Master Blending with Brush Pens: A 7 Day Lettering Challenge

1. Welcome: Blending with brush pens is such a beautiful way to add life, emotion, and depth to your letters. And it's the easiest way to elevate your lettering without needing to learn a whole new alphabet or style. But I'll be honest, it was something I really struggled with early on. I thought I needed fancy tools or special markers to get it right. But after years of playing around and testing almost every brush pen out there, I figured out how to make any brush pen blend seamlessly, and now I'm going to share all those techniques with you. Hi there creative. I'm Shannon, and I've been a Lateran artist for over eight years. If you know me from Instagram, you know that I love to create super colorful calligraphy, galaxy blends, and dreamy watercolor style effects. I'm also a teacher here on Skillshare, where I teach watercolor, Procreate and lettering classes. This class is all about mastering blending with water based brush pens, no matter what brand you have. We'll start off with a few short foundational lessons that cover everything you need to know to prepare for this challenge. So don't worry if you've never blended before. In those intro lessons, you'll learn about the different types of brush pens, which papers are better for certain techniques, different ways to apply and move color around. And a bit of color theory to help you choose colors to blend. Then, starting on day one of the challenge, you'll learn how to use a new technique every single day. We'll explore wet on wet blending, using water brushes, layering colors, creating treaty effects, and so much more all using galaxy themed words. By the end of this class, you'll have a solid foundation in brush pen blending and a collection of beautifully blended lettering pieces to share for your class project. This class is flexible and designed to work with whatever lettering supplies you already have on hand. So whether you're a total beginner or a more advanced lettering artist looking to polish your skills, this class will help you achieve smoother, more vibrant color transitions and consistent results across a variety of tools. So if you're ready to start this blending challenge, I'll see you in the next lesson where I walk you through the class to place. 2. Class Supplies: The most important supplies you'll need for this class are brush pens, and there are quite a few different types of them. Felt tip brush pens have a flexible foam or fiber brush tip. They are usually very delicate and best suited for dry blending techniques. So using them directly on watercolor paper may result in them being worn down. So I prefer to use them on smoother paper. Nylon brush pens have a synthetic brush tip made of nylon. These tend to be a lot more durable and they don't fray as easily as felt tip brush pens. Some of the nylon brush pens that I would recommend are the Tambo dual brat pans if you're doing a drier type of blending. And for more water based or wet blending, I would say that I like to use the art markers. They just blend a lot easier when you're using water. Real brush pens have a brush tip made of real bristles, which mimic the feel of a traditional paint brush. So these can be used on both textured or smooth paper and are really great for both wet and dry blending techniques. You can also use Creola style markers. While these are not brush pens, the design of the nib allows you to create both thick and thin lines, and these also contain water based ink. So these markers can also work really well for blending. And something that is very important for you to know throughout this class, I'm going to be using a whole range of brush pens, but don't feel like you need those exact brands to follow along because 99% of these techniques can be done with any water based brush pen, so please use what you have. In addition to brush pens, the type of paper that you use is also very important. Watercolor paper is ideal for blending with watercolor brush pens or using wet techniques that require a lot of water. This paper is really thick and it is specifically made to have ink and water remain on its surface without warping for a period of time. Mixed Media paper is a cheaper lightweight alternative to watercolor paper. It has a balance between texture and smoothness, and it is suitable for both wet and dry blending techniques. Bristol paper is a smoother yet durable alternative to watercolor paper that works best for dry techniques. Marker paper is a very thin paper designed to be used specifically with markers. It is lightweight, so it is best to only use this for dryer blending techniques. So when choosing paper, consider the specific techniques that you plan to use and the desired results. Watercolor paper is excellent for blending with water and achieving watercolor like effects. Bristol paper offers a smooth surface for dry blending techniques, makes media paper, provides versatility and can handle both bet and dry techniques. And marker paper caters to simple techniques and is not as forgiving for heavy blending. I keep a variety of papers on hand to adapt to different projects and techniques. So don't hesitate to test different papers with your brush pens. Some other supplies that you will need for this class are a water brush or a paintbrush and water, a pallet or a piece of plastic, and some supplies for sketching. Some techniques may require some additional supplies, but I'll be sure to share them at the beginning of that lesson. So once you've gathered all of these basic supplies, I'll see