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I LOVE outlining my drawings in fineliners, but I HATE it when my outline starts to bleed into the shading I add with alcohol markers or watercolor.
Wanna learn WHY this happens and how YOU CAN PREVENT it from happening ever again? Join me in the studio for today's video! 
Got a new set of fineliners or markers you need to swatch? I used to think swatching was boring and a big waste of time, but TRUST ME, your future drawings will thank you because marker caps and color names can be deceiving!!
To make swatching MORE FUN I've created a FREE Fun Fab Swatch Sheet for you to print out at home! Simply click the button below and I'll send it straight to your inbox. 
Super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Back to today's demo...
I don't know about you, but I've got about a zillion different black fineliners, fineliner pens, fineliner markers and fineliner sets I could choose from when it comes to outlining the faces and figures I love drawing! How do you know which one to grab, when?! 
I decided to show you 25 of them on both watercolor and bristol paper. After I give the ink a second to dry on both papers, I'll add some watercolor marker to the watercolor paper, and alcohol marker to the bristol paper to see which fineliners smear.
The results are more than a little surprising!! 
Click over to the video to see which black fineliners you might want to add to your collection and WHY so you can prevent smearing once and for all.
LOVE alcohol marker art or WANNA LEARN how to draw and shade gorgeous faces in all ethnicities using alcohol markers? Check out my recent book, Skin Tone Marker Secrets on Amazon.
In this book I share ALL my best tips for shading faces in alcohol markers and tell you EXACTLY which skin tone marker combos go well together to create flawless skin tones EVERY TIME!
It's SO fun and easy - once someone shows ya how!!
My absolute FAVORITE black fineliner set to use while working with alcohol markers is by Molotow: 
NEED MORE alcohol marker drawing videos to get your creative juices flowing? Check out this playlist and draw along with me!
Thanks for hanging out with me today!!
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Why Cheap Alcohol Markers are AWESOME **PLUS** 11 HOT Marker TIPS! (FaceChart Inspired Art No. 4)30/11/2022
When it comes to alcohol markers, I keep noticing there is such a HUGE range in price points. WHY is THAT?! For example, I bought a 5-pack Copic Sketch Marker set in grayscale that comes with a fine liner, for $38 (~$6.33/marker) on Amazon. Recently I also grabbed a 6-pack grayscale set of alcohol markers FOR $5 at my local Five & Below shop. You can't really beat the price at less than $1/marker.
But...will they perform? Let's find out!! 
I seriously HOPE you are drawing along with me today! Face charts make amazing face drawing references!!
But before you even attempt drawing the fun makeup in today's reference, you NEED to make sure your facial features are proportional! How do you do that?! With my FREE whimsical face drawing guidelines! Click the button below and I'll send them straight to your inbox! 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Whenever I get new markers, I've gotta swatch 'em to see what I've got! I compared the Five & Below cheapies with my neutral grayscale set of copic sketch markers (see how they compare below). The top line is the cheapies (that set came with one additional marker, so score!), and the bottom line is my copics.
I love the gradation and the value scale range included in both sets, but I gotta say - whenever you can get MORE colors - I tend to gravitate toward that option, so way to go Five & Below!
However, I also REALLY love how Copic included one of their black fineliners in this set. The fineliner they included retails for about $12 on its own - so adding this to their grayscale pack is really pretty generous. 
Whoever manufactured the cheapies from Five & Below DID cut some corners by producing their alcohol markers without labels. Kinda hilarious. At least the opposite sides of these caps have labels so I don't have to swatch again every time I grab a marker!!
In terms of quality- the nibs in this set are great, and the ink is nice and juicy, so these were definitely worth picking up. I have no idea how readily available this specific pack of alcohol markers are, but I guess my general advice is not to shy away from grabbing a set of cheapie alcohol markers when you find them at your local dollar or craft store.
Pretty much every set I've picked up, I've been happily surprised by in terms of quality. Now let's see how they PERFORM in an actual project! 
Make sure you click over to see today's face chart inspired drawing tutorial so you can DRAW ALONG with me!! Don't just sit back and watch - go grab your markers and come draw with me!
Need today's face drawing reference? Grab today's along with the last 3 in this series right here in my YouTube & Cheatsheet Library.
Definitely check out today's YouTube drawing tutorial because I give you TONS of hot tips for shading faces with alcohol markers that will help you tremendously - whether you're new to alcohol markers as a medium or not!
Shockingly, as soon as I started today's face shading with my cheapie alcohol markers, I was surprised to discover they felt identical to my copics. I KNOW!! This is a big deal, because if you've been following me for a while you KNOW how much I love my copics and ohuhus!!
Today's project has once again solidified my opinion that copic marker alternatives are WORTH trying! And really, price point doesn't seem to matter as much as you might think as far as this medium is concerned.
I've shared TONS of copic marker alternative product reviews for you here on YouTube, but hope YOU have confidence to try out whatever you find, especially if you're on a budget. You DON'T have to stop drawing, even when money is tight. 
