How to draw vibrant character art, tips from a pro artist

Vibrant character art; the artist's studio, laptop and markers
(Image credit: Lidia Cambon)

Alcohol markers can be a challenging and intimidating medium that isn’t always intuitive to use. My goal with this guide is to inspire you and make the process easier so you feel confident picking up markers.

For this tutorial, I’m working with a reduced colour palette to show that you don’t require an extensive collection of markers to achieve great results. I’ve also listed my materials, as the tools you use – especially the paper – make a big difference when working with alcohol markers (find some in our list of the best markers).

Lidia Cambon headshot
Lidia Cambon

Lidia Cambon, also known as Msshanh, is a London-based artist and illustrator. She is originally from Spain, and loves to combine her passions, tech and art, in her work.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

TOPICS
Lidia Cambon
Artist and illustrator

Lidia Cambon, also known as Msshanh, is a London-based artist and illustrator. She is originally from Spain, and loves to combine her passions, tech and art, in her work.

With contributions from
Read more
drawing of a naked woman with someone drawing it
How to draw a female figure
Best Procreate tutorials; a person draws on an iPad
24 Procreate tutorials to improve your digital art and design
Marco Teixeira 3D tutorial
“The challenge was to create a cool character design”: concept artist Marco Teixeira reveals the techniques and inspiration behind his superb 3D character render
Inside the sketchbook of; artist sketchbooks and art on a table with a pencil
Inside the sketchbook of animator Jason Chan P.L.
How to draw a male figure
Venusaur art
How to paint Pokémon's Venusaur in Photoshop
Latest in Digital Art
Image from Disney Snow White remake
Disney should own Snow White’s character design backlash
Cartoons of the 1960s; A vibrant illustration of the Yellow Submarine, a psychedelically patterned background surrounds the iconic vessel.
Cartoons of the 1960s – the best animated movies feature the work of Chuck Jones, who ensured characters were "not realistic, but believable"
ImagineFX art challenge
ImagineFX Art Challenge is back!
Peppa Pig
3 questions Peppa Pig animators face after bombshell pregnancy announcement
Venusaur art
How to paint Pokémon's Venusaur in Photoshop
Photoshop on iPhone; A vibrant digital collage features a person seated on a vinyl record, which is suspended in mid-air amidst a colorful array of flowers and a partly visible cityscape.
Adobe Photoshop is now on iPhone – and it's free!
Latest in How to
Venusaur art
How to paint Pokémon's Venusaur in Photoshop
Babiru DaVinci Resolve colour tips; a red creature in armour, it has a large toothy grin, in the background is a cyberpunk style city
How to achieve a bold cinematic look in animation, using DaVinci Resolve and Fusion Studio
Gesture drawing: all you need to know plus ways to practise in 2 and 5 minutes
How to draw a male figure
drawing of a naked woman with someone drawing it
How to draw a female figure
GIMP in pro work
Making GIMP 3.0 work for pro results: is it possible?