I Like Markers

Certification Classes

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:00

North American Standard Papercrafting Certification classes
We have a lot of classes coming up in the next few months. All of our classes have been filling very quickly, so if you are interested in a class, and you get an e-mail for that location, register right away! Every time a class opens, we send out an e-mail. If you have not been getting the new class e-mails, please register with Nancy, nancy@copicmarker.com

Upcoming Locations:
Jan. 27th Anaheim CA, CHA Winter 2012 taught by Sherrie Siemens FULL

Feb. 3 San Diego, CA taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
Feb. 17th Richmond, VA taught by Debbie Olson FULL (Note: There are a few spaces that came open. If you need an application, e-mail Nancy)
Feb. 25 Miami, FL taught by Lori Craig Open to Public

March 2, Edmonton, Alberta, taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
March 8, St. Louis taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
March 10, York, PA taught by Marianne Walker FULL
March 23, Phoenix, AZ taught by Lori Craig Open to Public

More locations are getting finalized. Here are a couple future classes that will be available soon. Applications have not gone out yet for:
April 13th, Toronto, ON taught by Sherrie Siemens
May 18th, Dallas, TX taught by Lori Craig

North American Intermediate Certification Classes
Take your coloring to a new level with these exciting Intermediate Certification classes. You can now take these classes back-to-back with the standard classes. To apply to any of these classes, please visit our website and you will find an overview of the program.

Jan 28 Anaheim, CA Taught by Sherrie Siemens & Marianne Walker Open to Public

Feb. 18th Richmond, VA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public

March 3, Edmonton, Alberta, taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
March 9, St. Louis, MO taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
March 10, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public
March 24, Phoenix, AZ taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public

Drawing In Italy

2012-01-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

Ever wanted to learn to draw? Ever wanted to go to Italy?
Every two years, the President of Imagination International (Copic USA), Ken O'Connell takes a group of adults for two weeks to learn how to draw in the beautiful towns and countryside of Umbria.

Most of his students are absolute beginners, adults who have always wanted to learn to draw and who have always wanted to go to Italy. If this sounds like you, then this is your chance!

This year, Debbie Olson will be working with Ken to teach the drawing classes. You will be using Copic markers and supplies, traveling around the Italian countryside, learning to draw in a country famous for producing amazing artists. (art by Ken O'Connell)

I was one of Ken's students when I was in art school, and I feel honored to work for him. He is a fun and mesmerizing instructor. He inspires confidence in anyone who doesn't think that they can be an artist. You will be amazed at how good you are after drawing for a few hours with Ken. Each year at our annual Copic Design Team Meeting, our designers beg to have an afternoon drawing with Ken. Debbie is so amazingly talented and so helpful that I know if you decide to go, you will not regret it. You will come away from the trip with a book full of beautiful drawings, gorgeous photos, and a lifetime of memories! ...I only wish I could go this year... :(

COPIC markers in Italy 2012
Ken O'Connell will teach "Sketchbooks in Italy" for the 5th time in Italy September 2-16, 2102.
This year, Copic Design Team member, Debbie Olson, will assist Ken (President of Imagination international, Inc., importer of Copic Markers.)

The plan is to spend two weeks at a tiny art school in Umbria (1 1/2 hours North of Rome) each day traveling to a nearby hill town to sketch and returning to our base in LaRomita School Of Art (http://www.laromita.org).

We are taken care of by two Italian cooks as we stay in apartments remodeled from a 15th Century Monastery.

If this adventure is of interest to you please write to ken@copicmarker.com for more information.

New Foam Tape

2012-01-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Today I get the chance to talk about another new item we are bringing in for CHA. I am so excited! For the last few years I have been using X-Press It High Tack double-sided tape, and I love it. Now, Imagination International is going to start distributing X-Press It Foam Tape.

What has me excited is that this tape is super strong, and comes in two economical sizes: 1/2" for larger things, and 1/4" for narrow objects.

The narrow tape is for popping up a strip of ribbon, or something else really long and narrow. I also love it for popping up detailed embellishments that really need tiny pieces of foam tape.

Here is a quick birthday card I made with the narrow foam tape. I wanted to hide the border on the lace with a strip of paper, but I didn't want to use a really wide piece of paper. The 1/4" foam tape was perfect for hiding the lace and glue used to hold down the lace.

If you are coming to CHA, be sure to visit our booth and see the new tape. If you are not going to make it to California, check with your local Copic supplier to purchase tape for yourself. Tape is now in stock and has started shipping!

Stamp: Our Craft Lounge, Vintage Roses, Memento, Kaisercraft Pearls, Assorted markers (i forgot to write down the colors, sorry!) X-Press It 1/4" Foam tape, X-Press It Double Sided High Tack tape. Wyla Lace, dyed with assorted Copic Various Inks, Cosmo Cricket paper.

New 12 colors artwork

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

I promised last week when I posted the new 12 colors that I would show the artwork I drew for the new colors. I just finished coloring it, so I figured I would share, before I forget which colors I used.

Drawing the Marker Set
For this illustration, I was having a hard time getting the angles right on the marker set, so I created a guide in Adobe Illustrator to draw from. On something angular like a set of markers, this works well.

I don't like using rulers when I draw, since the computer does it better anyways, so rather than sketching this by hand and messing with a ruler or straight edge, I drew it all on the computer, scaled it to the size I needed, then used this as the base for my drawing.

I sketched it with my light table, using a o.o3mm multiliner onto nice paper. Then I scanned the drawing in and cleaned up the lines slightly. I printed it out onto thin, nice paper. I prefer coloring larger pictures on thin paper, as it uses less ink. This final artwork is about 7"x7"
I colored the final with T2, T4, T6, BG93, BG90, BG58, B000, B00, E81, E84, E89, E04, R56, V20, V22, V25, BV35, RV52, G43, G46, YR30, YR27.

For those of you who are starting to notice shadows, pay attention to the B00 and BG93 that I threw into the shadows. I did this to liven up the shadows and liven up the artwork. Note that I also added YR30 and B00 into the highlights. I added the rough sketchy lines in the background to liven those areas up as well. You probably don't notice much of this at first, but it helps to add variety to the whole. I did very little blending on this illustration, except for the purple/gray marker label, and even then I tried to keep it sketchy.

Again, new colors should be available in February, so get ready!

Keeping Portfolios, Part 3

2012-01-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Thus far, I have talked about why you should keep a portfolio, how to be a good viewer, and things to consider when picking out a good portfolio. Today I want to discuss goals for choosing work to fill your portfolio. I think I will have one more post about portfolios, and then I think you'll be tired of hearing about my portfolios, and maybe you will be ready to start your own.

Purpose of YOUR portfolio
The first portfolio I ever made was in college. I was trying to get into some art classes, and I needed to show a variety of work that I had done. We were having a formal portfolio review, so I really needed to impress the professors to get into the classes I wanted. That portfolio was large. It contained a little graphic design, a little photography, a little illustration, and an assortment of other art I had done. The purpose of that portfolio was to be a showcase of both the best of my work, as well as the breadth of art subjects I could do. This was also a portfolio I could show new freelance clients, to see if they liked my skills and talent. This was (and is) a good portfolio from college.

Since that time, I have had the luxury of narrowing my portfolios. Since I mostly travel for Copic reasons, my current portfolios are all Copic related, and each has a specific purpose. My current goal is to share the variety of subjects that Copics can color.

When you start building a portfolio, you need to define the goal you are trying to achieve with that portfolio. Start by asking yourself a few questions to determine your Portfolio goals:

Which of these are most important to you:
• Variety?
• Keeping all my work in one place?
• Showing improvement over time?
• Organizing my styles by category?
• Showing only my best?
• Having something that I can share with friends for feedback?

Now, as you read some of the following organizational styles, you can choose the ones that fit your goals best. You may find that your organization changes over time, and that is Ok. Every now and then, evaluate your portfolio goals and make sure that your message is coming across.

Sort by kind
I usually carry 2 portfolios with me when I travel, 4 for Standard Certification, and 5 if I am teaching an Intermediate Certification. I take everywhere one book for Manga/comics, and one for General Illustrations (not manga). When I am teaching a Certification, I additionally bring one small one with papercrafting techniques, and one for color swatches.

When I teach an Intermediate class, I bring an additional book with all the original art from the Intermediate student manual. Here are the first pages from two of my portfolios, the ship is from my general illustration, the other title page is from my Intermediate book (later I will discuss labeling your work).

At a comic show or at Anime Expo, I show the Manga book first. Then, if people are really interested, I pull out the General Illustration book. When I visit a university or art store, they are interested in the variety of things you can use Copics for, from product design to fashion illustration, so my General Illustration portfolio comes out first. Then if they are interested, I pull out the Manga examples. At Standard Certifications, I refer to my two small portfolios throughout the class, and the two larger portfolios float around. Then I use the Intermediate portfolio for that class.

Different Content Categories
I could have one portfolio with a little of everything (like my portfolio from college), but then most viewers would only be interested in a small portion at a time, and miss the variety within that one subject. As it is, my General Illustration portfolio has a smattering of everything from architecture, fashion, product design, and freelance illustrations. This only has 48 pages or so, and is just enough to give a flavor of each topic.

Some people sort their work by people in one book, nature/trees in another. Some people sort by card projects in one, individual images in another.

If you don't have much material to put into a bunch of portfolios, it is Ok to have sections inside your book for different topics. Within my manga book, I tend to have characters in the front, fantasy in the middle, and objects in the back (this is not always the case, but I try to stick fairly close to this).

Best to worst
I used to think that most people who look at my books start at the front and work their way back. If I am one-on-one with them, then this is frequently the case. However, often my books end up left open to a random page and people start looking where the last person left off. If I organized best to worst, then as soon as the work starts getting bad people stop looking, Then, the next person to come along and thinks all my work isn't very good. Now, I keep mine mixed, good and bad together so one bad piece (that I keep because it shows a technique) doesn't stop people from looking.

If you are showing your book to only a few people, then by all means, put your best stuff first!! I still try to have my favorite images in the front of the book. In the very back of each of my books are images I am not done coloring. I found that some people like to see in-progress stuff, and it motivates me to finish it sooner rather than later. In the back of my Manga book you can find this image that has two versions of a picture that I never finished coloring. Maybe someday I will get around to it.

Newest to oldest (or Oldest to Newest)
If the purpose of your book is to show a progress- "look where I used to be, here I am now," then sort by age. Some people have comparison pages...one picture they colored two years ago next to the same picture colored this year. You'll find that your favorite colors change over time, your awareness of shading may have improved, or as your color collection changed, so did the colors you use. I try to keep some older work in my portfolios, but the majority of my stuff is from the last 5 years.

Keep this in mind, if you are looking at my portfolios. If you are a beginner, you are not seeing my beginner stuff, so you can't give yourself a fair comparison between my current work and your level of quality...or, then again, you could see mine and see that your work is just as good or better. Remember, a portfolio is a tool, not a reason to think any less of your own work or someone else's efforts. We are all at different places on our creative ladder, and need to help each other as much as possible.

Comparison
As an instructor, I have found that people love to see before and after, or step-by-step progressions. Frequently I will have one page with the black & white image, and a colored version next to it. If you don't have too many pieces in your portfolio, then this is also a good way to fill up space.

I almost always carry a spare B & W of each image in the portfolio with the colored copy. This allows people who are curious to see what the line work looks like. Sometimes I carry a few spares, so if I am doing a demo, I can simply pull out a blank image to color. If I end up coloring it good enough, then it replaces the old one. Or, I stick it in front of the old one, so if people ask, I can show them the progression, or different color variations of the same piece.

I hope this has given you some ideas of which art to choose. Now that you have your portfolio, you have a goal, you have your art, my next post will talk about good habits in maintaining a portfolio.

New Colors for 2012

2012-01-06T14:57:00.001-08:00

358 Marker Colors
As many of you have noticed from our designers last week, we now have 12 new colors for 2012. This means that Copic Sketch markers and inks are now available in a whopping 358 colors!
I will be posting more information about these new colors, along with some illustrations later this week. Until then, you can drool over the luscious colors :). Below are some of the thoughts that went behind the development of these colors. G43 & G46: These complete the G40 sequence. These are great greens...not too bright, not too yellow, not too gray. A new must-have green sequence.

BG57: This goes with last year's new color, BG53. These are not as bright as the BG40's but more vibrant than BG70's family.

BG90: A new, beautiful pale, gray BG to go with the other BG90's colors

E84 & E89: These were developed as a nice, slightly greenish brown sequence to match last year's E87

BV34: Poor old BV31 has been alone for so long, but now it has a darker companion color. A lovely grayish BV color.

V22 & V28: This completes the V20 & V25 sequence. These were developed to be nice purples without hints of pink or blue, but are slightly grayish.

RV52: A bright, but pale pink to go with RV55 from last year.

R56: For too long R59 has been alone. This is one of my new favorite, must-have colors. I sequence this with E04-R56-R59. Try it and trust me :)

YR27: This is a wonderful orange, not as brown as the E90's sequence, and not as intense as YR18. It fills out the other beautiful YR20's colors.

These markers are available as pre-orders from many places, and will be shipping in February. Come to our booth at CHA and you can see them for yourself. Booth #2390
Have a great weekend!

Keeping Portfolios, Part 2

2012-01-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I discussed the reason for keeping a portfolio and proper manners when looking through other people's portfolios, now let's get into the specifics of how to choose the portfolio that is right for you. Thank you for the wonderful feedback on last week's post! I am glad that I can share something valuable with everyone. Next week, I will go into how to fill your portfolios.

Picking a Portfolio

There are a couple features that I consider very important when it comes to choosing the right portfolio. Right now, next to my desk, I have at least 8 portfolios, each with a specific purpose. In my next post I will discuss the content of a portfolio, today we are just going to work on how to choose the right type of physical presentation for your work.

1. Size

What is the largest thing you will be showing in your portfolio? If it is a standard page size, then go for that size of portfolio. If all your projects are the size of a small card, then maybe you should consider a small portfolio. If you have one big project and a bunch of little ones, maybe you can scan or photograph the big one to fit in your portfolio.

You can get a large portfolio and display multiple images on the same page, but make sure that the portfolio has enough space for each object to have "breathing room" or else the pages will look cluttered. I have 3 different sizes of portfolios, each for very specific purposes. Small card projects go into the small portfolios, my regular illustrations go into letter-sized portfolios, and then I have a really big portfolio for my 11 x 17 artwork. I could fit all my card projects onto a couple pages in the large portfolio, but then it would be cluttered and confusing to the viewer (see point 3).

Make sure to get a portfolio with enough pages for your work, but not too many. If you have bulky things in your portfolio, then stick to fewer pages, and get multiple portfolios. If you are only adding flat sheets of paper, then lots of pages are fine. My biggest portfolio is for my Manga/comic art, and it has 36pages/72 views, but nothing in it is thicker than a sheet of paper. My other portfolios range from 24 to 48 pages/views.

2. Easy to add (and remove) projects

Pick a portfolio where it is easy to slide projects in and out. I use the Itoya Art Profolios. They have 12-48 pages, and open at the top of each page, so it is easy to slide work in and out. You can make your own portfolio using a 3-ring binder and page protectors. This will allow you more flexibility in number of pages, and if you have bulky projects in there, this might be the better route to go.

Don't glue projects into your portfolio!! Make sure anything you add can be easily removed. The purpose of a portfolio is to show progress. If you color something a second time, and you do it better, then show the better project. It is hard to do this if the first one has been permanently glued into a book with fixed pages. If it must be held in place, use a removable adhesive that won't stain or discolor your work.

3. Neutral Foundation

Up into the 1800's, art galleries used to cover every bit of available wall space with art. Way up to the ceiling, and down low. You could stare at a wall and see 30 pictures all clustered around. This was hard on the viewer, and any art that was not at eye-level could easily be missed. Then galleries started simplifying, putting only one or two images at eye level, allowing plenty of visual breathing room. Gallery walls are usually painted white, or another neutral color. This has been proven to more effectively show off the work.

