How to create wild & realistic greens in your nature art

How to create wild & realistic greens in your nature art

by | Jun 7, 2025 | Color Studies, Copic/Alcohol Marker Beginner

It seems no matter how many greens are in any medium, it’s never enough – so how do we create wild and realistic greens that we need? 

In something like watercolor you may be familiar with color mixing in a palette, dropping one color into another until it looks right. Or adding a little kick to some marker coloring with a dollop of another color. But how do we strategically make the kinds of rich, realistic greens that Mother Nature serves up?

Tutorial: How to create wild & realistic greens in your nature art 

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

SUPPLIES

Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art

Paper

  1. Neenah Solar White 12″ x 18″ (bought at Kelly Paper)

Markers and pens

  1. Copic Sketch markers BLICK  JACKSONS 
  2. Copic Multiliner BLICK  AMZ  JACKSONS
  3. Uniball Signo White Gel Pen UM153 BLICK   AMZ    JACKSONS

Petioles

The petioles or stems are a yellow green, but not a bright one – and though I’ve drawn plenty of stems with these colors, it became obvious those were far too bright to be realistic! A coat of YG61, a very tan-type-of-green dulled it down just perfectly.

Leaf blade, ball of achenes 

The blade was drawn with many many layers for both texture and color – same with the seed pod – made up of many achenes (akeens). For the lighter details on the latter, I used a gel pen, let it dry, then colored over it to try to tint the white lines with a dark green color so it would dull it down.

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Finishing details

A little ladybug had been sitting on the leaf when I went out to the yard, but I wasn’t smart enough to snap a pic or video first – darn! But a little googling let me add a tiny friend.

Shop for the Original, Prints and more

The original drawing is for sale here. Care for a print to hang on your wall in the mud room? Check prints out here – or a pillow, or a bag….lots of options!

Free gifts & news for my Ohuhu artist friends

Free gifts & news for my Ohuhu artist friends

by | May 27, 2025 | Copic/Alcohol Marker Beginner

Today’s post comes at you with a story – and a big THANK YOU!

 

If you’ve followed along here for the last few years, you might know while I love my alcohol markers, I don’t love them all. And if I don’t like something very much then I give it to someone who will totally love it. When I tried the 320 set of Ohuhu markers I wasn’t super pleased; I know some think they’re awesome and for your projects they may well be. But I gave mine to a school after making the original hex chart as a service to so many of you who I know use the pens.

Over the ensuing years I’ve gotten so many questions about why I wouldn’t add the other new colors to it – part of it was just on principle, if a manufacturer makes more colors but embeds them in big sets that force me to buy multiples of a color…well I’m just not going to play that game. Yes Ohuhu did make their pens available by singles, finally, but the ones to fill in the set just don’t ever seem to be in stock. Again, very annoying if they deliberately left those pens out of the big set, have more in stock more often.   

 

Big ups to Reddit maven MysticSparkleWings*

Thanks to MSW’s posts, I started getting my head wrapped around what made up the “full” Honolulu collection, how it differs from the Oahu collection, and why everyone was seemingly mad at what they got when buying the Japan set on eBay….more of all that coming up in the video and the rest of the post below that.

*MysticSparkleWings isn’t on Reddit anymore, though posts remain; you can find them on many sites like Facebook, Deviant Art etc.

In addition to the many other sets you’d have to get, for me the big bugaboo was the Japan set. There’s ONE set sold in ONE country that’s “included” in the full range of Honolulu (which are the brush/chisel version, and the bullet/chisel use some of the same color numbers but are NOT the same color. Yes more frustration!)…..and no one else can get it. Well at least not without jumping through the hoops of hoping someone on eBay will sell one for a decent price.

At the time of this writing there are some there, but they appear to me to be the NEW set. Because there’s still an only-sold-in-Japan set, but it no longer has 19 unique colors. You may eventually find someone in Japan selling theirs, who knows – but they’ll get more expensive over time. Maybe you can buy a plane ticket that’ll be cheaper! 🙂 (see the shopping list later in this post for what to buy and where to complete your own collection.)

