If you scroll through the Puddles of Ink Instagram page, you'll see that I’ve done the odd 3 marker challenge here and there, but it’s definitely been a while. In fact, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything (mostly because all the work I have created just needs finishing before it’s ready, but that’s a story for another day!) So I decided to scroll through my Character Inspiration Pinterest board, and come up with a concept I could sketch and ink quickly for the challenge. I ended up finding it so hard to decide, and so in the end I came up with four.
Note: All markers used are from the Pro-Marker range from Winsor and Newton. All white details were done with a Uni-Ball Signo, and the inking was done with 01 and 03 Micron pens.
I deliberately gave myself a time limit of 20 minutes on each one, because I didn’t want to be too precious about the pieces. I haven't focused very much on anatomical accuracy or minute details, mostly because I’ve been focusing a lot on practicing those in my sketchbook and I just wanted to get some pieces down onto the page. I chose to do two men and two women, and I tried to make each of their poses/environments different.
#1
Markers: Satin, Cool Grey and Rose Pink.
The first male I drew ended up being my favourite piece out of the lot! I think the colours go so well together - I would never have chosen them otherwise and I think I’ll play with this combination a lot more in the future because it really pops! I also quite like that the simplicity of his face meant that I could play a little with the background. I ended up adding in some glasses and a pattern on his shirt, and I went in with a white pen for tiny details.
#2
Markers: Soft Peach, Black and Spice.
I can’t decide if I like this one or not. On the one hand, I really like the colour combination, and I think that were I to do this again without any limitations, I probably would use the same realm of colours. But I think it needs more work - without the white detailing it’s a bit lost. I would probably add in more linework too - I spent a lot of the 20 minutes having an internal battle about what I should do!
#3:
Markers: Amethyst, Ivory and Tan.
This one turned out better than I expected, although the pose and composition is one I’m planning to keep working on in my sketchbook until I’m satisfied with the proportions. I still think the book isn’t quite right and, if anything, he’s tilting too far forwards as opposed to backwards. But I really like the colours in this one - purple is my favourite and so making it centric to the piece was a no-brainer!
#4:
Markers: Coral, Henna and Ruby.
I think, overall, this one has to be second best. I kept it simple again, and I think it looks more finished that numbers 2 and 3. I was quite tired by this point but I was also in the habit of drawing so my wrist was loose and my lines seem freer in parts, although her extremely pointy elbows might suggest otherwise!
This was a lot of fun to do and I’ve now got so many ideas of what to draw next, as well as which colours might pair well together. Which was your favourite? Have you tried doing a 3 marker/colour challenge? How did you find it?