Markers - how I use them

With a class coming up this weekend on sketching with markers, I thought I would show a few examples of how I use markers when I sketch on location.


Just three markers - a light, medium and dark - can be really effective. I start sketching with the lightest marker and then fill in shadows and tones with the middle and dark marker. Your markers don't need to be traditional gray for this, either!



Often, I mix markers with a variety of media. In this case I used them with ink, white gouache and gray-toned paper. (This is "Whale Tail Park", in West Seattle.)



By far my favorite way uses just one medium value color marker with a pen and ink line drawing. This is a simple way to do location sketches quickly with a very small, light kit.

Markers are such a useful addition to a sketcher's kit. If you are interested in the class I am teaching next Saturday, call the Daniel Smith Seattle store to register: 206-223-9599.

May Sketches

King Street Station with Urban Sketchers.



Went to New York City. Ate at the Pastrami Queen TWICE.



Hello, contour line drawing.

Sketches from April

Went camping.



Drank coffee.



Oh, yeah. Florida.



Drew trees.

For anyone in the area who may be interested, I will be teaching 2 drawing classes at the Daniel Smith store on June 11 and June 18. The classes are part of a series offered by Daniel Smith this summer. For information on the classes visit the Daniel Smith Events page and click the "June" tab. http://seattledanielsmithevents.blogspot.com/

Marker Sketches from Costa Rica

Aagh! When I checked my poor, neglected blog, I realized how far behind I was in posting sketches. I never even finished up the ones from Costa Rica that I did in January!! So this is IT for Costa Rica. Moving on. If you want to see the rest of them, you will need to get yourself over to Flickr where I have every last little scribble that I did there. Hint: there is a handy button on the sidebar that will take you right to my photostream.

Grayscale Marker Sketch

Starting a new sketchbook often prompts me to switch out my drawing tools. In this case, I am using broad brush tip markers in a Moleskine Sketch. The water based markers like Tombow and Faber Castell Pitt work well on this paper and do not bleed through. In fact, the surface coating of the Moleskine Sketch paper keeps these markers from absorbing instantly and gives you some time to blend, blot or smudge the color. I think I have a little preference for the pigment based ink in the Pitt Big Brush markers.

Sketching in Mexico

I got a break from Seattle's winter weather over Thanksgiving. It is funny how a certain place seems to call for different materials, colors, even a pared down style.

Stone House Cafe in Rainier Beach

This is from a USk meetup a couple of weeks ago at the stone house cafe in Rainier Beach, south of Seattle. Argh - my perspective is all wonky. But, when I went around to look at the building from the front, I realized that the porch roof is actually not level. It tilts from right to left for drainage. I probably got that right and then distorted everything under the porch trying to make it all line up. Trust your eyes!

Sketches from Yosemite National Park

I could take a little more time with my sketches, once we reached Yosemite NP. Yosemite Falls - and all of the other waterfalls in the park - were dry. I am not sure how much this was due to California's drought, as many of the falls and rivers might have been dry in September anyway. They were all still fun to sketch, and I found myself carrying my black marker and pad everywhere.