Anyway – if I revamped the Ohuhu chart to have the 320, the three singles that are in sets of 36, and the skintone set, I’d have to face the decision: do I try to figure out what’s in that Japan set? Lots of people complaining about me on Reddit or emailing me about expanding the chart wanted the 363, not just the 344. Whatever I did would be either disappointing to everyone – or hugely expensive for me.

Then a package arrived.

It’s not anything I ordered. (I already did my pre-tariff shopping and nothing’s showing up now.) What was this? Markers? It came via Amazon, with a note from a patron who wanted to gift this to me. The 36 skintone set! 

 

 

 

Then was another dilemma. The original 320 set was gone years ago to a school. Last year after whining to a friend about an Ohuhu/Copic combo hex chart, she decided to buy the 320 set to try it. And forced me to let her lend it to me. HA! (Yes a double hex chart is insanely difficult so I blamed her for weeks for sleeplessness!)

I contacted her to see if she’d re-lend them to me, so I could at least fit the unique colors from the 36 set into the existing chart. And they showed up on my porch.

 

Thank yous!

I offer giant thank yous to Chelle for sending the skintone set – you just blessed the entire coloring community. And you got my message about sending you a little something something. 🙂

And also thanks to Tammy for dropping off her 320 set! You are the BEST. Even if you’re silly enough to buy markers to save me money. 

Video: Free gifts & news for my Ohuhu artist friends

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

Hex Charts

If you have yet to purchase these – here are links! Just tap on the picture. The first is the 320 AND 363 versions of the Ohuhu chart, the second is the chart that has both the 320 Ohuhu and 358 Copics on one chart. That one won’t be updated because I nearly went STIRCRAZY making it once. 🙂 

 

Ohuhu Hex Chart (both 320 and 363) 

 

Ohuhu 320/Copic 358 Combo chart

That pesky Japan set

Below is the graphic from the Japan site….and I’m not so sure I trus these little hearts to tell me what the colors are. Bikerprince posted the swatch page – I did my best to find at least a rough Copic match so I could work on flowing them into the hex chart.

If you have the original Japan set with the unique colors in it, please download this PDF, and follow the instructions – the community thanks you for your help in plussing up the correct placement of those colors!

Download the PDF

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Collect the whole 363 set

Collect the entire 360 set by shopping this way:

  1. Start with the Ohuhu Honolulu 320 Set  Ohuhu  Amazon
  2. Add 3 Honlolulu Singles at Ohuhu:
  3. Skintone 36 set to get the 21 colors  Ohuhu   Amazon
  4. Find a way to get that original Japan/Sanrio set – but be careful! You may get the “newer” set that only has the R090 and E020 in it.

Four chances to WIN

Usually I scribble all over my working charts – arrows, circles, scribbles. But I kept trying to be optimistic that “this is the one” so they stayed mostly clear of a mess. So I’ve mounted them on cardstock and am giving them away! (the colors ARE correct shown with each number, but the chart may not be in correct order. But it’ll work!)

To qualify, pop over to YouTube  to do the following:

  1. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t forget to see if you’re a winner
  2. Give it a thumbs up! Folks are doing that less and less nowadays.
  3. And leave a comment there – tell me which marker brands and sets you have, I’m curious to know! I’ll be announcing the four winners on Saturday’s video!
EASY! Color a dual themed Valentine design motif (Bonus class material)

EASY! Color a dual themed Valentine design motif (Bonus class material)

by | Feb 4, 2025 | Copic/Alcohol Marker Beginner

I’ve been having a lovely time designing while preparing for the new Design Motifs course – and out of a big sketchbook full of ideas that I was noodling around with, I discovered I had a design that could double for both Valentine’s Day and St Patricks Day. Just change up the color and sentiment – boom! 

So while I’ll show you how to do some very easy coloring – with options – this is a new printable, too. That means you can play along with a motif without taking the class. Maybe it’ll get you excited and inspired to try the class too?

Tutorial: Color a dual-themed design motif!  

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

SUPPLIES

Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art

MARKERS

  1. Sandy’s Olo Marker Set 

PAPER

  1. Neenah Cardstock

Copic Acrea Paint Markers 

Note that singles are 3x more on Amazon than Blick, yikes

  1. White BLICK  AMZ 
  2. Gold BLICK AMZ 
  3. All colors and sets BLICK

Single design motif on a card

Whether square or regular sized cards, these motifs can be so pretty! Place them at an angle, or turn them 45 degrees to make a square. A good design will often work in either way! 

