Colour Blending for Hand Lettering
When I am browsing inspiration for new lettering ideas, some of the most eye-catching pieces are often coloured beautifully with a variation of shades or even complete rainbow colours throughout either the words or each individual letter. Although this blending of colours looks like a very advanced technique, it can actually be simple to achieve using a range of different mediums, as I will show you here.
Looking for new ideas? Discover more lettering and modern calligraphy in our inspiration gallery!
Colour-blending with Chameleon pencils
This technique can be achieved with any colouring pencils, although the soft and highly pigmented lead of Chameleon pencils makes it very simple to blend the colours together. They are especially good at showing up on darker cardstock and paper.
MATERIALS
kraft cardstock
pencil
grey brush pen
Chameleon pencils
white gel pen
SIMPLY MAKE
- Using the template provided, trace or transfer the outlines to a piece of kraft cardstock with a pencil. Draw as lightly as possible to avoid pressure marks on the card.
- Go over the brush-lettered words with a large brush nib in a pale colour. This will give you the accurate thick and thin lines to colour in.
- Plan your colours, then shade in the top and bottom of each letter using a pale colour of pencil. Keep your lines going with the grain of the letter for an easier blend. Leave the middle third of each letter clear.
- Take a darker shade of the same colour and fill in the centre third. Working in the same direction again, go up to and over the lighter-coloured edge. Take your lighter pencil again and go back over the area where the two colours join to help the blend if needed.
- Colour in the banners using a white pencil, then shade the edges and shadows with a darker colour. Trace over the letters in a dark colour, keeping your pencil as sharp as possible for clean lines.
- Draw a line around the right and bottom edges of each of the brush-lettered words using a white gel pen to define them. Pencil lines can get a little grainy, and this will help sharpen them to ensure your words really pop!
Lou’s top tip
Over-working the blends can result in worn paper underneath. Prevent this by working lightly and gradually building up the colours over each other without too much pressure
Blending watercolour inks
Ink and a brush can be a daunting technique to try, especially if you haven’t experienced much in the way of painting before. However, with very little practice you can soon be blending those colours together like a pro! Use a watercolour card to prevent any wicking and keep your edges neat.
MATERIALS
white cardstock
Royal Talens Ecoline watercolour inks
watercolour brush
SIMPLY MAKE
- Lay down your first colour over your entire letter. Use your lightest colour for this. A small, round watercolour brush will allow you to easily create thin and thick strokes in the same way as you can with a brush pen.
- Carefully drip a little of your darker colour into the end of your letter whilst the first colour is still quite wet. Watch it bleed into the letter shape for a few seconds before deciding if you need to add a little more colour or not.
- Clean your paintbrush and dry most of the water from it. Use this to blend the two colours together, adding small amounts of water if needed.
Lou's Top Tip
You don’t have to use ready-mixed watercolour inks. You can also use a very watered-down paint, along with a stronger mix of the same colour.
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Two-tone pen colours
Many of the pens you may already have at home will be water based, and you will be able to create this look with them. This technique works well with both contrasting colours and slight shade blends.
MATERIALS
white cardstock
Royal Talens Ecoline watercolour inks
water-based brush pen
SIMPLY MAKE
- Either drip your dark coloured ink onto the nib of a light-coloured water-based brush pen such as Ecoline pens, or dip the end of the pen into the ink for a second. You may want to experiment first with how quickly your pen will change back to its original colour before creating your final piece.
- Begin writing as normal with your brush pen, watching the colour change as you go. If you want to speed up the transformation, have a piece of scrap paper to hand to scribble out some of the ink between letters.
- When your colour is around halfway back to the original, to lengthen the blend dip the same pen into a mid-coloured ink. This will give you a longer and smoother blend. If you skip this stage, your colour may suddenly become the pen’s original colour very quickly.
Lou's Top Tip
Some pen and ink blends will clear from the first colour to the second very quickly, and others will take a long time. Practise first on the same paper as your final project to decide whether your colours will transform through each letter, word or even gradually through the whole piece as mine has.
WHY NOT TRY?
Another simple but effective way of creating seamless blends of colour is by picking up the ink from one of your pens onto the nib of another pen. It is best to try this with pens of the same brand to ensure that you have the same water/pigment ratio, and that you don’t stain your nibs
- On a resistant surface such as acetate, acrylic or even some plastic packaging, lay down some ink from your darker pen.
- Swipe through this ink with your lighter pen. Picking up only a small amount will result in a quick fade through to the original colour and vice versa.
- Start writing your words. Trial the colours first as you may be surprised by the combination outcomes. For example, here yellow with blue is a green. With some other pens, the blue would show through stronger to begin with.
- Continue through your word until you reach your end colour. Practise lots of different colour blends for some beautiful and unusual mixes.