I've Just Sorted Out My Process Actually - Blog Posts

my process is loosely as follows:

get a reference and look at the values and colors and get a bunch of markers (i use ohuhu alcohol markers) for the lightest value and ones in between. i usually don't set a darkest value from the get go because a lot of it is layering and experimenting, but i want to at least have some colors to start with and lay down a base. usually i get a bunch of skin tones and two to four cold tones, depending on what the reference seems to call for. the colors don't have to be an exact match because you're never gonna be able to exactly match the tone with a limited palette. keep in mind that this is mostly a face rendering tutorial because portraits are about the only things i've done with markers lol, but i'll try to keep it applicable to other things as well?

(also, something important to keep in mind is wet vs dry - this is less of a thing with alcohol markers - if you're layering over a part that you've just colored on the marker is going to bleed. this is a good thing for blending!! but if you want cleaner shapes i'd wait a bit for the page to dry before coloring to do smaller details or different parts of the drawing like skin bordering hair, etc. the wet/dry divide is more obvious in mediums like watercolor, but it's still a useful thing to take advantage of and be aware of.)

so i generally use a lot of layering for each portrait. the first layer is coloring in some shapes of where the darkest shadows are, using the brush tip of the marker. (keep in mind that i also spend a while sketching out a guideline) then i use the chisel tip to color the entire face in, while it's still "wet". (save the eyes, although you could do that too because this is a light color and eyes are generally in shadow anyway. also to be noted: keep these first strokes brief because layering the same color can darken it.)

now that all the white space has been covered for the subject i go in with either a darker shade of a skin tone or a cold tone. i find that lighter, cold tones (like blue and purple) elevate shading a lot if used right. ("right" being where light might be reflected onto bottom-facing facial planes or where shadows intersect, or just as light shadows.)

then i just layer various colors i've selected, (while selecting more sometimes lol) keeping in mind facial planes and structure and looking at the values of my reference until i'm satisfied. generally then i push myself to darken the shadows a bit more and add details as necessary. the hair is similar - lay down a foundation color, analyse shapes and values and layer.

i usually also outline stuff with a pen (forgot what brand it is but i'm sure any pen works lol) and add highlights with a white acrylic pen! (sometimes i color over the white and or dab at it while it's still drying so it's not as bright) this is. quite lengthy but it's the short and long of it. ^u^

some mechanisms marker drawings ;0;