How to Use the AspireColor Colorless Blender Marker

When you first examine your AspireColor Colorless Blender marker, you'll probably wonder how to use it! The Colorless Blender's alcohol-based solution is the base of all AspireColor markers but without added pigment. This special marker is used to create several effects in your art and is often used as a correcting pen to remove unwanted color.

Is the blender pen the only way to blend colors?

No, absolutely not! This is a common misconception. In most cases a blender pen should not actually be used to blend colors together. You should be using the lighter of the two color shades you’re trying to blend instead. For example, if you are trying to blend a light and medium blue together, you will want to come back with the light blue and work in a circular motion where the two meet to blend them into a transitional shade.

Common Uses of the AspireColor Colorless Blender

• Adding highlights - the Colorless Blender is a great tool for lightening an area that is too dark. To lighten an area, simply add your Colorless Blender. To add highlights, start in the middle of the lightest area. Push the darker color outwards in the direction where the highlighted accent will be. If the highlighted area needs to be lighter, let it dry a little and repeat.

• Fading to white - start with an area where you've only colored the edges. Color from the lightest spot out toward the edges. Color almost to the edge, but not over.

• Fixing mistakes - it is easy to use the pushing qualities of the colorless blender to fix mistakes. (Don't forget to test the paper as some will work better than others.) Color from the outside and push the color back into the image using the Colorless Blender. Don't color over the line, instead color up to the line. The dye builds up in front of the blender and creates a small ridge of color. The trick is to hide this ridge under the ink line.

• Adding texture & patterns - patterns can be added to colored areas simply by touching the tip of the Colorless Blender to a DRY colored area on uncoated papers. If the base color isn't dry the shape will be fuzzy.

• Blending colors together - combine colors at junctions with the colorless blender. The result will be a smoother color transition.

Start playing with your AspireColor Colorless Blender! Share your artwork with us by tagging us in your social media post. Happy creating!

Elements of this article first appeared in these articles: one, two, three, and four!