1. How do alcohol based markers work?
Alcohol based markers work by moving through the paper allowing for layering and blending therefore when used properly they do not leave overlap lines like water based felt tips. This creates a smooth professional finish.
The ink is translucent so when layering the colours blend. They are also fast drying which helps prevent smudging.
2. How are alcohol based markers made?
An alcohol based marker is made up of several parts. The barrel is usually moulded plastic and holds the ink. The nibs can vary in make up and shape. Some types of nib materials include compressed fibres, porous ceramics and vinyl polymer. These nibs are also made with various quality, the premium are considered to be the Japanese vinyl polymer nibs which offer long lasting control and performance. Fibre nibs work well but will fray over time and loose performance.
Nib shapes are also varied and should be considered when purchasing. The classic alcohol based marker is made up of chisel or bullet nibs. Chisel nibs have a broad tip allowing for ease for colouring larger areas and laying down lots of ink when smooth blending. Bullet nibs have a small colouring area and are useful for detailed work or colouring smaller images.
Brush nibs are shaped like a paint brush (but do not have individual bristles) and are fantastic to use for illustration colouring allowing for changes in width of stroke to generate delicate curves, precise flicks and smooth coverage.
The ink is made up of a dye that is dissolved in alcohol and held in an absorbent reservoir within the barrel.
3. How should alcohol based markers be stored?
Alcohol based markers should be stored horizontally to prevent the nibs from drying or the ink leaking. They should also be stored in a cool dry place and out of direct sunlight. A quality alcohol based marker will have caps that are air tight to prevent the alcohol from evaporating.
4. How to use alcohol based markers for beginners
The first thing you need to be able to achieve is the smooth blend. Play with your markers and work on laying down the ink consistently. This needs more than one layer before a smooth blend is made. After this you can move on to blending different colours within the same colour family to make seamless transitions from shadows to highlights. When you are happy with this try blending different colour families or creating texture by using different strokes.
I have put together a set of video tutorials that cover all these techniques above here ALCOHOL BASED MARKERS FOR BEGINNERS and NEXT STEPS FOR ALCOHOL BASED MARKER COLOURING
5. How to blend alcohol based markers
There are many ways to blend alcohol based markers however the two main methods are smooth blending and flick blending.
I have made a video tutorial on these methods that you can access here.
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