you in the next lesson where we look at different ways of playing color with brush pens. 3. Methods of Applying Color: The first thing you're going to do is experiment with different levels of pressure on your brush tip to create variations in length thickness. So light pressure produces thin lines while heavier pressure results in thicker lines. And this pressure variation is also another technique that you can practice. So you can apply color with a light touch for a subtle pass down result, or you can use more pressure for bolder saturated colors. You can also practice making basic strokes like upstrokes and downstrokes and curves and also explore flicking the brush tip to create tapered lines. These strokes will be crucial for blending as we go through this class. The first and easiest way to apply color is to paint directly onto the paper. And to move the color around, simply use a wet paint brush. This produces an almost watercolor effect where you have variations of light and dark. The areas where you directly added your color will be darker, while the areas where you added your water and move the color around will be lighter. This method allows for precise control over color placement and blending Pay attention to the amount of water on your brush because too much water would make it difficult to control where your paint moves to, and too little water will make it difficult for you to move the color around. Then we have the wet on wet method where you apply a little bit of water to your paper and press the marker into the wet areas. Now, I prefer to use this method with my in markers as well as my ecoline brush pens because I know that these two are more watercolor style markers with a more watercolor like ink in them, and the brush tips can also handle being put in water. Not all markers are able to do that. So I would definitely recommend that you only do this with the in markers or the Ecoline brush pens. Method is less precise than the first one, and it creates a spontaneous fluid and soft effect. It is great for organic or watery backgrounds. So this next method, you can apply some color onto a non absorbent surface like a palette or a piece of plastic and pick it up with a water brush or a wet paint brush. This creates a lighter diluted shade of color, but the color is more consistent when compared to the other two methods where we get lighter and darker shades of color. And finally, we have a really fun method that I like to use for creating backgrounds. So you're going to add your color onto a piece of plastic, add water to your paper, and just flip that plastic onto the paper. You can use your fingers to push your colors around, and you can peel the plastic away, allow the colors to dry and you're done. This method creates a unique and often unpredictable blend. And like I said, it is an excellent method for creating abstract or experimental effects and backgrounds. I 4. Basic Techniques fo Creating Gradients: Now we're getting to the exciting part of this class where I show you how to blend. Grab a piece of paper and some markers. I'm using the e markers and watercolor paper. I've divided the paper into four sections for the first method, you're going to add your darker color at the top. Then use a lighter shade marker to pull that color downwards to create a smooth gradient. So take your time as you blend. You don't want to pull too much color down. And then you're going to clean your brush pen by gently rubbing it on a scrap paper to remove your darker color. Then you can go back and pull the rest of that color dough. You can also rub the tip of your darker marker to the tip of the lighter marker. And as you write the colorable transition from one to the other, I don't worry about damaging the tip of your markers as the color will come out on its own. For this next method, you're going to add your color and then use a paintbrush to pull the color down. I just like you did in that first method, if you need to, you can wipe off your paint brush in a piece of tissue and then continue to blend. You don't want that darker color to overpower your blend. And this creates a really fun gradient from light to dark. Alternatively, you can use a blending brush. Y 5. Color Theory for Brush Pens: So the first thing that we need to understand is the color wheel. The color reel is a visual representation of colors and their relationship with each other. So on the color wheel, you will have your primary colors. These are the foundation of all other colors, and they cannot be created by mixing other colors together. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. Then there are secondary colors. These are colors that are formed by mixing two primary colors in equal parts, and the secondary colors are orange, green, and violet or purple. And then finally, we have tertiary colors which are created by mixing equal parts of one primary color and one secondary color. The tertiary colors are yellow orange, yellow green, blue green, blue violet, red, orange and red violet. So understanding primary, secondary, and even tertiary colors is essential because these colors are the building blocks of all color combinations in your artwork. Knowing how they interact will help you to create the blends that you desire. When choosing the colors that you're going to use in your piece, you should definitely consider color schemes to ensure that your piece blends without any muddiness. Analogous colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. This color scheme creates a sense of harmony and cohesion in your