Do You Struggle With Basic Copic Marker Blends?

You’ve watched lots of coloring videos, you’ve tried the tutorials, and scoured the internet for the best blending advice.

But to be perfectly honest, you’re just not getting it. You keep practicing but your blends still look choppy. It feels like you’re missing something. Something important.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a class that focused less on cute projects and more on the technique?

Pssstttt… now there is!

Smooth Blending is an essential Copic Marker technique used in almost every coloring project. Coloring Basics is a new beginner level online class which explores proper blending and how to troubleshoot your stroke. Learn to control your ink levels with more effective strokes for smoother blends.

Why is it so hard to blend Copic Markers?

Everyone says it’s easy…

But honestly, your blends don’t look as smooth as the projects you see online. And just when you think you’ve nailed down the right technique, then you have days when you can’t blend anything!

Coloring videos and tutorials are deceptive.

We frequently see people demonstrate a light to dark blending technique, often with circular strokes but sometimes their stroke is higgledy-piggledy all over the place!

But when you try coloring larger images? Like full page line drawings or giant cling stamps?

What they’re doing to make smooth blends simply doesn’t work at all for you.

Very few tutorials or videos tell you what size image they’re coloring.

So unless you pause the video to visualize exactly how big the stamp is in comparison to the hand on-screen, you don’t realize that they’re demonstrating something that only works small-scale.

Circles won’t work if you want to blend with the big boys.

And frankly, coloring light to dark doesn’t work well large-scale either.

If you want to blend smoothly…

If you want to color larger images…

If you want to color with realism…

You need a better blending technique.

Introducing: Coloring Basics

A brand new series of troubleshooting classes.

Troubleshooting classes?

Yes.

We’re not coloring cute apples or spicy jalapenos. We’re coloring amazing flicks!

We’ll show you what good blending technique looks like and how bad blends happen… plus we chat about everything that can go wrong in the process and how we’ve learned to avoid bad blending days.

It’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of coloring.

Often, you don’t even realize you’re doing something oddly until you see someone demonstrate correct technique in detail.

You can take hundreds of coloring classes, but if you never troubleshoot and improve your own technique, you’re stuck!

More Coloring Basics:

Other helpful topics are coming soon!

Unlike other coloring classes…

Because it’s not about coloring a spicy jalapeno. It’s about YOU!

You’re a unique person right?

So why would you think you’re supposed to color just like me?

We have different hands. Different brains. Different patience levels. Different styles.

What works for one person might not be right for you. And even if you learn from an amazing expert, you’ll still need to modify the technique to make it feel comfortable.

Two Colorers, Two Perspectives

Coloring Basics isn’t Follow the Leader style coloring projects.

Two experienced colorers sit down to share their thoughts and observations on a technique, coaching you into a more efficient and effective coloring technique.

Amy Shulke, Technical Illustrator & art instructor, VanillaArts.com

and Elena Cazares, budding artist from Violet-Ink.com

I’ve colored with artist grade markers since I picked up my first DeSign Marker back in 1989.

Yes, that was a long time ago. Stop snickering!

Elena started Vanilla Arts classes in 2017 with almost no marker experience. And even though she learned from me, she doesn’t color like me.

We agree on some stuff but whoa! We disagree on a lot.

And yet we both get great results from our markers.

• Watch as two coloring friends compare and contrast the way they perform basic motions. Not every method works for everyone!

• Notice the details- like body movement, elbow swing, posture, and position. There is more to learning than watching someone’s hand

• Listen as we describe the keys to effective and efficient coloring

• Laugh as we discuss what works and what fails every time we try it

Coloring Basics is NOT about coloring jalapenos, bananas, or cute little apples.

But you’ll use this information on apples, animals, airplanes, astronauts. Anything.

Technique, not projects.

Is Coloring Basics right for you?

Coloring Basics: Basic Blending is for beginners and intermediates who despite taking classes are struggling to master smooth blending technique

It’s also for experienced colorers who are still frustrated with their blends which seem to get worse as they try to color larger.

Sometimes you hit a brick wall, trying to move from beginner to intermediate or from intermediate to advanced.

You want to learn, grow, and color more artistic images… but your flicks are holding you back.

You must have a tiny bit of coloring experience before you enroll.

This class is NOT a substitute for beginner level lessons.

We’re not teaching complete newbies how to uncap a marker.

Instead, we’re teaching you to troubleshoot what’s going wrong with your blending technique.

This is a discussion & demo style class. We’re not teaching how to blend, we’re discussing how to blend better. We talk about typical blending issues and how to make improvements. Some experience with blending will make the conversation a lot more meaningful.

If your blends just aren’t smooth enough, Coloring Basics is where we help you figure out why.

Remember though, we’re not doing this for the cute jalapeno project.

Coloring Basics is NOT a coloring class.

We don’t coach you piece-by-piece through how to color fruit, vegetables, or google-eyed penguins in pajamas.

Instead, we focus on the strokes.

And this class is all about basic blending.

Let’s do some blending!

Ready to improve your Blending?

Coloring Basics, a technique improvement class from VanillaArts.com

Sponsored by Violeta-Ink.com

Master smooth blending by troubleshooting your technique.

Basic Blending is an immediate access class.

All content opens at purchase. No waiting for a broadcast date.

Work at your own pace. No expiration. Watch as often as you wish.

Jalapeño digital stamp is included with purchase. Image is for practice only. Complete jalapeño process is not shown. Psssttt… we did include a few recipes, reference photo, and project samples!