“Salmon Cosmos” - a crisp Pink Copic Marker blending combination Add spring depth to a light red and pink blending combination with one BV alcohol marker R, RV, and BV Copic Markers Real shade is not darker color, real shade is desaturated color. To create the murky shade colors that Copic Marker does not make, Vanilla Arts Company teaches Online Workshops using the underpainting method. Students learn to layer colors realistically rather than blend. Underpainting creates natural colors found in everyday life. How to use a Copic underpainting combination   Scroll down for the C ..read more

  “Dahlia Garden” - Copic Color Palette Coral, raspberry, and dark green Copic Markers make a floral palette for your next coloring project.   How to use this Copic color palette: In Vanilla Arts online classes, we use colored pencils over the top of Copic Marker or watercolor in process called color sculpting. Color sculpting is the basis for realistic, artistic coloring. Pushing colors are used to deepen the look of the base color. It provides the look of distance. Pulling colors are used to lighten the base color. It makes the area feel closer. Together, push and pull cr ..read more

  REALISTIC COLORING IS NOT: The result of using special blending combinations And realistic coloring is not a technique Stop looking for recipes and step-by-steps to help you move from basic blending towards realistic marker art. There is no hack. Hacks lead to cartoonish results. The secret to realism isn’t a secret— artists have been doing it for centuries with pencils, paint, and now you can do it alcohol markers. To color with realism, we look at real objects or photo references to understand the shapes and values of real things in real life. Then through practice, we learn to ..read more

Let’s call the whole thing off…        INTRO TO PUSH & PULL FOR REALISTIC DEPTH with Copic Markers + Colored Pencils “Flutterby” Introduction to Push & Pull for Depth Everyone talks about “shading” for depth and dimension. And yet everyone complains that their coloring looks flat. There’s a connection there. Amy Shulke walks you through the basics of her Push & Pull technique, teaching you to create dynamic and touchably real depth in a beautiful butterfly exercise. You can color with realism, this is the first step! more info: FLUTTERBY   WE TEST COPIC ..read more

  “Swamp Lily” - a Purple V Copic Marker blending combination Add soft spring shade to a pale purple blending combination with one G Copic Marker. Real shade is not darker color, real shade is desaturated color. To create the murky shade colors that Copic Marker does not make, Vanilla Arts Company teaches Online Workshops using the underpainting method. Students learn to layer colors realistically rather than blend. Underpainting creates the natural colors found in everyday life. How to use a Copic underpainting combination   Scroll down for the Copic Underpaint recipe.   PU ..read more

  “Fresh Grapefruit” - Copic Color Palette Strong red, yellow, and dark green Copic Markers make a bright palette for your next coloring project.   How to use this Copic color palette: In Vanilla Arts online classes, we use colored pencils over the top of Copic Marker or watercolor in process called color sculpting. Color sculpting is the basis for realistic, artistic coloring. Pushing colors are used to deepen the look of the base color. It provides the look of distance. Pulling colors are used to lighten the base color. It makes the area feel closer. Together, push and pu ..read more

358 isn’t unreasonable… right?        THE COLOR OF WHITE with Copic Markers + Colored Pencils “Luna Rose” an Artistic Coloring Kit Are you still shading white objects with gray markers? Luna Rose teaches you to color white with every color of the rainbow. This technique is perfect for florals but it works on everything from white rabbits to wedding dresses. You may think of shade as “gray” but it’s really not. more info: Luna Rose   WE TEST COPIC INK COLOR INSPIRATION        Article Archives ..read more

  “Rhododendron” - a fresh Violet, Blue, and Yellow Green Copic Marker blending combination Be a Rebel Blender— because real life is never Light-Medium-Dark. Light-Medium-Dark blending combinations were never designed for YOU. Light to dark blends are for teachers. It’s very easy to teach simple blends. But when I look at the world around me, nothing is ever three versions of the same color. Shade colors are murky. Highlights shift warm. And surface colors take on hints of the colors around them. I use Rebel Blends in all of my personal work, I teach them in my online classes and wor ..read more

If you know, you know…        HOW TO COLOR REALISTIC GLASS with Copic Markers + Colored Pencils “Lemonade” an Artistic Coloring Kit Don’t talk yourself out of it, YOU CAN color realistic transparent glass! Lemonade is an excellent introduction to coloring realistic glass. I’ve simplified the process a bit for photorealistic results from intermediate level skills. The glass is heavy and thick, the color palette is small, and the shapes are relatively easy to understand. I hope you use the lessons here as a springboard to more glass projects with greater challenges! more ..read more

  How to Color Realistic Flowers with Pink RV Alcohol Markers Coloring realistic coloring isn’t just one technique. And it’s not about using the most realistic blending combinations. Realism with alcohol markers and colored pencils is a process, a series of steps— methods we learn over time which eventually add up to more realism. Let me show you the next step beyond standard flower petal blending techniques. In order to create the illusion of a real flower, you need to know what real flowers look like. Let’s stop guessing and start looking.   DON’T MISS THE SHY TULIP SUPPLY LIS ..read more