artwork, and these colors are often the easiest to blend. Complimentary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. When placed next to each other, they create contrast and make each other appear vibrant. But if you attempt to blend them together, these will create dull or muddy colors. If you want to use complimentary colors, for example, a Christmas color palette of green and red, instead of trying to blend those two together, where you end up with a brown or dull color in the middle, you can leave some white space between those two colors and blend those colors into that white space. Then we have a monochromatic color scheme, and this color scheme uses variations of lightness and saturation of a single color. For instance, you can use different shades of blue from a lighter sky blue color to deep navy. 6. Day 1 Gradual Color Transition: We're kicking things off with a gradual color transition. This is the easiest type of gradient you can create, but you don't have much control over how or where the color transition happens. For this type of blend, you'll need two colors along with your palette. This means picking colors that are next to each other on the color wheel because you can then predict what the transition color will be. So you can pick two primary colors or perhaps a primary and a secondary color, or you can even do this technique with a lighter and darker value of a color. And of course, if you're unsure, you can test out your color combinations on a piece of scrap paper until you find two colors that you like. And for the paper, you can use marker or bristle paper, anything smooth and light weight that works with whatever markers you're using because we're not going to be doing any manual blending or going over any areas, so you don't need to worry about using thicker paper to avoid tearing or your paper being damaged by this technique. If you're following along with the list of prompts, today I'm writing the word Nebula and I'm going to be using pink and blue. To create this blend, you're going to start by scribbling a few lines of color onto that non absorbent surface. Then use the other color to pick up some of it. This method only allows for the marker to take in a small amount of ink, so it works well for shorter words. As you write, your colors will transition naturally and you'll eventually get back to the original color of the marker. To get a longer gradient, you'll need to try a different technique where you rub the tip of one marker onto the other and allow the color to bleed into it. The longer you hold the markers together, the more color it takes in, and this is really great for writing, longer words or quotes. Once you're finished experimenting with this blend, feel free to add a quick embellishment to make it stand out more. This is completely optional because the gradient is the star of the show. I'm using a black brush pen to add a small shadow on the right side of each letter, and then I'm using a white paint pen to add a highlight in the opposite side of each shutter. Then I went back in with a gray brush pen to create a double shadow effect. And when you're ready to share your project for day one, take a photo of your work, hit the Create Project button, and share your work to the Project Gallery. And that's it for day one, I'll see you in the next lesson with another fun blending technique. 7. Day 2 Gradual Color Shifting Letters: Today's color transition is like a continuation of the previous technique where we put down color on our palette and then pick it up with another marker. But rather than the color transitioning across the word, each letter will have its own gradual color transition. So you can grab the same supplies, but this time for your colors, you will need to choose a very light pastel color to write with. This is important because that later marker can soak in and show the other color so much better. Second color needs to be one that is much darker than your base color. I'm using a lighter pink than the one that I use for day one and the same blue because I know they will interact well and give me a nice purple color transition. Again, you're going to add your darker color onto your non absorbent surface. Then you're going to pick up some of that color and write the first stroke of your letter. But instead of continuing with the rest of the word, you're going to go back to that palette and pick up more color before you write the next stroke. You're going to repeat those steps to write the rest of the word. I. You can also try another technique where you turn the marker before you write so that the color you picked up is at the top of the marker. Then as you write, the color stays on one side and creates a more distinct horizontal color transition for each letter. Denying de. Big. And if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can also try this technique with two darker colors on your palette. So now I'm using a light purple as my base color, and I'm using the pink and blue as my darker colors. I've added them to my palette, and then as I write, I'm going to alternate which color I pick up. Another thing you can do is experiment with how you pick up the color. So you can try maybe after every letter or after every few letters, depending on how the colors look when you do this technique. So once you've written your prompt for today, you can then add your embellishments. Today's embellishment is inspired by something that happens a lot when working with water based mediums. It is quite common to accidentally drip some water onto your work and feel