This is actually really fascinating! So this is according to a professional marker artist on youtube, Amy Shulke, who also uses a ton of colored pencils. As far as I know, you're so right, marker paper isn't really for blending, but more layering and blocky sketchy work. That's probably why papers which are meant for more absorbancy (mixed media and watercolor) feel much better for blending. There's very specific marker paper out there where the color lays on top to use the ink, but absorbs in a way that's conducive to blending so it looks very nice! (like x-press it blending card). Shulke even uses watercolor paper for markers, since she prefers and recommends for beginners to use paper that's usually very thick and 100% cotton, probably also why you and others find the strathmore mixed media journal works well with markers since it's 100% cotton! Same with the strathmore bristol boards cuz they're layered sheets with an unfinished surface (it's just smooth based on how it's pressed), and made with cotton fibers. Anyway just a lot of stuff I've researched lately lol I'm really into markers as well but of course I'm not a working artist like you or Shulke, I just find paper really fascinating and how it works with different mediums! It makes a lot of sense why you'd prefer the paper you do with markers, I'm kinda the same way, I like the Rendr sketchbook and often just plain sketch paper or a thick card stock like the Ohuhu sketchbook I'm always of a mindset that there's not a "right" way to use art supplies haha of course some stuff is advised to be more helpful or for traditions sake or for beginners, but everyone has that freedom to do what they want! It's art!
Girl literally same! I use watercolor/bristol/ mix media paper with markers. I do not care what others say. Marker paper just doesn’t look as good or feel as good.
Almost every marker artist I known (including myself) despise marker paper i think because it meant more for the design and architecture drawing where alcohol marker were original invented for were thing like the thinness and lack of blending are help full. if you're looking to try another paper i would say look at Bristol board (Sometime called Bristol paper or just Bristol) i has basically all the pro of marker paper without con marker and watercolor paper, it also blends better than other paper i have used.
there are no rules. use your supplies however you want for real. when i rarely use them, i use alcohol markers on drawing or inking papers. i also hate using marker paper haha but i mainly use watercolor so i get annoyed when it doesnt blend well 😅
I use marker paper sometimes. Specifically the windsor and newton one. I have both their markers and ohuhu markers and the w&n markers work a bit better on the paper than ohuhus. It still does not work very well for realistic or semi realistic styles and definitely will not work for most people. Doesn't blend that well and it's really hard to get an even coat. I use it more for abstract pieces and doodles.
I first tried markers on regular paper (cheap sketchbook) and I hated them so much. As soon as I bought an ohuhu marker sketchbook, I fell in love with them. I was hesitant at the beginning because the paper feel basically like plastic, but I don't even notice it anymore and I am quite happy with it. Pencils work pretty well on it too, so no complains. It doesn't take gouache I can tell you that haha
You should try the Ohuhu marker paper and the Bienfang marker. They are way thicker, and I would like you to give your opinion on them. They are thicker and act way differently. I also have a hard time finding a good paper since I've used what I saw other artists use and don't know much about good paper. I would also love it if you do a step-by-step on your color pencil and marker process individually.
I wanted to use alcohol markers on my fancy watercolour paper but stopped myself because apparently it's not right, but you know what, I'm absolutely going to try it now 🥰
I love marker paper, I’ve loved it since I started drawing honestly, idk I just like the smooth look. Before I never layered a lot so it was perfect for me, now not so much since my style is more detailed now
I got a little A5 marker paper pad/sketchbook thingy for fairly cheap - no big name brand or anything - and tried drawing with my new alcohol markers on it... I don't know if it's because I still have no idea how to use the markers other than normal marker/ felt tip pen or because the paper was weird but I hated attempting to draw on it. I hate the glossy smoothness of it and the way the markers squeak when trying to draw anything. I got a few pieces in it but honestly - if I do anything in it in future it won't be with them. Maybe with crayons or gouache or something.
I dislike marker paper SO MUCH! I also just dislike markers in general. Haha I always have to re-swatch them because their colour fades in between uses. That’s how rare I use them. 😅
the only marker paper that i’ve enjoyed has been creasent render paper bet even then that worked best for very simple cartoon illustrations with maybe 3 layers and i can’t speak to its quality since it’s been a while
I love marker paper for color studies and thumbnails, as they are super thin, i don't need any lightbox to do multiple copies of the layout and then try a ton of color shemes. Probably could do that digitally but i really don't like doing digital art xD But i go with mix media paper for the finished pieces
My last sketchbook was the ohuhu marker paper and as a mixed media person…using other mediums on it was rly hit and miss. I’m using proper mixed media paper now and it’s much more textured and better for almost all other mediums, markers included
I really like thinner, cheap bleedproof barrier paper as the marker sits on top and kind of gets reactivated so you can blend it more. For some people that’s a negative but I love that and hate other marker paper. Of known brands, I quite like the Copic paper and Canson’s the Wall, but generally I really like the cheap thin barrier stuff due to the easy reactivation.
