Monday, February 22, 2010

Coloring With Copics, Attempt #1

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. My Pure Luxury cardstock and Tuxedo Black Memento ink from Gina K Designs arrived on Saturday, so I finally got to test out my new Copic markers. And I am in LOVE! If you're teetering on the edge of making the plunge to invest in these pricey markers, let me just tell you, they are worth every penny! I love the way the colors blend and shade, and working with them just quieted my spirit and brought me back to the pure joy I experienced when I got my first 64 pack of Crayola crayons. Even though I'm no where near that many colors yet, and it will be a while before I am, you can do quite a lot with just a few. So here's my first try with Copics. I still have to work on my shadowing, but not too bad for a beginner, eh?

And because I always like to know what colors others used in their Copic projects, I'm sharing mine with you. I used BG13 (Mint Green), BG11 (Cool Shadow), C3 (Cool Gray No. 3), and 0 (the colorless blender pen). I also used R27 (Cadmium Red) for the lines on the measuring cup, but I forgot to include it when I took the picture.
What I would recommend to you if you are interested in purchasing a few, is to pick your favorite color family, and then choose two or three markers that vary 2 to 3 digits from each other. Then choose one or two more in a color family that compliments the first. Consider what you'll likely be practicing on. If you'll be coloring flowers, then you'll want your second color family to be greens. If you're coloring people, you'll want to invest in some nice skin tones. And definitely pick up the colorless blender. It removes color, so you'll be able to lighten and shade with it, not to mention erase any little mistakes.

Okay, so other than Copic coloring, I also picked up these alphabet stickers from K&Company. Aren't they cute? Just $3.50 at Walmart for six double-sided sheets! I love all those polkadots and patterns. I'm excited to see what ideas I come up with for using them. Lots of options there.


And last but not least, remember how I was lamenting about bobbin ribbon storage? Well, I stumbled across this handy little tool at Office Max today. According to the tag, it's called a spindle. I have no idea what it's used for (maybe postage stamps? It's a little tall for that though.) but it only cost $1.99, and was exactly what I was looking for without knowing what I was looking for! Lol. To keep the open ribbon from unwinding, I just stuck a mini glue dot on the loose end and attached it to the spool. Hopefully I don't have a problem getting it back off!

And that's all I've got for today. I hope you enjoyed it! Tune in tomorrow for another card. Our friend Annchen in Germany has a birthday coming up and I have something special in mind for her. See you then!

7 comments:

  1. Okay, keep on posting about this, please! I want to see more examples and how the pens work. I like what you're doing with the blending and shadows. It looks so professional!

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  2. Aw, thanks! But you should see what the true professionals can do. It's amazing, believe me. But I'll get there.

    I swear, I have not been this excited about a product since... well, maybe never! They are just the coolest thing! They come in different styles and prices. I have a couple Copic Caios (the cheapest) and a couple Copic Sketch (the mid-range) and I MUCH prefer the Sketch markers. They hold more ink (hence the higher price) and they're oval shaped so they don't roll around on your work surface. Plus they have the color and number right on the end, so you can see what you need without pulling them all out.

    Like I said, they are pricey. The Sketch retail for $6.99 per marker, but you can find better deals online. I bought my Ciaos from carpediem.com and was very pleased with their service, and as soon as I can afford some more, I'm going to place an order with Oozak.com and see how they are.

    The markers are made in Japan and are considered the highest quality professional makers, so you might even be able to find them in Norway if you look around. There's a wealth of information online and video demos on youtube to be found.

    Check out:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iT33_uR4do
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTCjhF-Z9lg

    any of suzanne dean's videos are fantastic.
    http://www.youtube.com/user/suzannejdean

    And don't worry! I'll be posting lots more as I learn the technique!

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  3. Very nice crafts Christy!!! I have some that I have finished. I just need some free time to put the pictures up and do some writing. Love the Ribbon storage...btw....you could just use pins for sewing to keep them from unwinding instead of glue dots....just a thought!!!! Look forward to seeing more of your craftiness (The good kind of course)!!!!! LOL

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  4. Thanks, Kim! I'd love to see what you've done. Let me know when the pictures are up! Ah, straight pins! Good idea. If I find the mini glue dots to be a pain, I'll switch over. Otherwise, I find it best to keep myself from sharp pointy objects whenever possible. ;o) Lol.

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  5. I as well love my copics! I love that mixer stamp... what is that?

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  6. Isn't it great? It's from the "What's the Scoop" set from Hero Arts.
    http://www.heroarts.com/products/productInfo.cfm?ItemNo=CL346&subCat=C05

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  7. I LOVE your storage style! I keep my buttons in the exact same Ball glass jars! Don't you love to find the cutest things to store your crafts and at a bargain like that? I think it adds alot of interest to your studio too!
    PS - Very cute blog!

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Thank you so much for taking a few moments to brighten my day!

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