Because Creativity - colouring outside the lines, with Meaghan McIsaac

Explore Meaghan’s vibrant approach to illustration, where the simplicity and fun of alcohol markers bring creativity to life in new, engaging ways.

Dear Creatives, welcome to the fifth Because Creativity guest post, with

Meaghan McIsaac

.

Meaghan is an author of speculative fiction for young readers, a self confessed notebook enthusiast, chronic doodler and an aspiring graphic novelist.

Meaghan writes

Authorstrator

sharing her creative journey, learnings about craft and publishing and geeking out about stationery and art supplies.

I love Meaghan’s work.

Her writing and her illustrations are fun and lighthearted, her character drawings are full of, well, character, and I love that Meaghan wanted to write about alcohol markers!

Her passion for this accessible and playful medium is contagious, and I’m sure it will resonate with you too. In today’s guest post, Meaghan takes us behind the scenes of her creative process, sharing how she balances the convenience of digital drawing with the tactile joy of more traditional materials, particularly her much loved alcohol markers. So, without further delay, let’s explore Meaghan’s vibrant world of colour and creativity.

For the most part, I draw digitally. Drawing my graphic novel and practicing line work and sketching in front of the tv - its just so easy to pull out the iPad and keep everything organized and transferrable. But, when time permits, I love busting out my sketchbook and experimenting with all kinds of materials - watercolor, gouache, pencil crayon, ink. Especially ink. I paint a lot with ink, specifically fountain pen ink. The glass bottles make me feel like an ancient witch with vials of potion!

But painting with ink means palettes and water and brushes and dip pens and cleaning and mess. Which is great! But I have to have the time and space to do it. As a working mom of three little guys, time is hard to come by. But you know what doesn't take much time at all? Markers! 

I love markers. What I love so much about them is that they are easy to take out when I have a free minute, grab a couple and  start colouring. As a kid, I'd coloured plenty with the crayola washable markers we all remember from childhood - there was something forbidden about them, like my mom was always worried we'd colour on the carpet or something. But the colours were so vivid and smooth, it was always a treat to use them. Then, as a grown up, I discovered artists colouring with alcohol markers on the gram. Hello old friends, thought I. Can we still play, even though I'm old now?

Yes. Yes we can. In fact! Grown up markers are far and away more fun than the crayola pack of 8 we had as kids. I love them because they are so accessible; familiar, because we've all used markers at some point, inviting, because they require zero set up or extra tools, and playful! So many colours, shades and intensities begging you to experiment with!

So on that note, here's a break down of how I like to draw with markers. Before we begin, it should be noted that I was craving a Slurpee big time when I set out to draw this….

I start with a rough sketch. Then I refine it with a fine line micron pen.

Then I add the colour! I swatch out the colours I want and get to work. Light colours first - I don't have any special reason for this, just a force of habit from using paints like gouache and ink. What I especially love about alcohol markers is how well they blend! I can add details like blush and the colours melt together!

Then I add the darks.

And add the shadow over top of everything!

And done! 

Markers are a very friendly medium, and I hope this break down of how I use them inspires you for your own sketchbooks! They allow for a surprising amount of experimenting and their only limit is your own imagination! Thanks again to Emily for inviting me and for hosting so many creative posts to inspire us to try new things!

I hope this glimpse into the vibrant world of marker art has stirred your imagination. Even in our busy lives, creativity can bloom in those small, fleeting moments, with just a few strokes of colour.

Thank you so much Meaghan, for sharing your artistic process and your joy in it’s simplicity.

You can read more of Meaghan’s writing on Authorstrator here:

I discovered the joy and simplicity of alcohol markers myself when I started drawing infographics and business illustrations for the NHS in 2019. It transformed my artwork in a way that I hadn’t anticipated. The markers allowed me to create vibrant, colourful drawings that were quicker to complete but just as satisfying as my detailed graphite pencil drawings. Instead of taking weeks or months, I could finish a picture in just a few days, making progress in smaller, more manageable periods of time.

During Covid, I drew my way through the 10 Days of Happiness Program, I drew stylised family portraits, little character pictures for birthday and anniversary cards and personalised affirmations. I drew a Christmas card design for friends of their beautiful Chateau in France, and a market stall full of flowers. Just for the joy of it, I drew a series of summer scenes for an art competition and put them together into my Tranquil Times Collection, to capture the peace and serenity of lazy summer days.

All with nothing but pencil, fine liners and alcohol markers.

If you’re looking for a creative outlet that’s both fun and relaxing, especially if you don’t have much drawing experience or simply don’t feel like it, alcohol markers might just be the perfect choice. As adults, we often forget the simple joy of colouring, a pastime we associate with childhood. But with alcohol markers, you can rediscover that joy in a whole new way, without needing any prior artistic skill. These vibrant, blendable tools offer an easy way to explore your creativity without requiring a lot of setup or a significant time investment.

Colouring with alcohol markers is more than just a creative exercise; it’s a mindful practice. The smooth flow of ink across the page, the way the colours blend seamlessly together, and the satisfaction of bringing a blank space to life, it all invites you to slow down, focus, and enjoy the moment. It’s a chance to play with colour, experiment with blending, and let your imagination take the lead.

I’ve added colouring-in versions of the five designs from my Tranquil Times collection to my ever growing gallery of beautiful imagery as a gift for paid subscribers. I hope they bring as much joy in colouring them as I had in creating them.

If you visit my online shop, you can buy greetings cards, cushion covers and other gifts featuring these designs and others. Here’s a link if you’d like to have a browse.

Bye for now,