I think it looks good. It takes a different technique. Also, your colorless blender will 'lift' the color. Honestly, if you like WC paper, and it works for you. Do it. Nobody needs to watch your pocket.
I have only ever used astrobright ( formerly Neenah bright white, ) cardstock for my markers and it works great. No bleed through, light feathering unless I put a load of ink down, but I can work around that, and smooth blends, and I can get 80 pages 8.5 × 11 in and 65lb for like 4-5$ from the printer/paper section at walmart. It's comparable to other marker papers, branded specifically for markers, that I've tried, and better then others, like bleed proof paper? Is a nightmare to blend on. Sure the ink sits on top of the paper and stays wet for longer, but it doesn't move or blend, just hard lines everywhere/time you touch your marker to the page, it doesn't blend out.
Someone else agrees with me about hating marker paper! I really regret I spent so much money on a Rendr sketchbook (which was horrendous) but Strathmore's and Canson's are also very bad. I'd rather have paper you can blend on a instead of streak and look like you used crayolas on plastic wrap even if it's 'wrong'
This made me wonder if you would like the ohuhu or rendr bleed proof marker paper, i also hate regular marker paper it feels weird and way too thin but I ended up really liking the rendr bleed proof marker paper (haven’t tried the ohuhu yet but from what ive seen from others they r pretty comparable) Maybe thats something worth looking into! Beautiful artwork as always :3
Have you ever tried xpress-it blending card? It's my favorite marker paper. It's nice and thick, the colors show true, easy to blend out, and a lot of marker artists seem to use it.
Absolutely the same here too! Hated the feel of the thin easily ripped marker paper. I prefer a nice thick bristol. Back a few years, people were using the Copic blending paper. I can't recall exactly what it was called. But anyhoo, just carry on using watercolour paper if that works for you. There's no right way to do it afterall 😀
This is actually really fascinating! So this is according to a professional marker artist on youtube, Amy Shulke, who also uses a ton of colored pencils. As far as I know, you're so right, marker paper isn't really for blending, but more layering and blocky sketchy work. That's probably why papers which are meant for more absorbancy (mixed media and watercolor) feel much better for blending. There's very specific marker paper out there where the color lays on top to use the ink, but absorbs in a way that's conducive to blending so it looks very nice! (like x-press it blending card). Shulke even uses watercolor paper for markers, since she prefers and recommends for beginners to use paper that's usually very thick and 100% cotton, probably also why you and others find the strathmore mixed media journal works well with markers since it's 100% cotton! Same with the strathmore bristol boards cuz they're layered sheets with an unfinished surface (it's just smooth based on how it's pressed), and made with cotton fibers.
Anyway just a lot of stuff I've researched lately lol I'm really into markers as well but of course I'm not a working artist like you or Shulke, I just find paper really fascinating and how it works with different mediums! It makes a lot of sense why you'd prefer the paper you do with markers, I'm kinda the same way, I like the Rendr sketchbook and often just plain sketch paper or a thick card stock like the Ohuhu sketchbook
I'm always of a mindset that there's not a "right" way to use art supplies haha of course some stuff is advised to be more helpful or for traditions sake or for beginners, but everyone has that freedom to do what they want! It's art!
Girl literally same! I use watercolor/bristol/ mix media paper with markers. I do not care what others say. Marker paper just doesn’t look as good or feel as good.
There are two marker papers you should try ohuhu new marker paper and Bienfang marker paper
Almost every marker artist I known (including myself) despise marker paper i think because it meant more for the design and architecture drawing where alcohol marker were original invented for were thing like the thinness and lack of blending are help full. if you're looking to try another paper i would say look at Bristol board (Sometime called Bristol paper or just Bristol) i has basically all the pro of marker paper without con marker and watercolor paper, it also blends better than other paper i have used.
I hate marker paper too! I kept thinking I was doing something wrong. I prefer mixed media paper.
there are no rules. use your supplies however you want for real. when i rarely use them, i use alcohol markers on drawing or inking papers. i also hate using marker paper haha but i mainly use watercolor so i get annoyed when it doesnt blend well 😅
I use marker paper sometimes. Specifically the windsor and newton one. I have both their markers and ohuhu markers and the w&n markers work a bit better on the paper than ohuhus. It still does not work very well for realistic or semi realistic styles and definitely will not work for most people. Doesn't blend that well and it's really hard to get an even coat. I use it more for abstract pieces and doodles.
