i've had a lot of people ask me what kinds of markers i use... and when i answer "prismacolor" i get a rousing round of "eww! but they dry out so quickly!"
so i decided to share a tip with ya'all that i figured out for myself a while back. learn it. share it. love it.
okay, here goes. did you know that prismacolor markers are alcohol based? when your marker dries out, it may not be that the color itself has dried out, but that the alcohol has evaporated over time. i know copic markers are alcohol based as well, but i haven't tried this with them... as i don't own any. i'm sure it may work for those too... save yourself some refills.
you can cure your poor little marker of this problem with thus:
-a container of denatured alcohol. you can buy this in any paint aisle where you find the paint thinners.
-an insulin syringe (if you've got a diabetic in the house like me, this is an easy find, otherwise, just go to the pharmacy and you can buy a few... cheap!)
***
first, make sure you're in a well ventilated area. really people, do i need to say this?
second, fill the cap with a little alcohol.
third, take the syringe and fill it with about 15-20 CCs from the contents of the cap.
fourth, insert the syringe into the chisel end of the prisma color marker and plunge the liquid into the marker. repeat this on the detail end of the marker as well. the small end won't take as much fluid as the large end, so be careful!
also, on darker colored markers, you may notice that at the injection site, the marker nib will go WHITE. this is normal. it will refill with color in a second.
fifth, replace the cap on both ends of the marker and shake it like you've never shaken anything before in your life. you are the san andreas fault and that marker is california. knock san francisco right into the ocean. shake!
sixth, let the marker sit for a few minutes. sometimes i've let them sit for 10 minutes, sometimes i go catch something on tv and come back to it whenever i feel like it. whichever works for you.
seventh, test the marker on a scrap sheet of paper. if this didn't work. that marker is dead. deceased. pining for the fjords. throw it a funeral and move on. but i've "refueled" a marker several times before this stops working, so hopefully you're good to go.
eighth, draw!
***
and that, boys and girls, it how you rejuvenate a prismacolor marker. i hope the helps and saves you some $$$!
also, this may or may not be the most dangerous art advice i've ever passed on. so...err... um... don't inhale the stuff or store the alcohol container in your house and we'll all be fine. i take NO responsibility if a marker blows up in your face or catches fire.
That is effin brilliant. Except for the shaking San Francisco into the ocean bit. We've been buying a lot of markers lately for cake drawings, so I'm sure we can use this tip.
Posted by: Michael Hawk | September 24, 2009 at 09:09 PM
Thanks for sharing this tip!
Posted by: Cari | September 25, 2009 at 07:23 AM
You can also soak the marker wide tip down in the stuff for a few minutes. The marker acts as a wick, and draws the fluid up into it. I buy Tria ink (expensive!) or Adirondak Alcohol ink (cheaper) and refill markers with this method. Gotta try the syringe. How difficult is it to get them?
Posted by: Mary Kay | September 25, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Thanks! I'm so used to my Prismacolors that switching to copic would be a major pain. Not just financially but getting used to a new color palette. Any tip that makes my good 'ol Prisma's more productive is gold.
Posted by: Justin | September 26, 2009 at 10:09 AM
....Ingenious o_o I never even thought about refilling them, and I just tossed about 4 because I thought they were dead T_T thanks for the tip! :)
Posted by: Kirsten | September 26, 2009 at 02:17 PM
Question, when you shove the needle in, are you supposed to put it between the head of your marker tip and the plastic, or just strait into the marker tip itself? Thanks.
Posted by: Shirley | September 27, 2009 at 09:34 PM
right into the marker tip!
Posted by: katie | September 27, 2009 at 09:43 PM
My dad draws for a living and loves the Prismacolor markers. I remember him doing something similar when I was a kid. Good tip!
Posted by: Rachel | October 04, 2009 at 11:39 AM
I noticed that you can pull the tip off on the fine tip and you have access to both sides of the marker.
This way you do not need to use a needle - maybe a eye or ear dropper will work fine.
Thanks for the tip on the markers just found my old ones (22 of them ) going to try this soon.
Posted by: Howard | October 11, 2009 at 07:34 PM
Do you know how hard it is to get a needle in California? I need to find a junkie friend.
Posted by: Bryan | October 14, 2009 at 05:34 PM