DREGstudios! The Artwork of Brandt Hardin: TOOLS of the TRADE: TOP 10 PRISMACOLOR Markers

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

TOOLS of the TRADE: TOP 10 PRISMACOLOR Markers

As an artist, I'm always eager to answer questions about my work. I often get asked, "What is your favorite color?" My typical response is, "I'm an artist- I don't discriminate." While this is almost completely true, I have many relationships with color and in matters of art- this is an honest answer. In matters of saaaaay- lingerie, pink wins (a good example of a little color going a long way.) If you've seen my work, you already know I have a bright palette. In matters of business, colors cost money and some I have to replace much more often than others. So there's also an economic answer to the question of my favorite colors which also gives an insight into which colors help to create my style. I made a list of the markers which I have to keep shelling out the cash for and here are my Top 10 Prismacolor Markers (and a couple of honorable mentions.)

HONORABLE MENTION - Sharpie Fine Tip Pink

The Sharpie Fine Tip Pink pops like a garter belt. I've been a fan of these sweet little numbers for a very long time. The deal here is- no pink really compares. I'll take the Pepsi Challenge with any other Pink on the market. Even the larger Sharpie Pink (you see them everywhere now with the pink ribbons on them) runs darker because of the ink flow. Of course for large areas, the fine tip won't do the job, but if you see any tiny pink design work in my illustrations, you'll know where it came from now.

HONORABLE MENTION - Copic Skin White

Copic makes a nice product but they only get a fraction of my marker budget. The Manga world is in love with these things- they have a large array of colors with a very soft palette. The drawbacks are they last about half the time of Prismacolors and cost twice as much. Their flesh-tones have no match though and I burn through a few Skin Whites a year. Other Copics which I adore are E000 Pale Fruit Pink, YR00 Powder Pink and YR61 Yellowish Skin Pink. This brand is definitely not recommended for beginners. They just don't give you the bang for your buck unless you use them conservatively.

HONORABLE MENTION - Prismacolor Cool Grey Set

With the unbelievable assortment of color available for purchase in marker form, a necessity is the the grey spectrum to give the illustration value. To me, this is the most boring part of my process which is why I have a very bright and poppy style. I do however, utilize my grey sets to give shadows, drop shadows and back up my highlighting (which in contrast is my favorite part of the process.) Prismacolor also offers Warm Grey and French Grey sets, which I use also, just less often. Each has 10% - 90% Grey Markers and a Clear Blender thrown in to make a set of 10. The Blender is fun but I just don't use it that often. You can correct small mistakes with them if you work fast and I like them for special effects.

With not further explanation or ado, here are The TOP 10 PRISMACOLORS!

10 - BALLET PINK (PM208)