There are familiar places in the forests and mountains of California that I love revisiting for a reset and recover.   I fell in love with the High Sierra mountains and Tioga Pass during my first visit many years ago.  It’s a place that slows me down and pushes me to work harder at the same time.  Recently, I made a marker painting from a lakeside drawing I did there.  Along with the painting, I also want to talk about swatch making, different papers for marker painting, and other accompanying tools that I use with markers on this Outside the Lines art supply review.

 

 

 

 

Late afternoon at Tenaya Lake is one of my favourite places on Tioga Pass. Here time really slows down for me.  I have a favorite secluded spot behind a gigantic glacier erratic.  I tuck in behind that boulder with my camera and my sketchbook.  While I wait for the sky color to change for photography as the sun sets,  I try to make sense of the vast landscape in front of me on an 8″x5″ sheet of paper.  

 

 

 

 

Flipping through my sketchbook for a different project, I came across this drawing.  In January, my husband got me a set of Copic markers for my birthday.  I got excited about painting this with my new markers.

Note:  You can use these tips for any alcohol markers, not just Copic.   I shy away from using generic paints.  Paint can be toxic if not properly bound, and I simply don’t trust the quality control of the pigments and carriers of generic brands.

 

 

 

 

I always swatch new colors.   Instead of guessing or trying out the shades all over again, I know exactly what colors I need to start a painting when I have my swatch cards at hand.

 

 

 

 

I used a 3/4″ circle cutter to cut out the circles and painted the colors on them.  Afterwards, I affixed them on cardstock with glue sticks.   I could have painted on the paper directly, but I wanted have a little fun with the swatches.  The process of making swatches is very therapeutic for me.

 

 

 

 

A few other tools I use along with the markers –

• 02 and 005 micron pens – For black outlines and shading.
• HB pencil – For the initial sketchbook drawing.  Creates soft lines on paper that are easy to erase.
• 2H pencil – For copying the drawing over to the paper for painting.  Creates light markings that are barely visible under the painting.  

Pro-tip – A wide brush-pen or a flat-nib fude pen filled with permanent ink is nice to have when you have a large area to fill and a micron pen is too small.

 

 

 

 

Paper plays a big part in painting –

Smooth marker paper blends colors best — the longer the alcohol stays wet, the smoother the blend. Paper tone matters too: white produces bright, luminous colors while cream produces warmer, more subdued tones.

Examples from the photos:

• Top left (white) — Most luminous and best blending.  Detail lines didn’t show well.
• Bottom left (cream) — Slightly muted colors, good blending.  Detail lines remained visible.
• Top right (high-texture watercolor, cream) — Absorbed paint quickly, leaving lines.  No blending, but great for bold color-block styles.

Pro tip – Alcohol markers bleed through most paper, so place an extra sheet underneath to protect your surface.

 

 

 

 

Now that I have my swatches and a feel for the markers on paper, I am ready to paint.

Pro-tip – Before you start, take a little time to think about the mood and style of your painting, then choose the paper accordingly.  Use the swatch card to pull out some of the main colors.  Keep a scrap paper handy to test color combinations.  These habits will make a big difference.  

I wanted to have a warm and cozy feeling for this  Girl and Her Cat painting, so I used the warmer-toned paper.  Just as expected, details, textures, and shadows remained visible on this paper.

 

 

 

 

For this landscape painting, I wanted the colors to be very vibrant to depict the late afternoon sunlight on the rocks.  I used the white paper for this one.  

I started the painting by drawing the lines and shading marks with micron pens, similar to the drawing in my sketchbook.   Pro-tip – To prevent smudging, give the micron pen lines a few minutes to dry before painting on them.

 

 

 

 

I started with the lightest yellow and earth tone, then layered the other colors slowly on top.  On this paper, layers of colors blended into each other, giving me a watercolor effect.

Painting this was a beautiful way to rekindle the memory of our last visit there.

 

 

 

 

I just started a new drawing for my next marker painting.   These two are playing outside again, and this time they have friends.  Any guesses?

 

 

 

 

Last weekend, I drew this little flower in one of my handmade books.  The colors blended seamlessly, and I was also able to add additional detail strokes.  The paper kept the colors vibrant and bright.  I am really happy with this new smooth, thick paper I am using for my 100% handmade journals.  You can purchase them here in my shop.  They are wonderful for both writing and drawing.

 

This gives you a little insight into my painting process.  I hope you can incorporate a few of these techniques in your own painting habits.  Most importantly though, just play with paint and paper.

Until next time,
-Soma

 

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I am linking up with the linky parties on my Links page.  Please pay a visit to some of them.  Hosts of linky parties – please grab a photo of you choice for your party.  Thank you for hosting!

 

 

 

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