In a similar manner, a portfolio should not be cluttered, and artwork should be on a neutral (white, black, or gray) background. Having two projects back to back without something between them can be cluttered and confusing, especially if they are of different sizes, or on different colors of paper. Most portfolios you purchase from an art store already come with neutral pages, but if you are creating your own, keep this in mind. Make sure the neutral base is thick enough to completely hide artwork on the reverse page.

Here is an actual page from one of my portfolios. This is the only page where I have multiple images on each page. Usually I only have one picture per page. The left side is not bad, the right side is untidy, cluttered, and disorganized. The torn edges are unprofessional, and the artwork isn't even attached to the page, so the art shifts around. It shows the viewer that I don't really care about this art. These are doodles that happened to come out well, but the cluttered presentation does not do them justice.

4. Durability
Make sure that your portfolio will stand the test of time. Archival, acid free, and durable. I show my work all the time, and some portfolios don't hold up as well as others.

My favorite brand are the Itoya Art Profolios. They have lots of different models for different needs. I used to get the nice ones with a clear pocket in the front, so I could have art on the cover, and it has a spot for art on the spine (bottom portfolio in the photo above). However, the edges didn't hold up after a few years, and the clear part of the cover gets scuffed and torn. Now I get the cloth-covered edges, as these wear better. For the average artist, the ones with a clear pocket are probably fine, and I miss the clear spine for labeling. But, with so many hands looking at my work, I am willing to sacrifice for the stronger edges.

You can always build a portfolio from a 3-ring binder and clear page protectors, just take into account the features I discussed today.

I hope this gives you some ideas for picking a portfolio. Later this week I will start showing new items for 2012, and next week I will finish the information on portfolios. Have a great week!

Certification Updates

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Nancy told me that I needed to update the classes before I left for the long weekend, so here is a quick update. To apply to any of these classes, please visit our website and you will find an overview of the program. More classes open each week, so stay tuned for classes in your area.

North American Standard Certification
We now have our classes for the first few months of 2012. To apply to any of these classes, please visit our website and you will find an overview of the program.

Jan. 13th Memphis, TN Taught by Lori Craig CANCELED
Jan. 27th Anaheim CA, CHA Winter 2012 taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public

Feb. 3 San Diego, CA taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
Feb. 17th Richmond, VA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
Feb. 25 Miami, FL taught by Lori Craig Open to Public

March 3, Edmonton, Alberta, taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
March 10, York, PA taught by Marianne Walker applications going out soon

Keeping Portfolios, Part 1

2011-12-30T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
Portfolios
If you have ever met me at a demo or class, you may have had the opportunity to see one of my portfolios. I never travel without them, so if you see me out at an event, just ask to see them. I am always happy to share these, as I appreciate the chance to get feedback or to see what catches people's eye first. As 2012 is getting started, now is the time to work on New Year's Resolutions, and maybe one of those resolutions should be to work on your own portfolio.

This new year, I urge you to start a physical portfolio (not a digital one), especially if you have never kept one before. In the Intermediate class, you are given a small portfolio to begin with. Now, in the standard class you are also given one. We wouldn't include these if we didn't think they were so important! If you would like to pick one up similar to the ones we use, you can find them at any art store, or you can easily make your own.

(Next week I will talk more about picking a portfolio and what to put in it).

The purpose of a portfolio

Any artist or crafter should keep a portfolio of their best work. This is a tool for improvement, and should not be considered a "bragging book". A good portfolio allows you, and your viewer, a chance to see your best work and give each piece individual, critical examination. By keeping work in one, central place, it is easier to compare and improve quality from piece to piece.

In my opinion, if you are an instructor, you NEED to have a portfolio and be willing to share it with your students.

As nice as photographs and blog posts are, nothing compares to being able to see an original work. The computer can be very deceptive, as it interprets colors differently than our eyes and shows work at whatever scale it wants to. Sometimes, you really need to see how big something is in real life, and not shrunk down on a computer screen. Looking at a portfolio is important for both the viewer as well as the creator.

Here are some of my personal thoughts on how to be a good portfolio viewer.

Etiquette in viewing portfolios

Give praise but don't gush. When people look through my portfolios, yes, I like to hear "Oh my goodness! That is amazing!" but I would rather hear "Oh my goodness! That is amazing. How did you do that technique?" I want a chance to teach through my artwork.

I never want to hear "You are sooo good. I could never be like you." It is nice to compliment, but don't embarass them by going over the top. Give sincere compliments and remember that with practice you could make work like theirs, or vice-versa.

A portfolio is not a tool for you to compare your work to another person. This is a self-assessment and feedback tool. Don't look at someone else's portfolio and feel bad about your own work. We are all at different places in our work at different times. A portfolio is of a person's best work, so when you look at it, try not to compare your problem areas with their strengths. Use other people's portfolios as inspiration and learning tools, ask constructive questions (mixed in with healthy praise).

Take notes. If you see something you really like, be it the way they shaded an image or colored hair, ask about their technique and practice it.

One time I really wanted to work on making round gemstones look luminous. So, I drew an image with lots of round gemstones. Then, I looked through an artbook by James Christensen to color the gemstones. He is an oil painter, and does a fascinating job rendering luminous stones. There are a couple pieces in my portfolio that are inspired by James Christensen. I could not have improved my technique as quickly without studying his work. This is a good use of another person's portfolio (in this case, an artbook).

Ask before you photograph. Never photograph someone else's portfolio without their permission, and never publicly display those photos without their permission and without giving them credit. Come back to the notes or photos, then try to incorporate those techniques into your own work. There is a saying in art "Copying is the greatest form of flattery." It is OK to copy techniques and colors you like, but whenever possible, attribute credit where it is due. Sometimes for legal reasons you cannot display photos of their work, as those pieces might be published or the rights might belong to someone else. In that case, you could face a potential lawsuit, so always get permission! Be considerate with your flashes, as original works may be light sensitive.

Ask before you touch. If you try to photograph an image and it is behind a piece of plastic, many times the glare will prevent you from getting a decent photo. Or, sometimes, you want to see a technique really close up, or you want to see the back of the paper to see how the ink soaked through. Always ASK before you touch the original. Flipping through plastic pages is one thing, touching the original is another.

In libraries, you are expected to wear linen gloves when touching original works. This is because each time you touch an original, your oily hands are transferring grease onto a project. Copic markers do not like oil and grease, so if a person tries to color that art again, it may not react the same. If you must touch an original, touch the edges, and avoid important features.

Try not to hover. If it is your own portfolio, you may really want to hear feedback. It is OK to hover and explain your work, but it is also OK to not feel obliged to stand there while they look through it. Be courteous to the viewer and consider if you are being over-protective and hovering. Sometimes that makes them uncomfortable, so try to be aware of their comfort level as well.

Next week I will have Part 2 about portfolios, meanwhile, have a wonderful and safe New Year!

Color Spotlight, B66

2011-12-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

Head on over to the Copic Blog for the color spotlight on B66. Here is the new image I drew for the spotlight post to go along with the tutorial I posted yesterday. Yesterday's bird was the male swallow, today's illustration is of the female- hence the lighter colored breast feathers. More details can be found on the Copic Blog.

Coloring a Swallow

2011-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

I finally got the time to write up the tutorial for the picture I colored last week. Tomorrow, you can see the color spotlight I made this tutorial for. I'm please with this picture because it only took 10 colors to make it look so neat.

Barn Swallow
I drew this barn swallow after being inspired by seeing a beautiful Victorian cut-out of one last week. I draw my pictures with pretty simple lines, because I like to rely on the markes for giving depth, however, I like my line work to stand alone sometimes, so added a lot of little lines that I knew would get covered up by coloring. I drew it with a 0.03 mm Multiliner SP, then photocopied it a couple times before I colored it. For coloring reference, I found this amazing website by photographer Rick Cameron.

I started with a simple base of grays to define my shadows. I don't have strong shadows in this illustration, because I wanted the top of the bird well lit, but I also wanted to showcase the vibrant belly plumage. I started with C3 and BV23. BV23 is my favorite alternate for C5...it is more purple and adds a little more richness to my cool grays.

Next, I feathered in a light base blue of B91 and B63. I layered B66 over that, (B66 is the color spotlight color that I'll feature tomorrow). I deepened the blue with the BV23 and C7. I did not blend much, rather, I kept my strokes in the direction the feathers grow so it looks more like natural color variation.

I darkened around the eye with C7, and darkened the wings with BV23 and C7. Again, I did not blend, instead I simply layered and feathered colors together . The top of the head is the only area where I blended the colors, as that is a very smooth area of feathers.

Next, I added my YR's. In looking at the photos of barn swallows, I noted that their chests are pale orange to brighter orange, depending on gender. I wanted a base that was not too vibrant, so I went with YR31. Then, I blended in YR12 and YR18. The YR18 was a perfect match for the photos I found online.

At this point, I held my image at arm's length and squinted...was it dark enough in the shadows? Did it look right overall? This is the point of self-critiquing that we discuss in the Intermediate Certification classes. This is also the point when I would clean up any spots where I went outside the lines (look at the gray tail feathers and how I fixed the mistake).

Last I needed to add a background of some sort. Usually I would just add a simple blue fade to suggest sky, but I didn't want to overwhelm someone with that much blue, so I decided to go more stylistic on my sky.

I made a mask from one of my photocopies of the bird and attached it firmly with some weak double-sided tape. Using the chisel end of the B63 I added a faint blue around the bird, getting darker closer to the bird. Then, I added larger speckles with the brush end of the B63 and a G12 marker. By airbrushing very lightly from a brush end, you can get larger speckles than if you airbrush directly with the chisel. After I was content, I added a final touch of Opaque white to the eye and beak.

Here is the final swallow. As I mentioned earlier, be sure to check out the color spotlight later this week on the Copic blog for other color combination suggestions for B66.

Certification 2012 Updates

2011-12-15T12:35:00.001-08:00

I have a lot little details to update today, so we shall see how much I can get through. Then, hopefully, I can get a tutorial posted tomorrow. Meanwhile, here are all of the upcoming certification classes around the world.

New Certification Information for 2012!
1. Standard and Intermediate Classes Back to Back
This Fall we have changed our policy regarding attending the Standard and Intermediate classes back-to-back. Many users have had our markers for many years now and have been happily coloring. However, there may be tidbits that you do not know about the Copic system, which is why we need to have a standard level before getting into the nitty-gritty of Intermediate. We still require you to have attended the Standard Certification before the Intermediate, but now you can take them back to back (Note: We do not recommend it, as we cover a lot of information in those classes).

2. Changes to the Standard Certification
In January 2008 I taught the first Copic Certification. The standard certifications taught up to this point have not varied much from that first class. Only the literature has improved, the content has been the same. With 2012 we are re-vamping the program. The same concepts will be covered, but the timing and supplies will be different.

In 2008 there were few papecrafters who knew about Copic Markers and how to effectively use them. Today, the average attendee in our Standard Certification has a lot more information available before they attend our class, more now than ever before (thanks in large part to all of you who already have been certified and have been spreading the word. Thank you!). If you attend the Certification this year, we will be switching to a portfolio format, similar to the format we use in Intermediate. There will be more coloring and a different assortment of products in your product pouch. We strongly suggest that you indulge this year and re-take the certification, especially if you want to brush up on your coloring skills.

North American Standard Certification
We now have our classes for the first few months of 2012. To apply to any of these classes, please visit our website and you will find an overview of the program.

Jan. 13th Memphis, TN Taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
Jan. 27th Anaheim CA, CHA Winter 2012 taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
Feb. 3 San Diego, CA taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
Feb. 17th Richmond, VA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public

North American Intermediate Certification Classes
Register now for these great classes. Remember, you can now apply for back-to back classes!

Jan 28 Anaheim, CA Taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
Feb. 18th Richmond, VA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public

For all North American Residents, you can register for classes directly from our website.

World-wide Certification Classes
In many countries outside of North America, there are opportunities to take Copic Certification classes. As new regions establish their programs, I will try to announce their classes as I hear about them.

Germany
Feb. 2nd, Wiesbaden, Germany taught by Diny Sprakel, in English
Please apply for this class by contacting Britta b.rumpf-burblies@holtz-gmbh.de
If you are European, check out the Copic blog for Europe.

Australia
New classes for 2012 have not been announced yet. If you are interested in keeping up with some fabulous tutorials, contests, and finding out what events are going on in Australia, please visit the Australian Copic blog.

Have a great weekend!

Atlanta Intermediate, Thursday!!

2011-11-29T13:59:00.001-08:00

This is your last chance to register for the Atlanta Intermediate Class on Thursday. We only have a limited number of seats available, so if you are interested in attending, please register ASAP. If you walk in, there are no guarantees that we will have supplies.

To register, and for more details, check the Copic Class registration link here. Contact Nancy, nancy@copicmarker.com for more details.

Remember to come visit us on Friday, Dec. 2nd, from 10-11am, as we will be having a book signing at Altered Angel in Alpharetta, GA. We'll see you there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T14:13:00.000-08:00

Turkey Fun
I want to take this chance to tell everyone what I am thankful for. There are so many blessings I have: Good Health, Family, Friends, a fun job, and the chance to live in a wonderful country. And, I have so many wonderful online friends that I never get a chance to thank, for their inspiration and support.

Today, as a thank you to all my online friends, here is a free image that I drew just for you! I have been drawing variations of this pilgrim/turkey since elementary school, and I thought you might also like a chance to color him. Just click on the image and save it. (Not for commercial reproduction without permission).

Coloring the turkey
I looked at turkey photos to get the coloration right on my turkey. This image has a lot of browns, and honestly, I used so many browns that I may have missed some in the tutorial.

First, I started with the hardest parts. In this case, the gun was trickiest. I colored the metal parts of the gun with C1, C3, N5. Notice the strong contrast between darks/lights. This helps with the illusion of reflective metal.

I used E31/E44 for the main body of wood, and E27/29 for the shadows.

The yellow was colored with Y06 and Y21. His hat was colored with N3/N5/N7. His leather boots were colored with E13, E37 and E29. Notice the crisp cast shadows under the cuffs, as this helps make the boots look more dimensional. By changing the base tone of brown, you can see that the boots take on a different tone than the gun, even though the darker colors are pretty similar.

Next I colored his head. Turkeys have a red/blue fading bald head. Really pretty, and kindof tricky to do with Copics. The B32 is feather blended into the R22/R14. I added some C3 to his head to tone it down as well. I dotted on colorless blender and R59 to make it look lumpy. I could have darkened under the hat brim a bit more, but his head is so tiny that I didn't want to lose too much color, so I left it fairly bright.

Finally, I colored his body with a bunch of browns and N7 and W9 to darken the deepest shadows. Real turkeys have beautiful, patterned feathers, heavy in blacks/dark browns, so I wanted to keep that feeling of dark, dark feathers.

His tail is colored first with E44, then I added E31 to the small feathers, darkened those with E27 and W7. The Bigger feathers are darkened with YR14, E27/29, and the tips are colored with C3.

Once his body was done, I went through and touched up colors, deepened shadows on the whole image, and then added a hint of blue sky with BG70, BG000, and B41.

The scans all came out a little different in tone from each other but I didn't bother color-correcting them, and he seems to look better in real life. Oh well. He was fun to draw, fun to color, and I hope you enjoy coloring him as well.

Upcoming Events
Atlanta Intermediate Certification, Dec. 1
If you haven't registered yet, we still have a couple spaces left in the Atlanta Intermediate class next week. Colleen Schaan and I will be teaching that class.

On Dec. 2nd, from 10-11am, we will be having a book signing at Altered Angel in Alpharetta, GA.

This is a free event. We will also have markers and images from Our Craft Lounge for people to color and come down and say Hi! Don't miss it! Colleen and I are going to have a lot of fun, so please join us either at the class, or at the book signing.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and those of you here in the States, enjoy your Thanksgiving!

Update and Chair

2011-11-14T12:58:00.001-08:00

Class Update
We are busy getting our schedules outlined for 2012, but we still have one last class coming up in the next few weeks, and there is one change I would like to bring to your attention.

