Mark Making Part 5: Prismacolor Markers and Little Loose Ends

Tonight was photo session night: taking the photo for this post’s title card, as well as a couple more. It was too overcast today to use the sun for good photo lighting. Then it became so late in the evening that I had to use the LED lights, which are suuuuch a pain to set up. They are Ricky’s photography lights, so he was helping me at least.

Tonight is also a night where I feel tired and worn out from stress, reading too much news, and feeling uncertain about the future. Still, it’s a blessing to have art to focus on. I am just ready to go make chamomile tea, and watch a movie. Tonight’s chosen film: Total Recall, which I have never seen. I am skeptical, but I love me some cheesy sci-fi so hopefully it falls in that category?

I am SO glad I scanned and cropped the drawings below a couple days ago. *High-fives past self* Yay for prep work making my life easier! The title photo would have been prepped ahead of time too, but alas when I went to edit it in Photoshop, it was out of focus, so I had to retake it. 🙁

These pieces were enjoyable – Prismacolors are fun to work with on toned paper – the first piece is on a cream colored card stock. I was playing with the idea of a gem-facet type situation, while continuing to be loose and work fast. I’m impressed at how many drawings I’m able to make when I’m in flow. I mean, yeah, okay, it’s chaotic mark-making free-form stuff, but you know what – it’s fun, it familiarizes me with the mediums, and these pieces each have taught me to be patient with myself. Eh, I don’t know who I’m trying to convince – I guess the imaginary panel of critics inside my head?

The third image was lighter grey and peach Prismacolor markers on Bristol board, which does not seem to like markers. I thought it would be the perfect paper, but I guess I should have used proper marker or design layout paper, which tends to remind me of tracing paper. The Bristol just soaked up a ton of marker ink and was not a very blend-able surface.

A few of these were also the “loose ends”: fineliner pens, brush pens, water pens, etc. that I hadn’t yet used. Next post is something different: all my ballpoint pens and office supply highlighters, hah. I debated whether they should get a turn, not being “real” archival quality art supplies (not that all my markers are archival, mind you). But I like sketching in ballpoint pen, so I thought why not?

Now, hot tea time, soft blanket burrito, weird sci-fi whatever-the-heck this movie is going to be. I literally only know it has Arnold Schwarzenegger and an alien with three boobs? Or maybe she’s not an alien, maybe it’s just the power of human engineering or something. That and Mars? And maybe based on Phillip K. Dick? I’m gonna be honest, I did not like A Scanner Darkly (the movie), but I do really, really like Blade Runner. And Minority Report is a pretty good movie. I should… probably read the books they are based on one day.

May my tension melt away…