Are you ready to take your coloring to the next level?

Gel pens are an excellent tool to have in your coloring kit if you are looking to create some truly dramatic effects in your artwork. They can be used alone or blended with colored pencils, markers, and watercolors to enhance and highlight your coloring pages and drawings.

Whether you are coloring just for fun or working on honing your artistic skills, here are a few of our favorite advanced techniques to try out with your GelWriters:

Background Coloring

Ah, the eternal question—to color the background, or not to color the background? This video tutorial from artist Cher Kaufman demonstrates an ingenious way to “paint” with gel pens, using shading to fill in large background spaces and create bold outlines. You’ll never fear the blank space again!

Blending and Shading

Blending and shading with just gel pens? Yes, it can be done! Colorist Anna Lee Sanders shows a blending technique that can be used to enhance even the most detailed and intricate coloring pages.

Blending & Shading w/ Gel Pens from Anna Lee Sanders on Vimeo.

Grayscale Coloring

Grayscale coloring books are all the rage right now. You might not think about using gel pens for grayscale coloring—but this video will change your mind! Check out how watercolor artist Nikki Burnett uses gel pens to create dramatic highlights and add details that make her grayscale pages even more amazing.

Sometimes all you need is a GelWriter to make your coloring pop! You can find lots more tutorials, tips, and inspiration on our Pinterest page.

We want to see your coloring techniques—show off your work on our Facebook page and Instagram #gelwriter!