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scales — Super Marker tutorial XTREME
Published: 2010-04-04 23:54:12 +0000 UTC; Views: 18634; Favourites: 302; Downloads: 244
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Description
Just a short marker tutorial I threw together today as a break from college work. I've been surfing around the tutorial section of dA and the marker section is dominated by Copic tutorials, most of which teach the same anime-inspired technique. I found this boring and frankly unfair; Copics are all well and good [I'd personally argue with this as I have a bit of a Vendetta against the things], but they're not the be all and end all.People are only being exposed to one expensive brand of markers when there are tonnes to choose from. I'd like to think people are making an informed choice about their materials based on their needs and not what they're told is 'best'. I'd be an advocate of cheap-and-cheerful markers, but whatever. For more on my opinion on different brands check out this: [link]
BUT ANYWAY, enough of my marker obsession. I'm very sorry if the layout is difficult to read or if the images/text are too small. I understand that this tutorial is a little sparse, so don't be afraid to ask me to elaborate on anything!
Done with a big ol' mess of markers, pens and pencils.
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Comments: 173
kool, i just have block tip touch markers. they work very well
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That they do! I find their ink to be really pigmented and bright. They're great pens!
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Thanks this really helped me x3
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I'm happy to hear it! Enjoy markering.
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i will use this if i ever get pro markers (im broke) OMG *finds dollar on ground* IM LIKE 2 MOR AWAY FROM GETTING 1 MARKER! i did find it on floor wen i waz writing this
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Oh cool,best of luck getting some then! I have to save up a lot for my markers, too.
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i no right D: they so pricey
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I just got back into marker pens having not really touched any non-digital art stuff for a year, and that was just playing around. I've mostly been using the promarkers because I have the most of them and can easily pick up some from a market stall on my way to college!
I do have a few odd Tria pens and even a single chunky Copic pen, and a set of 12 white thin markers i got in Japan which i think are copics but I'm not sure.
I was just wondering, besides Bristol board what paper you would rec because I prefer something that's a bit more papery but all i have at the moment bleeds like a heamophiliac. It's just some Cheap-o sketch paper and with single layers and no blending it holds out fine, but I've actually started realising how much you can do with markers (I was a bit of a flat, simple tweenage manga person before :S ) and want to really play around with them without losing the actual lines and such.
I love this tutorial BTW, I never would have thought to use any coloring pencils over the top of markers. Is there a good, easy to get in the UK, alternative to the prismacolor pencils? I haven't been able to find any of them here.
(Sorry about the butt load of questions)
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Hey man!
The only reason I have Prismas is that my mam managed to get a hold of 'em through a friend of hers in America; I don't even use 'em that much at all, I just wanted to show off for the tutorial to be honest! I'm actually from Ireland so thankfully we share the same stuff as the UK in terms of art materials so I'll be able to recommend you a lot, actually!
Thin white markers, eh? Do they have any sort of label on them? I'm interested in hearing what they are! As for paper, I think layout paper and marker paper sound like what you're looking for. Daler Rowney does both in the form of sketchbooks and you can usually find them in the sketchbook section of most major book shops that sell art supplies. They look like this: [link]
Letraset, the people who make Promarkers and Tria, also have their own brand of marker paper which is beautiful to use but probably a bit harder to find/ more expensive.
Back on to the subject of pencils however, I find that Faber Castell pencils and Crayola work great! My personal favourites are Crayolas and Faber Castell Polychromos. Prismacolors are very waxy and break easily, so I find Polychromos and their harder leads to be superior.
I hope this helped!
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I checked on the pens and I can't see anything besides the nib end images. No real logos or anything, I'll see about getting a picture of them when i can. I just picked them up about four years ago when i was in Tokyo. They have a brush and a broad tip, they have a bit of a mottled and uneven coverage, though it could just be how old they are. Colours are kind of flat and dull, but maybe it's just the colours i have. I think they were pretty cheap as well, otherwise i don't see why i bothered getting them.
