Good markers for drawing/sketching

Djiem

Hi, fellow H&A people.
I've been reading a lot of advices on how to improve your drawing skills in the Artist's Corner and most people say it's good to draw regularly, bring a sketchbook with you and draw from life.

So I've gotten myself a sketchbook, and I plan to fill it little by little. I know you can doodle with any decent Sharpie or [insert brand] marker, but I wanted to know if people here had suggestion for certain markers that are just really above average and stand out, either because they last long, or they just make good lines, slide well on the paper, or have a fine grip, or whatever. Usually, I use these Staedler Lumocolor ones, that are M,F or S-sized and permanent.

So, is there that awesome marker you know about and that I should totally buy because it's so good?
I'm looking for something that isn't a huge thick marker but at the same time not something as thin as these 0.5-0.7mm pens.

burntheladle

It depends a bit on what you want. Really, you're going to just have to try a lot of things out and see what works for you. I like to draw with non-ballpoint pens, as well as fine-liners. I'm not a big fan of using markers just to draw with, but I do use them to colour occasionally. One thing to remember if you're using markers is that they'll show through the back of the page a lot more than just a pen/pencil will, so if you're just sketching/doodling you may want to use something that allows you to use both sides of the page.

Don't bother with buying pens from an art shop, a newagent or kmart/target/whatever will probably be cheaper. Some of my favourite pens are ones that came in a pack of 5 for $2 (Papermate, I think).

Fantasma

In my young years I used to draw landscapes and still life using Pencils and Charcoals for drawing, you can find most of this in art shops:




The use of high quality charcoals require a trained hand and a large drawing surface for optimal results. If you are going to enter in the professional field, maybe a drawing table would be a good idea.

Keep in mind that sometimes the pencil, no matter the brand, will not give you the final result you would like to achieve, but also the fingers, this by using a technique in art called Sfumato, which was invented by Leonard Da Vinci.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sfumato

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiaroscuro

Djiem

Thanks for the help.
I've checked out the fineliners on Google Image Search, and this is in fact what I've been using all along, not actual markers, I was just mistaken (am not english, etc). So, is there any particular fineliner brand that is excellent, or should I stick to these:



Really, I always liked them, just wondering if there's better around.

Aurora Borealis

If you want a thicker line marker that you can blend and layer, prismacolor makes some good ones. In the bigger art shops you can even buy them individually, and won't have to get a whole set that has eight extra colors you never use and three that you use all the time. I Love the prismacolor colored pencils, myself.

fightinfilipino

Tombow markers are quite nice. they have a "sharp" end for detail work, and a brush-tip end which is somewhat like a round paintbrush. it's great for doing wide swaths of coloring and painterly-type inking.

i like them even more than my microns.

Djiem

Well, I guess I know what I need to do now. I have to get to a bigger art shop and buy one of every marker suggested here and then decide which one I like best.

Thanks for the tips... and nibs olol.

MagicToaster

Keep in mind, different markers on different papers won't act the same way. Experiment, bring your sketchbook to the art store and see how it bleeds on the page.

Djiem

Koshian wrote: »

maybe get some copics if you're rich as fuck

I'm not, but I'll try anything once.

RubberAC

The markers you're using now are fun to draw with, they flow nicely, last a long time. They tend to bleed a LOT though, which makes actual fine drawing a bit hit-or-miss. Of course it all depends on what paper you're drawing on, etc.

Prismacolors and Copics are the absolute best for markers, but are hella 'spensive.
All I can suggest is go to your nearest office store, go to the pen/pencil place, and just grab a bunch that look nice. Mess around with them, see how they work. I know most Monk's actually have a piece of paper in-store so you can test pens before buying them.