Dec. 1, Atlanta Intermediate Class has been filling so quickly that we decided that I will also be going, so that class is now being taught by Marianne Walker and Colleen Schaan.

So, if you were thinking of attending, or would like to give yourself an early Christmas present, then please register right away! We only have a few spaces left, and we anticipate those filling quickly. Colleen and I are looking forward to a really fun class. We had a blast teaching together in Portland, and Atlanta should be just as much fun!

To register, and for more details, check the Copic Class registration link here. Contact Nancy, nancy@copicmarker.com for more details.

Meanwhile, for those of you preparing for 2012, there will be both a Standard and Intermediate Certification class in Anaheim, just before CHA. Details will be going out in the next couple weeks, so be prepared for those dates as well.

Chair
Here is one of the other images I drew while demoing at the U of O last week. Since I drew these while demoing, I do not have line work or in-progress step outs, nor do I remember what colors I used, sorry! I drew it with a 0.03mm multiliner onto scratch paper.

Frequently when I am demoing, I look through my example book and find old images that need to be updated. I realized I did not have a good range of furniture illustrations, and interior designers love using Copic markers, so I dreamed up this simple floral chair.

I really like how this chair came out (maybe not as much as the outhouse from the last post, but it is still nice). Notice the texturing on the fabric. This was made by taking my blender pen and dabbing it, straight down with the brush nib, after I had finished coloring the basic green layer. For those of you who are studying shadows, you'll notice that there are two light sources, hence the two faint shadows under each chair leg.

I hope this inspires you a little bit, have a great week!

Back in town

2011-11-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Whew! I am finally back in town. What a wonderful group of students I had in my 3 certifications in Hawaii. Those classes were a lot of fun, and I can't wait to go back and see all your smiling faces.

Yesterday I had the nice opportunity to demo at the University of Oregon's, 30th annual Tools of the Trade show. I look forward to this each year, as I always have a chance to draw and color something new each time. I showed you the piece I colored and drew last year, so I couldn't conclude the event without showing you one of the pieces I drew and colored yesterday. I hope you enjoy!

Outhouse
I drew this picture with a 0.03mm multiliner onto nice paper.

The base brown for the wood is E33 with YG91 and Warm Grays 3, 5, & 7. I added hints of E37 and E47 just to flesh out the color range.

The foliage is colored with G21, YG41, G24, G28, YG63, YG67, YG45, and BG99 and Warm Grays (for the darkest shadow areas).

The sky is airbrushed B41. The roof is cool grays blended with 0 and a tiny hint of BV23 and Y00.

Shadows on outhouse
For those of you who have been studying shadows on my blog, you can note that the outhouse is basically a cube. The light is coming from the left, and casting a shadow to the right. The foliage closest to the base of the outhouse on the shadow side is the darkest, and the shadows get really deep with the BG99. On areas where the vines creep in front of the shadows, you can see that I used YG41 as my base, but for shadow areas, I used G21/24 for the lightest area on those leaves. Also notice, under the tin roof, I added the deepest shadows right under the ridgeline.

I hope this gives you a little inspiration for the weekend. Have fun coloring!

Portland this weekend!

2011-10-24T12:15:00.001-07:00

Color Spotlight and Events
Happy Monday! I'm in a whimsical mood today, but I have a bunch of things to get done, as I have a very busy week coming up.

For those of you who do not regularly check out the Copic blog, you should, as last week I posted a color spotlight for YG17.

I drew this little blue butterfly for the color spotlight. I started with a rough drawing in pencil, then colored over it, trying to keep it loose and relaxed. If you look close, you can see that I dripped colorless blender on the edges to break up the image. You can read more at the Copic Blog.

Copic Demos and Classes
Meanwhile, I have a quick event update for things I am doing this Fall:

Friday we will be having a Standard Papercrafting Certification in Portland, OR taught by the beautiful Jenn Balcer. If you would like to come, we still have a few spaces left.

Then, on Saturday, the spunky Colleen Schaan and I will be hosting an Intermediate Certification in Portland, OR. I don't teach this class very often, and Colleen and I always have fun when we team teach, so if you have been waiting to take this class, wait no more! If you ask us real nice, I bet we'll even sign books for you :)

November 4 & 5th, I will be teaching Standard Certifications in Honolulu, Hawaii. The class on the 4th is pretty full, but we still have a few spaces on the 5th. The Intermediate class is on the 6th, and I only have a couple spots left, so register now. We may have a Free event in Hawaii on the 4th, in the evening, so keep this open on your calendars if you are in the area (I will know later this week, so stay tuned).

To register for any Certification Class, please visit our website. For questions about certification classes, please contact Nancy at nancy@copicmarker.com

November 10th, I am back in Eugene, OR demoing at the Tools of the Trade show at the U of O Bookstore. This event runs from 10 to 6pm. Here is a picture of what I drew and colored last year at this event. Stop by, and who knows what I'll be drawing or coloring this year! The Bookstore always has great specials and wonderful demos from a variety of artists during this event.

November 30th I will be hosting a Copic demo at Karen & Friends Scrapbooking store in Springfield OR from 4 to 6 pm.

Whew! What a busy fall! I hope to meet you at one of these many fabulous events.

Certifications 2011

2011-10-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
I can't believe that 2011 is winding down! Here are the remaining locations for 2011 classes. These will be the last classes before Winter CHA. If you have hesitated to take a class, take one now, or you'll have to wait until Feb. of 2012. We also have a new way of applying for classes online that is much simpler than the old process, so what are you waiting for? Register today!

Oct. 17th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
Oct. 28th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public

Nov. 5th Lansing, MI taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public- filling fast!
Nov. 4th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
Nov. 5th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
*Note: There is a non-refundable deposit for Hawaii Classes. Only a few spots left in those classes, so register now!
Nov. 11 Kansas City, KS taught by Lori Craig Open to Public

Upcoming North American Intermediate Certification classes
Again, these are the last Intermediate Papercrafting classes in 2011. These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist.

Oct. 16th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Oct. 22nd Langley, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Oct. 29th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications

Nov. 4th Lansing, MI taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Nov. 6th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker now accepting applications

Dec. 1st, Atlanta, GA taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications- filling fast!!

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Just Keep Swimming

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Swimming For Katie Bloghop & GIVEAWAY!
From October 10-12 some of the best stampers are joining together to support and encourage our friend and fellow stamper, Katie Renz, who is currently battling inoperable gastric cancer. Katie is also dear facebook-game friend of mine, and I want all of you to know her struggles, as she really needs friends and support now more than ever before.

If you're not familiar with her, Katie’s cancer story started just before Christmas last year. This young, beautiful, healthy, vibrant mother of 3 with her infectious smile was suddenly diagnosed with an inoperable cancer, virtually overnight. A few tummy aches and then stage 4 gastric cancer. Her first post about it is here. The idea of “Swimming for Katie” came from her recent post here.

The card I made is using a digi image I drew for Katie. I have always loved the elegance of mermaids and I felt the sea stars symbolize the enduring light of stars, whose brilliance is shining upon us from the distant past, guiding the way for travelers over the eons.

I colored the mermaid with E00, E11, E15, BV00, RV21, B12, BG10, B32, B34, Y02, YR02, BG13, R29, and a clear glitter pen. The paper is from Recollections, and I popped her tail up with dimensional tape.

The card that I made today is going to be given to another dear family friend who is also suffering from a terminal illness, which began over 12 years ago, and who, sadly, is not doing well. Again, my heart goes out to anyone who has to endure the pain and sorrow of debilitating illness.

I designed this digi stamp specially for Katie. 100% of the profits go to Katie's fund to help her and her young family. Her husband Kevin and her three young children need our help and support.

In addition to the Keep Swimming Mermaid, Becky Oehlers and True =D Doodle Designs both also donated digis that are for sale (you can purchase Becky's octopus as a clear stamp as well). Direct donations are also being accepted. Information central is HERE. This is a permanent page that will stay active at i {heart} papers with current information and the full 3 day blog hop listing, as well as the donation button.

Here is a full list of contributing designers for today's portion of the Blog Hop:

AJ Otto
Beate
Carolyn Mustopa
Dawn Burnworth
Deb Felts
Gretchen Belknap
Heather Jensen
Jen del Muro
Julie Ranae
Kate - i {heart} papers
Kendra Wietstock
Lisa Johnson
Loretta Lock
Lori Tecler
Lynn Mercurio
Marianne Walker
Michele Gross
Stacy aka Twinshappy
Tracy Schultz
Debbie Olson
Cindy Lawrence
Cindy Haffner
Julie Koerber
Christine Okken
Tammy Hershberger
Danielle Kennedy
Barbara Anders
Makiko Jones
Ashley N Newell
Shannan Teubner
Taylor Usry
Jen Tapler
Jenn Balcer
Jenny Chesnick
Jess Larsen
Jessica Knutsen
Jimmi Mayo
Joan Bardee
Joan Ervin
Julia Aston
Julie Day
Julie Ebersole

Now for the giveaway: Please leave a special note on this post for someone living in the US or Canada that you know is going through hard times. On Friday, Oct. 14th, I will randomly choose a winner. If you are chosen, then I will contact you for an address for that person, so I can send them a special Copic prize pack to help them feel your love and prayers.

Thank you again for supporting Katie and her family!

Awesome video!

2011-10-05T08:40:00.001-07:00

This morning I was forwarded this amazing video link of Copics being used in a Volkswagen ad. Enjoy!

In case you're wondering why they didn't use blue Copics to color the images, remember, the outlines are drawn in black Copic, not multiliner, so they had to color in the areas with water-based markers.

Then, if you wan to see the making of video, here you go:

New All-Marker Carry Case

2011-10-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

Holds 380 Sketch Markers!
For a long time, we have wished that we had a good way to carry ALL of our markers. I have a hard time when I travel, trying to get them to all fit in cases that are not too bulky, but also wouldn't break.

Finally, Copic developed a perfect solution. This soft-sided carry case is sturdy, with reinforced sides, yet holds the markers compactly. We filled one of these cases and started turning it upside down, shaking it, tossing it around, and it held all the markers in place nicely!

In fact, the Copic carry case can hold up to 380 Sketch markers...that means your entire collection, plus room for a few of your favorite inks or other pens. The markers sit in removable mesh cups that allow you to hold Sketch, Ciao, Copics, Inks or Wide markers with ease. So, if you like to take ALL your markers with you, then this is going to be your best, compact solution.

I can't tell you how excited I was, yet, I didn't like the idea of having my markers unorganized in little cups, so I thought of another solution.

If you already have your markers in the plastic marker cases, and you only have a couple hundred markers, not the full collection, you can just pull out the carry pouches and it will easily hold your existing plastic cases.

I like this because my markers live on my desk in plastic cases but if I want to take some somewhere, then I don't have to un-organize them and put them in the cups if I don't want to. If you use 36 pc. plastic cases (like I did for this photo), you can hold 288 markers. Not bad! Otherwise, it holds 3 of the 72pc. cases, with spare room on the sides for other tools.

So, what do you think about the new Copic Carrying Case? Would you like to *win* one? Copic Marker is proud to partner with Splitcoaststampers the entire month of October for their annual Hope You Can Cling To campaign for breast cancer awareness.

Splitcoast is hosting daily challenges through the entire month of October, and asking members of the paper crafting community to create cards in support of cancer patients and their families and mail them to national partner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. Copic Marker is pleased to offer FOUR of these great new Copic Coloring Cases as prizes for four lucky participants in the Hope You Can Cling To campaign. It's a campaign of the sweetest type - you have the opportunity to color, spread a little hope with your handcrafted cards and be eligible to win!

You can find general information for the Hope You Can Cling To campaign, including information on how to play and a handy tracking sheet to keep track of your entries, here . You can find a master list of the challenges presented thus far right here. It's updated daily for new inspiration, and there are a variety of themes, so participation easy. And, just in case you aren't familiar with Splitcoast, it's a free papercrafting community where thousands of card ideas and tutorials are shared in the galleries and their resource archives. It's a fun place to be. You can find the details here. You can sign up for your free account and start sharing here.

I HOPE you'll find a few opportunities to color and participate with me this month. We'll announce our *FOUR* Copic Coloring Case winners the second week of November! Good luck!

Just a note: If you are not a cardmaker, there will be other opportunities to win one of these cases in October, so keep checking here, the Copic Blog, and the Copic Facebook Page.

Last Certifications for 2011

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
I can't believe that 2011 is winding down! Here are the remaining locations for 2011 classes. These will be the last classes before Winter CHA. If you have hesitated to take a class, take one now, or you'll have to wait until Feb. of 2012.

Oct. 13th Knoxville, TN taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public
Oct. 17th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
Oct. 28th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public

Nov. 5th Lansing, MI taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
Nov. 4th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
Nov. 5th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
*Note: There is a non-refundable deposit for Hawaii Classes. Only a few spots left in those classes, so register now!
Nov. 11 Kansas City, KS taught by Lori Craig Open to Stores & Designers

Upcoming North American Intermediate Certification classes
Again, these are the last Intermediate Papercrafting classes in 2011. These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist.

Oct. 16th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Oct. 22nd Langley, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Oct. 29th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications

Nov. 4th Lansing, MI taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Nov. 6th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker now accepting applications

Dec. 1st, Atlanta, GA taught by Colleen Schaan applications have not gone out yet

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Upcoming Local Events

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Copic Demos and Workshops
For those of you who are local, there are a few events coming up that you can come and try out Copics with me.

Thursday, Sept 29th, 1-3pm Karen & Friends Scrapbooking, Springfield, OR
We will be coloring some cute Christmas images from Our Craft Lounge. Their Copic sets will be on-sale during the event as well, so stop by and come color with me all afternoon! Their store is conveniently located near Briggs Middle School in Springfield. I will also have copies of my Shadows and Shading book for sale, so come and pick one up and get it autographed!

Saturday, Oct. 1st, 24-Hour Comic Event, Noon -noon, DIVA Art Gallery, Eugene OR
Copic is sponsoring this event, and I will be volunteering for a little while on one of the days. Register now at DIVA and get more information about drawing your own 24pg. comic in 24 hours.

Saturday, October 8th, Copic Demo, 1-3pm Ben Franklin Crafts, Springfield, OR
I will be demoing Copic markers at Ben Franklin crafts from 1 to 3 pm.

Thursday, November 10th, U of O Tools of the Trade Show, 10-5pm, Eugene, OR
I'll be demoing Copics and drawing/coloring some great stuff, so come see me at the bookstore!

New Blog header again

2011-09-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Coloring Horses, part 3
Palomino
The back horse is a nice golden Palomino, (once again, thank you google for great references). The scanner makes him look slightly green, but trust me, on my paper he is a true golden with a white forehead and whitish/gray mane.

He was easy to color, as there really isn't much to see of him hiding back there. I used one of my favorite yellows, Y21, darkened with Y26. His mane is colored with the warm grays I used on the other horses, as well as a bit of C5 to make it appear more white. I darkened his muzzle with C5 as well.

I darkened the area where his neck goes into shadow with some hints of E27. At this point, I had a lot of layers of color near the base of his neck, and the colors were not absorbing into the paper as they should, so I had to go in with my colorless blender and lift out any colors that were over-saturated and mottled.

Dappled Gray Horse
While browsing through the google images, I saw some beautiful dappled gray horses. I figured the third horse would be fun to color as a dappled gray. However, most dappled horses are a cool, steel-gray rather than a warm gray, which is what I did my base tones in. Not a problem. As I mentioned before, if you layer enough color over the top, you can push base colors out of the way, so I happily went to town with my cool grays and totally ignored the base of warm grays except as a shadow reference.

Many times, I break up my cool gray sequence slightly, though you may not notice.
For this horse I used the cool gray sequence of C1, C3, BV23, and C7. Why BV23 you may ask? I have found that BV23 is about as intense as C5, but the added hint of BV gives a nice richness and punch to the flat, gray color, without being too noticeable.