They carry the Daler Rowney paper at the same stall as the pens, it'll be great to pick some up tomorrow! I'll borrow some of my friends pencils to try those two brands and see which I like.
Thanks for the help!
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Hmm, interesting! Maybe they're some offbrand kind of marker then! That or possibly Pantone Universe markers?
Ah excellent, good to hear it's available! You're welcome for the help. Happy markering.
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awesome! I see so MANY copic tutorials, its nice to know you can acheive the same effect with pros
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Of course you can! You can achieve those effects with any alcohol based markers; Copics are just one brand.
It's not the marker that produces those effects, it's the person using them.
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You're right, most of the marker tutorials give me a "one-way only" feeling. I'm so glad you found the time to make such a flexible and stress free tutorial.
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To be honest I was worried that this tutorial came across as being very 'one-way-only' orientated as well. Still, I'm glad you found something refreshing in it!
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I've been surfing around the tutorial section of dA and the marker section is dominated by Copic tutorials, most of which teach the same anime-inspired technique. I found this boring and frankly unfair; Copics are all well and good [I'd personally argue with this as I have a bit of a Vendetta against the things], but they're not the be all and end all.
oh my god, I think I love you.
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And I you, my smelly dog person.
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ahh, so jealous. I'm still learning my markers. tutorials like this are actually helpful. thanks for listing all the names of the markers, too.
do you really cover and re-cover skin in the Ivory? I'd think that would make the paper shrivel or something... (or maybe I'm just a seriously clueless kid. >>
I have a big problem covering large area's of open space; it makes a choppy streaky effect that looks sloppy and lame. 
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Hey it's no problem! Markers can be intimidating at first; I understand.
The kind of paper I use, bristol board, is thick and absorbant so it doesn't buckle under the marker ink. That means you can layer your markers over and over again without the paper ripping. Cool eh?
As for covering large areas, try colouring with your markers in quick circular movements again and again. This way you avoid streaks and get a smoother finish. Youtube is a great place to check for videos to see markers in action: [link]
I hope this was helpful to you!
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Thanks for this, im new to the promarker world so im gonna try my best
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They take a while to get used to but once you get a hang of them they become second nature, haha!
Best of luck!
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This is a great tutorial^^ and i totally agree there is way to much copic this and copic that and too little of the promarkers. And skin coloring is tricky.
Here is a little tip to someone if they only have promarkers : you can use the color called apricot to use at the darkest eras of the skin and then smooth it out with the blush to add some shade. To even the difference between ivory and blush you van use the color vanilla. and this gives a much more tanner look but not too "oh-i-fell-a-sleep-in-a-solarium" kinda way
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I'm glad someone else agrees with me! Copics are fine, but not everyone uses them; people shouldn't be denied a chance to learn about different techniques using markers just because they don't use Copics.
Ivory and blush are some of my favourites! The colours you recommended together make for a very nice, healthy kind of skintone.
Haha, 'solarium' skin, I'm totally going to use that.
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I just wish i saw this some years ago, when i was in the experimenting process. it took a while before i figured out a decent way to do the skin:S
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Well the best way to learn is through trial and error, really. I think you did it the right way.
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:3 I also use prismacolor! I use faber-castell too though. I wish copics weren't so expensive, but reading your thing, maybe you are right and I should just perfect using the markers I do have D:
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I love Faber-castell! Have you ever tried their Polychromos pencils? Those are my favourites.
As for markers, the thing is that if you master the markers you have now then you'll be able to master other types of marker more easily. If you can produce great stuff with Prisma then you'll be that much more experienced if you try with Copic. Then again, why spend money on Copics when you get great results through your own skill with what you've already got?
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I've never even heard of Polychromos pencils! But now you have me all excited *googles*
That is true..but I don't think that my marker skills are near as good as I want them to be currently...though I have gotten better. I guess I just like to experiment with different stuff alot right now P: but alas! The money! The money.....
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Ohh they're great! Try some out if you ever get a chance; they're very silky and highly pigmented.
