Coloring My New Illustration! ✨ Tips for Smooth Blending 🌷Journal Vibes, by Color Dreamy on YouTube. 20 min 19 s.
- Video length
- 20 min 19 s
- Time to do it
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Sketch or print your flatlay line art on marker-friendly paper. Keep the lines light so they do not bleed into the colour.
Test each marker on scrap paper first. Alcohol markers dry slightly lighter and can bleed through thin paper.
Lay down the lightest shade across the whole area first. Work in small circles and keep the edges wet.
Add the mid tone while the light layer is still damp. Overlap the two colours where they meet so they merge.
Place the darkest shade only in the shadow areas. Blend it outward into the mid tone before it dries.
Run the colourless blender over the joins in small circles. This softens any hard lines between shades.
Work one small section at a time and finish it before moving on. Dried edges are much harder to blend.
Let the page dry fully, then add fine details like highlights or outlines with a pencil or white gel pen.
Tips and common mistakes
Alcohol markers dry fast, so keep a spare marker cap off and blend within seconds of laying colour.
Put a scrap sheet under your work to protect the table from bleed-through.
Too much blender can lift colour and leave pale patches, so use it lightly.
Keep your marker strokes going in one direction for a cleaner finish.
Questions
Can I blend alcohol markers with water?
No. Alcohol markers are alcohol-based, so water will not move the ink. Use a colourless blender marker or a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud instead.
What paper works best for smooth blending?
Use smooth, thick marker paper around 100 to 150 gsm. Thin printer paper soaks up ink and dries too fast to blend.
How do I stop the colours from looking streaky?
Keep each layer wet and overlap your strokes. Build colour in two or three thin passes rather than one heavy pass.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
