You will need this material:
- ABT Dual Brush Pen (colors used: 569, 992, 312, 772, 817, 757)
- MONO Drawing Pen (tips 003 and 005)
- Tombow Water Brush (brush with water reservoir)
- MONO Multi Liquid Glue
- Tombow Maxi Power Tape Glue
- Fudenosuke Brush Pen with soft tip
- Watercolor paper
- an art journal
- Tombow palette from the Blending Set.
- Illustrations to print on 200 g mixed-media paper in A4 format (for download)
- Scissors
- A small piece of cotton thread
- A patterned paper that matches the colors
- A glass of water (for cleaning the brush)
- A cloth (for dabbing the brush)
Do you need more of this?
Step 1:
First, separate the different illustrations from one another—it's easier to work with small pieces of paper than with a whole A4 sheet.
Step 2:
Use the palette or plate to apply the colors from your Tombow ABT Dual Brush Pens. It’s really easy: just rub the pen across the surface. The more ink you apply, the darker the shade will be.
Dilute the ink with water from the brush—the more water you add, the lighter the color will be.
Step 3:
Use the brush to apply a little more color in specific areas; this creates soft color gradients that convey a sense of light and shadow.
Another technique: You can apply a little color directly with the felt-tip pen to a corner of the illustration (in this case, the jam jar) and then blend that color with the waterbrush.
Step 4:
Once your coloring has dried, you can add details—still using the Dual Brush Pens (use the brush tip or the fine tip as needed).
With the Tombow MONO Drawing Pen, tip 03, you can trace all the outlines of the illustrations. For small details, you can use tip 005.
Step 5:
Use the Tombow Fudenosuke to trace the lettering in the illustration: Press firmly with the tip during the downward stroke and ease up on the pressure during the upward stroke—this technique is called “brush lettering.” The principle is simple: the harder you press, the thicker the stroke becomes (in the filled-in areas), and the more you ease up on the pressure, the finer it becomes (on the upward strokes). This variation creates a beautiful calligraphic effect.
The phrase needs to be cut out like a large label. Draw several lines on both sides—they don’t have to be perfect; on the contrary, they can even be a little shaky.
Step 6:
Apply the different colors of your Dual Brush Pens to small rectangles of watercolor paper using the water-tank pen. This lets you embellish your page while sticking to the same color combination—it looks like a color swatch.
Once the paint has dried, tear off the four edges of each color swatch. The torn edge creates a different effect than the elements that were cut out with scissors.
Step 7:
Now prepare the background on your art journal page: Using the same felt-tip pen colors you’ve already used, create a few areas with small clouds of color and a few splatters by lightly dabbing with your brush, which you’ve soaked in liquid (water + paint). Let your background dry.
Step 8:
Start with the patterned paper and attach the various elements using either Tombow Maxi Power Tape or MONO Multi Liquid Glue, depending on the thickness of the paper. Glue the label onto the jam jar and secure the cotton thread with the Maxi Power Tape. Then place the jam jar on top and secure it with the MONO Multi Liquid Glue. This gives you plenty of time to align the elements. Let your creativity run wild—combine and layer the motifs however you like. Finally, add small details such as chocolate chips or hearts.
Done!
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