Just keep trying to improve, man! Practice makes perfect, but if you're worried about wasting ink then that's okay too. Do you have any watercolour? That requires a somewhat similar technique.
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Yes I shall keep trying! You too! And actually I took a watercolor class this past semester here [link] is one of my works...I like them, but I'm so impatient X_X I have a hard time waiting to let them dry before adding more coats on :[
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Hey that looks good! Very nice Blissey.
I have the same problem with watercolours! they're so slow; I like to work fast. I suppose we're both impatient!
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A lot of people make the claim that Copics are like watercolour but ehhh, the inks in them are of poor quality. What you get in fluidity is lost in colour intensity and consistency. They speckle like crazy.
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If I may ask, how are the Copic marker inks poor quality? I've noticed that Copics tend to speckle on certain types of paper, and also on dark skin tones, like E25, E27, etc.. I do dark skin often, so I was looking for a way to avoid the speckles. What brand do you suggest I use for dark skin tones?
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Well, personally I find Copic marker ink to be of poor quality due to that speckling and the general weakness of the colours in terms of saturation. Copic colours tend to look toned down or something, I can't quite put my finger on it. I believe the speckling happens because of poor staining power, though. That is to say that the Copic ink feels as though it's higher on solvent[alcohol] than pigment than some other brands and their colours just tend to fade into the paper leaving a less vibrant finished product. Basically Copic marker ink is just too weak for my tastes. They have some nice skin tones/ pastel colours but their darker colours leave a lot to be desired.
Personally my favourite brand is Tria/Promarker by Letraset, but one brand in particular that has a gorgeous set of deep Earthy tones are 'Touch!Shin-han' markers. A friend of mine has their 'wood' set and from experience I can say that their ink is really vibrant and pigmented! They're pretty good for darker skintones and don't speckle as much. Here's their site: [link]
Prismacolor seem just as good, though. Just go for whatever's most available/cheapist I guess!
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Thanks so much for the advice! I really appreciate it!
The problem with the Shin-han markers is that I don't think I can order them.
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Aw, you can't order them? That's unfortunate; best of luck finding the right marker, though!
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D'aw cheers man! I'm glad you like it. I hope it's informative!
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This is really helpful! I recently bought an armful of markers and so far my drawings have always turned out looking a bit flat. 
And you're exactly right, there's anime everywhere you look in the tutorial sections, which is fine but we need diversity!
Thanks again!
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I'm glad you've found this helpful! Hopefully it'll give you some ideas on how to flesh out your drawings, then. I know how restrictive markers can seem when you first start with them.
Exactly! I've got nothing against anime, but not everyone wants to see those techniques every time they go to a tutorial. Granted, I use some similar techniques myself [I start with the skin in a light ivory first and then build on it], but I'd like to think I'm offering something a little bit different all the same.
No problem, and thanks!
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Markers... I love marker tutorials. And especially when they recommend varied marker brands. I think I've also have at least one of every marker brand and I use them equally. Though I admit the larger chunks are prismacolor and copic due to lucky ebay auctions. (heck if I can get them cheap I will)
And shouts for promarker one of my favs. I had to buy them exported which made them sorta pricey but the quality/life of them make them worth it. Just recently they've been available in the US for a fraction of what I was paying for them, so I'll be collection alot more of those.
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Personally I don't think any one tutorial should dictate a brand as being 'the one', but I will admit that I gave my Promarkers a lot of time in this tutorial, if only because I find that they're my most reliable/available/cheapist ones.
They're coming out in America? Cool. I'd actually like to try a few more Copics/Prismas but it's all about the P&P, really.
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This is one great tutorial, one of the best ones I've seen. One can achieve awesome results by using so many different brands instead of one only and oh yes, finally someone who knows there are other brands besides Copics. They're overrated in my opinion, I don't like them all that much. I love my Trias and ProMarkers all the way. <3
Btw, are the new ProMarkers any different than the old ones? I still haven't got the chance to try the new ones out, since they're not very available where I live.
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