How to Color With Markers

Create vibrance with markers.

Markers add color and dimension to sketches and drawings--with the control and precision that paint doesn't offer. Students, artists, professional illustrators and cartoonists use markers frequently for ideas, projects, storyboards and illustrations. Coloring with markers takes practice. Employing effective techniques and learning how markers blend allow you to color your drawing projects with vibrance. Taking markers when you travel is convenient and doesn't require stringent setup or cleanup.

Things You'll Need

• A variety of markers
• Smooth vellum paper
• Finished line drawing

Instructions

1. Choose a light area on the drawing you want to color. Using a marker one shade darker than another, outline the area within the shape you chose.

2. Fill in the area with the same color marker, using a horizontal or vertical stroke and spreading the color until there are no white spaces. Do not use several different line strokes or the lines will appear obvious--the same rule applies to circular motions which can saturate and rip the paper.

3. Shade edges and add depth by outlining clothing and shadows first with a color one or two shades darker than the fill-in color. Blend in this outline using the lighter fill-in color and add more shading with the darker tone as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you did a pencil line drawing, use alcohol-based markers. Markers range in quality so the brand you use plays an integral part in the smoothness and tone of a finished piece.

• When shading hair, the root is outlined outward into the length of the hair, sometimes stopping midway in various lengths. After outlining several strands, fill in the hair color using a shade two or three times lighter. You can also add shine by leaving areas of the hair completely white and blending the lightest tone of the color into the edges of the blank space.

• Use light pencil for line drawings and do not ink your line drawings until after you color. Any black marker will bleed into colors and become "dirty".

• The only way you can color after inking is if you use water-based markers on top of alcohol-based fine markers such as Microns. Microns are highly recommended by professional illustrators because they run in very fine point sizes and do not bleed or feather like other permanent markers. You can find them at your nearest craft store in the scrapbooking sections or your nearest art supply store.

References

• Coloring Hair With Markers
• Coloring Skin With Markers