She is using watercolors so the pen uses waterproof ink.

Since the paints are watercolors, she's probably using watercolor paper. There are three main types - rough, cold pressed, and hot pressed. Rough has the coarsest texture (go figure), which will show through the paint. Cold pressed has a little texture to it, hot pressed is the smoothest. I think she's using hot pressed paper.

As with any paper, you can get different thicknesses or weights. Also, if you want to prevent warping of the paper, you'll have to stretch it before using, or buy a watercolor block. The block is just a bunch of paper glued together on the sides. You paint on the top page, let it fully dry, then separate the top page from the block with a palette knife.

As far as brushes go, you can get either sable or synthetic, the sable being more expensive. I use sables for watercolor. I feel like they're more responsive to your strokes. It kinda looks like she's using them too, but it's a bit hard to tell. Don't forget to buy brush soap. I use a cake instead of the liquid.

The choice of marker for the drawings is going to be largely subjective. If you go to an art store, you should find a large selection of drawing/illustrating markers. Just pick one that you like, keeping in mind that you'll probably want something permanent (so the watercolors don't make it bleed) and acid-free (if you're concerned with archiving the drawings).

I have no idea about the camera setup. Maybe this video will help.

General noob art advice: Buy the best supplies you can afford. Spend some time futzing around with your supplies to get a feel for how they're going to work in your final piece. Don't be afraid to try acrylics too - I actually like them better than watercolors. And don't be afraid to get messy. Paint on a covered surface or glass table and wear old clothing.

Ardiril, the pencil/pen thing has some kind of ink that forms a dam that keeps the watercolor from spreading beyond its border. Would any waterproof ink do this? I was assuming there was some kind of magical synthetic wax-like material in the ink.

Wow, youngergirl, lots of great info to get me started. That video was very helpful too. Thanks!!

I don't know but an art shop employee could tell you.

I don't think the pen keeps the paint within the borders, it's just her control of the paint and brush. You can see bleeding across the borders in some of the pictures, starting with the second (the bike to the pant leg, buildings and their windows).

A grease pencil might help to keep the paint where you want it, given the nature of oil vs water. They don't really lend themselves to detailed drawings though since they're pretty thick. Learning to use watercolors can be frustrating because they are a little unruly. You're using the water to thin the pigment, but the more water you use the more it gets all over the place. That's probably why I never got much past the futzing stage with watercolors and moved into acrylics.

You could always contact the creator and ask what type of pen she used.

Oh, and if you did want to use a grease pencil, you should stick with the hot pressed paper in order to get a more solid line. I think using the rough or cold pressed would cause the pencil to catch on the tooth of the paper and leave gaps in your lines.

Thanks youngergirl and Ardiril !! I have contacted the artist. Haven't heard back yet. I'll post it here if I do. Maybe my untutored eye is mis-seeing what is happening on the page. I had assumed that the pen/pencil thingie was creating a dam that kept the paint inside the lines. Perhaps not...

I just heard back from the artist. She uses this pen in medium point.