Color it up in reds for Valentines, greens for St Patty’s!

Alternate card types

The little three-panel minicards are so sweet – I colored the Valentine with a red background, and the green was left with just wahite background…both are small cards that feel just right for a sweet holiday greeting!

The background sheet can be cut into card backgrounds! Color them in either reds or greens…or go with yellows and pinks to make it an Easter card, or greens and purples for summer….so many options! FIles are included for both of these in the Lucky in Love printable set.

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Lucky in Love Design Motif Printable Set

If you’d like some fun cards to print and color, consider yourself covered! This includes two jpgs, one for the simpler flower, one for the complex one; and a 2 page PDF with those images placed in it and a 3-panel card, as well as a full sheet pattern background. Set is INCLUDED in purchase of Design Motifs class.

If you’d like to help keep me afloat while I’ll be taking some time off this month for medical reasons, this would be a lovely way to help yourself out while helping me. Share with your friends, I bet they’d love to color up some Valentines too!

SHOP NOW

Peacock theme redux!

One last treat – in last week’s newsletter something funky happened to the video link for the peacock-themed motif, and if you didn’t get to see it, well here you go! 🙂 

Christmas Crab Coloring

Christmas Crab Coloring

by | Dec 25, 2024 | Copic/Alcohol Marker Beginner, Copic/Alcohol Marker Inspiration

A super quick post to wish  you a Merry Christmas – with a little crabby art included!

Tutorial: Christmas Cute Crab Coloring

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

SUPPLIES

Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art

Coloring book by Amy Grainger: Animals, Mammals and Fish

Ohuhu 48 marker set 

Have a merry Christmas…see you in 2025!

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Complex Christmas scene shading – in alcohol markers

Complex Christmas scene shading – in alcohol markers

by | Dec 23, 2024 | Copic/Alcohol Marker Beginner, Copic/Alcohol Marker Inspiration

Personal story

 

Tutorial: Complex Christmas scene shading 

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

SUPPLIES

Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art

COLORING BOOK

MARKERS

PENS

  1. Copic Acrea Paint Markers 
  2. Uniball Signo White Gel Pen UM153 BLICK |  AMZ |  JACKSONS

Shading first

Creating all the shadows can come easily if you think of the warm fire – the closer you stand to the flames the hotter you are and the more light shines on you. Your front side is warm and bright,  but your backside is chilly, right? Follow that principle around the room and the shading should start to get obvious. With practice, of course!

Add color

Once that basic shading is done, just adding color flatly onto objects is the easy part! No extra blending is needed for this, though you could select some objects for extra TLC.

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About the Ohuhu markers

Quite a while ago I did a first look at this brand and didn’t like them much. The color system is insane, the naming convention makes no sense, cap colors don’t match….these are dealbreakers for me. I’m not one to judge anything SOLELY on its price – especially with art supplies, they have to be usable. So I didn’t recommend them. And oh did folks get mad.

(It’s one reason why I rarely publicly review anything I do not like; people don’t like hearing that someone doesn’t like the thing they like. And I don’t like getting mean comments.)

I made a quick hex chart with them though, because I still care about the people using products I don’t like – if I had the set in the studio, I would use it to help others. So I did that, then gave away that set of markers to a school, and figured I was done with them.

But since they’re “back,” I figured I’d explain how that happened.

First, an artist friend forwarded me a set of 48 Ohuhus that she had received from a partner she works with. She didn’t like them one bit (doesn’t like alcohol markers) and thought she’d delight me with a surprise package. I was of course sweet about it and thanked her but thought, dang, I thought I was done with these. ha! I created one video using them, and a tiny class, as my offering of gratitude to my friend. And THAT was to be the end.

Until, well, a local artist friend and I had lunch. We were talking about supplies, and she didn’t know a thing about alcohol markers and wanted me to ‘splain. So I did. Even mentioned there are a lot of companies now using the same Chinese markers under different brand names, and she’d seen Ohuhu on Amazon. I recommended she not get those, that I’d lend her some Copics and Olos to try out if she wanted to get into them.

