On Using Coloured Markers

Smart Color Art - 80 Colors Gel Pen Set

 I am going to speak up in defence of practise after having heard some theory.

In this case, it is Rebecca with the theory, articulated as “pick up some pens, different pencils, some coloured markers and some felt pens, and write all over anything that you are studying and really want to know”.

She has people do this in her seminars by telling people not to take notes, and she assigns a note taker.


She prefers them to be creative in the note taking, catching the main ideas and she wants her students to listen and give up their ideas to the space she provides for them in class.

It is all right for them to knit, sew, cross-stitch, bead or eat their supper.

The notes can be standard.

But I have also seen them come in through thought bubbles, in comic strip form, with stick figures – if they can think of a way to make clear notes for everyone, the sky is the limit.

Now adding onto this, I thought I would practise making one of the pages of my Final Report of the TRC Commission: Volume One: Summary look like her book.

So I took the same colours, made the same marks at exactly the same pages (p 137-140), and then did her most-marked-up page and because I couldn’t help myself I did a page on either side. 

If she wrote in the margin, I did.

If she made a cloud bubble around a title, I did. 
If she used green ink to signal a recommendation that costs money, I used green ink.

 If an arrow lays alongside a whole paragraph and its spine is weaving, I make spine on my arrow do that.

But I got reading for my online Sunday School assignment, and I could see I had broken through the glass ceiling of keeping each page white. 

There are colours and numbers and words all over the pages I am reading.

 Such a great way to make this material my own.

Arta