Layering Copic Colours to Create a Beautiful Night Sky Effect

I'm back this week with another idea with many uses - layering your Copic colours, for a beautiful though abstract result.  I often hear Copic beginners expressing their frustration with learning to blend, well while you are mastering blending why not play with layering.  Layering colours is much easier, gives interesting and unexpected results and can be used on many projects.  I have used this to create a journal page, but you could easily use this as an amazing way to colour clothing on a stamped image, create a beautiful name tag, a stunning background or anything else you can think of!

For this page I have used:

• X-Press It Blending Journal
• Copic Markers: Colorless Blender '0', N0, N1, N3, BG11, B13,  B69, B79, RV06, RV09, BG94, B97 & B99
• Molotow Extra Fine Paint Marker

 To create this page:

Start by stamping, printing or writing onto the lower right of your page.

Using very pale Neutral Grey (or Cool Grey) colours roughly draw the outline of a hole onto your page.  This will be used as a guide for the final step so don't spend too much time on this.

Next add BG11 and BG13 and blend slightly - just enough so the colours look smooth.

Add B69 and then darken using B79.

Where the B69 borders the BG11 or BG13, pounce the BG11 over the darker colour - this will make the darker blues go a little mottled and cloudy and add some of the aqua into the blue.

Add a hint of RV06 and darken with RV09.

Where the Cerise borders the blue, layer RV09 over the blue, while these colours will not blend, a little of the Fuchsia will be introduced into the blue.  In doing this, you are introducing a hint of one colour into another - your finished result will be much nicer.

Then use BG49 to add a little more depth - I have used it to create something of a pattern.

Darken the image by layering B97 and B99, both over and around the existing colours.  I've also used these to outline my 'hole' in the paper.

Continue to add more layers (using the method of pouncing one colour over another where 2 dissimilar colours meet) and fill in any pale spots with the colours you have already used.  I have tried to create patterns that look vaguely cloudlike (you could refer to photos of the night sky for ideas if you like).

To finish I have used B79 and B99 to add fine lines and outlines to some of the patterns.

Flick paint from the tip of a Molotow Paint marker over your coloured image and carefully draw some starbursts.  Leave to dry.

See how the white paint really makes the colours 'pop'.

To finish the page scrunch up some paper, tear a hole to match what you have drawn  (this is a tiny bit fiddly) and roll back the edges of the paper around the hole.  To make sure this stays exactly as is, glue down the rolled paper pieces.

Between the starkness of the white page and the depth of colour, this really leaps out at you.  This is a really simple way to use colours that don't naturally go together, just remember to keep layering until you are happy with the result and pounce one colour over another so that there are no harsh edges.

Hoping you all have a wonderfully creative week,
Kate