker colors.
- đ©âđš Practice is key in mastering blending and color selection, and starting with simple sketches is advised.
- đĄ Understanding values is crucial for shading, with Sparkle recommending having light, medium, and dark shades.
- đ Mixing alcohol-based markers with other mediums like pencils, gel pens, and watercolors can enhance the final artwork.
- đ° Expensive markers are not always necessary, as more affordable options can offer similar or even preferred results.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is about coloring with alcohol-based markers, sharing tips and techniques for using them effectively.
How long has the presenter been using alcohol-based markers?
-The presenter has been using alcohol-based markers for about three and a half years.
What is the first thing the presenter recommends when using alcohol-based markers?
-The presenter recommends using a protective sheet to prevent ink from bleeding through to the next page.
What are some of the marker brands mentioned in the video?
-The brands mentioned include Hulu brush Marker set, Artex, Ohu, Stabilo, and Copic.
Why does the presenter suggest using fine liners with alcohol-based markers?
-Fine liners are suggested for adding details and for use alongside alcohol-based markers and watercolors due to their precision and variety of sizes available.
What type of paper does the presenter suggest for using with alcohol-based markers?
-The presenter suggests using thicker art paper rather than printer paper, as it handles ink better and allows for easier blending with less bleed through.
How does the presenter feel about the ease of setup and cleanup with alcohol-based markers compared to other mediums?
-The presenter finds alcohol-based markers easier to set up and clean up compared to watercolors or paints, which require more work.
What advice does the presenter give for blending colors with alcohol-based markers?
-The presenter advises practicing blending on simple sketches or blank paper, using colors that are close on the color wheel, and experimenting with different blending techniques.
How does the presenter approach shading when coloring with markers?
-The presenter emphasizes understanding values and using a light, medium, and dark shade to create depth and dimension in the artwork.
What other mediums has the presenter combined with alcohol-based markers?
-The presenter has used pencils, white gel pens, and metallic watercolors in combination with alcohol-based markers to enhance their artwork.
What is the presenter's opinion on the necessity of using expensive marker brands?
-The presenter believes that it's not always necessary to buy the most expensive markers, as more affordable brands can also produce high-quality results and allow for more freedom in creation.
Outlines
đš Introduction to Alcohol-Based Markers
Sparkle and June introduce the topic of the video, which is about coloring with alcohol-based markers. Sparkle shares her personal experience of using these markers for over three years and expresses her eagerness to pass on the knowledge she has gained. She mentions that the video will cover various aspects of using these markers, including tips and tricks that she wishes she had known earlier. The video is structured to be informative and helpful for viewers who want to learn or improve their marker coloring techniques. Sparkle also encourages viewers to draw along and mentions that she will be working on a drawing that she made in February but hasn't colored yet.
đ Tips for Using Alcohol-Based Markers
The paragraph discusses the tendency of alcohol-based markers to bleed through paper and recommends using a protective sheet to prevent ink from staining the next page. Sparkle shares her preferred marker brands, including Hulu brush Marker set, Artex, and Copic, highlighting the variety in brush tips and sizes. She also talks about fine liners from different brands that pair well with alcohol-based markers and watercolors. The paragraph includes a demonstration of how markers perform on printer paper versus thicker art paper, emphasizing the importance of finding the right paper for blending and preventing ink bleed-through.
đ Blending Techniques and Color Selection
Sparkle explains her journey with alcohol-based markers, starting with her initial dislike and eventual love for the medium due to its ease of use and setup. She demonstrates blending techniques, emphasizing the importance of color selection and the use of intermediate colors to achieve smooth transitions between contrasting colors. The paragraph also covers the ease of blending pastel markers and the author's preference for medium and dark colors for shading. Sparkle shares two methods for blending: starting with the main color and adding shadows, and starting with the darkest color and blending towards the light. She encourages practice and experimentation with blending.
