When using watercolors, it can be challenging to create the bold, defined lines that many artists desire, which is why markers like Sharpies often come into play. However, blending different mediums isn’t always simple, and many artists wonder if watercolors can be used effectively with permanent markers like Sharpies. The concern is that the water from the paint may cause the marker lines to bleed, ruining the overall artwork.
This issue can be frustrating, especially when you’ve spent time outlining your drawing only to see your Sharpie lines smudge or lose definition. Watercolors are unpredictable by nature, and without the right technique, mixing them with solvent-based markers can make the process even more challenging. So, how can you avoid these common mistakes and ensure your art remains clean and vibrant?
In “Can You Use Watercolor Over Sharpie?”, we provide practical tips and solutions to overcome this issue. You’ll learn the importance of letting the ink dry completely, testing pens before use, and controlling the amount of water on your brush. Additionally, we discuss alternative marker options like Uni-ball Signo and Micron pens, which work well with watercolors, and explore gouache paints as a potential alternative to avoid smudging.
Table of Contents
Can You Use Watercolor Over Sharpie? How?
Sharpies are permanent markers
and they are solvent-based, so if the ink is wet and you begin to brush on watercolor, the ink will bleed. The bleeding effect might ruin your entire painting, so you have to be careful with this process.
To avoid this, you have to let the ink completely dry, and then you can gently apply your watercolor atop with a brush. If you don’t pay attention and don’t make sure that the sharpie pens are totally dry, the pigment will bleed, thus ruining the image.
Most artists prefer to layer watercolor since the color is much less pigmented than acrylic paints, oil paints, and even gouache paints. So, if you choose to layer it as well, ensure that when you add watercolor to your sharpie drawing paper, you don’t have a lot of water on your brush.
When you put your paints on your art, make sure to use a light hand so the deep lines of your drawing can pop through the color.
Before you use any pens with watercolors, you should test those pens on a rough piece of paper with some watercolor. Draw a line with each pen on the paper, and then add the paint to the paper. This way, you can easily check which ones might smudge and make a mess of your image the most.
Another way you can minimize any pigment bleeding is by using brush pens to apply your paint. By using a brush pen, you will have better control than you would have with a brush. Therefore, you can easily avoid sharpie ink spots.
What Are Some Marker Pens Which Don’t Smudge When Used with Watercolor?
If you want pens that are fade proof, resist water, and will keep your picture intact even after adding watercolor paints, then the Uni-Ball Signo pens will be a fantastic choice for you. You can create very fine lines for your painting with this, and they will look very smooth.
For all of you self-taught artists practicing with paint and paper, you might not have this specific pen, but if you work on your watercolor paintings in a class, you might find that your art teacher has it.
Use pencils for sketching; then, after you have a proper image with the pencils, you can add ink, this way, you’re less likely to make a mistake on your artwork.
Uni-ball Signo does not leave start and finish marks which can ruin the finish on your watercolor painting. On the other hand, sharpies do leave these marks. So, all in all, the Uni-ball Signo will be a great investment for you if you regularly work on such paintings where you need smooth and dark lines.
Additionally, the ink in this pen is acid free, so you can also use it for long-term storage papers.
Another great option instead of sharpies would be Micron pens. Like Uni-ball Signo, Micron is also commonly used for archival papers, so you can easily paint over it without any pigment bleed.
Are Gouache Paints a Better Alternative to Watercolor if You Use Sharpies?
If you want to work with sharpies on your painting and have the watercolor painting style, then gouache might be a great option. Gouache and watercolors are pretty similar and are even used in a very identical manner. However, gouache requires much less water, so it does a better job at keeping color smudges to a minimum.
But gouache is much opaquer than watercolor, which means that the sharpie lines won’t shine as much through your drawing. Moreover, if you want your painting to have a slightly more transparent look, you should pick watercolors instead of gouache.
Should You Outline Your Art Before or After Adding Watercolor?
You can actually do the outline before or after you do your coloring; it comes down to personal preference. However, we do have a few suggestions for you about this. Before you even touch the paper with any ink, you should always have a light pencil sketching, so you have a clear picture of what you want your artwork to look like.
Some of you may wonder whether pencils can be used with watercolor, and the answer is yes. In fact, the paint actually seals the pencil marks in a way that makes it impossible to erase the pencil sketch after you have painted over it.
Therefore, you should have a very clean pencil drawing by erasing all the rough marks before you go and start coloring.
After you have made your sketch with pencils, you can add your watercolors and then outline at the end. However, we would suggest you do the sharpie outline before painting.
That is because after you have painted on the paper, the texture may become a bit rough, meaning your outline will also be prone to be a bit rougher in appearance.
If you choose to outline before adding paints, please ensure that your marker is waterproof, or else you will certainly destroy your drawing. Sharpies are waterproof and fade-resistant, so you have nothing to worry about if you have them in hand.
Try out both, outlining your art before and after painting to see which one is more of your style, and you can even try to do a combination of both.
How Do You Remove Paint Smudges from Your Picture?
Unlike acrylic paint, you usually don’t get amazing control with watercolors since water runs very easily. Hence, it is very easy to get watercolor smudges, and if you have smudged your painting, don’t panic; it can be fixable if you start working quickly.
A smudge sponge is essential when you are working with this medium to keep things looking nice and tidy. Take your sponge and dampen it first. Please make sure that you are just dampening your sponge and not making it soaking wet, or else you will have water dripping all over your painting which is never good.
Then, take your sponge and dab it on the spot where the color has been smudged. Dab it very lightly, so the sponge doesn’t cause any damage to your picture, and the smudge is removed completely. If you don’t have access to a smudge sponge, you can also use a q-tip in the same way.
Just make sure you don’t get little bits of the q-tip on your painting. You will face this problem during your initial sharpie work, so keep your sponge ready after you’re done drawing.
Remember, you have to be very quick when you’re trying to get rid of these smudges because after the paint dries, you won’t be able to fix it in any way.
Final Words
Creating art should be an enjoyable and relaxing experience, not a stressful one. Now that you’ve read “Can You Use Watercolor Over Sharpie?”, you should feel confident in your ability to combine these two mediums without worrying about bleeding or smudging. Remember, the key is to let the Sharpie ink dry completely, use minimal water on your brush, and test your pens beforehand to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Additionally, consider experimenting with waterproof pens like Uni-ball Signo or Micron for cleaner lines, or even try gouache paints as a less water-intensive alternative to watercolors. With consistent practice and the right techniques, you’ll be able to seamlessly integrate Sharpie and watercolor into your artwork and achieve beautiful, professional results.