Dappled horses usually have white spots on a gray background. However, I added gray spots over white areas and white spots over gray areas. To make the white spots, I did it just the same as the spots in the sky. I let my base tones dry then I went back with the colorless blender and touched in the white spots. However, I did use the BV23 to add in gray spots as well. Overall,t he horse looks nicely dappled.

You can notice from this close up how the hints of remaining warm gray under the coat of cool grays really helps to liven up the work- the gray does not look flat, but it is still definitely a cool gray horse.

On his mane, you can see that I streaked warms and cools in, feathered in the direction of the hairs. I did not blend these colors in, I purposefully kept them streaky to enhance the feel of individual strands.

You can see a photo of me coloring the horse on instagram.

Overall I think I was able to capture the feel of these horses, running and jumping over something (my original sketch I had toyed with the idea of having them jump over a marker, but it wouldn't fit the header format). My next task was to tackle the pen and markers in the drawing.

Pencil, Multiliner, and Markers
The final step, once the horses were done, is to make the pencil and markers look like they were sitting on top of the picture. The only way to really accomplish this was through strong shadows.

I started with the pencil, as that was the easiest, and I was getting tired of working with neutral colors, that I was happy to throw some intense color into the image. The pencil was colored with the same Y21 I used on the golden horse, but this time, I accented it with YR04. The wooden area was colored with E11 & E13. I colored the graphite with N7, even though it looks like a deep black. Then I wrote in the pencil brand with my multiliner. (Recently I met the wonderful people at General Pencil Co, the last US-based pencil manufacturer. They use wood from trees logged right here in Oregon, so they are my new favorite pencil company!).

The multiliner is colored with N3, N7 and the cool grays I used on the horse. I colored it using the tutorial I posted a while ago about coloring metal. Sharp contrast is the key to making it look like metal. You can see how I enhanced the shininess by using Opaque White.

The markers on the other side of the image were colored with Neutral grays as well. I blended the colors more than I did on the shiny metal of the multiliner. Again, I used Opaque white to enhance the shine on the markers, as well as add the glints of light back into each horse's eyes.

The light brown marker cap was colored with E11, E13, and hints of E35.

I added shadows to all markers and pens with C3 and BV25. I was careful to make all the cast-shadows consistent, and crisp so it is easy to tell that they are suppose dot be resting on top of the picture of horses.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. The final artwork is approx. 8" x 4". The whole image took about 4 hrs. to sketch, ink and color, with breaks for scanning and actually getting work-work done. Writing the tutorials took about 3 1/2 hrs, so it is almost as difficult to teach how to do it as it is to actually color it in the first place.

I hope this inspired you to color, have a great weekend!

Gray Base Tones, new header again

2011-09-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Running Horses, Part 2

Sky
For this image, I started with the sky. Usually I finish an image with the sky, but I knew what I wanted the sky to look like, and I hadn't decided on the horse breeds yet, so I began with the sky. If you want to see another tutorial on coloring sky, you can check out this older post on coloring clouds.

I used B32 and feathered out from the horse cluster. Then, I took a really juicy colorless blender and pushed the color back towards the horses. I specifically wanted the sky to feel more like an illustration than a realistic sky, so I pushed the colors around irregularly to give it a mottled look.

Once the colors were pushed, then I let the base dry. I took the colorless blender and added the spots in the sky. Then I went back and touched up with the B32 around the edges of the horses and added a few spots. I was not too worried about going over the edges of the other images, as I can always clean up the edges.

Gray Base Tones on Horses
While I was still deciding on the horse breeds, I added base grays. When you look at the final image, you can't tell that I used warm grays to plan my shadows.

All 3 horses were colored with W1, W3, and a hint of C1. This helps me get all my shadows correct before I start adding other colors. The middle horse I started toning brown with E31. The base tone of grays makes the E31 look like it has a lot more color variation than just one simple layer of light brown. At this point I knew it would be a brown horse, I just hadn't decided on breeds yet.

Notice that I have not done much blending with the base colors. Since I will be layering lots of other colors over the grays, it is more important to just have tones in place, rather than worrying that they all look perfectly smooth at this point.

Middle Horse
It finally came to a point where I had to decide on a breed for the middle brown horse. Once again, I ran a google search and looked up brown horses. I saw some beautiful Spanish Mustangs that I liked, so I decided to color him as a nice, rich brown that darkened into almost black accents. Since he was to be the focal horse, I put the most work into him so he would stand out more.

He is colored mainly with E31 and E35 to go with the base grays. I like the E30's sequence because it is a good, neutral brown family, without too much red or other tones in it. The more you layer browns over the base grays, the more the grays will be pushed out of the way, so be careful not to layer too much or you may lose the original shading. If this happens, just darken it more.

The areas that darken almost to black are colored with E47 and hints of W7. No black! W7 is as dark as you need to get. Even the darkest brown has a value of 7, so it is not black. In the final, you can see that it looks almost black, but still retains the feel of brown.

To soften the colors on his face, I went back over his head with the colorless blender. This added highlights back in, and allowed me to tone down the deepest areas a bit.

His foreleg that is in back, I added W3 to dull it down and make it less intense. This helps with the illusion of depth. I colored his teeth with W3 and his tongue with E04.

You can see that I went over the edges a little bit, on the knee of the front horse and under his chin, but that's what the colorless blender is for.

Tomorrow I will continue the tutorial, and finish up the other two horses and the markers around the edges. Have a great day!

New Blog Header

2011-09-21T16:13:00.000-07:00

Running Horses
You may have noticed that I have a new Blog header. This morning I decided that my old header was just a little out of season. I also felt like drawing some horses. I ran a google search on horses to get ideas on perspective and angles for the three horses.

I drew them with a pencil first onto scratch paper, then I inked the image on a new sheet of paper using my light table...then I didn't have to erase. So, I sketched out the following illustration using a 0.05mm Gray Multiliner and a 0.05mm Sepia multiliner. Then I started coloring. Tomorrow I will post a tutorial with the steps I took in coloring the horses and markers.

Have a great day!

Color Spotlight & Certification class updates

2011-09-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

Spotlight BG10:
Over at the Copic Blog, I just posted a new Color Spotlight on BG10. Check it out! Meanwhile, here is a little more info about the picture I drew.

Eye movement: This is the art I created for the BG10 Color Spotlight. I drew it with a 0.05 mm Gray multiliner. I used a gray multiliner because the focus color was so light, I didn't want to increase the contrast too much.

As it is, the darkest color in the picture is the boy's BG78 shorts. This gives a nice focal point, then his pale skin pulls your attention down to the water, out to his hands, and up to his face, which looks back at the water.

Because the colors are for the most part pale, the image is fairly restful. I wanted to convey the feel of lazy summer days and a quiet river. I think that the overall color combination and lack of harsh lines helps convey that feeling. To see which colors I used and where they came from, check out the full color spotlight over on the Copic Blog.

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
Although it seems that Summer just ended, there isn't much time left to register for Fall classes. December and January will have fewer classes, so if you have been hesitating to take a class, don't wait too long, as there might not be another class in your area until later in 2012.

Sept 18th Ottawa, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Jenn Balcer FULL
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig Cancelled

Oct. 13th Knoxville, TN taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Stores & Designers
Oct. 17th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Stores & Designers
Oct. 28th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Stores & Designers

Nov. 5th Lansing, MI taught by Debbie Olson Open to Stores & Designers
Nov. 4th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
Nov. 5th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
*Note: There is a non-refundable deposit for Hawaii Classes

Intermediate Certification
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist.

Sept 17th Ottawa, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications

Oct. 16th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Oct. 22nd Langley, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Oct. 29th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications

Nov. 4th Lansing, MI taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Nov. 6th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker now accepting applications

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Back to School Grays

2011-09-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

Back to School
Recently, my children went back to school. While my husband and I are cheering, our son has been gray, since school is obviously not as much fun as hanging out with friends all Summer.

Grays might seem blah, but when you are working with a limited color palette, you can't underestimate the power of grays.

Working with grays
Copic makes 46 shades of gray. Each shade is used for a specific purpose...
Cool Grays are very blue-toned, and useful for shadows and metal.
Neutral Grays are neutral and good for generic gray things or for storyboarding.
Toner Grays are slightly warm, but not too warm.
Warm Grays are very warm and earth-toned, great for wooly or earthy things.

Working with limited colors
People frequently ask me, what are the best colors to start with when collecting Copics. I always answer that it depends what you are going to be coloring. If you color people, then go for skin tones and build from there. If you enjoy nature, then start with greens and browns. However, you may have only a few colors from each family and feel that your artwork has no depth until you get more colors.

This problem can be solved if you have a few grays. My first two markers I got after the 12 basic marker set I started with were two shades of gray. This instantly multiplied those 12 colors into twice as many options.

Here is a girl who is heading back to school. I started by laying down a C5 to mark my shadows. You may think this is too dark to start, but an interesting quality of Copic markers, is that any lighter color can push a darker color out of the way, so this C5 will lighten up as we layer colors over it.

I tried to keep all my shadows consistent, so you can easily tell that the light is coming from the upper right. (For more ideas on shadow placement, run a search on "shadows" on this blog using the search bar at the top.)

Usually when layering grays it is a good idea to match gray type to color family. However, I have limited colors, and I only have this one gray. That is OK. Shadows tend to cool down, as the sun is not hitting them directly. Skin would usually be a warm brown, but, it is OK to add a cool color in the shadow of skin, so I frequently add blue or purple into my skin shadows. Cool gray is cool, so that will be fine to use to accent the colors in the shadows.

Now that I have planned out my shadows, I can layer my limited colors. Since I like drawing people, I have a good range of skin tones. I start by adding E000 over all skin areas, including the gray colored parts. then, over the gray shadows, I added E11 and E04. See how much lighter the gray is now?

I colored her bag and shoes with E15 and E19. I colored the paper sack with the E11 I used on her skin.

Last, I colored all the other areas of her with my limited colors.

I colored her hair with Y21, Skirt with R83, and her shirt with BV13. I lost some of the shadows when I colored the shirt with BV13, so I went back with my gray and darkened those areas again.

As you can see, using a gray helps cut back on the colors you need to own when starting out your collecting. In total, I used 1 gray, 5 browns, 1 yellow, 1 blue-violet, and 1 pink. The 1 gray meant that I did not need a darker shade of yellow, pink, or blue-violet. If I had colored her book bag purple, then I could have eliminated 2 browns as well.

She doesn't look too bad, in my opinion.

Enter our coloring contest!
For a blank image of this girl to download, and to see another way to color her, please visit our Copic blog. There you will also find information on how to enter this month's coloring contest via Facebook and copiccolor.com

Not a member of Copic Color yet? Now is the time to register and see what people are making with Copic markers. Registration is free and easy!

Certification Class Updates

2011-08-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
There are lots of great classes this Fall, so check out any class in your area. There are classes coming up all over the country, so look for one close to you and register today before they fill. Even if you are skilled at using the markers, taking a Certification class gives you a chance to work hands-on with one of our fabulous Regional Instructors. Our instructors can troubleshoot problems with you and give you pointers on how to take your work to a new level. Don't wait another month- take a class now!

Aug. 26 Oklahoma City, OK taught by Lori Craig Open to Public

Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public
Sept 18th Ottawa, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Jenn Balcer Filling FAST!
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig Cancelled

Oct. 13th Knoxville, TN taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Stores & Designers
Oct. 17th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson Open to Stores & Designers
Oct. 28th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan applications have not gone out yet

Nov. 4th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
Nov. 5th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public*
*Note: There is a non-refundable deposit for Hawaii Classes

Intermediate Certification
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist.

Sept 14th Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Sept 17th Ottawa, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications

Oct. 16th Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Oct. 22nd Langley, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Oct. 29th Portland, OR taught by Colleen Schaan applications have not gone out yet.

Nov. 6th Honolulu, Hawaii taught by Marianne Walker now accepting applications

Other classes and events around the world:
Nov. 17th, UK Class Taught by Diny Sparkel for details and registration please e-mail Rachel Byass rachel.byass@homecall.co.uk

Also, be sure to check out the Copic Oz blog for events and workshops in Australia.

Hawaii Certification - Filling fast

2011-08-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is just a note- If you are interested in attending the Hawaii classes you need to register right away! Those classes are filling very fast and space is limited. Contact nancy@copicmarker.com for more details.

Hawaiian Certification

2011-08-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

Special Opportunity!
Honolulu, Hawaii Certification
Standard Certification Nov. 4th or 5th Intermediate Class Nov. 6th, 2011
Taught by Marianne Walker

Next week we will begin accepting applications for a special Hawaiian Copic Certification event. I will be teaching all three classes, and I know it will be a fun experience for everyone!

If you have not taken a Copic Certification class yet, then this is your chance. For this one event, you will be allowed to take Standard Certification then immediately take the Intermediate class. You must register for both classes at the same time if you wish to participate in both!

Space is VERY limited in these classes, so you will need to register right away to take advantage of this opportunity. Anyone registering must pay a non-refundable class fee upon registration. No Exceptions. People who wish to re-take will be put on a waiting list, as top priority for this event is for those who have not had the opportunity to take Certifications before.

Look next week for applications and for more information on this event, or e-mail nancy@copicmarker.com

I look forward to seeing you in Hawai'i!

Illustration: Drawn with 0.03 Multiliner SP on X-press It Blending Card. Colored with C1, C3, C5, B41, Y11, Y38, & R29

Redwoods

2011-08-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

I want to thank those of you who stopped by the city of Eugene, Summer in the City event. I had a great time sketching and seeing lots of different artists and styles.

Meanwhile, I recently returned from a vacation to the Redwoods in Northern California. Although it is only about 5 hrs. from where I live, I have not visited the giant trees since I was a kid. These quiet, tall giants grow dense & thick in the beautiful forests near the coast, and are a peaceful reminder of how big things can get if we leave them alone.

Coloring a Redwood Forest
Today I wanted to show you a quick drawing of the redwoods, and how I colored this simple, quiet scene. We have one tree in front, with a few trees behind, in the distance.

The overall tone of this image will be greens and browns, but remember, things in the distance have more blue, so I went ahead and colored everything behind the front tree with B41 and then colored tree trunks with C1. I'm not worrying too much if I go over the lines, since blue is a base color for green.

Next, I added a base tone of E31 to all trunks, front and back. The back trunks dimmed immediately from the layer of blue. The foreground trunk remained pure, but too vibrant, so I added W3 to neutralize it a bit, then streaked in E47 and hints of E04. The pink of the E04 helps make the front tree warmer.

To make the trunk appear rounded, I darkened the edges of the trunk more than the middle. Also notice, that you can begin to see shadows from the foliage on the trunk.

Next, I add the base tones on any green areas. First, I started with a base of YG11 on anything on the ground. Notice how the gray immediately tones down the YG11 in the background areas. Next, I added YG63 to any of the branches above. You'll notice that the YG63 on the front tree is brighter than the YG63 on the back trees. Again, it is because of the blue base. I added a bit more YG41 to any areas on the back trees that seemed too vibrant.

Without shadows, the foliage looks strange and flat. The last step in any of my works is to come back in and finish up my shadows. At this point, I darken the foliage on the front tree with YG97 and blend it in with YG63 and YG67. I added hints of YG11 to brighten up the strongest highlights.

The foliage on the ground was darkened with YG63, G85, and YG11.

Last, I added hints of trees even farther back. I lightly drew in some lines with a regular pencil then lightly brushed in E31 for trunks. For the foliage, I took the B41 and used tip-to-tip blending to lightly add touches of YG63 for the upper branches. Overall, I am pleased with how well this simple sketch came out. You can easily see the depth in the forest, and the strong contrast on the front tree really heightens the perception of depth for the whole picture.

Notice also that I did not leave any areas white. I did this on purpose. In this image, I wanted to really show the quiet, bold, stillness. This is to be a peaceful, resting image, not focusing on vibrant life. By eliminating white, I cut my levels of contrast for the whole picture. Instantly, the image feels calmer. For an example of how the picture changes when I add white, you need to jump to the tutorial on the Copic Blog. On that post, you can also download a free blank image of the redwoods to color on your own, so check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this inspires you to go color (or hug) a tree today.