I first tried markers on regular paper (cheap sketchbook) and I hated them so much. As soon as I bought an ohuhu marker sketchbook, I fell in love with them. I was hesitant at the beginning because the paper feel basically like plastic, but I don't even notice it anymore and I am quite happy with it. Pencils work pretty well on it too, so no complains. It doesn't take gouache I can tell you that haha
You should try the Ohuhu marker paper and the Bienfang marker. They are way thicker, and I would like you to give your opinion on them. They are thicker and act way differently. I also have a hard time finding a good paper since I've used what I saw other artists use and don't know much about good paper. I would also love it if you do a step-by-step on your color pencil and marker process individually.
I wanted to use alcohol markers on my fancy watercolour paper but stopped myself because apparently it's not right, but you know what, I'm absolutely going to try it now 🥰
I love marker paper, I’ve loved it since I started drawing honestly, idk I just like the smooth look. Before I never layered a lot so it was perfect for me, now not so much since my style is more detailed now
my thing is if i don't like a specific sketchbook for a certain Media i will use it for a different use instead of getting rid of it
I got a little A5 marker paper pad/sketchbook thingy for fairly cheap - no big name brand or anything - and tried drawing with my new alcohol markers on it... I don't know if it's because I still have no idea how to use the markers other than normal marker/ felt tip pen or because the paper was weird but I hated attempting to draw on it. I hate the glossy smoothness of it and the way the markers squeak when trying to draw anything. I got a few pieces in it but honestly - if I do anything in it in future it won't be with them. Maybe with crayons or gouache or something.
What a beautiful piece! 😍🥰
This whole video is validating me so much lol I just use it on thin mixed media paper like Canson XL sketchbooks
I dislike marker paper SO MUCH! I also just dislike markers in general. Haha I always have to re-swatch them because their colour fades in between uses. That’s how rare I use them. 😅
the only marker paper that i’ve enjoyed has been creasent render paper bet even then that worked best for very simple cartoon illustrations with maybe 3 layers and i can’t speak to its quality since it’s been a while
I'll be honest, the waxiness and thin paper is what I hate most about marker paper, so I stick with Bristol Smooth, hahaa
I love marker paper for color studies and thumbnails, as they are super thin, i don't need any lightbox to do multiple copies of the layout and then try a ton of color shemes. Probably could do that digitally but i really don't like doing digital art xD
But i go with mix media paper for the finished pieces
My last sketchbook was the ohuhu marker paper and as a mixed media person…using other mediums on it was rly hit and miss. I’m using proper mixed media paper now and it’s much more textured and better for almost all other mediums, markers included
I've tried marker paper but I prefer using hot press watercolor paper.
I really like thinner, cheap bleedproof barrier paper as the marker sits on top and kind of gets reactivated so you can blend it more. For some people that’s a negative but I love that and hate other marker paper. Of known brands, I quite like the Copic paper and Canson’s the Wall, but generally I really like the cheap thin barrier stuff due to the easy reactivation.
I think it looks good. It takes a different technique. Also, your colorless blender will 'lift' the color. Honestly, if you like WC paper, and it works for you. Do it. Nobody needs to watch your pocket.
@@SugaKookieMon I was reading your comment and totally misunderstood WC paper… 😂🙈
I have only ever used astrobright ( formerly Neenah bright white, ) cardstock for my markers and it works great. No bleed through, light feathering unless I put a load of ink down, but I can work around that, and smooth blends, and I can get 80 pages 8.5 × 11 in and 65lb for like 4-5$ from the printer/paper section at walmart. It's comparable to other marker papers, branded specifically for markers, that I've tried, and better then others, like bleed proof paper? Is a nightmare to blend on. Sure the ink sits on top of the paper and stays wet for longer, but it doesn't move or blend, just hard lines everywhere/time you touch your marker to the page, it doesn't blend out.
Someone else agrees with me about hating marker paper! I really regret I spent so much money on a Rendr sketchbook (which was horrendous) but Strathmore's and Canson's are also very bad. I'd rather have paper you can blend on a instead of streak and look like you used crayolas on plastic wrap even if it's 'wrong'
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marker paper feels like drawing on a cellophane, i hate it!
What markers do you use?
This made me wonder if you would like the ohuhu or rendr bleed proof marker paper, i also hate regular marker paper it feels weird and way too thin but I ended up really liking the rendr bleed proof marker paper (haven’t tried the ohuhu yet but from what ive seen from others they r pretty comparable) Maybe thats something worth looking into! Beautiful artwork as always :3
I love Copic marker paper when I use Copics. Have you tried that paper? You might just like it.
Have you ever tried xpress-it blending card? It's my favorite marker paper. It's nice and thick, the colors show true, easy to blend out, and a lot of marker artists seem to use it.
Absolutely the same here too! Hated the feel of the thin easily ripped marker paper. I prefer a nice thick bristol. Back a few years, people were using the Copic blending paper. I can't recall exactly what it was called. But anyhoo, just carry on using watercolour paper if that works for you. There's no right way to do it afterall 😀