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KuriosiT-kat β Magic marker-ing Tutorial
Published: 2008-05-10 15:53:25 +0000 UTC; Views: 10033; Favourites: 38; Downloads: 267
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Description
Final product: [link]*PLEASE FULLVIEW TO SEE PROPERLY... IT'S HUGE!!!*
(and please tell me if you do and what you think... it's my first tutorial and probably crummy so I want to improve)
This is a VERY busy page... and somewhat packed with stuff....
At first I wanted to do it differently... but then it was too hard....
*cries* so it's like learning from a step by step if that helps any.
Things that I forgot to mention/didn't have space for:
-Markers they bleed so don't press too hard unless you want it to bleed, and make sure to try your set out to see how much your markers bleed naturally and then adjust the way you colour (how much you press and where).
-Furthermore, Try to stick with one brand for each set of three shades. it makes the blending and blurring optimal. Though I found that letraset, cpics and prismacolours work fine together if you can't stick to one.
- If you can't get three shades of a colour that's ok, it's just that it may not blur as well or giveas much of a well defined highkight/base/shaddow. but you can still do it.
- The three shades definitely don't have to be the same "colour". I've used gray-blue to shaddow and give a "cooler" look, and a brown or orange for a brighter warmer tone... be creative and give things a try
-Lastly, whatever you do have fun with it! it's a media that can be a trial sometimes but can be fun and rewarding too.
you'll learn that it is an art to cover up your mistakes and can end up turning out much better than you anticipate. with all that said~ I hope that helps. And if you want to see what the tutorial is for it's my next upload...
I have a walkthrough tutorial that takes you through the sketch to the lineart to the colouring to the use of a white gel pen! if you want to have a look go here: [link]
--
Kat
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Comments: 48
hey there :3 i always wanted to colour with markers and about a year ago my bf bought me a few sets of letraset pro markers XD. after tinkering and being really impressed with how seamless they are i tried colouring with them. but it was like they suddenly decided not to be seamless and looked like i'd coloured my picture with crayola felt tips O_o
it really disheartened me...it was all blotchy even though i was using the correct paper.
do you have any tips to get the seamless effect they're so famous for? ;_;
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Hello,
Well I'm glad you feel free to ask. The advice I'd give to you is to make sure that you let the ink soak into the paper (this means it bleeds more but that's how it goes seemless) Now this doesn't mean let the pen just stay put on the paper... but it means that you may need to take your strokes a little slower or press a little more.
I mentionned bleeding, well it just means that it spreads... so if you have a surface to colour then colour within the lines and leave it a hairwidth or two for teh bleeding.
Now when applying a second colour to shade or whatever then make sure to do so when it's still wet (so that it blends easier. so make sure you have all the colours easily accessible to change. the drying time isn't all that long...
Another thing that may make it not as seemless is if the nibs are dry. in which case, I would say get some rubbing alcohol (or any clear alcohol) and dip the nib in a bit of that. if it's dry it'll soak that up and it'll mix into the marker formula well (because it's alcohol based)
Well I hope that helped
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Wonderful tutorial. Does the tips you metioned also work for Copics?
I'm working on a semi-large space, and I find it hard to color in the space without it drying up too fast.
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Thank you!
The tips work with copics in principle though I find that the copics dry so much quicker for some reason... Thus I've not really been using them lately... though it's really the same thing (you see all three brands are essentially the same thing: alcohol based markers, the difference is in the balance of alcohol, colour pigments and whatever "secret ingredients" each company has. they mix with eachother well and do the same things, though I hear that copipcs changed their fomulation... don't know if that's fact of rumor )
Though something I do know, as a tip to help with the drying issue if you prefer to not to go over a drawing in too many layers because it gets really dark, get yourself a colorless blending copic marker and go over the space before colouring. somehow I've found that that helps (though it changes the colour slightly in that it's slightly lighter for the first coat)
Also ummm different papers will act differently with umm the markers, thicker papers tend to soak the marker in more and so it'll be wet longer... but it also tends to get darker too
hope that helps
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Yes, I've noticed that they dry quicker as well; the nib on my E25 is dry, and so it's hard for me to color skin. 