Certification Updates

2011-08-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Time once again for a list of upcoming events and certifications.

Free Local Events:
Once again, I want to thank the people who came to the drawing event held last week in downtown Eugene. A local newscast interviewed me during that event, and here you can see that video showing how much fun I had sketching with markers.

Here is a photo of one of the drawings I sketched while at the event. This piece is about 18" x 24" (I think), all drawn with Copic Markers. Any of the drawings I made can be viewed through Eugene Storefront Art Project (ESAP) at 200 W. Broadway. This Friday is the 1st Friday artwalk, so be sure to get out there and visit your local art galleries. Artwork drawn during the event can be purchased as a fundraiser for ESAP for $25.

Eugene, Downtown Library, Learn to Draw Manga
Wednesday, August 3, 2:00

Eugene, Bethel Branch Library, Learn to Draw Manga
Friday, August 5, 2:00

Eugene, Sheldon Branch Library, Learn to Draw
Tuesday, August 9, 2:00

Friday, Aug. 19th, 12-4pm All ages, Free demos, Lane County Fair, Art Pavillion

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
There are lots of great classes this Summer, so check out any class in your area. Now is the time to finally get Certified if you've been putting it off. There are classes coming up all over the country, so look for one close to you and register today before they fill. Even if you are skilled at using the markers, taking a Certification class gives you a chance to work hands-on with one of our fabulous Regional Instructors. They can troubleshoot problems with you and give you pointers on how to take your work to a new level.

Aug. 7th Manhattan, NY taught by Lori Craig and Jenn Balcer Open to Public

Aug. 26 Oklahoma City, OK taught by Lori Craig Open to Public

Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan Open to stores & Designers
Sept 18th Ottawa, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to stores & Designers
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Jenn Balcer Filling FAST!
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers

Intermediate Certification
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist.

Sept 14th Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson now accepting applications
Sept 17th Ottawa, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens now accepting applications
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Colleen Schaan now accepting applications

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

CHA Consumer Show

2011-07-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

I'm here in Chicago, working at CHA with Copic, helping local stamping stores choose the best markers for you!

Tomorrow the consumer show starts. We at Copic are partnering with Splitcoaststampers to provide make-n-takes and all sorts of fun and excitement.

On Friday I will be doing a book signing with Colleen Schaan for our new book, Copic Coloring Guide. We will be in the Splitcoast booth, happy to visit with all you! You can purchase the book there at the show, or bring your own copy, and we will be signing and taking questions, so please join us.

What else am I doing in the next few weeks?
For those of you who are local, Wed. July 27th, I will be in downtown Eugene, participating in the City of Eugene Drawing Marathon. Come Join me!! Come draw, as I will have markers to play with, or come and watch other fabulous artists create exciting pictures.

Wed, 7/27, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Downtown at Kesey Square, Broadway & Willamette

Summer in the City--Downtown
Drawing Marathon

Suggested donation for downtown events is one can of food/adult or $1/adult benefiting the Eugene Storefront Art Project. Prepare to be inspired as you witness the creation of a unique drawing right before your eyes. Join us for an evening drawing marathon on the picturesque brick plaza. Live models pose in different costumes for long-time professional artists as well as new to the craft drawers; using charcoal, oil sticks, crayons or pencils. Enjoy Soul Jazz, a Eugene-based trio from the Jazz Station. Finished drawings will be hung on an impromptu clothesline on Kesey Square with the proceeds going to benefit the Eugene Storefront Art Project.

Artists, please come and draw! You are invited and it's free to participate! Please e-mail us and let us know you are coming: drawingmarathoneugene@gmail.com

For Teens, this summer I will be teaching a number of FREE drawing classes:

Eugene, Downtown Library, Learn to Draw Manga
Wednesday, August 3, 2:00

Eugene, Bethel Branch Library, Learn to Draw Manga
Friday, August 5, 2:00

Eugene, Sheldon Branch Library, Learn to Draw
Tuesday, August 9, 2:00

I will also be demoing at the Lane County Fair later this Summer, so look for more details in the next few weeks.

OK, I need to get back to work. Come see me this week or at one of my many local events over the next few weeks.

Copic Color

2011-07-11T10:22:00.000-07:00

For the last few months, we at Copic have been frantically working to make an amazing experience for all Copic users. After all our hard work, we are happy to announce:

Copic Color - The online Copic Community
www.copiccolor.com

Copic Color is a place for people who collect Copic markers to keep track of the colors they have or want, to create custom color palettes to share with their friends, and to post artwork made with Copic Markers.

You can easily sign up on the main page, then create your own use profile and collections, or wander around and see what art and color palettes people have generated.

See featured artist interviews and more. View artwork from lots of different creative categories. Upcoming, see tutorials and more!

Best of all, Copic Color is optimized for mobile devices, so your color collection can travel with you. It can even help you locate the nearest Copic dealer. So, what are you waiting for? Check out Copic Color today! Watch the short intro video to see all the exciting features Copic Color has to offer.

Blog Hop Winner

2011-07-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't thank you enough for all your valuable comments from the blog hop last week! Your opinions help us shape the direction of our content for many Copic users around the world. It looks like requests for more tutorials about shadows, highlights, and understanding contrast are in highest demand, along with skin, hair, and blending. I have lots of excellent posts that I have done in the past, so until I get some new tutorials written, please dig around in my archives or search with the search feature for this blog.

Meanwhile, the random generator chose one lucky winner from the comments left on my blog. Congratulations to the Copic Coloring Guide Blog Hop winner! The lucky winner is:

Lori Rider

She said...

Love the card - and thanks for a chance to win! I love tutorials on coloring people, hair, skin, etc., because it doesn't some naturally to me. I would love to learn more about shadows, shading, depth, etc. - that always gives me the most trouble!

Again, congrats to Lori! And, thank you all again for your valuable input. Have a great week!

Upcoming certifications

2011-07-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

A quick update before the weekend, as we have a few classes coming up in the next few months. If you are interested, then you need to register early, as some of these classes fill very quickly. There is still space in our classes before CHA, so if you haven't taken a Certification yet, now is the time!

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
July 16th Houston, TX taught by Jenn Balcer Open to Public
July 18, Chicago, IL (Before Summer CHA) taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
Aug. 7th Manhattan, NY taught by Lori Craig and Jenn Balcer Open to Public

Aug. 26 Oklahoma City, OK taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers

Classes Opening Soon, applications have NOT gone out yet:
Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Collen Schaan
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment on Wednesday's post to win an autographed copy of the Copic Coloring Guide book!

Copic Animation: Make a friend

2011-07-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who enjoyed the clay video I posted a few weeks ago, here is another one, made by the same creative group of animators. I'm sure you will like this one as much as the last one.

By the way, if you aren't our friend on Facebook, you should check out the Copic page and become a fan. On there you will see lots of great prizes, giveaways, contests, and ideas, so check us out today! We are also on twitter. You can follow me as ilikemarkers to see what I am up to, or, you can follow Copicmarker for all of the other exciting things that we do around Copic headquarters here in the US.

If you have not participated in the blog hop from yesterday, you can still leave a comment on yesterday's post for a chance to win. Thank you for all the helpful comments about tutorials and information you would like to see from Copic. There are exciting things in the works, beyond this blog, so your input is more valuable than you know. Thanks for stopping by!

Copic Coloring Guide Blog Hop

2011-07-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

Note: Commenting is closed on this post
Whew! I am finally back from an exciting week down in Los Angeles for the annual Anime Expo show. I had two classes filled to capacity at over 300 people! I am so excited that people from so many diverse backgrounds have fun using our markers.

Today I am thrilled to be part of a blog hop for the Copic Coloring Guide! This book has been out for about a month, and everywhere I go, I have people tell me how thrilled they are with what we jammed into that book. All I can think about is how much more we could have put in! The world of what you can do with Copic Markers is sooooo big!

This hop includes work by many of the designers who were in the book, so be sure to visit everyone on the list for ideas, tidbits, and most important...BLOG CANDY!!

The Copic Coloring Guide the perfect resource for beginner and intermediate coloring artists alike. The book contains information about the different styles of Copic markers, explains the coloring/numbering system, details how to pick good blending groups, teaches a number of blending techniques through illustrated tutorials, and de-mistifies the colorless blender marker. And that's just in the first 18 pages! The book also contains over 40 beautiful coloring card projects separated into beginner, intermediate and advanced skill level. Each card project includes step-by-step coloring AND assembly instructions... along with supply lists and manufacturer information to make recreating the projects simple and easy.

The book is published by Annie's Attic, a division of DRG, also the publishers of the popular CardMaker magazine. Click HERE for more information or to purchase the book (also available in PDF electronic download).

I have one project stepped out in the book. When Colleen and I were finishing the book I asked her what card projects we needed more examples of, and her answer was that we needed more simple, easy projects, so I submitted a handful of cards, many of which just didn't match the feel we were going for, except for this easy card. My adorable card is very simple indeed! I wanted a project that anyone could have success making, and feel good about their Copic skills. I think I only used 5 colors to make this card.

My 3-year-old daughter loves sitting on our living room floor and finding that card in the book, since she loves the smiling sunshine. I remember when I drew that stamp set for Our Craft Lounge, as soon as I showed it to them I knew that they would love it, and it quickly became one of my personal favorites :)

And now, how would you like to win an AUTOGRAPHED copy of the book? Each of the contributing designers is hopping today and each one is giving away a copy of the book... signed by both authors AND the designer.

To be eligible to win, please leave a comment on THIS post telling us what you wish to see more tutorials on, and what gives you the biggest struggles when coloring. I want to be able to help you have the best experience possible and I want to know anything that you are finding difficult.

Posting will close at midnight on Saturday (July 9) and the winner will be posted on Monday, July 11.

Make sure to visit each of the designers blogs to see their favorite project from the book and for a chance to win your own autographed copy! Whoever wins from my blog will also get a special surprise from Copic, so get to hopping!

Upcoming classes

2011-06-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I will be teaching a Certification class in Coos Bay, OR. Will you join me? There is still room left in that class. Friday night, before the class, we will have an Open House at Memories of Time in Coos Bay. For those of you in other places around the country, it is time to give a brief update on Certification classes coming up.

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
June 18th Coos Bay, OR taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Lori Craig Open to Public
June 23rd, Lexington, KY taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public
July 7th, Syracuse, NY taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public, Bring a friend!

July 16th Houston, TX taught by Jenn Balcer Open to Public
July 18, Chicago, IL (Before Summer CHA) taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers
Aug. 7th Manhattan, NY taught by Lori Craig and Jenn Balcer Open to stores & Designers

Classes Opening Soon, applications have NOT gone out yet:
Aug. 8th Appleton, WI taught by Debbie Olson
Aug. 26 Oklahoma City, OK taught by Lori Craig
Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Collen Schaan
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig

Copic Animation: Make a Face

2011-06-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

For a bit of fun, I have a neat little video to share with you today, made by some animation friends down in California. This is a really fun little animation made with a bit of clay and Copic Markers. Check it out! Meanwhile, I hope to see you at the Certification class and Ink & Art class in Indiana this weekend.

The Copic Coloring Guide

2011-05-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been patiently waiting, I am pleased to announce that my new book, The Copic Coloring Guide is now available for purchase!! (Click here to order a copy).

It was so much fun working with my uber-talented and loyal friend, Colleen Schaan. This book is great for those of you just learning Copic markers and need something to clearly step you through the coloring process. The Copic Coloring Guide is jam-packed with gorgeous papercrafting projects made by a talented team of designers...too many to name them all :), so you'll just have to go buy the book and see who contributed!

I want to give a special thanks to both Colleen and our editor, Tanya, for making this book happen. It has really come together beautifully!

I know that everyone who contributed to the book hopes that you will be inspired and gain confidence in your coloring ability through our efforts. It makes me all happy inside when I know that fulfilling my dreams helps others find and nurture their own talents.

May you all have a wonderfully-inspired week!

Going to San Diego

2011-05-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Events
This weekend I am headed to teach the San Diego Certification. Where else can you visit me in the next few months? Here are some of the other places I will be going. For a complete listing of upcoming Certification classes and for applications, please visit the Copic website.

May 22, San Diego, CA Standard Certification, taught by Marianne Walker FULL
June 3, Berne, IN Standard Certification, taught by Marianne Walker & Colleen Schaan Open to Public
June 19th Coos Bay, OR Evening Open House, Memories of Time scrapbook store Open to Public
June 18th Coos Bay, OR Standard Certification taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public
July 1-4 Los Angeles, CA Anime Expo - I will be teaching beginning marker classes for coloring Comics and I will be in the Copic booth to answer questions all weekend long. Visit the Anime Expo website for registration.

I will be attending Summer CHA, though that event is not open to the public.

Later this summer I will also be teaching some local kids comic drawing workshops, so stay tuned for other opportunities to take a Copic workshop or class from me.

Strategic Coloring - Dragon Card

2011-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted a tutorial in a while, but I did make a simple card for a dear friend here at the warehouse who was having a birthday this week.

While I don't have a step-by-step tutorial for this project, I will point out a bit of strategic coloring that I did while creating this card. For those of you who have taken the Intermediate Certification, you'll know what I'm getting at, when I talk about Strategic Coloring.

I drew this dragon as 4 pieces of cardstock, one part for the front, one for the hind end, and one each for the wings.The top layer is popped out with foam tape, then I used X-Press It Tape for adhering the rest of the dragon.

Strategic Coloring- Shadows
You'll notice that I didn't bother to blend my colors very smoothly. However, I did add darker spots all over the green. This is to simulate irregular dragon skin. Also, it is hard to exactly determine a light source, except that there is light coming from above. This is my artistic license. The dragon is flying in midair, so there is a lot of ambient light. You can tell he's dimensional, but I'm not distracting you with too many shadows.

What I want to point out is the dragon's green coloration. The main, light green I used is YG41, this is my base tone. I colored ALL green areas with a base of this color, so that all areas, no matter how I darken them, would still feel cohesive. Then, to add simple shadows, I worked in YG63. YG63 has more gray in it than YG41, so it both darkened and toned down the shadows. This makes the shadows seem to have more depth.

On the hind legs and tail, I worked in G85, as G85 is even less intense than the YG's- less yellow and more blue makes the color recede more. Finally, to pull in the color of the green border paper, I added G99 to the darkest shadow areas. Because I physically popped the front of the dragon off the page, that also adds natural shadows to any portion below it.

Part of the strategic coloring in this case is the yellow underbelly. See how the yellow pulls your eye right to the dragon's head? And then, the dragon is looking up, off the page. The first version I drew, the head was pointing back towards his body. However, I changed it.

Strategic Composition
Compositionally, having the head pointing back to the body would create more of a circle in the line of sight. Your eye would continue flowing around and around. However, the message I wanted to convey was freedom and flight. Therefore, having the head up, the wings spread out, and the dragon at a jaunty angle with wings and legs going off the edge of the white box creates more of a sense of freedom.

Also, I gave white space above the head. What this conveys to the viewer is a sense of possibilities- there is room for this dragon to continue flying, wherever his wings may take him.

The wings and tail help pull the viewer back into the dragon's belly, which then draws the eye back up the yellow belly, then to the head. From the head, the eye travels up, hits the dark green border, then flows back around the page back to the wings and tail, which continues the flow and makes the viewer look longer at the picture.

Physically having the dragon popping off the page also adds to the sense of breaking from the confines of the paper. I left his front arms unattached in any way- no extra dimensional tape or anything. This is because I want them to naturally flare out more, and to not lose the dynamic from that portion of the cast shadow.

Notice how simple this card is. The image is so strong and dominant, yet clean that I didn't need to add anything else to the card front. It works as it is. I liked this card so much that I had a hard time giving it to my friend, but since she loves dragons, I know that she loved getting this dragon card today as much as I enjoyed making it for her! May all your dreams take flight this week and I hope you get a little more insight as to how I choose colors and composition as well.