đïž Shading and Mixing with Other Media
The paragraph focuses on the importance of understanding values when shading with alcohol-based markers. Sparkle uses a simple sketch to illustrate the concept of light, medium, and dark shades in relation to a light source. She also demonstrates shading on a face and discusses the idea of establishing values through colors. The video then explores mixing alcohol-based markers with other mediums, such as pencils and white gel pens, to enhance the artwork. Sparkle shares her preference for more affordable markers over high-end brands, emphasizing the importance of personal experimentation and comfort with the chosen art supplies. The video concludes with Sparkle's reflections on her completed drawing and a promise to return with a more energetic voiceover in the next video.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄAlcohol-based markers
đĄBleed-through
đĄBlending
đĄProtective sheet
đĄFineliners
đĄSketchbook
đĄColor wheel
đĄLayering
đĄShading
đĄExperimentation
Highlights
Introduction to alcohol-based markers and their usage by the artist for over three years.
Recommendation to use a protective sheet to prevent ink bleeding through the paper.
Discussion on the differences in marker brands and their nib types.
Comparison of blending capabilities on printer paper versus thicker art paper.
Personal preference for a specific Sketchbook brand due to its blending and ink control qualities.
The importance of experimenting with different Sketchbook brands to find the best fit for marker art.
Initial struggles and eventual appreciation for the convenience and ease of use of alcohol-based markers.
Techniques for blending colors effectively using alcohol-based markers.
The significance of understanding color theory for successful blending and shading.
Practical demonstration of shading techniques using a simple ballpoint pen sketch.
A personal approach to shading faces with alcohol-based markers.
The value of experimenting with marker colors and blending before starting a full illustration.
Mixing alcohol-based markers with other mediums like pencils, gel pens, and watercolors to enhance artwork.
Reflection on the importance of not necessarily investing in the most expensive markers for quality art.
Final thoughts on the artist's personal growth and learning journey with alcohol-based markers.
Apology for the monotone voiceover and assurance of a more energetic presentation in future videos.
Transcripts
hey magical Sparks welcome back to my
channel it's Sparkle here and June as
well and today I'll be sharing with you
guys everything I know about coloring
with alcohol-based markers so I'm not a
professional or anything but I have been
using alcohol-based markers for about
three and a half years now and I've
learned a lot along the way and some of
these things are things that I wish that
someone would have told me sooner but
it's okay today I'm here to teach you
guys or at least tell you guys
everything I know and hopefully some of
these things might help you out so if
you want to draw along as well feel free
to grab your Sketchbook and relax for
the next 16 minutes as I tell you guys
everything I know about coloring with
alcohol-based markers and as I do that
I'm also going to be working on this
drawing that I actually made in I think
about February but I just have not got
around to working on it so now it's
currently April and now we're going to
color it in and anyways let's get
started and this video is going to
follow this kind of structure but don't
worry about that it will make sense once
the video starts alright so first things
first alcohol-based markers do tend to
bleed through paper when you're working
with them so what I recommend is using a
protective sheet such as this one that I
got with my Hulu brush Marker set and it
actually works really good to stop the
ink from bleeding Throne to the next
page so that way while I'm coloring this
drawing the drawing on the next page
won't get ruined or stained in anyway
and you can also use different things as
Alternatives like for example a piece of
cardboard if that works for you but
again have a play around also it's
important to mention that not all papers
are like this just some papers and now
here are the supplies that I like to use
so as you can see these are my markers I
have quite a big collection and trust me
I didn't start with this much but it has
grown so the first spread I want to show
you guys is which is my first ever
alcohol-based marker brand that I
actually used so I love that brand a lot
and here are how the nibs look my other
favorite brand is artex so these markers
are also really amazing and again you
can find markers with different kind of
brush tips and brush size sizes
depending on what features you're
looking for these are her color markers
which are slightly different and they
also look really cool another brand of
markers that I do like a lot are
prismacolor Premiere markers which for
some reason I forgot to show in this
video but that's okay you guys can check
it out with my older videos and this is
also a very well known brand which is
Copic or Copic and they are really good
markers but they are definitely a bit
more towards the expensive side compared
to the other markers that I showed you
guys before so now that I've showed you
guys some of the marker brands that I
like to use I think it's time to show
