Absolutely!

The Blend was designed for complete beginners who’ve never touched a marker before and self-taught colorists who still struggle with basic marker technique.

No previous art experience necessary.

The Blend was designed for Copic Sketch and Ciao Markers because reliable ink quality matters when you're learning to blend.

Many inexpensive alcohol markers actually resist smooth blending making learning far more difficult for beginners.

Inside the course, you'll learn techniques that help you use your markers more effectively, but even professional level strong technique cannot fully compensate for poor-quality ink.

I know this is contrary to popular internet advice but this kind of honesty is what makes my instruction different. I’m invested in your success, so let’s make learning easy with easy blending markers.

Choppy (or un-smooth blends) are usually the result of using too much ink where only a little is needed, then using less ink where you need it most.

Blending is also harder (and sometimes impossible) on popular types of paper.

We cover ink management and paper selection in-depth in The Blend.

Honestly? It’s a bit of both.

I’m a professional illustrator, so of course I teach markers from an artist’s perspective. We spend a lot of time developing realistic color rather than quick tricks or recipe-style coloring.

At the same time, many Blend students come from adult coloring, card making, stamping, and other creative hobbies. People often find me when they’ve reached a point of frustration, where they want more information than typical tutorials provide.

So yes, we do think deeper about color but you do not need formal art training to take The Blend.

You simply need the willingness to slow down, practice foundational skills, and color more intentionally.

The Blend focuses on basic alcohol marker technique…

But as much as I love markers, they have their limitations, especially when it comes to realism.

In The Blend, we use a small number of colored pencils and fineline pens to add the kind of details which are hard for large marker nibs.

The pencil techniques are briefly explained and always kept secondary to the marker lessons.

For a full exploration of my colored pencil techniques, you’ll find more info on The Blend’s companion pencil course The Point here.

The Blend is taught over 12 weeks, but very few students actually complete the course in exactly 12 weeks.

This is actually good. I want you to work at your ideal pace!

You'll have extended access to the lessons for years, giving you plenty of time to practice, revisit demonstrations, and even repeat the exercises later as your skills grow.

The live feedback portion of the course lasts for 16 weeks. After that, the Blend Forum shifts into a quieter hiatus period while I turn my attention to the next session of The Point. The course materials and forum remain open, however, so you can continue coloring and chatting with fellow students year-round.

One important note: online education has changed a lot over the years, and truly permanent “forever access” is no longer realistic for most independent educators.

Instead, I use the term Extended Access, meaning you'll continue to have access to the course materials for as long as I’m actively running the business and maintaining the course.

Please see the updated Blend page at Marker + Pencil for current information on the next session of The Blend.