What are alcohol-based markers?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, what are alcohol-based markers, exactly? 
Alcohol-based markers are a type of marker with alcohol ink, instead of water-based ink inside. The main benefits to this are that the markers are quick drying and waterproof once dry, but they can also be layered with another colour, or with a marker blender too, making them quite versatile. 

How layering markers works
Layering markers can create new colours. This works because alcohol ink markers are semi-transparent, and because the colour is layered over the top, the eye will optically blend the two colours together without any mixing!

How to layer markers to create new colours
1. Begin with your first colour, it’s best to start with a light colour, like a yellow or a light blue.
2. Layer the second colour over the top. 
3. Try different colour combinations, we used primary colours to show how blue and yellow make green, red and blue make purple, and yellow and red make orange. 

Handy tip: Use marker paper so the ink doesn’t go through the page. Marker paper will also give you smooth blending and you won’t have those white streaks in your shading either.

We hope this inspires you to play around with your markers! You can get started or browse our range of alcohol-based markers.

Looking for more? Check out our answers to commonly asked marker questions, or check out more of our handy how-to videos.