I have to say, about myself, I tend to be a KISS person - keep it simple, stupid.
Like you, when I get into too many choices, I can get overwhelmed and almost paralyzed.
And, maybe I'm not so particular as many are about my finished products. My cards are supposed to be fun for me to make, and to make someone smile when they receive them. I want them to look good, but they don't have to be perfect.
The only cardstock I use to stamp on and for my card bases is a version of the Georgia Pacific cardstock that I get at Sams Club. It is a nice weight, white cardstock, 110lb, and you get 250 sheets for about $7.
I think it works very well with the collection of markers I have, some Copics, Sharpies, Bics and the Spectrum Noirs. These are all alcohol base markers. I found I didn't like how the water-based markers colored. They streaked and seemed to "ball" up the cardstock. So I stick to the alcohol markers.
I have a set of nice Prismacolor pencils, but don't use them very much. It seems to me that it takes so much longer to color images using colored pencils. I don't have the patience to fool with using Gamsol or baby oil to blend them. I much prefer to use my markers. I will say that the cardstock I use does work with pencils, though.
As far as inks go, my very favorite ink is Versafine Onyx, which is a very black, quick drying pigment ink. It is great for stamping images and stamps very clearly, especially on detailed stamps.
It does smear a bit if you go over the lines with the alcohol markers. Many people like the Memento Tuxedo Black when they are using markers. I have it, but don't like the "faded" look it has, compared with the Versafine.
I usually just use my Versafine to stamp everything, be sure to let it dry thoroughly and color carefully, just up to the lines, and not over them.
So, that's my system. Pretty simple, but I usually use only one ink and one kind of cardstock.
Of course, I have lots of other colors, etc. of cardstock when it comes to matting images and making layers for my cards.
Here are a couple of examples from my gallery of cards colored with Spectrum, on the cardstock I mentioned, and using the Versafine ink:
Help Needed with Coloring
