# Best markers for flat coloring??



## Iudicium_86 (Oct 29, 2012)

What brand of markers are suited best for doing traditional flat color images? Most particularly with the detail of minimal to no 'streaking'. 
I know the paper itself has an effect, but even the marker paper I've seen some brands leave streaking and uneven pigmentation. So wondering what combination of paper+marker leaves very clean coverage and coloration.


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## Arshes Nei (Oct 29, 2012)

Use another medium? I mean it's kind of obsessive. Markers aren't made for wide coverage.


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## Taralack (Oct 30, 2012)

If you're good with them, Copics can achieve that look, the trick is to colour the area really fast so that there won't be overlap. (In my experience anyway) A bit of overlay is always inevitable though, and if done right can actually look really good.


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## Arshes Nei (Oct 30, 2012)

Toraneko said:


> If you're good with them, Copics can achieve that look, the trick is to colour the area really fast so that there won't be overlap. (In my experience anyway) A bit of overlay is always inevitable though, and if done right can actually look really good.



Markers is a more controlled method than say ...watercolor but there are some slight similarities. But basically you need to work wet on wet and not oversaturate the paper when coloring in markers...which is basically like glazing in watercolors. Just like watercolors how it reacts to paper is also going to be a factor for this method.


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## mapdark (Oct 30, 2012)

Iudicium_86 said:


> What brand of markers are suited best for doing traditional flat color images? Most particularly with the detail of minimal to no 'streaking'.
> I know the paper itself has an effect, but even the marker paper I've seen some brands leave streaking and uneven pigmentation. So wondering what combination of paper+marker leaves very clean coverage and coloration.



Markers are really not appropriate for large areas of flat colour. Watercolours offer less control but are already better. however the ONLY traditional medium that will offer absolutely flat colours with minimal pigmentation change is acrylic paint.


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## kinokoko (Oct 30, 2012)

Copics are probably the best to work with, but I don't recommend using markers if all you want to do is fill in large, flat spaces. Depending on the size of your paper, you can wipe out most of a (small) marker filling in a sky. Unless you want to invest in copics and ink refills, you'll go through a lot of ink fast. Markers do work great for small flat fills if you practice. Combining watercolor and marker actually works really well in my experience. Both of them are transparent as opposed to opaque, so it's easier to work them together without one really standing out from the other.  Gouache can also achieve a super flat effect, but it takes a lot of skill and practice to use and actual opaque gouache as opposed to "watercolor" gouache will run you a pretty penny. (There are tricks for making watercolor gouache opaque, but you'll still have to invest in a big tube of artist's quality white.) 

Have you considered working digitally instead? GIMP is free, and you could buy paint tool SAI for the same price as a small set of markers.


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## HipsterCoyote (Nov 1, 2012)

Copics blend very well and I collect them because I'm already that far down the road where I probably have spent hundreds by saying, "What's another 6 dollars?" HURR. 

Prismacolor markers are very high in chroma but they do not blend like copic markers do, which is to say, you get more streaking with prismacolor markers. 

Crayola markers are actually useful if you just need to knock something out with color and aren't using paint.

Now, as for the paper, if you get slick marker paper, yes, it does streak when you're not confident and fast.  Don't buy the cheapest one you can find because you will get streaking and beading regardless of what you're using if you hesitate with the marker.  What Toraneko said re: going fast is really true.  You can get a very smooth, even application of color if you use markers on Bristol (or heavy stock from office places that sell way cheaper and en masse, which nobody has to know isn't bristol, hurrr), but you will go through the markers quickly.  The cheaper and toothier the paper, the faster you will exhaust your markers and need to buy refills or replacements.  For instance, don't touch Copic markers with cheap paper.  This isn't an elitist "You have to have good materials to make good art!" thing because I've seen people work crayons on butcher paper at restaurants into masterpieces.  This is a, "YOU DON'T WANT TO BUY THAT MARKER AGAIN NEXT FUCKING WEEK, MAN." 

Have you used a 0 blender copic on copics before? It does help streakiness because the main way to get rid of streakiness is saturating stuff so it doesn't accept anymore color if you happen to go over it again.  

For filling out large, flat spaces, use paints like kinokoko says.  You can get a lot of acrylic paint for .33 a bottle, which is super duper cheap, but if you need high chroma paint you will want to shell out the dollars for pricier pigments.  Do not apply water based mediums on top of marker work that you aren't willing to bet your freakin' life on that the markers are, in fact, dry.  You will discolor your entire shebang.  Where gouache is difficult to work with if you don't know how to work with it, acrylic paint is very newbie friendly.  You can thin acrylic paints with water but once again, apply with a lot of care.  If you get beading and streaking with acrylic paints because you mixed water in them (unlikely, but possible), buy acrylic paint thinner like the stuff Liquitex makes OR use different paper. This happens when you're painting on certain surfaces but you probably won't run into this.  This is IF water doesn't work, but, it usually does.


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