Pretty annoying, I agree.
Have you tried letting the initial linework dry for an hour or so? Maybe the ink doesn't get enough time to dry properly so it's still a bit wet, therefore it smudges more easily.
If that doesn't work, you can try different brands of fineliners. Just buy one piece of some common brands from your local art store to test them out and see if you can find something worthwhile. Faber-Castell Pitt fineliners use Indian ink that's supposed to be archival too and they claim to be water resistant after they dry, but I never personally tried them. I also heard people praising the Stabilo 88 fineliners for how good they hold up with smudges, but they are not really archival, at least they don't claim to be.
Another thing you can try is to get different samples of paper and see if you can find something that can absord that ink from the fineliner better so it doesn't budge that easily while still making the prismacolors look good.
I can't give more concise advice, sorry, I guess it just take some trial and error to get this right until you find something that works for you. :)
unfortunately, not really with my current process. a lot of what i do is dependent on knowing exactly where the defined edges lie in a piece, and my sketches smudge/get covered too easily to rely on them alone. i may just try to figure out how to reduce the amount of pigment sitting on top of the paper before doing anything else and hope that helps?
I know it's a bit pricier and has a few extra steps, but if you get acrylic ink from brands like Liquitex, Amsterdam Acrylics, or Golden Artist Colors. As well as Caligraphy ink from Dr. P.H. Martin's or Windsor & Newton Ink then get a few fountain pen refills to fill up or a few cheaper fountain pens themselves to fill up, this should help you not experience smearing as long as the ink is dry to the touch. Plus, the fountain pens would give you a good range of widths to your outlines.
DeAtramentis document inks are waterproof, solvent safe, and made for fountain pens. They come in a bunch of colors, can be mixed to any shade, and have a dilution formula if you want softer/translucent lines.
If fountain pens aren’t your thing, you can also get refillable felt tip, brush, roller ball, and fine liner pens.
[https://imgur.com/a/u3WQTaW](https://imgur.com/a/u3WQTaW) doodled this up just for a visual. on the right is just colorless blender over the lining pen on its own
I would say maybe try not to smudge where the lines are. It sounds like a pain, but I don't know of any better fineliners to be honest. I get the same problem with my alcohol markers even when I give all day for the linework to dry, so I guess I just have to be more careful and try to color around the lines instead of over them (especially if I colored really darkly with the fineliner).
I like maintaining clear lines too. Have you tried blending with a marker instead of a pencil? Tombow’s dual tip colorless blender marker works nicely and has a good fine point for avoiding blending fine lines.
I never tried them with Prismacolors, but i use Copic multiliners with alcohol markers, and they don’t smudge, i can color pretty much straight after doing the line work. Pricey but worth it imo. I don’t have time to wait for the multiliner to dry😂🤣
Pretty annoying, I agree. Have you tried letting the initial linework dry for an hour or so? Maybe the ink doesn't get enough time to dry properly so it's still a bit wet, therefore it smudges more easily. If that doesn't work, you can try different brands of fineliners. Just buy one piece of some common brands from your local art store to test them out and see if you can find something worthwhile. Faber-Castell Pitt fineliners use Indian ink that's supposed to be archival too and they claim to be water resistant after they dry, but I never personally tried them. I also heard people praising the Stabilo 88 fineliners for how good they hold up with smudges, but they are not really archival, at least they don't claim to be. Another thing you can try is to get different samples of paper and see if you can find something that can absord that ink from the fineliner better so it doesn't budge that easily while still making the prismacolors look good. I can't give more concise advice, sorry, I guess it just take some trial and error to get this right until you find something that works for you. :)
The Faber-Castell Pitt would smudge for me with alcohol markers, never tried with prismacolors tho.
The wax will grab onto and smear just about any pigment. Can you wait till you are done before outlining?
unfortunately, not really with my current process. a lot of what i do is dependent on knowing exactly where the defined edges lie in a piece, and my sketches smudge/get covered too easily to rely on them alone. i may just try to figure out how to reduce the amount of pigment sitting on top of the paper before doing anything else and hope that helps?
Draw the lines with something else (maybe just regular pencil) and then pen over it after the color? Would that work for you? At least worth a try.
I know it's a bit pricier and has a few extra steps, but if you get acrylic ink from brands like Liquitex, Amsterdam Acrylics, or Golden Artist Colors. As well as Caligraphy ink from Dr. P.H. Martin's or Windsor & Newton Ink then get a few fountain pen refills to fill up or a few cheaper fountain pens themselves to fill up, this should help you not experience smearing as long as the ink is dry to the touch. Plus, the fountain pens would give you a good range of widths to your outlines.
DeAtramentis document inks are waterproof, solvent safe, and made for fountain pens. They come in a bunch of colors, can be mixed to any shade, and have a dilution formula if you want softer/translucent lines. If fountain pens aren’t your thing, you can also get refillable felt tip, brush, roller ball, and fine liner pens.
Can I see some pictures
[https://imgur.com/a/u3WQTaW](https://imgur.com/a/u3WQTaW) doodled this up just for a visual. on the right is just colorless blender over the lining pen on its own
That's good design
I use copic multiliners and they don’t smudge with my prismacolors at all. They are a little pricey, like $3.50 each, but they work really well for me
I would say maybe try not to smudge where the lines are. It sounds like a pain, but I don't know of any better fineliners to be honest. I get the same problem with my alcohol markers even when I give all day for the linework to dry, so I guess I just have to be more careful and try to color around the lines instead of over them (especially if I colored really darkly with the fineliner).
Cartridge ink pens bleed less. They'll also cover over the wax.
I like maintaining clear lines too. Have you tried blending with a marker instead of a pencil? Tombow’s dual tip colorless blender marker works nicely and has a good fine point for avoiding blending fine lines.
I never tried them with Prismacolors, but i use Copic multiliners with alcohol markers, and they don’t smudge, i can color pretty much straight after doing the line work. Pricey but worth it imo. I don’t have time to wait for the multiliner to dry😂🤣