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!)
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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!
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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.