How do I use alcohol markers without streaks and bleed-through?

Alcohol markers behave like a very fast-drying wash, not like a felt pen. The ink flows, spreads slightly and re-dissolves what is already there while it is wet. Every characteristic fault of the medium comes from that one property, and so does every good effect.

Step by step

1. Use marker paper or another coated stock.Marker paper is smooth, heavyweight and treated so the alcohol does not travel through it. Bristol board with a smooth finish also works well. Cartridge and copier paper will bleed, feather and go through onto whatever is underneath.
2. Put scrap paper under the sheet regardless.Even good marker paper lets some ink through, and a single sheet of scrap saves the drawing under it, the table and the next page of the sketchbook.
3. Work fast and keep a wet edge.Lay strokes that overlap the previous one while it is still wet. Alcohol evaporates in seconds, and the moment the edge dries, going over it deposits a second layer that reads as a hard-edged streak.
4. Move in one continuous direction across the shape.Back-and-forth strokes in a single sweep, without lifting at the ends, cover more evenly than dabbing. Lifting mid-stroke leaves a mark where the nib paused.
5. Use the broad chisel nib for filling and the fine one for edges.The chisel side covers ground quickly, which is what keeps the edge wet. Filling a large area with a fine nib guarantees streaks because it cannot outrun the drying.
6. Blend by working from light to dark, and use a colourless blender.Lay the light colour first over the whole area, then the darker one into it while wet, then soften the boundary by going back over it with the lighter marker or a colourless blender. Colourless blender is pure solvent — it pushes pigment rather than adding any.
7. Build depth with layers of the same colour.Each pass darkens. Three passes of one mid tone gives a smooth gradient more reliably than three different markers, and it avoids muddy transitions.
8. Let ink dry fully before adding line work over it.Many fineliners are not alcohol-proof and will dissolve. Use a pigment ink pen and let it cure, or ink first and let it dry completely before colouring.
9. Cap them properly and store them flat.Alcohol markers dry out through a poorly seated cap faster than through use. Stored flat, the ink stays evenly distributed in the barrel and both nibs stay charged.

Tips

• Test every marker and every pen combination on a scrap of the actual paper before committing. Marker colours dry noticeably different from how they look wet, and pen compatibility is unpredictable.
• Work light to dark always. Markers are transparent and you cannot lighten an area once it is down, except very slightly with a colourless blender.
• Refillable markers with replaceable nibs cost more up front and far less over time, and they are the reason the popular systems are popular.
• For very large flat areas, consider whether marker is the right medium at all. A wash of ink or watercolour covers ground without any streaking risk.

Common mistakes

• Going back over an area that has dried — The second layer sits on top of the first and the boundary between them is a permanent hard line. If an area has dried, either leave it or recolour the whole shape in one pass.
• Using ordinary sketchbook paper — Alcohol soaks straight through, spreads past the lines and marks the following pages. It is not a technique problem and no technique fixes it.
• Colouring right up to a line and stopping — The ink continues to spread for a second or two after the nib lifts, so it will creep over the line. Stop just short and let it flow out to meet the edge.
• Trying to lighten with white — There is no opaque white in the system. Highlights are either paper left uncoloured, or added afterwards with an opaque gel pen or gouache.

If it doesn't work

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