Making a Sunset Background with Copic Markers

Sunsets and scenes are so much fun to make with Copic Markers. If you’re a Copic expert, I’m sure you’ve done this a million times, but I’m fairly new, and I was amazed! I’ll show you how to make a sunset background using Copic Markers

My Mom had these great stamps with Canada Geese and trees on them. We’re in Wildlife Country, USA, so ducks, geese, and other wildlife are very popular here.  They work perfectly with sunset backgrounds.

I saw some tutorials on Pinterest using stamp pads to make sunset backgrounds, and I thought…..Oooh I bet I could do that with my Copic Markers.  We have the most beautiful sunsets here in Maryland, and I have a wonderful view of them from my front yard.  I chose marker colors that imitated the bold yellows, oranges, pinks, and purples of the dusky sky.

I started at the bottom with the lightest colors making horizontal strokes.  Then I added a darker shade, overlapping it with the lighter colors.  Each time I changed colors, I worked on blending it into the previous color.  Because the purple is so bold, it didn’t blend well with the other colors, but I kept playing with it and layering on more ink until I got a sunset background that I liked.  My blending isn’t perfect and I wish the colors had bled into each other a bit more, but I still like the look.

Sunset Background Examples

When I was finished, I stamped the trees and geese in black.  I used a black marker to make it look like a mountain at the bottom of the tree line.  I had trouble finding paper that matched my sunsets.  These are more masculine cards, but the colors that matched best were purples and oranges.

I wanted this Canada Goose to look like it was in a field with the sky behind it.  I layered shades of green on the bottom and blues on the top.  The goose and cat tails are from a Stampin’ Up Set called Wetlands.  Since the goose is larger, and I wanted the sunset background to show, I kept the layout simple with just a small punched edge at the bottom.

I wanted this goose to look like he was standing in the grass with a golden sunset behind him and a little bit of water in front of him.  It didn’t turn out like I planned, but it still looks neat!  If you haven’t tried to make a sunset background, using your Copic Markers I hope you will.  It’s very therapeutic, putting all those gorgeous colors on paper.  I think it actually help me to understand how colors blend as well, so it was good practice.  It helped me to make more elaborately colored cards like this Blue Bell and Hedgehog Card.

Here is another variation of the same technique.  The purple and orange blended a little better on this card.  What I like best about making sunsets and backgrounds with Copic Markers is that no two will ever be the same!  Also, once you choose colors that work, you can’t really mess it up.

I hope you will use your markers to make sunset backgrounds.  I’m sure that other types of markers will work.  Follow my Copic Marker Pinterest Board to see my other cards, get tips, and see color combinations.