like it's ruined. In some cases, you may need to start over, but if it is something simple like this where only one letter or a small section is affected, then I'm going to show you how to turn it into some distressed lettering. This distress technique started a while ago as a happy accident when I was a beginner and spilled some water on some lettering that I really loved and didn't want to do over. And this is now a technique that I use intentionally to add a little bit of texture to my work. So first, you can use a small paint brush and some of the ink from the marker to help redefine your letter if needed. So I still had some ink on my palette, so I just picked up some of and add it to this letter E. Then you're going to add a bit of water to the color on the palette to create a liquid watercolor consistency. Then you're going to use it to splatter some across your latern. And also use some clean water to add splatters as well. You're going to allow that to sit for maybe ten or 15 seconds and then use a dry paper towel to lift the color. Your lettering note should have a distressed appearance. So you're going to add a black shadow or an outline just to help define each letter and separate it from the background. So when you're finished with today's project, it is now time to share your work in the project gallery. So you're going to head to the projects and resources section, simply tap on the pencil icon over your project and then add in a photo of today's project. That's it for day two of this challenge, I will see you in the next lesson where we explore a more manual blending technique. 8. Day 3: Spot Blending: So far, the first few gradients we've created have been pretty simple, a little unpredictable and didn't require too much manual blending. But in this lesson, we're going to do some blending that takes a bit more time, but you're going to have more control over where the color transition happens. For this technique, we'll be using a water brush or a paintbrush and water. So you will need either watercolor or mixed media paper because these can handle wet blending techniques. And we'll also be using our markers directly onto the paper. So I'd recommend using markers that can handle this without being damaged. Also like to use markers that are already frayed or worn down to do this because I'm not able to letter with them anymore, but they still have ink in them that can blend really well. For the colors, you're going to choose three or four that you know will blend well. For me, that is pink, purple, a light blue, and a dark blue, along with a gray marker that will act as the base for your lettering. If you don't have a light enough gray, you can use a pastel color in the similar color family as the colors that you're going to be blending. First, you're going to write out your word in the lighter color. I love using the Tombon 95 as a base for all my color combinations, as this color is neutral enough that it doesn't affect the outcome of the colors that I'm blending on top of it. If the marker is too dark, it can alter the color of the blend. Which is something that we don't want. Then you're going to add your colors on top of the lettering, and it's always best to work in small sections at a time. So maybe add two or three colors and then start blending. Some markers start to dry into the paper a lot quicker than others, and taking too long to blend them can result in harsh lines instead of smoother color transitions. Then you're going to grab your water brush, and I like to start by adding some water where the colors meet to help activate the color, and then I go over the entire letter. This helps make everything feel a little more cohesive and also gives it a more watercolor like effect. So you're just going to repeat adding color and blending it with your water brush until you have added your color to the entire word. Do die. Di Di. Do. Die, die. King and Once you're finished with your lettering, you are free to add any embellishments you like or leave it as it is. I'm adding a negative shadow if you'd like to add one. You can simply sketch a shadow away from the lettering using a pencil and then go back in with a gray marker and add a line next to that pencil line. I'm also adding a white highlight in the opposite corner of the letter to complete this. Y This method of placing colors in a specific spot and blending them is also great for creating a three D effect. So to practice this, you're going to need three shades of a specific color. I'm using green, so I have a light green, a meton green, and a darker green. And I'm using block letters for this technique, and I also have them overlapping just so that you can easily see how you will achieve the three D effect. Then you're also going to identify where your highlights and your shadows will be. My highlights will be in the upper left corner of each letter and my shadow is going to be in the bottom right. This is important because you're going to place your colors in specific spots. You're going to start with your midtone color first and you're going to add that color to the side of the letter that is the shadow side. And then I'm going to add my light green to the highlight side. Then you're going to use your blending tool to blend those two colors together. I am using a paintbrush and some water And while that first letter is joining, I'm going to move on and add color to the other letters using that same technique of using the Midtone green on the shadow side and the lighter green on the highlight side. No. You should already be able to