How to do a one-hour sketch in pencil and acrylic marker

Art relaxes me.  Today is January 7, 2021, and I need to relax.

For a much more in-depth look at how I use these tools, both pencil and markers, visit my YouTube channel at MarcyFineArt. There are tutorials on basic drawing and how to use the markers to go over the pencil. This post is to encourage you to try quick sketches on your own! There is no real magic, only experimentation on how these media blend. 

I'd like to show you how I use my markers and a pencil, to just have at it. I'm going to show you a quick sketch. Below are photographs of a one hour sketch using marker and a graphite pencil. I simply go back and forth layering one over the other until I feel like the sketch is complete. For a blending tool, I use a broad-tipped white acrylic marker.   I may refine  this sketch further or not. I'm using a reference photo I took of a sunset, yet I'm choosing  colors that I enjoy. The entire purpose of my quick  sketches are to enjoy myself. 

My goal with this post is to encourage you to play with these media in the same way. Acrylic markers make it possible for you to express yourself and quickly revise a piece of work until your are finished or just want to toss it in the wastebasket. I do both. You'll find as you try these quick sketches you learn to use these media in spite of yourself.

The only hint: have on hand a broad tipped white acrylic marker. This marker blends with the pencil, any of  the markers, or you can use it opaquely over any area for revision.

​So, I invite you to have at it!

My reference photo

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I'm sketching in some simple shapes in pencil,

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I'm using my 12 ct. Acrylic Artistro markers available on Amazon.

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To blend, I use a broad tipped Liquitex marker. .

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What I'd like you to see here is how gray everything looks. Blending the pencil and markers makes everything appear "dirty", but by using the markers again, you can clean up the colors. 

This is the final stage today. I may go further or maybe I'll toss it!  I'm not certain. But you can see where I used the white marker to color opaquely over areas to clean them up. I'm happy and relaxed. That's what art does for me! Enjoy!