Other colors I used: E04 and YR30 for the wings. YR30, Y21, and E33 for the underbelly. Boo for white claws and horns. Assorted glitter pens to add sparkle to the shadows. To give you an idea of the size of this image, this is a full sheet of paper folded in half, so it is a very large card.

Certification Updates

2011-05-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have been on the road quite a bit in the last month, so I apologize for the lapse in posting.

I have a few class updates to go over before I post a tutorial later this week. Each Certification class is $120 for the day, retakes are only $40. There are lots of classes open, so check for one near you.

Upcoming North American Standard Certification classes
May 12, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan FULL
May 26, Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
May 22, San Diego, CA taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public
May 28th, Toronto, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public

June 3rd Berne, IN taught by Colleen Schaan & Marianne Walker Open to Public
June 4th Kelowna, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
June 7th Philadelphia, PA taught by Lori Craig FULL
June 11th Boston, Mass taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers
June 12 Spokane, WA taught by Jenn Balcer Open to stores & Designers
June 18th Coos Bay, OR taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers
June 23rd, Lexington, KY taught by Colleen Schaan Open to stores & Designers
July 7th, Syracuse, NY taught by Colleen Schaan Open to stores & Designers

Classes Opening Soon, applications have NOT gone out yet:
July 16th Houston, TX taught by Jenn Balcer
July 18, Chicago, IL (Before Summer CHA) taught by Lori Craig
Aug. 7th Manhattan, NY taught by Lori Craig and Jenn Balcer
Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Collen Schaan
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig

Intermediate Certification
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist.

May 13th, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Now Open

June 10th, Boston, Mass. taught by Debbie Olson Now Open
June 18th, Calgary, AB taught by Sherrie Siemens Only 2 spots left!
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Debbie Olson Now Open

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

International Copic Certification Classes

UK Certifications

Friday 27th May – Warrington, Cheshire taught by Wendy Kadzidlo
June 19th, Crawley, West Sussex, UK (near Gatwick airport). Taught by Wendy Kadzidlo.

To register for UK classes, contact Wendy: wendykadzidlo@btinternet.com or download applications from www.stampsandmemories.co.uk

German Certifications
7th May in Hannover (by Britta Rumpf)
9th May in Stuttgart (by Diny Sprakel and Annie Fransen) = 1 day after Stempelmesse Süd in Stuttgart-Korntal
12th September in Hagen (by Diny Sprakel and Annie Fransen) = 1 day after Stempelmekka in Hagen.

To register for German classes, please contact
Britta Rumpf: b.rumpf-burblies@holtz-gmbh.de

Australian Certifications

MELBOURNE

Saturday June 4- Copic Project Class

Sunday June 5- Intermediate Copic Certification

SYDNEY

Saturday July 23- Copic Project Class

Sunday July 24- Intermediate Copic Certificate

BRISBANE

Monday June 14- Intermediate Copic Certification

To register for Australian classes, see the Australian Copic website.

Copic Mixed-Media Workshop

2011-04-21T09:53:00.001-07:00

Copic Ink and Art Workshop is coming up soon!

June 4th, Indianapolis, IN, taught by Colleen Schaan and Bianca Mandity

Applications and information went out yesterday for the upcoming workshop. If you did not get an application, then you can download one here.

We have been getting a LOT of inquiries about this program! This class is the first one we are offering, and if we see good response, then we will look at future workshops. These classes will not be offered as frequently as Certification Classes, so if one comes up in your area then we encourage you to attend. Register early, as space is limited. Class fills on a first-come, first-serve basis.

No Pre-requisites required!! Come and make some beautiful mixed-media creations in this project and technique-based class. I hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please send Nancy an email. nancy@copicmarker.com

Certification Updates

2011-04-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Events
For those of you who are local, I will be teaching a basic Marker Rendering class on Thursday, April 21, from 7 to 9pm at DIVA Gallery in Eugene. We'll cover basic marker care, techniques, choosing papers, and airbrushing,. If you are interested, please contact DIVA, at www.divanow.org

Standard Certifications, North America
There are classes open all over the country right now, as Spring and Fall are the most popular times for classes. Check the following list to make sure you don't miss out on a class near you. Classes are filling FAST, especially the Intermediate classes, so get your applications in right away! A few minor changes to the upcoming list of Certification Classes, as Jennie Black will no longer be hosting Certifications, but she will be teaching plenty of consumer classes at her local stamping stores in the LA area.

Just to remind you, retakes are only $40, and it is always a good idea to hear material a second time. I personally will be teaching Las Vegas, San Diego, Coos Bay, and Berne, so come visit me if you haven't experienced one of my classes. Otherwise, look for classes in your area that might be taught by someone new. After you've taken one of our Certification classes, sign up for an Intermediate class, as that's where the real fun happens.

For international Certifications, please visit my class updates from last month.

Upcoming locations
April 27th, Charlotte, NC taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public

May 1st, Las Vegas, NV taught by Jennie Black Open to Public
May 12, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public
May 26, Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public
May 26, Pensacola, FL taught by Colleen Schaan CANCELLED
May 22, San Diego, CA taught by Marianne Walker Open to Public
May 28th, Toronto, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to stores and Designers

June 3rd Berne, IN taught by Colleen Schaan & Marianne Walker Open to stores & Designers
June 4th Kelowna, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to stores & Designers
June 10th, Santa Fe, NM taught by Jenn Balcer CANCELLED
June 11th Boston, Mass taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers
June 12 Spokane, WA taught by Jenn Balcer Open to stores & Designers
June 18th Coos Bay, OR taught by Marianne Walker Open to stores & Designers

Classes Opening Soon, applications have NOT gone out yet:
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Lori Craig
June 23rd, Lexington, KY taught by Colleen Schaan

Tentative Summer Classes:
July 16th Houston, TX taught by Jenn Balcer
July 18, Chicago, IL (Before Summer CHA) taught by Lori Craig
Aug. 7th Manhattan, NY taught by Lori Craig and Jenn Balcer
Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Collen Schaan
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig

Intermediate Certification
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist. The Phoenix class was a huge success! This class is a MUST for the serious papercrafter. Sure, we discuss coloring, but this class also shows you how to think like an Artist, and take your work to a whole new, objective level.

May 13th, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Now Open

June 10th, Boston, Mass. taught by Debbie Olson Now Open
June 18th, Calgary, AB taught by Sherrie Siemens Filling fast!!
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Debbie Olson Opens Friday

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Doodle Wings

2011-04-19T05:27:00.000-07:00

Draw It Yourself - Doodling Wings
Since the overwhelming response from the survey suggests that I should post some simple tutorials on how to draw, I think this tutorial is a great one to work on if you are a total beginner at doodling.

Wings are a simple way to "doodle-up" any design. The great thing about wings is that they are easy to start with. For this, you'll need a pencil, paper, and a multiliner (I used a .3mm).

1. Lightly draw a right-triangle in pencil. The long edge will be the feathers, so you can turn the triangle whichever way you need to get the feathers turned how you need them. Depending on the shape of the triangle, the wings will change shape. For more open wings, make the triangle longer.

2. In slightly darker pencil, round out the edges of the triangle. Keep the two short edge lines smooth. Then, make a series of U's along the bottom edge. They don't have to be perfect.

3. Think which way the wing will point. Make another series of U's along the top edge of the outer U's. These should angle slightly to match the angle of the wing. (if there isn't an angle, that's OK as well). Notice that I only make U's along 2/3 of the wing. Leave the edge of the wing featherless, as this is where it attaches to the body.

4. Make another row of U's, again, angled with the triangle and only going about 2/3 of the way across. Depending on the size of your triangle, you simply make more and more rows of feathers. On the area without feathers, draw a little line to hint at bones under the feathers.

5. Make a matching wing pointing the other direction.

6. Trace the outlined pencil with your multiliner. This step is what makes it look more clean and professional. I use a light table so I don't have to erase. If you know that you will be erasing your pencil lines, then try to keep those light so it will be easier to erase.

Congrats! You've drawn a pair of wings! Now, you can check out this older post of mine about coloring feathers. You'll notice that the image of wings in that post is similar to what you have drawn here.

Here is my final, cute little stick-angel. The wings turn an otherwise boring stick figure into a cute little doodle that would work in many situations. I hope this inspires you to go out and doodle some wings :) Have a wonderful week!

Survey Thank You

2011-04-04T11:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all the wonderful comments over the weekend. It sounds like many of you had a bad experience once with an art teacher and have had that stick in your mind ever since.

No guarantees mind you, but this helps give me a direction I can gather more information on. Online classes are tricky to set up as flexibly as I would need to with my travel schedule, but I will see what I can do.

Meanwhile, I will try to post more beginner drawing things that might inspire you to doodle. If you can write letters, then you can draw pictures! Your drawings don't have to be big or complex, they can be small and meaningless. What matters is that YOU did it, and YOU are excited to get better :) School is not the only place to learn things, so keep trying, even if you haven't taken a class.

Remember, practice makes perfect. Recently I cleaned out my attic and found 8 large boxes of pictures that I've drawn, mostly in the last 13 years. Never give up! Once you've drawn 8 boxes worth of images then you can decide whether you're good or not.

Ok, I'll be posting tutorials and my regular stuff later this week. Those of you who won will be notified via e-mail. Thanks again for leaving your comments!

Want to learn how to draw? Survey

2011-03-31T16:04:00.001-07:00

A quick Survey
I am gathering information for future projects that I am working on. If you have been following my blog, you know how much I love drawing and coloring. I have been doing it my whole life, and I love teaching art to others. My job is to make it look easy, even for beginners. In my opinion, everyone is capable of beautiful coloring if they are just shown how. However, one thing that people consistently say to me is:

"But I can't draw, I'm not an artist!" or
"I don't think I can do that, I've never taken a drawing class!"

And I am the one who gets frustrated because coloring has very little to do with drawing. When someone says this, they are setting themselves up with a negative- I think I can't do it, therefore I can't.

My question is:
If Copic/I began teaching basic DRAWING classes for adults, would you be interested?

Why? Has it been your lifetime dream? Have you discovered crafting in the last few years and now you are craving the chance to draw? Did you take a few classes years ago in college and now you want to learn again?

Tell me about it! Let me know your creative dreams and ambitions! Let me know if you'd want to see workshops, retreats, online classes, or any other idea you have. Let me know if you are plenty happy with what you currently do and are scared of the idea of drawing your own picture. Let me know if you are scared stiff of drawing. No holding back here, people!

Please leave a comment on this post, and Monday I'll announce a couple randomly chosen winners for Copic Bumper stickers to thank you for your comments. Sorry, the prizes can only go to people in North America, but anyone from around the world is welcome to leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from each of you :)

Now, may you all have a great weekend, and the confidence to go out and do something creative out of your comfort zone!!

Classes and Certifications around the World

2011-03-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Now is the time to plan your Summer events. All the Copic instructors are busy planning for some great classes, and you can make your vacation this year a Copic Vacation. Beyond the Mixed-Media Copic Ink & Art event, and the Stamping Retreat in June, there are lots of other great Copic experiences coming this Summer to a city near you.

Upcoming Local Events
April is almost here! If you live locally and can't come to my book signing and gallery show at DIVA on Friday, April 1, then you can always register for my marker rendering workshop. I will be teaching a basic Marker Rendering class on Thursday, April 21, from 7 to 9pm at DIVA Gallery in Eugene. We'll cover basic marker care, techniques, choosing papers, and airbrushing,. If you are interested, please contact DIVA, at www.divanow.org

Also, in August, I will be teaching some free teen comic drawing workshops at Eugene Downtown Library as well as the Sheldon and Bethel Branch Libraries. We also sponsor one day of art at the Lane County Fair, in the Youth Art pavillion, so stay tuned for more opportunities

Upcoming Standard Certifications, North America
Our Spring classes are filling fast, so register early to make sure you have a space. Classes open to registration two months before they take place. Check our website for more information and class details. A few dates have changed, so look over this list carefully.

April 10th, Phoenix, AZ taught by Jennie Black Open to Public
April 27th, Charlotte, NC taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public

May 1st, Las Vegas, NV taught by Jennie Black Open to Public
May 12, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Open to stores and Designers
May 26, Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson Open to stores and Designers
May 26, Pensacola, FL taught by Colleen Schaan Open to Public
May 22, San Diego, CA taught by Jennie Black Open to stores and Designers- filling fast!
May 28th, Toronto, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to stores and Designers

Classes Opening Soon, applications have NOT gone out yet:
June 3rd Berne, IN taught by Colleen Schaan and Marianne Walker
June 4th Kelowna, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens
June 10th, Santa Fe, NM taught by Jenn Balcer
June 11th Boston, Mass taught by Lori Craig
June 12 Spokane, WA taught by Jennie Black
June 18th Coos Bay, OR taught by Marianne Walker
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Lori Craig

Tentative Summer Classes:
July 16th Houston, TX taught by Jenn Balcer
July 18, Chicago, IL (Before Summer CHA) taught by Lori Craig
Aug. 7th Manhattan, NY taught by Lori Craig and Jenn Balcer
Sept 8th Savannah GA taught by Colleen Schaan
Sept 22nd Orlando, FL taught by Collen Schaan
Sept. 30 Portland ME taught by Lori Craig

Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist. There are still a few spaces left in the Phoenix Intermediate class, so if you are interested in attending send in your application right away!

April 11th, Phoenix, AZ taught by Debbie & Colleen Filling fast!!

May 13th, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Now Open

June 12th, Boston, Mass. taught by Debbie Olson Opens soon
June 18th, Calgary, AB taught by Sherrie Siemens Opens soon
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Debbie Olson Opens soon

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details. Upcoming Intermediate Certifications, North America

European Standard Certification Certifications

Germany
7th May in Hannover (by Britta Rumpf)
9th May in Stuttgart (by Diny Sprakel and Annie Fransen) = 1 day after Stempelmesse Süd in Stuttgart-Korntal
12th September in Hagen (by Diny Sprakel and Annie Fransen) = 1 day after Stempelmekka in Hagen.

To register for German classes, please contact
Britta Rumpf: b.rumpf-burblies@holtz-gmbh.de

UK
Friday 27th May – Warrington, Cheshire taught by Wendy Kadzidlo
To register for UK classes, contact Wendy: wendykadzidlo@btinternet.com

Australian Standard & Intermediate Certifications

MELBOURNE

Sunday, May 1-Beginner Copic Certification

Saturday June 4- Copic Project Class

Sunday June 5- Intermediate Copic Certification

SYDNEY

Saturday July 23- Copic Project Class

Sunday July 24- Intermediate Copic Certificate

BRISBANE

Saturday April 16- Beginner Copic Certification

Sunday April 17- Copic Project Class

Monday June 14- Intermediate Copic Certification

To register for Australian classes, see the Australian Copic website.

Japan Relief Fundraiser

2011-03-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a way to help the Japanese cleanup efforts and get the affected people the supplies they need, then we have a great fundraiser opportunity.

I met last week with the owners of Stuff2Color, a website devoted to selling large, blank posters to color. One of their talented artists has created this beautiful Japanese tribute image, available for $10. This 10 x 14 poster is black & white, and just begging to be colored with Copics. All proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross.

We look forward to helping the Japanese people rebuild their lives and know that their friends from around the world support them.

Book Winner

2011-03-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Whew! I had over 430 people leave comments on my blog for a chance to win a copy of my new book, Shadows and Shading.

After running a random number generator to find one lucky person, the winner of the book from my blog contest is:

Eva, who said...: I have been waiting for this to come out and still waiting for my local store to get it in...I sure would love the chance to win. Thanks for coming out with this amazing book!
Congratulations Eva! And congratulations to all the other winners on the other blogs. I know that you will enjoy those books.

