Organic Greens

Real shade is not darker color, real shade is desaturated color.

To create the desaturated colors that Copic Marker does not make, Vanilla Arts Company teaches Online Workshops and Livestream Coloring Challenges using the underpainting method. Students learn to layer colors realistically rather than blend.

Underpainting creates natural colors found in everyday life.

Gentle Green

Elena’s Advice:

I love to color flowers— everything from a single tulip to something exotic like Bird of Paradise. But with flowers come leaves and stems and all the odd shades of green.

It’s really important to find the right color for greenery. Don’t just grab any green marker combo, really think about it first.

This flower here has such a natural and soft green. You’ll be surprised at how I recreated this green, but try it! I am sure you will enjoy how a pinkish red under a muted green makes it even more gentle.

Start with a base layer of your R85 marker (don’t be afraid of this strong marker) and add a coat of YG67. Top that with a layer of YG25, and finish with YG63.

You need enough generous layers of ink for the blend to happen! And patience too. It is important to give the Copic ink time to blend.

Green Workshops & Digital Stamps

Vanilla Arts Company - Artichoke

Vanilla Arts Company - Peppermint Amaryllis

Violeta Ink - Online Coloring Classes

Further Reading:

Artistic Coloring - Adding Creativity to Your Copic Projects: Your Brain Lies!

Art Supplies: Worthless if You Never Take Them Off the Shelf

Looking for More Underpainting Combinations?

Elena Cazares is a Vanilla Arts student and a budding online instructor with beautiful sense of color and style. She is a hurricane of positive creative energy.

Elena runs Violeta-Ink.com, an online boutique shop specializing in Copic Markers and coloring accessories.

Join Elena’s Copic Facebook group here for news and updates. Watch her YouTube cardmaking series here.