Someone on Flickr asked me about the gel markers I use. They’re nothing fancy. I bought them in the kids’ school and art supply aisle at Target, for about US$5.00 a package. They’re fun, though, and they claim to be “archival,” but that’s such a nebulous term that I don’t even want to guess what they mean by it.
What’s neat about them is that they’re gel markers. The pigment is opaque and sits on top of the paper. They’re permanent and fast drying, but if you work quickly, they’re blendable. And like Pitt pens, the solvent in each fresh layer will melt previous layers, so if you want to blend an area that’s already dried, just apply more marker to it. The melting can make it tricky to build up layers, but once you get a feel for it, it’s not difficult.
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Left: dual tip
Center: chubbies
Right: single tip
The markers on the left and right have tips about the size of a regular Sharpie. The fine-line tip on the dual-tip markers is kind of useless, I think, because it clogs and dries out quickly. I’ve had the dual tip and chubbie sets for a few years now and they still work fine, so I’ve more than gotten my money’s worth.
red paper boat 