One of my favourite things about Tombow ABT Dual brush pens is the ability to create beautiful eye-popping blended colour effects. This technique I am going to show you, will bring life to any quote or word of your choosing. I hope you have as much fun creating it as I did.
What tools do you need?
Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pens:
- Cool Grey 1 N95
- Lilac 620
- Orchid 673
- Carnation 761
- Pale Yellow 062
- Mint 243
- Sky Blue 451
- Black N15
- Any shade of the following grey - Warm Grey 1 N89 or Cool Grey 3 N75
- Colourless Blending Brush - N00
- A4 Tombow Bristol Board Pad
- Ruler
- Mono 100 HB Pencil
- Mono Zero or Mono plastic eraser
Lets get started!
STEP 1 – Setting up your lettering layout
a)On a piece of A4 Bristol Board paper sketch out your chosen quote or phrase. I have chosen the quote “Don’t Wish For It Work For It”.
b)Once you are happy with the layout of your wording, lightly rub out the pencil line to leave a faint pencil outline which will help guide you when writing with your brush pen. Use either the Tombow Dual Cool Grey 1 N95 or Cool Grey 3 N75, to letter over the pencil lines.
c)Let the ink dry fully on the paper before erasing away any remaining pencil lines.
STEP 2 – Applying and blending your colours
a)Grab colours Lilac 620/Orchid 673/Carnation 761/Pale Yellow 062/Mint 243/Sky Blue 451 including the colourless blending pen N00. I like to take all of the caps off the pens while I work, as it makes it easier to switch between colours more efficiently. These pens can be exposed to air for up to 24 hours, so don’t worry about them drying out while you work.
b)Apply the first two colours to your first letter. I have used Pale Yellow 062 and Mint 243. Before the colours dry, use the N00 blender pen to smoothly combine the colours together. NOTE: Don’t worry of the blender pen picks up the last colour you were working on, to remove this, simply mark it out on a scrap piece of paper. You will see the colour disappear from the tip and return the tip to its original state.
c)Work on one letter at a time, changing the colours as shown in the image below.
STEP 3 – Working on the block letters
- Using the mono tip end of the Black N15 pen, outline all your lettering to ensure correct placement of your letters. Then, go over each letter to neaten up the outlines and fill them in.
STEP 4 – Adding shading and shadowing details
a)Take the Cool Grey 3 N75 pen and use the mono tip end to apply shading around selected areas of each letter, as shown in the image below. I often like to go over these lines a second time, to make them darker and add more definition.
b)Using the Cool Grey 1 N95 pen, apply further shadowing with the brush tip end. You can add even more definition with a black fine liner pen of your choosing.
c)Using the Orchid 673 pen colour, apply shadowing to your black block lettering. Due to the water colour nature of these pens, the black ink can be drawn into the lighter shade ink. To avoid this, every time you apply a line of Orchid 673, make sure to scrub out any black on the pen tip by using a scrap piece of paper.
d)There we have it! A beautiful motivational piece of artwork to hang on your wall or use as a template to create a card design for someone special.
I would love to see how you get on, so please tag me in to your creations on Instagram and Facebook @illyboodesigns using the hashtag #tombowskills