Events:
This Friday, April 1, from 5:30 to 8:30 I will be once again signing books down at DIVA gallery, 280 W. Broadway, Eugene. I will also be demoing how to use Copic markers, so join us for a fun evening. My artwork is on display through the end of April. Hopefully, this Friday will be a little drier than the last event! You can buy copies of my book, Ken's books, and prints of some of my artwork. I look forward to seeing you there!

Meanwhile, I wanted to let you know about a couple great Copic events coming up in June:

Copic Ink & Art Retreat
Colleen Schaan and Bianca Mandity are hosting an amazing mixed-media workshop the first weekend in June in Indianapolis. Applications have not gone out yet, as we are still finalizing class details, but the class will be open to anyone. This will be an all-day class, specifically for people who want to experiment with Copic markers and make some wonderful, serendipitous creations.

Certification & Stamping Retreat
June 18th I will be teaching a certification in Coos Bay, OR on the beautiful Oregon Coast. If you have never taken a certification, or have never visited the Oregon Coast, then this is the class for you! After the certification, you can register for an evening card-making class with Our Craft Lounge. We'll have lots of fun, all weekend, so if you are interested be sure to sign up as soon as that class opens next month and ask nancy@copicmarker.com for more details or to get an application.

So, if you are looking for a great vacation in June, then be sure to include Copic in your plans!

Shadows & Shading Blog Hop

2011-03-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

Note: Commenting is now closed. Winner will be posted Monday. Thanks for commenting!!

Book Giveaway
The Shadows & Shading book is now available at many of your favorite retailers (sorry, we do not sell direct or else I could post a link), and so we wanted to offer a chance to WIN a copy for yourself. Thursday the Copic Instructors in the US and Australia are doing a Blog Hop!!!

My new book, Shadows and Shading is great for beginners, either papercrafters or artists - this is the reference book you have been looking for to help you add shadows to give your projects more dimension. The book does not teach you to draw, rather to help you add shadow and shading. This is a wire-bound book that comes with 4 clear printed guides to help you add shadows properly on your own work. So far, the people who have read it love it! There's a lot to digest, so take it slow and read it often to let the concepts sink in.

Now, a Blog Hop wouldn't be as much fun without BLOG CANDY!!! Today or Tomorrow each of the blogs listed below will be posting an opportunity to win. One lucky commenter per blog, so you have lots of chances to win. That's right, simply leave a comment on this post and you'll be in with a chance to WIN this fabulous book!! You have until Sunday to leave a comment on my blog or any of the following blogs.

Here's the list of blogs you can comment on for your chance to win. Please note, this contest is only open to North American Residents on the North American blogs, and Australian Residents on the Australian blogs.

North American Residents only:

Copicmarker Blog

Marianne Walker

Lori Craig

Sharon Harnist

Jenn Balcer

Jennie Black

Colleen Schaan

Bianca Mandity

Debbie Olson

Sherrie Siemens

If you live in the land down under, then you can win from one of the Australian Blogs:

CopicOz (Australia)

Kathy Jones (Australia)

Mandi-Lee Klinger (Australia)

Ok, Happy Hopping!!

Coloring Shadows Example - toy guitar
I don't know if I've shown this picture before on this blog, but it really does a nice job of showing a cast shadow. Cast shadows can be scary! You have to draw in a shape that isn't there. Aaack! However, it is worth it. Practice makes perfect, and the clear lighting placement guides included in the book are perfect for practicing without wasting paper.

Look at the first picture, without a cast-shadow shadow. While the object is beautifully rendered, it has no "place". It is a floating object without reference. This looks strange, because it is easy to see the dimensionality of the guitar and where the light is hitting it. The easiest way to "ground" our image is to add a cast shadow.

The shape of the shadow mimics the shape of the guitar. On this image, it is almost parallel. If you are worried you're not doing it right, you can take a second copy of the image, slide it over a bit, and trace it.

On this example you'll notice that my shadow is purple, not just gray. The shadow gets more gray as it gets farther from the eye. The shadow gets lighter under the neck because there is more ambient light.

Notice the neck and the top area with the tuning pegs. These are not colored a flat color, even though the light would hit those surfaces uniformly. By giving them slight color variation (lighter in the middle) it helps to add to the shine/dimensionality. The texture on the main body of the guitar was made with a colorless blender. This created the splotchy blended/washed out look you see.

I hope that you can come to see how much more life a shadow gives, have a wonderful creative journey, and good luck with the contest!

Detail Tutorial & Stylish Blogger Award

2011-03-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

I wanted to do a quick tutorial on the Anime girl I posted a couple days ago. It's the little details that make the whole look so nice, and the details are easier than you think! Don't get overwhelmed, just try one or two of these simple ideas in your next project, and I bet you'll like the results.

Easy, Elegant Details
Face: The face is made of a good range of skin tones, for strong contrast. The detail here that I want you to notice, especially above the eyes, is that I used the same pale BV from the hair for the BV in her skin shadows. This makes her facial tones match better.

I also kept some shadows crisp, while I blended out the smooth areas as much as possible. I made sure that I shaded under the strands of hair in her bangs as well. Notice that I added a very faint gray/purple shadow on the edges of her eyeball. this gives it a little dimension, yet makes the white area still stand out.

Clothing: (Jing, this one's for you). Jing saw this picture in my portfolio at CHA and was impressed with the clothing. I explained how to do it and she was surprised at how simple the technique was. So I promised I would share it someday on my blog.

The rich green in her kimono is a couple shades of green, smoothly blended together. Then, while the background was still wet, I dabbed in some colorless blender. I also added a few dots of the darkest green to finish the texture. This created the subtle variation you see. Once it was dry, I took an olive 0.05 Multiliner and doddled in the darker swirls and leaves. The final effect, when viewed from a distance, looks like a very elegant pattern.

The purple fabric was much simpler. I blended the purple together, then to finish it off, I scribbled with a regular pencil the pale gray pattern. That's it. Because the pencil was so light, it kept the tones of the purple underneath and looks very nice.

Hair: I did not blend the hair at all. Rather, I colored it in simple streaks- I left the highlights white, then added BV00, BV04, and BV08. That's it. From a distance it looks much more complex. I just made sure that the streaks overlapped in a way that you can still see the individual strands from each layer. I made sure to darken the shadow side more than the highlight side, and deepen the area behind her head the most.

Even the flowers and blossoms are colored very simply. However, the detail in the drawing itself makes it look much more complex. I repeated the pattern of the blossoms in the sky around her head simply by dotting with the same light green and light pink. I dunno why, but for the last couple years I have enjoyed doing this, and I like the look it produces. Call it a personal quirk.

Also, I was presented to the Stylish Blogger Award by Robin. Thank you Robin!! I am happy to inspire you.

I don't really do the questions about myself, since those of you who are my friends on Facebook see enough of my personal life. I also must confess that I don't have time to follow blogs much. I've found that I have time to either be a media producer or media consumer, but not both.

However, I regularly go to the Copic Blog because there is such a variety of artists featured on there that I am always able to find inspiration...check it out!

Japan

2011-03-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

Our hearts have been in Japan this past week, as thousands have become homeless in Northern Japan, following the earthquake and resulting Tsunami and the potential problems from the nuclear power plants that have been damaged.

We have had word from .Too Corporation (the Copic Manufacturer), which is located south, in Tokyo.

Everyone is safe. The first night after the quake, the train service was disrupted so some people had to sleep in their offices because they could not get home. However, things are slowly returning back to normal, and so far the e-mails have been positive.

We are grateful for everyone's concern, and we will keep you updated. Please continue to support those people whose lives have been uprooted from this disaster.

Quick Fashion Sketch & Class updates

2011-03-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

Quick fashion sketch
Every now and then I doodle at work to keep my portfolios fresh. Here is a quick sketch I made this morning to freshen up my fashion design sketches. I drew it with a Cobalt multiliner onto color laser copier paper. When coloring, I did not use any kind of blending groups, as I just randomly grabbed colors from my desk. You'll note that I used some colors in my shadows that had nothing to do with the main tones, like V17 as a shadow in many areas, as well as BV00.

I added yellows, purples, and faint blues to the sky behind the drawing just to liven up the illustration a bit.

The nice thing about doodles I do like this, is that they end up sitting on my desk for a week, where, I will frequently look at it and make a minor adjustment or tweak. In a week this picture will look much more refined and detailed.

(p.s. even since posting this photo, I have added glitter pen and opaque white and darkened the contrast...always tweaking and refining!)

Upcoming Certifications
Our Spring classes are filling fast, so register early to make sure you have a space. Classes open to registration two months before they take place. Check our website for more information and class details.

March 14th Edmonton, Canada, taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to Public
March 19th St Louis, MO taught by Lori Craig Almost full! Open to Public
March 25th, Milwaukee, WI taught by Debbie Olson Open to Public

April 10th, Phoenix, AZ taught by Jennie Black Open to Public
April 27th, Charlotte, NC taught by Colleen Schaan Open to stores and Designers

May TBA, Pensacola, FL taught by Colleen Schaan Opens soon
May 22, San Diego, CA taught by Jennie Black Opens soon
May 26, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Open to stores and Designers
May 26, Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson Opens soon
May 28th, Toronto, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Opens soon

Tentative June Classes
June 4th Kelowna, BC taught by Sherrie Siemens
June 11th Boston, Mass taught by Lori Craig (TBA)
June TBA Lexington, KY taught by Colleen Schaan
June 12 Spokane, WA taught by Jennie Black
June 18th Coos Bay, OR taught by Marianne Walker
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Lori Craig

Intermediate Certification Classes
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are popular! These classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist. There are still a few spaces left in the Phoenix Intermediate class, so if you are interested in attending send in your application right away!

April 11th, Phoenix, AZ taught by Debbie & Colleen Filling fast!!

May 13th, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Now Open

June 11th, Boston, Mass. taught by Debbie Olson TBA
June 18th, Calgary, AB taught by Sherrie Siemens Opens soon
June 23rd Wichita, KS taught by Debbie Olson Opens soon

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Coloring Large Areas Review

2011-03-09T14:02:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping this blog for a few years now, and I know some of you have not had a chance to dig through my old posts. Someone today had a question about techniques for smoothly coloring large areas, so I figured I would share this sequence of older posts again to help those of you who are struggling with this as well.

Let me know if there are any of my old archived posts that you also think others would benefit from revisiting. I don't like repeating myself, but I also hate to think that people are missing juicy tidbits from the past.

Coloring Large Areas Smoothly, 4 parts

Coloring Large Areas Part 1

Coloring Large Areas Part 2

Coloring Large Areas Part 3

Coloring Large Areas Part 4

Enjoy!

More exciting book news...

2011-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Video Interview of Colleen Schaan

Some of you may have seen a great video of Colleen Schaan, our East Coast Regional Certification instructor being interviewed on the web TV show Inspirations by Julianna.

If you missed the show, you can view it HERE on the Cool2Craft Chanel on YouTube.

Anyways, Colleen made an exciting announcement on that video about a NEW book...

Copic Coloring Guide
And guess who the authors are? Colleen Schaan and... Me!!

I was so excited when Colleen asked me to help her with this project! People have needed a Copic coloring book for a long time now, and we finally listened. We've been working for months on this book, published by DRG / Annie's Attic. It won't be available for a few months, but you can make preorders now if you are a store.

This book is for beginners who want step-by-step tutorials on how to start coloring and using Copic markers. Each step-by-step technique is shown with many beautiful card examples, made by a great group of very talented papercrafters.

The Copic Coloring Guide

64 pages, $14.95

Pre-orders (for store owners/wholesale) available now through DRG Wholesale.

The e-version downloads should be available from AnniesAttic.com about May 27, approximately four weeks prior to the on sale date for this book.

Expected sale date June 26th. You can read more about the book at DRG Wholesale and Annie's Attic's Coming Soon pages.)

So, this means there are now two books that I have been working on! To avoid confusion:
The Shadows & Shading book is for teaching you where to place highlights and shadows when coloring with any medium, and is now available.
The Copic Coloring Guide book is to teach you how to blend and color with your Copic markers and make cute card projects, this is coming out in May/June.

Tonite I will be at the book signing party for the Shadows and Shading book. Join us from about 5:30 to 8:30 to purchase autographed copies of the book and see some fabulous artwork and other books by Ken O'Connell (president of Imagination International). We will be at DIVA, 280 W. Broadway in Eugene, OR. Our gallery show will be up until April 29th. I hope to see you tonite!

Books are here!

2011-03-01T16:29:00.001-08:00

Wow! I just completed a great weekend visiting art schools and art stores in the Northeast this weekend. I spoke with the Copic warehouse yesterday and got some great news...

Shadows and Shading
My new Shadows and Shading book is back from the printer and is now shipping!! You cannot buy it direct from us, but you can order it from your favorite local store or online. This book is devoted to beginners who want to learn how to put their shadows and highlights in correct places to make things look dimensional and believable.

If you are local, be sure to stop by our book signing party on Friday, March 4th at DIVA art gallery (Broadway & Lincoln in Eugene) from about 6 to 8pm. You can purchase copies of the book from us there, and see some of my artwork on display. It should be a great party, so stop by and say hello and get an autographed book.

Later this week I will have some more exciting news, and I hope to upload some photos from my demos this weekend on the Copic facebook page, so be prepared! Have a great week!

What colors do you love? Giveaway

2011-02-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you for participating. Commenting has now closed on this contest.

I love Copics!

Do you love Copic markers as well? What Copic colors can't you live without? What 3-6 colors (besides the colorless blender) are colors that you MUST have any time you are trying to make a project?

Post your answer on this blog, or the official Copic blog, or on our Facebook fan page for your chance to win one of our new I Love Copic bumper stickers.

3 places to win, 10 winners per site!

Contest runs through noon on Monday. Winners will be selected randomly. Open to US and Canadian residents only. Limit one entry per site. Be sure to leave contact info so we can reach you if you win!!

Coloring clouds

2011-02-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I promised I'd show you a quick tutorial for coloring clouds. This is an easy technique that ends up looking really cool and very unique. I hope you give it a try. Remember, this effect only works on absorbent papers, not coated papers.

Coloring Clouds
It's always tricky to color something white with Copics, as you have to leave the paper white. Today's tutorial is super easy, and gives you a bit of flexibility with your sky designs, especially if you don't have an airbrush to mask off pretty, puffy clouds.

First, start by lightly feathering a pale blue into your sky (B41 in this case). Be sure to leave some white areas where the blue feathers in, as these will be your clouds. Try to keep the bottom of the area parallel with the horizon, as it will look more believable that way. It's better if they are slightly irregular shaped. Make sure the rest of the blue area is streak free, which may take a few light layers of color.

Next, go in from the middle of the white area with your colorless blender. Push the color from the middle of the white, out into the blue. Follow the natural streaks left in your work to create the irregular edges. How far out you push the color is up to you, but the more you push it out, the darker your edges will be.

This is a good time to experiment and try different effects or cloud shapes.

Try not to stop pushing until you are done with the whole shape, otherwise, you may get strange edges. It helps if your blender pen is really juicy and has been recently refilled. When you are done, your clouds should look something like this.

If you still see too much stray blue inside the cloud (like on the right edge of the bottom cloud in this diagram), you can always go back after the cloud is dry and push the color out again. If you try to fix it while the cloud is still wet then it won't do much.

Here are some other fun variations on the same effect. Each time the shapes are different, so play around until you get a look you like.

The bottom illustrations with a pair of clouds were made a little differently. First, the whole white area was blended out. Then, while the middle of the clouds were still wet from blender, I took the sky marker and drew in the puffy top of the bottom cloud. Because the base was wet, the line immediately became soft and fuzzy, just like the rest of the edges.

If you want to add a bit of color to the clouds, add it while the area is wet. Try adding some pale gray around the bottoms for a darker, ominous sky, or hints of pink or yellow for a cheery, whimsical effect.

The final image today of Easter Island is actually one I drew for the Shadows & Shading book. I could not run a marker coloring tutorial in the book on this technique, since I was using this illustration to explain a different concept. I can't remember which colors I used, but you can see that the clouds look convincing. I hope you have a great weekend and have a chance to color!

