Digital Art Community Forum for Artists & Creators

Username: gsd0Ap6EjbZV
Post Date: 2026-04-05 05:24:45

[ATTACH type="full"]2866[/ATTACH][ATTACH type="full"]2867[/ATTACH]The first image is a screenshot of the official swatches, the second is a scanned example off of Reddit. I have been playing about and prefer the inks over markers tool group as there is better blending. But how would I best get the buildup of colour? I know alcohol markers are transparent, so I thought I could pick the darkest swatch for each colour and set it to 33% on glaze but it’s too light…. Then building up the strokes and trying to get the subtle hue shift…. What layer mode would best work for this? When it comes to linear burn or multiply is there a way to set a limit, and once that has been reached any new strokes won’t continue to burn/darken the existing pigment? Any help in figuring this out would be appreciated!

Username: Melampode
Post Date: 2026-04-05 10:24:00

Unfortunately no, none of the modes have a way to set an internal limit. Have you tried using darken mode? When overlapping (the same color), it won't go any further than the active color, so it might work with a medium amount of opacity. Note that overlapping different colors can sometimes cause hue changes, or a more extreme darkening than you might expect (I've seen a saturated blue and red combo go [I]very[/I] dark), but overall, it should be the most effective mode on its own. Another option could be swapping modes (or creating a second copy of a brush set to a different mode), using multiply* until you get close to the maximum hue shift you want, then swap to darken. That'll allow you to have a manual "limit," and if there's still any transparency left (from paper texture, or gaps in the brush itself), you'll be able to fill that in for the "fully saturated paper" step. (Or do the reverse, and use darken until you need to push it a little further with multiply.) *Note that the inks (and markers) have a built in effect similar (or identical?) to multiply, so default mode should work as well. You can also try using the watercolors, and seeing whether any of the three transparency modes serve you well. You can see examples of how each looks in the manual: [URL]https://www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/manual/latest/interface/panel-properties/watercolor/#watercolor-tool-modes[/URL] If you have the Pro version, you can also test whether having Pigments on helps give you a hue shift you like between transparency levels. (There are some blues that look stunning with it on, though it makes reds look much more pink, so there might be some tradeoff.) (Also, I imagine you already have this sorted...but just in case you don't, there's a Copic color set in the Free Assets section of the site that you can pick up, closer to the bottom of this page: [URL]https://www.escapemotions.com/products/rebelle/colorsets.php[/URL])

Username: gsd0Ap6EjbZV
Post Date: 2026-04-09 01:43:32

So I did try darken, and the colours at a lower opacity of just look too muddy still. I did try using the watercolour tool with water set very low and semi transparency and full transparency on but unfortunately it doesn’t allow me to use different blending modes at the same time? I can only use default. I did try the glaze option but the colours didn’t layer as nicely as the transparency settings on the watercolour. I thought maybe my colour picking from the official swatches was the issue, so I tried colour hex codes that were meant to be accurate. Completely off - the colour was brighter and lighter than the fully saturated swatch, for my sample anyway R29 Lipstick red. I also did try the colour pallets linked but the colours were too muted and washed out compared to the real swatches. Not really sure what else to try to get a colour accurate set. [URL unfurl="true"]https://copic.jp/en/color/[/URL]

Username: Melampode
Post Date: 2026-04-09 19:21:51

Aaah, I see, changing the Paint Blending mode deactivates the watercolor's unique modes. Interesting, I thought only the oils prevented using Paint Blending. Well, ideally, one of the watercolor modes would have worked for your purposes, but I'm not sure if they will. (Although, a quick test indicates that the transparent mode might work like a less-strong multiply, perhaps? It seems to build up darkness/saturation, but much more slowly than multiply. It took about 4 overlapping opaque strokes in watercolor transparent mode, to get something visually close to 2 opaque strokes in multiply.) The only other idea I have as far as not building up saturation too fast, without using Glaze mode, is to utilize the Alpha Blending modes with multiple Shapes (similar to the scrape brushes in pastels), to enforce a certain level of transparency that doesn't build up the way lower opacity does. However, if transparency is what's causing the "muddy" issue for you, then I'm not sure that approach would work, either. As for finding a good color set, you could try to keep digging around the internet to see if anyone's done their own scans and corrections, which feel more accurate to you? (I had a similar issue with trying to find an accurate Prismacolor set. The official ones on the site and from the packaging weren't good, and one person's source was just way too digital/saturated-looking. The best I found was from someone who did their own legwork, with a screen calibrator to compare versus the physical in different lighting. Some colors still feel off compared to the few physical pencils I have, but it's overall way better than the others, and the difference could just be my monitor.)