If you've never tried shading a face in alcohol markers, maybe you're addicted to shading faces in pencil - TRY today's free face drawing lesson. It's filled with tips to help you along.
If you're nervous to try shading faces with alcohol markers, especially when it comes to layering in darker shades, you REALLY CAN go at it slowly by adding multiple layers of the SAME shade over and over again. Your piece WILL get darker wherever you've added additional layers, and there's very little risk if you're afraid of screwing up :) Plus- if you're hanging out with me on YouTube (or in one of my online art classes or clubs at Awesome Art School) you're NEVER alone, I'm right there by your side doing the project with you from start to finish!
Thanks for hanging out with me today! If you drew along with me, make sure to share your work so we can give you some love over in my Facebook Group!!
LOVING the whole face chart inspired drawing tutorial thing? Here's a playlist with MORE of them for ya!! NEED MORE resources to get your creative juices flowing? ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my online art classes @ Awesome Art School ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON (affiliate links) ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
Recently, one of my super-talented students suggested a mixed media art idea I can't wait to try!!
I LOVE creating alcohol marker drawings of faces. Over the years I've discovered quick layers in alternating directions will help me avoid streaks, and colored pencil over alcohol markers can soften transitions between marker shades. My ROCKSTAR student shared an alternative alcohol marker blending technique: pan pastels over alcohol markers. I'm SO intrigued!! Join me in the studio as teacher becomes student, and I discover if THIS is the job my pan pastel set has been waiting for! 
New to mixed media art, feeling intimidated to try it, or overwhelmed by the supplies? I've got 30 FUN Mixed Media Art Ideas with SIMPLE, tried, and true art supply combos like Pan Pastels over Alcohol Markers! Click the button below to download my FREE "Hot Dog Packet! "
Each mixed media example in The Hot Dog Packet reads like a recipe with ONLY 4 art supplies, so it's perfect for mixed media beginners and anyone on the lookout for NEW mixed media art ideas that won't make a hot mess!!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Today's AWESOME mixed media art technique comes straight from one of my AMAZING students over at Awesome Art School, Darlene Hanna.
Darlene has been a part of my world FOREVER, and I'm SO grateful for her ever-supportive presence in my Facebook Group. I LOVE it when she posts what she's working on because everything she does is sheer magic. Just take a look... 
Out of this world, right?! There's nothing she can't do!!
Darlene recently shared an alcohol marker blending technique with me that I've never tried before using pan pastels. I really don't know much about pan pastels and have only used them a couple of times. I never dreamed of trying them on top of my alcohol marker drawings. 
Typically I only use colored pencils over alcohol markers, as you can see above (along with my white poscas and pentel pocket brush pen). I'm excited to try Darlene's technique AND to finally have a purpose for my ginormous pan pastels set!!
Last week's face chart-inspired alcohol marker drawing is perfect for today's experiment. My only concern is the paper used for this drawing - it's a super smooth Bristol. I *think* panpastels need a little texture in the paper in order to stick? Fingers crossed this paper isn't too slick!!
If you look closely at my drawing above, you'll see there are definitely some transition areas that could benefit from a little more blending.
I looked back at my face chart reference photo from last week also to see what else I might want to adjust. I love super dramatic shading and makeup in the faces I draw, so I started out by dabbing a little orange pan pastel around the corners of each eye to kick the makeup in my drawing up a notch. 
My first thought as my pan pastel applicator hits the paper is, "WHY HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING THIS MY WHOLE LIFE?!"
I'm thrilled with the results!! The orange panpastel deepens my shading AND softens the transitions around each eye as soon as I start to apply it. Excited by how this is going, I reach for another shade and move on to the lips! Just look at these results... 
The pan pastels are totally like a "corrector method" for alcohol markers!! The next question is if I can use my white posca pens for highlights and my secret weapon for creating gorgeous eyelashes OVER the pan pastel layering?
Watch the video to meet me in the studio and find out!!
Make sure you grab my FREE Hot Dog Packet for more FUN & EASY mixed media project ideas like the one we tried today. If YOU discover another art supply combo YOU love, there are even blank sheets in the packet where you can jot them down!
Thanks for hanging out with me today! And another HUGE shout out to my ROCKSTAR student, Darlene Hanna, for sharing her life-changing alcohol marker blending technique ??
WANNA DRAW the face-chart inspired alcohol marker drawing featured in today's video? Here's the FREE drawing tutorial:
NEED the FACE DRAWING REFERENCE from last week's drawing tutorial? Grab it here! NEED MORE resources to get your creative juices flowing? ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books on AMAZON ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my online art classes @ Awesome Art School ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON (affiliate links) ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP |
Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 18 Instructional Art Books!    
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"Karen is flipping hilarious and she's very real...I like the way she teaches in a way that really gives you confidence, whether you're a beginner or advanced there's always something new to learn!"
- Elizabeth W. |
What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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