Vanilla Undercover: Underpaint with Copic Markers for Beautiful Realism - Bumble Gold

 
Add realism to Copic Marker blends by underpainting with complementary or opposite colors. Real shade isn’t just darker, real shade is murky and desaturated. Blue Violet and an odd mix of Yelllow makes for a bright and rich gold. | VanillaArts.com |…
 
 

As Good as Gold

Real shade is not darker color, real shade is desaturated color.

To create the desaturated colors that Copic Marker does not make, Vanilla Arts Company teaches Online Workshops and Livestream Coloring Challenges using the underpainting method. Students learn to layer colors realistically rather than blend. Underpainting creates natural colors found in everyday life.

Underpainting creates natural colors found in everyday life.

 

Soft Gold

Elena’s Advice:

One of the universal rules in Copic coloring is that you use three markers in order from the highest to the lowest value. Everyone works those last numbers 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, right?

But you know I’m a rule breaker. I’m using a mix of YR and Y markers AND I’m messing with the last number rule.

This works because Y is wimpy (my technical term) but when combined with YR, the yellow gets a bold boost, perfect for the color I see across this bumble bee’s stripe.

To create this blend, start with a layer of BV00, top that with the YR23, then Y26 and finish it all with the Y13.

You’ve just put down a good amount of ink and you need to be sure to give it time to dry. That’s when the blending magic happens.

“Bumble Gold” blending combination for Copic Markers. Underpaint Y yellow markers with BV blue-violet for realistic depth and dimension. Gold swatch. | VanillaArts.com | Alcohol marker color theory.
 
 

Looking for More Underpainting Combinations?


 

Elena Cazares is a Vanilla Arts student with beautiful sense of color and style. She is a hurricane of positive creative energy.

Elena runs Violeta-Ink.com, an online boutique shop specializing in Copic Markers and coloring accessories. Join Elena’s Copic Facebook group here for the latest coloring news and Copic Marker updates.

Elena Bio Pic.jpg
 

 

Elena Cazares

Elena Cazares is a Vanilla Arts student and online instructor with a beautiful sense of color and style. She is a hurricane of positive, creative energy.

Elena runs CraftsForPaws.com, an online shop for Copic Markers and Copic supplies. C4P donates 100% of profits to rescue and care for worst-case stray dogs and cats in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.

Shop at Crafts for Paws here. Join Elena’s C4P Copic Coloring Club here.