Tools and Technique
My normal set of tools are usually a uni-ball black pen, Prismacolor Markers and Prismacolor Pencils. On occasion, I may use the Pantone Markers as well, but 90% of the time, I use Prismacolor brand Markers.
To start a sketch, I would do it in pen. Once that's established, throw color markers in quickly working from light to dark, blend them when necessary to create some values, then finish them off with Prismacolor Pencils. I always try to throw colors in loosely so it has more of an impressionist (painting) technique instead of a tighter and more labored technique. I like sketching fast and loose and the same speed applies to my marker drawings.
Art supplies are not cheap and if you want to learn using markers, a more economical way is to buy a set of gray markers to test the waters. There’s nothing more intimidation than seeing a blank sheet of white paper and markers that you cannot erase. It takes practice to break thru that white paper fear factor, and in time, you will break thru and achieve success. The more you practice, the better you get. Mileage is the key.
How I use markers
This is my typical method of how I do a color marker sketch.
As you can see from the samples, I sketch it loosely as a contour line sketch, throw in some of the light sky reflective colors (blues and some grays), then build on top of what I built.
Note that I throw the colors down very quickly and loosely. It’s less accurate but more impressionistic and creates a fresher sketch. In the end, I will throw down the darker colors to round out the light to dark values so the forms have shape. Lastly, Prismacolors are used where necessary to darken or tighten up specific areas, as well as to indicate some reflective sky colors.
As indicated, I give total credit to my markers instructor Dave Fleming. He taught me everything I know and more. Dave is retired now but his legend remains and he spends his retirement painting and having shows of his work with the Santa Cruz Art League. You can find them at, https://scal.org/