Sparkle with a white gel pen
The finishing touch: dots, lines and twinkles on top of ink.
Level: beginner. About 10 minutes.
What you need
- A finished marker drawing, or a dark swatch to practice on
- A white gel pen
- A scrap to test the pen
- A bit of patience while the ink dries
Steps
Let the ink dry completely
Gel pen on wet marker ink turns pale and blotchy. Wait a few minutes until the page feels completely dry.
Wake the pen on a scrap
Gel pens often need a few scribbles to start flowing. Test on a scrap so the first blob does not land on your drawing.
One shine, one dot
On round, shiny things, add one bigger highlight and one tiny dot beside it. That pair is what makes things look glossy.
Sprinkle dots on dark areas
Tap small dots in different sizes on the darkest parts: a night sky, a dark dress, deep water. Fewer dots look classier than many.
Draw a twinkle or two
Draw a small cross with a dot in the middle, and two tiny diagonal lines if you like. One or two twinkles are enough to make it sparkle.
Practice
- Color the balls dark, then add one gel pen shine to each.
- Color the night sky and add dots and twinkles.
- Color the jar and give the glass two thin white lines.