Colored Markers:

 

Markers are exceptionally good for children when learning to draw and “paint”. Their bold, bright colors in handy “pencil” form are enticing and easy to use. Most marker sets contain clean, saturated colors, but large sets have a wide selection of muted or grayed tones plus the brighter hues that broaden the artist’s palette. Markers are relatively inexpensive. Children’s markers for play are made with inks that are removed in washing. They are not fade resistant, therefore, for any piece of art that is meant to be saved and framed, I recommend using permanent markers and framing the works under conservation glass. These markers are pricier that children’s markers. I prefer using permanent markers even for all children’s art work. What a shame it would be for a great piece of kid’s original art to be jeopardized by markers that lose their vibrancy and shift is value and even hue over time.

 

If you do use washable markers, a good way to preserve the work is to capture the image with a high-resolution camera, not a cell phone camera and save it in PDF or JPG form on your computer.

 

Crayola brand markers come both in washable and permanent inks. The colors are bold and at back-to-school time they are very inexpensive. They come in fine tip, broad point, and chisel edges. These markers will make a thin line or a wide stroke on their sides for filling in large areas.