you guys the fine liners so I love using
this brand it's oh again but the oh fine
liners are actually really good for when
it comes to using alcohol-based markers
as well as watercolors as well in my
opinion they come in lots of different
sizes too and I also like these ones
these Stabilo fine liners these were
what I used to use and this is what I
currently use The Statler Tri plus fine
liners which will also really good and
they come in a good variety of colors as
well and now that next thing I want to
show you guys is paper so here is some
printer paper and I'm just going to show
you guys how these two colors work on
printer paper I'm not going to make any
kind of judgments but I will personally
say that from experience I have seen
that printer paper is not the best paper
for markers especially when you want to
try and blend because the ink does tend
to expand and blending is just a little
bit more difficult and there is just a
lot more bleed through than there is
with thicker art paper and now the next
paper I'm going to be showing you guys
is from my Sketchbook that I used last
year it's a mole skin Sketchbook the
paper is 165 GSM in thickness and let's
test out how it works so Step One is
finding a page to be made victim and
this page is going to be our victim
today so the ink does kind of expand in
this paper as well and I think it's
really important to say that it's not
always true that the thicker the paper
the better you can blend and use markers
because in that kind of logic like
watercolor paper is really thick but
markers do tend to expand and not work
too well on that as well like in terms
of blending yes but in terms of
expanding not really so I think it's
just really important to experiment
until you find a Sketchbook that you're
happy with so for me currently I'm using
this born Sketchbook that is b or RN and
this Sketchbook is actually really good
in my opinion when you're using markers
because I personally find the blending
to be really easy and the ink doesn't
expand too much which is something I
love but again it's same as the printer
paper there is still bleed through or at
least some kind of glue stick that
always happens but it's not as bad as it
was with the printer paper again it just
comes down to personal preference and
really just trying out a bunch of
different Sketchbook Brands until you
find something you're satisfied with
anyways time to keep working on this
drawing and something else I also want
to say is that if my voice sounds really
dull or boring in this video it's just
because I'm really not in the mood to
record a voiceover right now but I
really just want to get this video out
at the same time I was going to add
captions instead but then that would
have gotten way too confusing for you
guys to read captions and constantly
look at what I'm doing on screen so here
we are with the voiceover hopefully
things will go back to normal by next
week and the voiceover can be a bit more
enthusiastic but for now this is just
what we've got so hopefully it's not too
bad for you guys so when it comes to
alcohol-based markers they really
weren't something I knew about and for
me I was more of a colored pencil and
watercolor person but then once I
started using alcohol-based markers
initially I'm going to be honest I hated
it but then once I got the hang of how
to use them I started to fall in love
with the medium it's just so easy to set
up and pack up and they're just so easy
to use as well once you learn what
you're doing once you're able to gain
the experience and the practice and
after that it just becomes so much fun
and it's also just really satisfying and
one of my favorite things is definitely
the fact that you don't have a lot to
pack up like with watercolors or paints
there's just so much work that goes into
packing up and setting up but with this
it's just really easier and now the next
thing I want to show you guys is how to
pick colors alright so when you're
blending out two colors like pink and
purple then it's pretty self-explanatory
that these colors will kind of just
blend together because they are close to
each other on the color wheel but when
it comes to colors like purple and
orange these colors aren't too close
together on the color wheel so they
weren't blend that well unless you have
a color in the middle now for example
here you can see me blending purple and
orange and in the middle there's a bit
of a brown color but as you can tell
with the little blending test on the
left I used pink in the middle which
really helped to make the blending
process just a whole heap smoother and
just turn out a whole heat better as
well now something that I've personally
found to be easier is to blend with
pastel markers because I think it's
because of how light these markers are
or because of how they have like a
desaturation about them but they just
blend a lot more easier than darker
colors so if you're someone who wants to
practice maybe start here before you
head over there by the way when you want
to color in something and add some
shading to it it's really important to
make sure that you pick a medium color
and dark color which is what I'm doing
in this case and I've personally found
that colors like this tend to be easier
to blend because they belong to the same
color group such as red in this specific
scenario by the way let's say I'm
coloring in a random apple drawing like