Yes! That's exactly what I needed! I try to make the first layer of color light, but it's difficult to do because I have color over again, and thus, it gets really dark, which irritates me.
Oh, btw, I'm using AquaBee maker paper, what brands do you reccomend for makers? Based on your personal experience? What kinds of markers do you use?
Just curious.
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if your nib is dry I recommend you "revive" it with rubbing alcohol as long as it's still got colour in it the rubbing alcohol will just revive it and let it flow a bit better though the first few colouring sessions will be diluted until the pigments mix into the alcohol (it's an alcohol based marker 
well I have been more and more happy with Letraset Pro markers. Tria as long as you avoid the bizarre stiff paintbrush tip is good too. If you like the paintbrush tip then I have to say copic is the only good one I encountered. Prismacolour tends to be the money saver though yeah I prefer Letraset in general that's what I tend to use (though I use prismas and Copics for certain colours I like that are only found in those markers) .
As for paper I don't tend to use brands per say but rather just look at paper and see the brightness and weight. I go for, usually, good old ink printer paper of 92 brightness and a weight of 75 to 90 g per meter squared. though really paper is something that umm is best to try out here and there on your own
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Alrighty, thanks sooo much for the help! The alchohol tip has really worked!
Thanks a bunch!
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You're very welcome! I'm glad I was helpful
hehe yeah that's probably one of my greatest marker discoveries cheap effective marker revival! XP
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That is! I thought I had to go out and buy a new marker nib.
Oh, btw, how many colors come in the tria markers???
I love your avvie too. lol
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hurhurhur leave it to the cheap university student to find a ummm money saving alternative
well there are many colours but if you mean in a set then I say there are many sets aswell... the smaller ones come with 12 markers. I prefer to get the 24 marker set that comes with it's own "leather-like plastic" case. it's sometimes pricey like that but yeah if you get a set those tend to have more of the colours you need (more variety) otherwise there is always the pic the individual marker colours you want way to get them.
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How many colors are there in all? You know, like how Copic has 312 colors, how much does Tria or Letraset have? Also, where can I find Tria/Letraset markers at? I can't believe I haven't asked you that yet.
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How many... ummmm well I'm not sure exactly but surely in the hundreds if not thousands (it's a pretty old company). As for where you can buy them, depending on where you live it may be more or less easy. I find them in any art supply store here in Canada. But seeing as it's imported from Britain I'm not sure how available they are in the States... but they should be pretty available after all there is shipping to the states from the website...
[link] (going into manga or design would get you to marker selections)
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Yeah, I've never really seen them here in the states. 
Cool, thanks a lot for the link!
And thanks a lot for all the marker help, much appreciated!
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:/ that's a shame and still kind of surprising... I suppose because the States make their own markers (Prisma's and Copics) that they tend to rather be patriotic and stock only those rather than import, not to mention importation in general is usually pricey for a store
You're very welcome! I'm glad to be of any assistance
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Actually, Copics are Japanese, so they import them here.
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Sorry I forgot that detail... but though copics is a Japanese company it's got a um "factory" in the states so there is no "import" per say XP that's what I meant >x<
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Lol, it's okay. Now that you mention it, you're right!
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How much does it cost up in Canada? Over here, they're about 5 to 6 dollars.
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Copics tend to cost 7 to 8 dollars here. which is part of the reason why I don't buy them.
Letraset tends to be 3 to 4 dollars and prismacolours are around 2 and a half.
I'm not rich and I don't make much money currently so I generally can't afford them. The few copics I have were gifts. XP
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HOLY CRAP, 7 to 8 dollars!?!? I'm surprized that you even know a small bit about Copics.
Aww, well hopefully you'll get more money in the long run!
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hehe yes very expensive, that's why the only ones I own are gifts. though I've used them fairly often seeing as I know a few people who only use copics and they kindly let me use them sometimes when I visit them.
I hope to one day be able to afford more yes XP for now I'm doing alright as a poor student XP (rubbing alcohol is a very good friend)
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Lol, I think I know a site that has cheap markers. I'll find it for you so that you can use it for the future.
