Copic Coloring of Brunette Hair

 

I thought I’d do a photo tutorial to show you my personal technique for coloring brunette hair.  I like to use several shades of brown Copic markers – light, medium & dark - to give the hair LOTS of  glimmers of  low-lights, highlights and reds, as if the sun were shining to catch each color!  

Once again, please keep in mind, I am not a Copic instructor, I just love my Copic markers!  

 [You can click on any of the photos for a closer view.]

Here’s a list of the markers I used to color my image, from lightest to darkest.   (Of course, these are all available for the best price in town at 7 Kids College Fund!)  

 

E000 - Pale Fruit Pink;  E50  -  Egg Shell;  E51 - Milky Way;  E53 – Raw Silk;  E31 – Brick Beige;  E43 – Dull Ivory;  E37 – Sepia;  E39 – Leather;  E29 – Burnt Umber; E47 – Dark Brown; and E49 – Dark Bark.

 

And, a picture of the AMAZING  lineart image I will be coloring.  (More details on how to download this image can be found here.)

Lady Rose Dragon

 

My first step is to color the entire hair area with my second lightest color, E50.  This step is actually quite similar to coloring wood (see my tutorial here), there is no need to worry about streaks since lots of other colors will be applied on top of this.

E50

 

Moving on to the next darkest color, E51 – I add streaks throughout the hair area.

E51

 

Note:  As Marianne Walker (I Like Markers) suggests, always use a light feather stroke when coloring hair, and always go in the direction of the hair strands.

 

I continue to add feathered streaks, each time with a slightly darker color…intermittently throughout the hair area. 

 

E53

 

E31

 

E43 for some medium shaded low-lights ~

E43

 

E37 ~ a slightly auburn color for some red highlights

E37

 

E39 ~ a darker auburn color for some red low-lights

E39

 

E29 ~ the start of your darker brown colors to begin the brunette hair color

E29

Please note:  The darker streaks may appear a little harsh at this point, but keep in mind you will be going back later and blending with your lighter markers.

 

E47 ~ A darker brown ~  for the areas I want to appear darker and more shaded, such as the hairline

E47

 

And the last dark brown, E49, used sparingly, only at the hairline for the effect of a darker root color

E49

 

I now begin the blending process  ~  lightening some of the darker highlights and blending all the colors somewhat.  Remember to also do your blending in streaks, to retain some of the lighter highlight colors. 

 

I begin this blending process with E43, moving on to E31, then E53, all the way back to E50.

E43, 31, 53, 51 & 50

 

My final step is to go over any area that I would like to appear lighter and to blend any areas that remain too dark for my liking, with my lightest color – E000. 

 

Yay!   This is my completed brunette hair image.

E000 - Blending

 

And, finally, here’s the image with the other elements colored and some flower embellishments added.  

 

 

I know this tutorial uses LOTS of Copic markers, and I’m sure you can skip one or two from each group – light, medium and dark - to also attain a suitable brunette hair color.  However, as I mentioned, I just LOVE to see all the low-lights, highlights and reds on my images with brunette hair! 

 

Thanks for following this….I hope it was helpful to you. PLEASE don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions.

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