we're doing right now let me quickly
show you guys two ways that I like to go
about blending so in the first half I'm
going to be using the main color the
medium color then adding the Shadows
around it with a darker color and then
just going over it to blend it out the
second way I also like to do is I like
to go ahead with the darkest color first
and then grab the medium color and just
add it until everything is Blended now
those are just two examples of ways that
you can blend but of course there are so
many more other options as well and when
it comes to blending let's just try
blending out these three primary colors
and see how it goes I feel like a part
of the reason why they didn't blend is
my fault but another reason why I didn't
blend is because it's a bit hard to
blend between these colors since they're
so different from each other but as you
can tell once I brought in the orange
and the green it did make things a lot
more easier I mean she is a bit rough
but I think she's still beautiful and
now like I was saying before when it
comes to alcohol-based markers when I
initially got my set I was really
excited and happy because it looked
really cool and I got this set that I
saw a lot of YouTubers using and this
was in 2019 by the way and I was just
really excited but then the second I
tried to create something with them I
realized that I had no idea what I was
doing and that it wasn't as easy as it
looked and I really just wanted to give
up because I felt like alcohol abuse
markers just were not for me and I think
that's partially because of the paper I
was using but also because of how I just
did not know how to pick the right
colors or how to blend so I do just want
to emphasize the importance of that it's
really important to just practice
blending and practice picking out right
colors and when you're practicing don't
do it on like a full illustration just
do it on a simple sketch or just a blank
piece of paper and it's really just
important to keep practicing because
while I am making this video to help out
as many beginner artists as I can it's
really just down to you and down to you
learning through your own experiences
and going going through those learning
curves just like I did as well and
personally I like to consider myself as
a beginner Artist as well because I do
still tend to make a lot of mistakes in
my art but at the same time I do learn
from them and grow from these
experiences and now the next thing I
want to talk to you guys about is in
regards to shading and when it comes to
shading the most important thing to know
are your values so I always like to have
three values when it comes to shading as
you can tell I kind of messed up here
which is why I crossed out this one and
picked the shade lighter but I think
it's important to have a light shade a
medium shade and a dark shade so if you
look at the bowl I've actually drawn
like an arrow pointing towards the ball
that arrow is going to pretty much
represent where the lighting source is
coming from and the direction that it's
pointing at so it is pointing towards
the top left hand side of the circle
which is why I should stop saying Circle
it's a sphere okay it's pointing towards
the top left hand side of the sphere and
that's where I'm going to place my
lightest color and then from there I'm
going to add my middle color and finally
I'm going to add my darkest color where
the Shadows go now this is just a really
rough like a example with not so great
blending just you guys get the idea of
shading though but if that's not clear
enough let me show you guys a bit more
of a simpler explanation with this
really pretty Diamond pen that also just
happens to be a simple ballpoint pen so
here's just a messy version of what I
mean as you can tell I'm drawing the
same thing here again but I feel like
with some people it's just a bit more
easier to understand it in a more messy
way than with markers and a bit more
like kind of complex way with air
quotations but I do hope this messy
example does kind of explain what I'm
trying to say because it's pretty much
the same concept applied with the marker
drawing on top as well as the ballpoint
sketch at the bottom and now because
someone is going to ask me in the
comments how do you shade in the face
I'm going to quickly show you guys how I
like to go about shading interface this
is just a really rough and messy example
as you can tell with like a sketch that
is barely a sketch and it's just super
rough and that's pretty much how I did
it it's the same kind of logic you go
with the lightest color then the medium
color then the darkest color and in the
end everything just kind of pulls
together but just make sure you practice
doesn't understand what it means when
you're establishing these values and now
here's just another example of
establishing values through colors when
you have a lighting source and again it
just really comes down to practice and
it's also something that I need to
practice myself because coloring with
lighting is not something I feel
comfortable with but that's okay guys
let's learn this all together and now
we're back to working on this drawing
and for this entire page my idea was to
have it all themed around the color
purple and just maybe a bit of pink and
blue here and there but mainly just
around the color purple so that's why I
decided to make everything purple