see the dimension in these letters, but we're not going to use the darkest color to help enhance it some more. So I am going to place my dark green on the areas where my letters are overlapping. Then I'm going to use a smaller brush to lightly blend it into the letter underneath. H. Then I'm also going to add a small amount of that darkest color to a few key areas on the shadow side. So that, again, for me is the bottom right side of each letter. And to complete this, you can add some shadows and some highlights to these letters to make them pop even more. The di, di. B you think a di di. Think good die. The good d. B it you can think of d. Bye die Once you're done, take a photo of your work and share your project to your existing one in the project gallery. And that's it for this lesson. I'll see you in the next one where we create a vertical gradient. 9. Day 4: Controlled Vertical Gradient: In this lesson, we're going to create a controlled vertical blend where the color transitions from one at the top of the word to another one at the bottom of the word. In this lesson, we're going to be going over the areas where the color transition is happening. So the paper needs to be able to handle this technique without being damaged. I'm using watercolor paper because it can handle the layers of color. And again, I'm using bash pins that are already worn down for this technique. So you're going to start by writing out your word with your lighter color, which for me is pink. Then we're going to divide our lettering into three sections horizontally. This division can happen mentally, or you can use a ruler and a pencil to draw in these lines so that you have a physical guide to work within. If you are going to use pencil for this, you need to sketch very lightly because once your color goes over that pencil line, it is very hard to remove or sometimes permanent. So once you have these letters divided, the section at the top is where your darker color will be. The section at the bottom is where your lighter color will remain, and the section in the middle will be the transition color, which is a mixture of the two. So now we're going to add the darker color to the entire top section of the letern and then add a small amount to the top of the second section. And as you go, remember to add this color with short flakes rather than with a straight line. Then you're going to use your lighter marker, which is going to be the blending tool in this case to pull some of that darker color into the transition section and blend the two together. If your marker takes in too much of that darker color, you can clean your brush by rubbing it on a piece of scrap paper and then go back and continue blending. And since we're using that same base color, it is going to darken that first layer. So once you're finished blending the colors, clean your brush again and go over the bottom of the letter if needed to get rid of that harsh line between the saturated color and the original color of the first layer. So then you're going to repeat the same techniques to complete the rest of the word. I They to die. Di The think a di di. The good die. The good die. The think think a dime. Die. A dime. Baker a di, di. Big think good die. Ao d. Make take a dime. Die, di. Once you're finished with your blend, you can, of course, add embellishments if you like. Today, I'm adding my signature messy outline, along with a shadow and a highlight. Do di, di. Big ahi a di di. Big think die. Big good die. Make a to think a dime. Bye, die. God. And, and to do. 10. Day 5: Light to Dark Gradient: The graded we're doing in this lesson is the opposite to the one that we did previously. So our colors are going to transition from light at the top to dark at the bottom. The supplies are the same, but this time I'm using a water brush as my blending tool rather than using only markers. And for my color scheme, I'm going to be using a dark and a light purple. First, you're going to start by writing out your word in your latest color. Then add some darker color to the bottom of one letter. Add some water to the area where the color transition will happen just to help activate the colors a bit. I'm also going to go over the rest of the letter with a small amount of water just to help make the color transition appear smoother and also create a watercolor effect. If you notice that you've picked up too much color, simply wipe it off on a piece of tissue, then you can continue blending. Then repeat those same steps for the rest of the word. So you're going to add your darker color at the bottom, and then take your time and blend upwards. O. Think of die. A tick a dime. Die. Mao die. Diet think a dime. Die, die. When you're finished blending, you can add some embellishments. For this one, I'm using a white paint pan to add some dots and starts to my latern. I D. And once you're finished, share your work to the project gallery, and I'll see you in the next lesson. 