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Oh that would be good to have on hand! 
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Yip yip!
Here you go! [link]
Although, I'm not sure if they ship worldwide... But they said that they'll be shipping to other places soon though.
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Thank you for the link!!! (I bookmarked it) it's certainly much cheaper getting it this way (though I wonder what teh shipping costs are XP, I'll figure that out when I actually can get some XD)
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Haha you're welcome. 
I was told by another person who uses that site, that the shipping costs aren't too much. But I'm not sure about now.
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I see
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It shouldn't be too much; where are you in Canada? One of the factories for Copic is in Seattle, and Seattle is only about three hours away from the border of Canda/Toronto.
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Seattle is probably 3 hours from the border but not from toronto (where I live) XP quite the other side of the country X3 takes at least three full days of driving
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Oh! My bad.
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XP yeah it's a bit far-ish being on oposote sides of the continent XP
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thankyou so much, that was really helpful. ill put that into practice at some point today. looking back i was colouring too fast ^^' so thankyou. your tutorial was very helpful too by the way so i can put a few techniques to good use and see how it goes!! thanks again <3333
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You're welcome
glad I can be helpful. if it doesn't work out for you then I'll try and remember other "remedies" that I've come across.
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Coolio.
I like how you put the angle of your picture, it's pretty cool!
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Thank you
I'm experimenting with the angles and perspective.
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I think you did a very good job on this. I hope this will help me.
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Thank you
I hope so too. and if you have any feedback (like if things are confusing, etc.) I'd love to hear it! and especially if it works out for you or not. (because I wonder a lot if this way of colouring can be used for others or if it just suits my habits )
Thanks a ton for the comment!
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You're welcome! I'll try to get some markers over the summer.... All I have is colored pencils. D:
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I tried this technique, based from what you told me and.. I find that the colours blend better this way(in which there are less differing tonelines visible). Though as you said there are pros and cons with every technique.. And I do notice that. I suppose to make a good piece with these it is more crucial to use various techniques here than there are in utilization of other medias.
Well don't worry, I did a tutorial once and I too encounter a problem in which I write too much.
Lastly I'd like to ask one thing I'm still yet unsure... Is there any way one could extend the time which the inks dry? The only technique I find to practice this is to apply more pressure, though it only extends it by ever so slightly.. Other than that I don't know.
That and the difference between brands of markers. The one I'm currently using doesn't differ all that much(or doesn't differ at all) from Prismas(For that matter I consider myself lucky for going for this one because it's cheaper.. XD ). Maybe because they're of similar quality, but what gold-expensive copics do all that different from these average markers?
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Yeah the whole reason why I sort of developed this technique was because I wanted it to blend more and not have too many lines delimiting each shade/tone of the colours. But I also find that sometimes I want those lines, like in the hair or who knows maybe in giving texture. In which case I just use the method that others use.
Yeah, As I finished this tutorial, I began to think that perhaps there is another format better suited to what I was trying to display. But then this is a learning experience so itβs all good
As for extending the drying timeβ¦ well thatβs another issue that Iβm trying to tackle now. Colorless blender before adding any colour seems to help a littleβ¦ though not entirely. And other than the pressure or adding fresh coatsβ¦ I have yet to find the best solution.
As for the differences in brand, well itβs not so much in drying time but rather in the type of tip itβs found in and the control of blending. Copics have a nice paintbrush-like tip which permits you to decide on the thickness of the stroke with pressure. Furthermore itβs easier to controlβ¦ though overall, I find them not quite worth spending on.
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nice tutorial .. but aint got these markers in our country
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Thank you
Really? you don't have any of them? I'm surprised. because I know that almost all art supply stores here have one of the brands... and In France, though there isn't the same set of brands they have a similar alcohol based marker
well you do really well with paints so you aren't in need of a traditional media outlet XD (markers are easier to handle than paints I find... and it's practically the main form of traditional media colouring that I know how to use XD )
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well there could be some markers but those you use arent there or extremely rare
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I see yeah I suppose so. considering that one of the brands is Brittish adn the other two are American... not entirely global yet.
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