Username: gsd0Ap6EjbZV
Post Date: 2026-04-18 05:24:58

So this screenshot is what I’ve managed so far ? all of the tests apart from the one with the bubble around it are a base brush - normal default at 60% and then for the other passes multiply glaze at 40%. The swatches are from the official website. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it any more accurate. I love rebelles watercolours I just wish there was a way to mimic the way copics pool slightly, and acting like transparent dye rather than paint. I’ve ran into a weird issue as well, maybe it’s how pigments work, but I can’t get my brush to darken with multiple layers on default blending mode, normal paint mode with the pigments toggled on. It also ignores the opacity pretty much. The only way I get any stacking is to have it set to glaze and multiply/colour burn or linear burn. Is this normal? (Sorry for the late reply - I really appreciate your help!) [ATTACH type="full"]2928[/ATTACH]

Username: Melampode
Post Date: 2026-05-07 20:51:39

Those look quite close to me! I'm glad you've managed to find a handful of settings that seem to work decently well, at least if you're careful about how much you layer over an area. If you end up finding that some colors need different settings (percentage, Paint Blending mode, etc.), it might be useful to build more than one color set for yourself. (Or moving some colors to a new one, if you've already finished.) That way, you don't have to try to remember which brush to use for what colors. (I.e., these oranges are working well with the settings you've got. But you might find that some of the purples don't, or that especially light/dark colors need to be handled differently.) As for the slight pooling, how much water are you using? You've got the Dip Pen selected, which is at 1, but I see you've also got a couple Copic brushes set up. If those area also at 1, I'd recommend upping it by one at a time to see if just a [I]hair[/I] more lets it behave in a way you like (up to 6 or 7 at the max, I'd say). Maybe even letting your base brush be lower and the glaze one(s) slightly higher (or vice versa), since the amount of water on the page impacts how much new brush strokes bleed/soften at the edges. You might also want to adjust the Visual Settings -> Texture Influence to be higher, if you're wanting the paper texture to shine through more. And/or raise the Paper Texture Strength just a little (probably not much more than one grid box up), and set the Paper Texture Scratch to Dark Texture. That'll help the pigment apply to and (if you've got enough water) settle in the dark areas more, leaving the raised parts slightly lighter, as it looks like the example swatches are. Another option might be using Structures, which you can turn on and off as you need (including in the middle of water diffusion, if it lasts long enough or you utilize Pause Diffusion). (Also, if you do increase the water, be mindful of the Tilt function and whether it's doing what you want. I noticed in the sceeenshot it's active and set to a strong angle.) Ah, after some testing, it does indeed turn out that having Pigments on prevents the tool-specific, built-in layering effects (most notable for markers, inks, and watercolors, with the latter's unique mode icon greying out). It also deactivates the ability to use Layer Blending Modes, and did the same things in R7. With that in mind...if the ink and marker effects are unique, rather than essentially being "Default works the same as Multiply(/etc.)," I wonder if the devs [I]could[/I] make adjustments to the math for those tools to add a cap on how much it darkens (perhaps by creating a curve or the like). I have no idea if that's feasible, because I don't know how the math works, but that's got more potential than adjusting Multiply/etc. modes themselves (which exist in other art programs, so it's best if they stay the same for consistency). (And I'm sorry for [I]my[/I] late reply, in turn!)

Username: Ruskul
Post Date: 2026-05-09 01:44:28

In regards to color not darkening past a certain point - In the water color defaults (with pigments), any time you are using a tint the program seems to treat it more or less like you mixed titanium into the paint... consequently, it never darkens past that point. This is hard because you need to select really saturated shades of what ever color you want and the pigment engine will layer it up nicely, reaching rich darks but also going through vibrant tints. I wish there was a mode where you could select an actual tint (say pink) and have rebelle assume you actually picked the base pigment and are painting with that, so it darkens to red, then deeper.