11. Day 6: Dark to Light to Dark Gradient: Today's blending is a combination of the last two gradients, so the darker color will be at the top and the bottom of the letter with the lighter color in the middle. First, you're going to start by writing your word in the lightest color. Then you'll need to divide your laterd into five sections. Again, this can be mentally or you can use a ruler and a pencil to draw these in if you want to avoid confusion. So add some of your darker color to the top and the bottom of your laterd with just a small amount of that color in the transition area. Then you're going to use your blending tool to activate that color in the transition area and very slowly blend it towards the lighter color. Again, you need to pay attention to how much of that darker color you pick up and then wipe off the excess in a piece of tissue or on a piece of scrap paper, depending on the tool you're using. Repeat those same steps for the rest of the word. Paying attention to how much of that darker color you were picking up to ensure that it doesn't overpower the later one in the middle. In. And to complete this, I'm just adding some dots all across the lettering, and then I'm adding a simple gray shadow. To die, die. Take a good die, die. Die. Take good die. 12. Day 7: Wet On Wet Blending: In this lesson, we're taking a break from blending letters and focusing on creating a really cool wet on wet galaxy background using Karen markers. This is a really great technique if you just want to create a galaxy painting, or perhaps you want to create a background for some lettering. So the first thing we're going to do is prepare our paper. And to do this, simply use some masking or washi tape to secure the edges of the paper onto your surface. This will prevent it from warping when we add our water, and it will also create a very nice white border all around our painting. Once your paper is taped, you can then use a large flat brush to evenly wet the entire surface. You want it to be very glossy and not to have any puddles in any areas. Now we're going to start adding our color. So the reason why I'm using carrying markers for this is because you can press the nip of the marker onto the wet paper wherever you want your colors to appear. The ink will then bleed and it won't damage the nap of your marker. And as you can see, as I continue to add color, the saturation is the same. It doesn't lighten because of the water around it. So that is why I would definitely recommend you try it with the caring markers. Once your colors have been added, you can then use a large paint brush to blend the colors all around the paper. This part can be a little tricky because you can easily overblend an area or you can hide a color so to avoid this, make sure that your brush is completely clean before you start pulling a new color into your white areas. At this stage, you need to also keep in mind which areas you want to remain very light or white because you should avoid pulling your colors into those areas as it will be very difficult to lighten them once the paint has already dried. So continue to blend your colors all around the paper. And if you need to add in more water, simply just take up some with your brush and add it onto the paper. You want to make sure that all of the paper remains evenly wet. You don't want any parts to dry because this will create harsh edges and you want the blend to look very smooth. So after you spread that first set of color, you can then start to build up or intensify your colors. And another fun technique I like to do with the Karen markers is to use a wet paint brush to pull some color directly from the nib of the marker. With this technique, you don't have to worry about damaging the nib of the marker either because the wet paint brush naturally causes the paint to flow into the bristles of the paintbrush, and the nib of the marker doesn't get dried out. If I find that the nib seems to be drying out a little bit, I just switch to another color and give that ink some time to get back into the nib. D. Continue adding and spreading your colors until you're satisfied with that layer. Then allow it to completely dry. If you need to, you can use a gun to speed up the process. The next step is to paint our second layer of color. So you're going to rewrite the paper just like you did in the first step, and you don't want to reactivate any of the colors, so you're going to do this very quickly. And with a large brush so that you don't have to use too many swipes of water across the page. Again, your paper should be glossy without having any puddles. Then you're going to repeat the technique where you add color alternating between using the marker directly onto the paper wherever you want a more saturated version of the color and then using the paint brush with the paint to build up any other areas as well. Once you're finished, adding those colors, simply allow the paper to dry again before we move on to the final layer. We're going to use your black marker to add your black all around the edge of the paper as well as to any other areas that you want dark. During this step, you can also add some of the other colors where you feel they need to be darkened. In. Once you're finished adding your colors, you can allow this liter to dry completely. Then use some type of opaque white ink or paint. This can be gouache or acrylic or even a gel pen to add some stars to your galaxy. Do dike. De. D. Bye, Dob. It, God. And did d, God. And dig. God. Nine. 13. Wrap Up: Congratulations on making it to the end of this seven day challenge. Together, we've explored some basic techniques for creating smooth, colorful gradients using water based brush pens, and I hope you enjoyed blending your colors as much as I have. I am very excited to see your creation, so head to the Projects and Resources tab of this class and share your work along with any other relevant information that you want to include. And don't forget to leave a review, sharing your thoughts on this class. And be sure to follow me on my Skillshare page so that you will be the first to know what I have coming up next. Thank you so much for joining me, and I'll see you soon.