Color Theory for Violet Alcohol Markers

Episode 10 - Violet Bearded Iris Demonstration

It’s hard not to like purple and the Violet family of Copic Markers look so pretty!

But the color theory techniques we’ve used in previous episodes of our Color Theory lessons don’t work well with the V family.

Have you looked at what’s across the color wheel from violet? How do you shade with yellow????

Complementary underpainting for violet simply doesn’t work with markers.

In Episode 9 of our Applied Color Theory lessons, we selected a violet blending combination with a twist plus a gorgeous underpaint.

Now in Episode 10, you can watch as Amy puts our violet marker and pencil selections to use on the Bearded Iris practice image.

Resources & Learning Aids

FREE video at YouTube

In this episode, Amy colors realistic violet Bearded Iris with a light and dark blending combination using the colors we selected in Episode 9: Violet Swatching.

Amy shows you how to shade and desaturate violet using a combination of green and gold markers and pencils.

Supplies and colors are listed at the bottom of this page

Did you miss Episode 9? watch it here:

Amy’s 4x4 Bearded Iris

TIP: Copic V markers skew warm as they get lighter

As we saw with V-Zeros and V-Teens, the lighter the color, the pinker it looks.

TIP: Value and saturation are more important than matching the color in the photo reference exactly

Value = lighter/darker Saturation = how dirty the color is. We create shade with value and saturation, so as long as we choose appropriate shade colors, it will look like a dimensional iris even if the violet isn’t a direct match.

TIP: Yellow ink is not as dark as you think

The last number on the yellow caps (the value) is often wrong by 3, 4, or even 5 steps. Yellow ink has a ton of solvent in the mixture which means a “dark” yellow often isn’t as strong as you expect for shading. The extra solvent can also damage darker markers.

Purchase the Kit

Color along with Amy - Summer 2023 Color Theory kit

This kit covers THREE months of YouTube lessons: June, July, and August.

Easy PDF digital downloads include:

• 3 flower blossom PNG digital stamps—

  • Forget-Me-Not (episode 8)

  • Iris (episode 10)

  • Rosebud (episode 12)

• 3 PDF worksheets (June, July, August) targeting specific colors from the photo reference

• Amy’s PDF Copic color wheel

Free Photo Reference

Our iris photo reference provides lots of violet and purple inspiration.

References are important because you can’t color realistic violet until you can see realistic violet… and not until you know your violet from your purples!

Download the free photo reference from Pixabay here.

After You’ve Practiced…

Swatch violet markers and color along with Amy using the small bearded iris line art in the Summer 2023 kit.

Once you’ve practiced a few times and feel comfortable, use the same marker and pencil selections on a larger iris project.

Bearded Iris - Digital Line Art

Ideal for Copic Marker, colored pencil, watercolor or mixed media

Illustrated by Amy Shulke.

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Read More

Color with Violet and Blue Violet

Designed for large scale, realistic coloring. Amy’s illustrations are drawn with minimal texture marks or decorations to let your marker art shine.

Take a Class

Amy has classes featuring yellow and yellow coloring technique

Or focus on blending skills

More About Violet Markers

Supply List

(to be updated after Amy selects markers and pencils in the June 16th livestream)

Previous Color Theory Episodes: