Coloring Simple Bushes, Part 2

I got busy and never really got a chance to finish up yesterday's post, so here is a last, simple way to add texture into your flat bushes, or anything you want to not look flat and smooth.

Adding Texture to Marker Colored Areas
For this technique I'm using a bottle of our colorless blender solution. These come in big bottles, which is good because I have a tendency to suck through the blender solution quickly. Also, do this technique FIRST before adding your detail areas so you don't mess up anything you have in front of the textured bushes. Try this on a scratch area first before you color your finished area.

1. Roughly scribble in my base colors. You don't have to be too careful, you just need some kind of color on your paper. Let this dry before moving on so you get the most crisp effects (drying time varies by paper type).

2. Wrinkle up a paper towel. Make a little wad in your hand that has lots of nice small lumps and wrinkles- not a smooth folded paper towel.

3. Soak the wadded area with blender solution. Not too much, just enough to dampen.

4. Carefully dab onto your colored bushes. The longer you hold it in one spot, the stronger the contrast. You'll want to work fairly quickly so that the blender doesn't evaporate off the paper towel.

5. The more you dab, the more the the colors will mush together. This is a great way to hide or fix mistakes. This really lightens areas as well, so it helps if you made something too dark.

Anything with alcohol will react with the markers to some degree. Rubbing alcohol, will work, though it won't be as strong or predictable as Copic blender. Also try little dabs of hand sanitizer- the alcohol will react much slower and separate the dyes in strange ways, but you can watch it slowly react with your colored area and when it gets the look you want, carefully wipe it off.

This will work better on some papers than others. Soft papers will not give you crisp edges. Thick papers might take longer to react. If it doesn't seem like your effect is working, then try it on a different paper.

Here is my finished project. I used a 0.1mm multiliner to add bushes behind this sweet Wendy Papillion stamp by Stamping Bella. Then I colored them with G12 and G24 and let it dry. With a wadded paper towel soaked in blender I added texture. Look at how interesting the bushes are now. Then I finished coloring the picture Image: Wendy Papillon by Bella Stamps Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black Other: Multiliner 0.1mm, Paper towel, Copic blender solution.