obviously and even for the skirt I feel
like I could have done a different color
and it would have contrasted well
against this shirt and the jacket that
the character was wearing but since I
wanted to keep it within the color
palette within the theme I went with the
purple same with this vase or Vaz I made
all the flowers and other things inside
completely purple and even the penguin
as well which by the way for some reason
whenever I draw an animal I just do not
tend to use a reference which I kind of
hate myself for but I also kind of like
the fact that I'm trying out new things
but I feel like next time when I do draw
an animal I should use a reference it's
like even for the penguin up there that
was just me trying to guess how a
penguin would look if it was like oh
chibi and cute but it did turn out
looking just a little bit weird but you
know what that's okay weird is also
perfect and weird is also beautiful oh
and also back to the topic of alcohol
based markers I think another important
thing for me to say is that when you're
coloring with alcohol based markers it's
really important that you make sure that
you experiment with your markers
beforehand and get a feel for them
because when it comes to layering and
coloring some colors will lay down
different than others sometimes the ink
might not match the color on the caps
and sometimes some colors just won't go
together too well and also just check
out how well your pastel markers work
and whether they're actually able to
lighten mid colors and just play around
with it because when it comes to
layering and coloring I feel like it's
really hard to explain every single
aspect of it and the best way to learn
about layering and coloring is through
personal experimentation so for me for
example I did not just make sure you
experiment play around and see what
works best for you and just play around
and now it's time for the final thing I
want to talk about in this video which
is mixing other mediums with your art so
in the past I've gone ahead and I've
drawn on top of my marker drawings with
pencils like Crayola pencils and
prismacolor pencils and I've also just
used a lot of white gel pen on top of my
art to add highlights and other features
and I like jelly roll gel pens by the
way and I've also used a bunch of other
mediums but when it comes to markers and
other mediums again it's really
important to experiment and see if the
specific Art Supply you have works on
top of the markers or with the markers
but I just find it really cool how
markers like that flexible medium that
you can use with almost almost by the
way every other medium like for example
there are certain brands of pencils
where if you color with them and then
use markers on top the pencils
underneath kind of just like melt and
blend and come together really cool and
you can also go ahead and use pencils on
top of markers just to add more detail
more shading in depth which is what I
did when I added more blush to the
penguin here and you can also use
watercolors underneath markers and once
they're dry you can use markers on top
to add more shading and there's just a
really really great variety of ways to
use these mediums together and in this
specific drawing I decided to use my
white gel pen I decided to use a bunch
of like coloring pencils these are all
like kids Brands by the way nothing like
too expensive here and I also used my
white jelly roll pen as well as these
metallic watercolors which I used on the
background they also just so satisfying
by the way like look at that so pretty
but anyways my point here is that using
other mediums where the markers really
just helps to bring the final drawing
together even more and make it look even
more beautiful and now something else
I've personally come to like understand
is that it's not always a great idea to
buy the most expensive brand of my
markers because it doesn't guarantee you
that they're going to work better than
every other brand of markers like for
example you can buy a great shoe from
the shop and you can compare that with
like a really really well branded shoe
but in the end it still performs the
same job of protecting your feet so in
the same way markers that are like
slightly more on the affordable side do
actually work really well in my opinion
and I actually prefer to use them over
my Copic markers because I don't feel
that stress of having to use expensive
markers to create the best art I just
feel a bit more free with the more
affordable markers such as and artex
markers but again it just comes down to
personal preference anyways here's how
the final page turned out I'm not a big
fan of how it looks I don't know why but
it just looks really weird on camera but
I do like how it looks in person anyways
guys that is about all I had for this
video thank you so much for watching I
hope you guys have a fabulous day and
I'll see you guys in the next video by
the way I'm sorry for the boring
voiceover again I'm just really not in
the mood to read record a voiceover
right now but I'm not in the mood to
type captions as well but I do want to
get a video out for you guys and
hopefully this might have helped you out
anyways don't worry I will be coming
back next week with a bit more of a
happier voice so hopefully that might
help him anyways guys thanks for
watching and I will see you guys in the
next one bye
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