We talked a bit about hex charts too – and I told her I was thinking about making some combo hex charts with two brands on them. I was considering doing that with Olo. And she asked why not the Ohuhu? And….I explained I was not about to drop hundreds of dollars on markers I didn’t like just for a chart, LOL. 

A little time went by and we had lunch again. At which she showed up with…..a full set of Ohuhu Honolulu markers.

“What are you doing with those?”

“Oh I’m lending them to  you,” she said with a grin.

“You’re what?”

“You wanted to make a combo chart. I wanted to play with markers. So you get first dibs to make a combo chart, then I get to learn to draw with these.”

“But I wanted to do that with OLO markers, not Ohuhu.”

Okay, they both start with O. She was a little mortified about misunderstanding – but in all honesty, she wasn’t familiar with any of them. So….I accepted her offer to lend me the pens, which turned into the combo hex chart. 

She was then a sounding board for me when I fully freaked out over someone posting the Ohuhu chart all across facebook for the whole world to download for free. (GAH) As I worked through getting it taken down all over, I also started looking at the posts in these groups, answering art questions for them….and my friend suggested a coloring book class for these folks. 

So she lent me the pens. Again.

I swear these pens are stalking me.

But….I just finished prepping all the lessons for the Coloring Book Basics+ class, and am tickled that I can now return them PERMANENTLY this time to their rightful owner. And I hope I didn’t use up any of her fave colors, ha!

So below you’ll find the regular hex chart, combo hex chart, Warm & Cozy class, and Coloring book class, and I hope this is all. You can always complete any alcohol marker course in any brand – but I want to get back to Olos – I have a fun project to work on coming up in the new year!

Mixing coloring brands and mediums

Mixing coloring brands and mediums

by | Nov 26, 2024 | Colored Pencils, Copic/Alcohol Marker Beginner

I connected with artist Amy Grainger from Australia recently – and she told me about her coloring books. She didn’t know I had a class in the works! But I’ll be including one lesson portion in one of her books. They’re pretty sweet!

 

Tutorial: Mixing coloring brands and mediums

Watch the video below and scroll to the end to leave comments or questions — or click HERE to watch it on YouTube and leave comments over there. I read both dutifully!

Amy’s coloring books

Both are sweet books – the Pomeranian is in memory of her own pup she lost, and I can totally resonate with that feeling. The Animals book has a lot of different critters of all kinds, including some down under!

NOTE: Amy uses AI in the rendering of her images. You know I’ve said before I won’t support AI with all the non-art folks calling theirs art, but Amy does draw, and uses AI in the rendering of the final images. As someone who struggles with getting clean pen and ink lines herself, I get that! 

NOTE: Amy uses AI in the rendering of her images. You know I’ve said before I won’t support AI with all the non-art folks calling theirs art, but Amy does draw, and uses AI in the rendering of the final images. As someone who struggles with getting clean pen and ink lines herself, I get that! 

SUPPLIES

Some product may be provided by manufacturers for review and use. Compensated affiliate links are here at no cost to you. I appreciate your support of my work with your purchases! Full affiliate and product disclosure | My trusted partners in art

HEX CHARTS

CLASS

Coloring Book Basics+

Coloring books by Amy Grainger

Coloring supplies

Mixed line art

One thing that’s nice (or not, depending on the artist?) is that the images are in heavier lines, and the backgrounds are sketchier – which can allow for a bit of watercolor loosely around a colored image. On Friday’s video I hope to have this one painted so I can show you!

Color temperature

The ‘temperature” of a color is just one of its characteristics – is it bluer or redder? Yellow green or blue green? Light is generally going to amp up saturation as well as lighten highlights, and do the opposite otherwise.

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Let the countdown begin!

On Christmas Day the lessons will launch in Coloring Books Basics+ class….in honor of my childhood love of playing with my new art toys! So many coloring books and boxes of 64 colors… 🙂 It’s a great gift to give to someone who needs a little de-stressing or a bit of increased relaxation!

The class will be fine for kids – but will be in pretty much my usual style of teaching, so adults won’t feel like they’re taking a child’s class.

 

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Artist Gift Guide 2024

Visit and shop for others….or ask for something on the list from Santa!