Username: gsd0Ap6EjbZV
Post Date: 2026-05-10 03:36:20

[QUOTE="Melampode, post: 32596, member: 123697"] Those look quite close to me! I'm glad you've managed to find a handful of settings that seem to work decently well, at least if you're careful about how much you layer over an area. If you end up finding that some colors need different settings (percentage, Paint Blending mode, etc.), it might be useful to build more than one color set for yourself. (Or moving some colors to a new one, if you've already finished.) That way, you don't have to try to remember which brush to use for what colors. (I.e., these oranges are working well with the settings you've got. But you might find that some of the purples don't, or that especially light/dark colors need to be handled differently.) As for the slight pooling, how much water are you using? You've got the Dip Pen selected, which is at 1, but I see you've also got a couple Copic brushes set up. If those area also at 1, I'd recommend upping it by one at a time to see if just a [I]hair[/I] more lets it behave in a way you like (up to 6 or 7 at the max, I'd say). Maybe even letting your base brush be lower and the glaze one(s) slightly higher (or vice versa), since the amount of water on the page impacts how much new brush strokes bleed/soften at the edges. You might also want to adjust the Visual Settings -> Texture Influence to be higher, if you're wanting the paper texture to shine through more. And/or raise the Paper Texture Strength just a little (probably not much more than one grid box up), and set the Paper Texture Scratch to Dark Texture. That'll help the pigment apply to and (if you've got enough water) settle in the dark areas more, leaving the raised parts slightly lighter, as it looks like the example swatches are. Another option might be using Structures, which you can turn on and off as you need (including in the middle of water diffusion, if it lasts long enough or you utilize Pause Diffusion). (Also, if you do increase the water, be mindful of the Tilt function and whether it's doing what you want. I noticed in the sceeenshot it's active and set to a strong angle.) Ah, after some testing, it does indeed turn out that having Pigments on prevents the tool-specific, built-in layering effects (most notable for markers, inks, and watercolors, with the latter's unique mode icon greying out). It also deactivates the ability to use Layer Blending Modes, and did the same things in R7. With that in mind...if the ink and marker effects are unique, rather than essentially being "Default works the same as Multiply(/etc.)," I wonder if the devs [I]could[/I] make adjustments to the math for those tools to add a cap on how much it darkens (perhaps by creating a curve or the like). I have no idea if that's feasible, because I don't know how the math works, but that's got more potential than adjusting Multiply/etc. modes themselves (which exist in other art programs, so it's best if they stay the same for consistency). (And I'm sorry for [I]my[/I] late reply, in turn!) [/QUOTE] So the dip pen is actually selected at the time just because I was writing the notes sorry ? I know that confused things! I’m still a rebelle newbie so wondering - what are structures? I have been trying to play with rebelles grain but it can slow down the painting experience with the copics or make them look like a bristle brush or crayon if set too high. I’ve also tried basically building the grain into the brushes alpha, but this also slowed the process down. I see that there is also separate texture settings in the brush creator and also granulation settings. Trying to play with both of these but not sure what is best? Or what the differences are between all these? I’ve kind of got a process (albeit a bit annoyingly having to have a two brush system) to try and get the colours matching but you can see it’s not perfect ?. But I’m really struggling on how to get texture of the dye like the images I’ve attached (outside of importing my art into clip studio and texturing there with stamp based brushes). I’m assuming granulation but when I try creating custom granules or textures it never seems like a big enough canvas to not tile horrifically or get the same effect. Any further ideas would be so appreciated ?[ATTACH type="full"]3014[/ATTACH][ATTACH type="full"]3015[/ATTACH][ATTACH type="full"]3016[/ATTACH]

Username: gsd0Ap6EjbZV
Post Date: 2026-05-10 03:39:57

[QUOTE="Ruskul, post: 32603, member: 202112"] In regards to color not darkening past a certain point - In the water color defaults (with pigments), any time you are using a tint the program seems to treat it more or less like you mixed titanium into the paint... consequently, it never darkens past that point. This is hard because you need to select really saturated shades of what ever color you want and the pigment engine will layer it up nicely, reaching rich darks but also going through vibrant tints. I wish there was a mode where you could select an actual tint (say pink) and have rebelle assume you actually picked the base pigment and are painting with that, so it darkens to red, then deeper. [/QUOTE] Hmmm okay so that would maybe result in eventually getting the “most saturated” colour of each copic but sacrifice the accuracy of the layers before that? That’s a same because the great thing about alcohol markers is the transparency and being able to either use one layer or go to full saturation. In terms of rebelles pigment engine have you noticed with pigments turned on, reds with opacity down turn very magenta?