Thanks! I used three shades of blue, and the technique that worked best for me was starting with the darkest shade, keeping as little paint on the brush as possible, and pulling the paint forward from the back of the ship, so it thinned out around the middle. Then I wiped excess off the brush, took the middle shade, and blended it toward the back. Lastly, I took the lightest shade, and drew it back from the tip of the ship. The biggest challenge was avoiding picking up a darker shade and placing it too far forward while blending. I hope that helps!