DIY Blending Palette

Friends, did you know that you can take your lettered projects to another level by blending your markers? It’s true, and it’s really easy to do! There are several ways you can blend the Tombow Dual Brush Pens, but my favorite is using a blending palette. You can buy one, but it’s also super easy and much less expensive to make your own. Here’s how I created a DIY Blending Palette and you can too!

DIY Blending Palette

You’ll need:

white card stock
markers
laminator and laminating pouch
scissors

Step 1: Decorate one side of a 4 x 6″ piece of cardstock if you like.
You can always choose to leave it blank and use both sides interchangeably, but I decided to actually practice some of my blending. I used Tombow Dual Brush pens in various shades to write the word “Blend” in 3-D Print style.

Blending Palette for Hand Lettering

Step 2: Place your piece of cardstock in a laminating pouch and run it through a laminator.
I got this Scotch Thermal Laminator for Christmas, but you can find it for less than $22 on Amazon. It comes with two pouches, then you just buy more as you need them, or you can get a combo kit for just $30 that includes the laminator and 20 pouches. The pouch is closed at the bottom and open on the top and sides. You just place whatever you’re laminating inside, place it in the back of the laminator and the machine does all the work.

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I didn’t want to waste the top part of my pouch, so I laminated another, slightly larger piece of card stock at the same time. This way I have a blending palette to share with a friend who also enjoys hand lettering.

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Step 3: Cut around your card stock.
Regular scissors will do the trick!

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Now your blending palette is ready to use!
Here’s how it works…

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Color on the surface of your palette with whatever colored markers you want to blend. Then, use the clear colored blending marker to mix and pick up the colors. When you write with the marker, it will have taken on the color you picked up until the color runs out and it’s time for you to re-load.

blending

You can also pick up colors from the palette by dipping any of your colored markers in them too! It’s best to use a lighter marker to pick up darker colors. Eventually, as you write, the added color will work its way out and you’ll be left with the color of your original marker.

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Here are a few examples of blended pieces I’ve created:

beautiful2 enough3

It’s that easy, and really adds a cool effect to your lettered projects! What do you think? Is this a technique you’d like to try? Check out all my hand lettering tips and tricks here on the blog and be sure to share your own in our Facebook group One Artsy Mama & Friends!

Disclaimer: The Tombow markers are water based and designed to be able to blend. I can’t say what will happen if you try blending other types of markers. You’re welcome to try with whatever you have, but don’t sue me if yours don’t work. 😉 I need my Starbucks money…haha! Also, note that this post contains affiliate links to the Tombow markers as well as the laminator, so if you click through and make a purchase, you’re helping to support this site.

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10 Comments

  1. Thanks so much for this post…I will need to try this…
    Your samples are beautiful…love the blending…

    1. The cardstock will be laminated on both sides. When you color on it with the pens, you’ll get little puddles of color because the laminating plastic won’t absorb it. That makes it easy to pick up the ink by rubbing another pen {either the clear one or a color} into the ink puddle. Then, you do your actual writing/drawing/coloring on your sketch paper. Does that make sense?

        1. I’m sure that would work, as does a plastic baggie, but both those surfaces move and crinkle while you’re using them. The benefit of the laminated card is that it stays totally flat and still while you work.

  2. Good idea!!
    I used packing tape instead of a laminating sheet because I don’t have a laminating machine and it worked just as well!

  3. Great idea! I was wondering if this method could be used with practice sheets. I do understand that it would change the way the brush pen/ marker moves but maybe you can still get the basic idea of the strokes….

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