Are you fascinated by the beautiful aurora borealis? In this mini class, I’ll show you how to create your own mystical northern lights using alcohol-based markers. From preparing your workspace to the final touches, you will learn how to hone your blending techniques to bring your night sky to life.

This class is ideal for those with previous experience with alcohol-based markers who want to take their skills to the next level. While prior knowledge of blending techniques is not absolutely required, it would be helpful to have a basic understanding of marker techniques. No sketch is required for what we’ll be doing, so no drawing skills are required for this class!

You will learn the step-by-step process of creating a beautiful aurora borealis night sky using alcohol-based markers. You will also learn how to mix colors to create a beautiful gradient effect, adding depth and texture to your night sky.

The skills you will practice in this class will not only help you create beautiful northern light-filled night skies but also transferable skills to various other projects. For example, you can use these techniques to create realistic backgrounds for your illustrations, add a unique touch to your lettering or calligraphy, and even create stunning abstract art.

My hope for this class, and future short form classes, is to give people an understanding of how alcohol markers can be used on a larger scale, for the creation of complete illustrations and scenes. When you’ve completed this class, you’ll have gained some thorough practice with extreme alcohol marker blending, and be able to create more intricate works of art without having to rely on different materials to get the look you want.

Recommended Materials

Alcohol-based markers
- I’ll be using colours from Ohuhu’s Set of 48 Classic Brush Markers (Their brush marker series is called Honolulu). But feel free to use any brand you prefer.
White Gel Pen
- I’ll be using the Sakura Gelly Roll 08, but I also own a Uni-ball Signo UM 153. Both are great options.
Paper
- Ideally, it needs to be smooth, thick (at least 200gsm) and meant for markers (it can also be meant for markers AND other mediums - like Bristol). I’ll be using my Ohuhu marker pad as it’s made to work with Ohuhu markers.
OPTIONAL: pencil and eraser, if you want to sketch out where you want your aurora borealis to go.

Resources Provided

Reference photo of Aurora Borealis night scene
Materials list
Ohuhu colour chart (48-marker set), with and without colours required for this project circled.

I would love to see your work! Feel free to tag me on instagram @sabbygimagery if you share your creation on social media.

Britt Long

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