Color Tutorial
How to Color Jelly
Some coloring effects look surprisingly complicated, but they’re actually made with just a few simple layers. One of our favorites is the adorable jelly effect – soft, shiny, bouncy, and perfect for cute characters.
In this tutorial, we’ll turn a simple pink bunny into a sweet jelly-inspired character using only a handful of alcohol markers, a white acrylic marker, and one extra outline trick that makes everything pop.
Whether you’re coloring in a Tiny Daisy book or experimenting with your own pages, this technique is beginner-friendly and incredibly fun to recreate.
Step 1 – Start with a Soft Base Layer
Begin by covering the entire character with a light pink base using RV030. Try to color evenly while keeping your strokes soft and consistent.
This first layer acts as the foundation for everything that comes later, so don’t worry if it looks simple at this stage. The magic happens as more layers are added.
Step 2 – Add Soft Jelly Spots
Using RV180, paint irregular rounded spots across the character. Avoid making every shape identical—the more organic they look, the more natural the jelly texture will feel.
Leave plenty of the light pink showing between the spots. This contrast is what creates the soft translucent look.
Step 3 – Build Depth Inside Each Spot
Now add darker pinks inside the existing spots using RV200 and RV330. Keep these darker areas toward the center rather than filling the entire shape.
Layering several pink values creates the illusion that the spots are floating beneath a glossy jelly surface instead of sitting flat on top.
Step 4 – Add Highlights and Tiny Sparkles
This is where the character really starts to look squishy. Using a white acrylic marker or gel pen, add curved highlights, tiny dots, sparkles, and a few small reflective streaks.
Don’t overdo it. A handful of carefully placed highlights will make the surface look shiny without covering the beautiful pink gradients underneath.
Step 5 – Finish with a Colored Outline
Instead of leaving the original black outline untouched, trace over it with a dark pink acrylic marker. This softens the overall look and blends the outlines naturally into the jelly texture.
Finally, add a few tiny accent lines around the character to emphasize movement and give your finished piece a playful, lively feeling.
The finished result feels soft, glossy, and almost candy-like. By layering just a few shades of pink and finishing with white highlights, you’ve transformed a simple coloring page into something full of depth and personality.
The best part is that this technique isn’t limited to pink. Try peach, lavender, mint, blue, yellow, or even rainbow versions to create your own unique jelly characters.
Marker Colors Used
- RV030 – Base layer
- RV180 – Soft jelly spots
- RV200 – Medium shadows
- RV330 – Deep shadows
- White Acrylic Marker – Highlights & sparkles
- Dark Pink Acrylic Marker – Final outline
Try It Yourself
One of the most enjoyable parts of coloring is discovering little techniques that completely change the look of a page. The jelly effect is simple enough for beginners but satisfying enough that you’ll probably find yourself using it again and again.
If you give this tutorial a try, we’d love to see your version! Tag @tinydaisy.coloring on Instagram so we can admire your colorful, squishy creations and share them with our cozy coloring community.
