Coloring a Goose, Part 2

New Opaque White
Final touches make all the difference in my opinion. Yesterday I showed you my goose, at the 95% done stage. Today I'll show you what I did to complete the image.

Contrast is the key to a well balanced image. When you have nice crisp whites, and rich dark colors, your image looks much more complete. But, fine areas are tricky to leave white when coloring with markers, so artists use Opaque white, a thick white waterbased paint to add white highlights back when coloring.

For a couple years, I have been working with .Too, the manufacturer for Copic products, to create a different version of our Opaque White paint. Because the Opaque White is so thick, it won't flow through traditional paint markers in a way that we were happy with, but we've wanted a better way to apply fine details with it.

So, we developed this new bottle with a built-in, super-fine brush. These are now available and very handy. I use mine for everything, and it has a spot right in the middle of my desk. I love it!

As you can see, the brush is very fine. It is perfect for all the little white glints on the goose feathers, the white around the beak, and any other fine highlight areas.

Whenever you apply opaque white, be sure you are completely done coloring with markers, as you can't color over the top of the of Opaque white without risking damaging your marker nibs.

I love how fine the details are! The brush tip is perfect for very precise detailed areas, much finer than the detail you can get with a white-out pen or white paint marker. The long handle fits your hand perfectly, giving you enough length that you feel more like you are using a traditional paintbrush. The white paint is very thick, meaning that even though strokes are fine, they are very opaque.

Here is my goose, with the final touches of opaque white added, and color-corrected on the computer. 
We will be using the new Opaque White with built-in brush at our upcoming workshops and classes. For those of you who want to use your own applicators, you can still purchase our larger bottles of traditional Opaque white.

Meanwhile, we encourage you to register for one of our classes. They are filling fast and are a great way to get a chance to experiment with our products.

Upcoming Classes
New classes just opened on our website!

I will be teaching a Whimsical Faces & Hair class along with a Tracing Memories class in Salt Lake City on May 10th. You can now register for those classes here. Either of these classes is perfect for beginners, no Copic experience needed!

There are many classes that still have space in them, so check this list carefully for upcoming locations near you. Register soon, as classes are filling quickly. Register on our website under each class type Standard, Intermediate, or Workshop

March 22nd, Portland, OR Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop  taught by Debbie Olson FULL
March 22nd, Portland, OR Airbrushing for Papercrafters  taught by Debbie Olson FULL
March 28th, Calgary, AB Standard Certification  taught by Sherrie Siemens
March 29th, Calgary, AB Intermediate Certification taught by Sherrie Siemens
March 29, San Diego, CA  Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop, taught by Marianne Walker
March 30, San Diego, CA  Tracing Memories workshop, taught by Marianne Walker

April 11, Chicago, IL Standard Certification taught by Debbie Olson
Filling Fast!
April 11, Dallas, TX  Standard Certification, taught by Lori Craig
April 12, Chicago, IL  Intermediate Certification taught by Debbie Olson Filling Fast!
April 12, Dallas TX  Intermediate Certification taught by Lori Craig Filling Fast!
April 12, Phoenix AZ Whimsical Faces & Hair taught by Cindy Lawrence Filling Fast!
April 12, Phoenix, AZ Airbrushing for Papercrafters taught by Cindy Lawrence
April 29, Pittsburgh, PA  Airbrushing for Papercrafters taught by Colleen Schaan
April 29, Pittsburgh, PA  Whimsical Faces & Hair, taught by Colleen Schaan

May 1, Pittsburgh, PA  Tracing Memories  taught by Marianne Walker
May 1, Pittsburgh, PA Alcohol Ink Painting taught by Colleen Schaan
May 2, Pittsburgh, PA Standard Certification taught by Cindy Lawrence
May 2, Seattle, WA Standard Certification taught by Sherrie Siemens
May 3, Pittsburgh, PA Intermediate Certification taught by Cindy Lawrence
May 3, Seattle WA, Intermediate Certification taught by Sherrie Siemens
May 10, Salt Lake City, Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop, taught by Marianne Walker
May 10, Salt Lake City,  Tracing Memories workshop, taught by Marianne Walker
May 16, Minneapolis, MN Standard Certification, taught by Debbie Olson
May 17, Minneapolis, MN Intermediate Certification, taught by Debbie Olson
May 24, Dallas, TX Whimsical Faces & Hair workshop, taught by Lori Craig
May 24, Dallas, TX Airbrushing workshop, taught by Lori Craig