New Website & Spring Certifications

2011-02-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

New Copic Website
Have you looked at the Copic website recently? If not, go check it out!! We have a completely new, redesigned website, just crammed with great photos, useful information, and some amazing interviews and tutorials...with new stuff being added every day.

Look around, let us know what you think, and learn something new about your Copic Markers. Check out the Copic blog, and download literature. The new 2011 catalog will be up in about a week, so check back for that as well.

Standard Papercrafting Certification Classes
I have been so busy with CHA and the final changes to the Shadows & Shading book that I realized it's been a while since I blogged. I'll try to get a tutorial up later this week, for drawing pretty fluffy clouds in a bright blue background. Meanwhile, time to update everyone on Certification classes coming this spring in North America. These classes are filling very fast, so sign up right away if you are interested in attending. Classes open to registration two months before they take place.

March 6, Sacramento, CA taught by Jennie Black Almost full!
March 14th Edmonton, Canada, taught by Sherrie Siemens Almost full!
March 19th St Louis, MO taught by Lori Craig Open to stores and Designers
March 25th, Milwaukee, WI taught by Debbie Olson Open to stores and Designers

April 10th, Phoenix, AZ taught by Jennie Black Open to stores and Designers
April 27th, Charlotte, NC taught by Colleen Schaan Opens soon

May TBA, Columbus, OH taught by Colleen Schaan Opens soon
May TBA, Pensacola, FL taught by Colleen Schaan Opens soon
May 22, San Diego, CA taught by Jennie Black Opens soon
May 28th, Toronto, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Opens soon

Intermediate Certification Classes
Intermediate Papercrafting Certification classes are doing great! We had a wonderful, enthusiastic bunch of papercrafters attend the class in L.A. last month. Remember, these classes are open to ANYONE who has taken the standard Certification class, and who wants to learn how to color and design more like an artist. The Phoenix Intermediate class is filling very fast, so if you are interested in that location sigh up ASAP!!

April 11th, Phoenix, AZ taught by Debbie & Colleen Filling fast!!
May, TBA Columbus, OH taught by Debbie Olson Opens soon
May, TBA Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson Opens soon

To register for any of these classes or to download class info, please check our Certification page on the Copic Website. If you have any questions, please e-mail Nancy@copicmarker.com for details.

Other events
Feb. 19-20 I will be demoing at the Oregon Asian Celebration in Eugene, OR in the Youth Art Room.

Feb. 25th, Jerry's Artarama, West Orange, NJ. I will be demoing from about 12pm until 4pm, so stop in and say hi, and bring your marker questions.

March 4th, Book Signing Event, DIVA gallery, Eugene OR. Ken O'Connell, president of Imagination International, Inc (Distributor for Copic Markers in North America and my boss) will be signing his book Sketching with Copic, while I will be signing my book Shadows & Shading, A beginner's guide to lighting placement. You can purchase copies of both books at the event. Come party with us and have a great time, from about 5:30 until 8:30pm! Note: DIVA Gallery has moved up two blocks to the corner of Broadway & Lincoln.

New Year Rabbits

2011-01-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, and so I wanted to share with you a piece of art that I made to celebrate the New Year.
New Year Rabbits
At first glance you may think "No way could I color that image! It's way too complex!" I beg to differ. You could color this image, you just have to work at it, piece by piece, rather than getting overwhelmed by the whole. Someone once said, the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So, let's look at the rabbits, and tackle them, step by step.

When coloring a tricky image that you might mess up on, color the hardest part first. That way, if you really mess up, you won't have to go back and color the rest of the picture again. Remember, the only thing you're wasting is a piece of paper, so don't be afraid to experiment!

I started by drawing lightly with a pencil the main scene, then I traced the pencil work with Copic Multiliners using a TracePad light table. I photocopied the line work so I could color it many different ways. Here is one of my colored versions. I used about 30 different markers on this illustration, which I forgot to write down, but I will mention as many colors as I remember. Also, I did not take step-by-step scans as I went along, so I'm just going to explain how I colored each section. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Here is my cute little rabbit family, waiting under the umbrella during a shower of blossoms.

There are a few details I want you to notice. On the rabbits, you can see that I used a Warm gray color range, however, I accented this with a hint of E31 in the shadows. The Copic warm grays are very brownish, and throwing in a hint of a very pale brown really brings out the brown tones even more.

Scribbling texture
I started by laying my W0 and W1 over all the brown areas, then scribbled in the darker tones. Scribbling gave me the slight furry texture, without having to worry about using a rag soaked in blender and messing up the background area. When I had finished adding darker colors, I went back and scribbled in with the light color. This subtly washed the tones together, making them softer and less harsh.

This scribbling is the same process I used on the bushes in the background, and also on the umbrella (discussed below). The ground was simply the same tones used in the rabbits dotted onto the pebbled path. The rocks were scribbled mostly with cool grays, then I dabbed on my blender to add texture.

To get the white tail and bellies on the rabbits to stand out more, I shaded them with Cool Grays. Notice how white the little bunny's tail looks, even though it is in the shadow and is colored gray. Then I threw in a hint of RV00 and RV21 to the ears.

Umbrella
The most tricky area on this image was actually NOT the bunnies, they are merely the focal point. The trickiest area is the shading on the umbrella. I can't tell you how many times I went over the umbrella to get the shadows correct.

When working on shadows, start light! I would carefully layer colors darker and darker to finally build up the tone I wanted. I had to be careful not to go too dark, as I didn't want to lose the color of the umbrella.

I used a wide range of V's, BV's and grays to build up the tone on the umbrella. Then, I used the same brown and gray families from the bunnies to color the wood on the umbrella. I used a gray multiliner to scribble a pattern onto the umbrella, then I dotted on pale blues, yellows, greens, and browns. From a distance, this looks like a complex pattern, but up close, you can see that it really is just scribbles and dots. The reason I used the gray multiliner was because it would remain crisp, no matter which colors I layered over the top.

Choices in shading
Notice the shadow on the ground. Where the shadow is close to objects- like the bunnies or the handle, I made it crisp and dark. However, I did not want the focus to go to my shadows, so I trailed them off, and faded them. This gives the illusion of bright sunlight (crisp dark shadows) but the viewer is not distracted by too much shadow. This was my own artistic choice, where I followed rules of shadows...up to a point. Then I chose to ignore them for the sake of my work.

Last, I picked out the highlights on the eyes and made the handle of the umbrella shiny with some Opaque white and a very fine paintbrush. My finished work is about 9" by 6 1/2" and took a couple hours to color.

Upcoming Certifications

2011-01-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Its a new year, and I've had a chance to show you many new and exciting products coming out at the Winter CHA trade show in a few weeks. We also are starting to fill our calendars with Spring Certification classes, so sign up right away for the classes listed below. So you know, there will be fewer Standard Copic Certifications this year, since we are adding Intermediate Certifications. If there is a class coming in your area, register EARLY as they are filling fast!

Standard Certifications, North America
(Note: For International Attendees- We try to accommodate as many as possible, however, our training program is exclusively for North America and we need to save priority placement for US and Canadian attendees. As a courtesy, about once a month I will try to share upcoming European and Australian classes, however, Copic Certifications are currently not offered in any other territories).

Jan. 28 Los Angeles, CA (CHA) taught by Jennie Black Open to Public - only a couple spaces left!! Register now!
March 6 Sacramento, CA-taught by Jennie Black Open to stores & Designers- Filling Fast!
March 14 Edmonton, AB - taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to stores & Designers - Filling Fast!
March 19 St. Louis, MO - taught by Lori Craig Open to stores & Designers

Upcoming Certifications- Applications have not gone out:
April 10 Phoenix, AZ - Taught by Jennie Black

Intermediate Certifications
I must say, the people who have attended the Intermediate Certification classes so far have loved them. Sherrie and Debbie came to the Copic warehouse to have a test run of the new class and train the program organizers. The response was great! Nancy, our wonderful Certification coordinator thinks that everyone who can take the opportunity to attend an Intermediate class should jump at it, as she learned so much in one short day. You learn more than just coloring- from card layout to shadows and basic color theory. A must-have class for the cardmaker who wants to take their work to a whole new level.

ANYONE who has already attended a Standard Certification is eligible to apply to the Intermediate class.

Jan. 27 Los Angeles, CA (CHA) taught by Debbie Olson & Sherrie Siemens subject to approved application, a few spaces still available

April, 11, Phoenix, AZ taught by Debbie Olson & Colleen Schaan Applications are not available yet

If you need an application for either Intermediate or Standard certifications, you can download one here. Be sure to download the class information page as well as the application when you get to the application list on our website.

Copic New Products part 4

2011-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Blog Candy Winners
Before we get into the last, but certainly not least of the new Copic Products, I wanted to share the winners of my blog candy drawing from Friday's post- congrats! Please contact me if you do not get an e-mail from me... You will each be mailed a new 2011 Copic Swatchbook. Random.org chose the following three winners out of 397 comments.

Congratulations to:

#164

 Trena in Naperville  said...

Thank you for the opportunity for more goodies Marianne! Can't have too many.
Take care and STAY POSITIVE!



#280

 Exquizeet  said...

Oh Wow! Thanks for hosting this giveaway! I've heard great things about these markers but I've never actually tried them.



#330
 Paula  said...

Looks like lots of goodies will be revealed at CHA...your book seems like one that needs to be in every crafters/artist library. Thanks for putting it together and the chance to win the Copics.

My new swatchbook cover
In honor of the winners, I want to show you my new swatchbook cover. I colored the marker bodies with Neutral Grays, then I added the color strokes as listed.

Look close, because I think you'll see something exciting about the colors I used...

12 New Sketch Colors!!!

That's right! Copic now has 346 colors of Sketch Markers and Inks. If you stop by our booth at CHA you will be able to see the new set. These won't be shipping until March, so look for them this spring from your favorite Copic retailer. I have been working closely with Japan to add new colors that will expand the color offering, colors that people have been asking for- from new purples that aren't pink or bluish, to browns that could be brown or green depending on what you put them next to.

The new colors include:

V20 Wisteria
V25 Pale Blackberry
RV55 Hollyhock
RV63 Begonia
RV66 Raspberry
YR30 Macadamia nut
YG61 Pale Moss
BG53 Ice Mint
BG70 Ocean Mist
E23 Hazelnut
E81 Ivory
E87 Fig

So, thank you all for stopping by this weekend and leaving comments. Be sure to stop by the booth, or check out your local Copic retailer to find the new products as they are released over the next few months. Have a great week!

Copic New Products part 3

2011-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

Copic has a lot of new products coming out this year at the 2011 Winter CHA trade show! To win a free 2011 Copic Color Swatch Book, leave a comment on my post from Friday. Tomorrow morning I will draw three winners from my blog, as will each of our designers, so be sure that you've left a comment on each Copic designer's blog!

Other Copic Books

I am personally thrilled that so many of you are interested in a lighting book for beginners. If you are looking for a good coffee-table book filled with an assortment of sketchbook works by various artists (myself being one of the contributors) you can purchase the book Sketching With Copic by Ken O'Connell, president of Imagination International Inc. (Copic North America). You can purchase it through the website Blurb.

For those who are studying storyboarding, layout, and marker rendering we have brought in a great book from Europe- Visualizing Ideas. Inside you can find examples of fashion sketches, storyboards, automotive design, product design, and so much more! This is a great beginner book that i wish i'd had when I was studying storyboarding. Everything in this book was made with Copic markers, which I love, because it shows a great variety of end uses for the markers. We have a few copies at our warehouse, but you can also find these online from various places.

Many of you had questions about where you can purchase my Lighting book when it comes out...it will be available from your favorite Copic resellers. I will not be selling it direct from my site.

Meanwhile, here is one more new item to look forward to seeing at the CHA show...

2011 Copic Catalog

Unlike past years, the new 2011 Copic catalog is a showcase of artists and inspiration, as well as a place where you can find all your favorite Copic supplies. See gorgeous creations from a variety of artists, from paper crafting to pop-culture. The illustrations are GORGEOUS! Some are so lifelike, you'd swear they were photos...so later this year I'll post links to some of the artists included in the new catalog.

The new catalog will be available in the booth at CHA, and will also be available for download soon from the Copic website. You'll be able to find this new catalog in your local stores at the beginning of February!

We'll have one more new product announcement tomorrow -- and I think you'll really like this one!!

Copic New Products part 2

2011-01-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Here's the second sneak peek of new products you can find in the Copic Booth at Winter CHA. Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post to be entered for a special prize drawing.
Shadows & Shading: A beginner's guide to lighting placement,
book by Marianne Walker

This little project has been keeping me very busy this winter! This is much of the reason why I haven't been posting as much. I know that many of you read my blog and print it out. You are constantly asking "When will you make a book, so I don't have to print things out?!?"

I have been listening!
I took the fundamentals of coloring with shadows and have compiled them in this simple to use reference book. This book is for beginners, and applies to anyone who colors, from papercrafters to artists. You do not need to know how to draw to add shadows like a professional artist! This guide easily steps you through how to correctly add shadows and make your coloring look more dimensional. The wire-bound book comes with 4 clear printed guides to help you add shadows properly on your own work, without all the frustration and guess-work. This book will be available in March, though you can get a sneak peek at CHA.

If you want to attend a hands-on workshop that teaches these same concepts as they relate only to papercrafting, then register for the Intermediate Certification nearest you! Our team decided after the first Intermediate class in Chicago that people need to have access to more information about shadows and shading, as there is only so much time in the day to teach so many things besides shading.

This book does not teach how to draw, just where to add shadows and highlights when coloring. I am making it appropriate for both fine-art as well as papercrafters. As you can see from the simple sketch above, the shadows make all the difference. You can see and touch these objects- they look alive and dynamic. That is the power of contrast and shadows. I can't tell people enough- add more contrast into your work! This book is not Copic specific either, rather, it is for any coloring medium.

Why did I write this? Because I know many of you never had a chance to take art classes in school. Or, you took an art class, but didn't understand what the teacher was explaining. My goal is to help you feel comfortable with art techniques, even if you don't consider yourself an artist.

So, look for the finalized book in March, and see a prototype in our booth at CHA. Meanwhile, go leave a comment on yesterday's post to win a prize of a new swatchbook.

Copic New Products and Giveaway

2011-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

2011 New Releases!!!
The Winter Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) trade show is coming up and in preparation for CHA we just had a fabulous meeting with some of our Copic team members. Debbie and Sherrie are ready and excited to be teaching the Intermediate Certifications, and I'm busy finishing up some last-minute things for the show as well.

In case you can't stop by our booth, we want to give you a sneak peek at what new things you can find in the Copic booth this year. Check back for more new products from Copic all weekend long!

New Ciao 36 Colors

Many of you should be excited about this, since Ciao markers are a common way to jump into the Copic coloring craze. Copic Ciao markers, the perfect beginner marker, now has 180 colors available, up from 144. The new colors are taken from some of the most popular Sketch colors, and are very helpful for filling in gaps in your Ciao collection. Available individually or in the new Ciao 36 E set. These markers are now in-stock and shipping, so look for them from your favorite Copic retailer.

Colors include: E25, E40, E41, E59, C0, C2, W0, W2, BG13, BG72, B18, B28, B99, E000, E15, E18, YR000, YR15, Y000, Y35, YG09, YG17, G29, G82, BG000, BV000, BV25, V01, V05, RV14, RV69, R000, R14, R81.

Blog Candy
What better way to get excited about new products, than with a giveaway? Leave a comment on today's post, then Monday, January 10th, winners will be randomly selected. Winners will be mailed a NEW 2011 Copic Color Swatchbook to keep track of their Copic collections. The new swatchbook has been updated with a new cover, and with the new Ciao listings, so it's a must-have for collectors. THREE winners will be chosen from EACH of our designer's blogs, so after you check this blog, go visit the blogs of all the other designers. All comments are welcome, though the contest is only open to the US & Canada.

NOTE: Comments are now Closed on this post. Thank you for playing!

New Team Member

You'll see a new name on the list of designers, Bianca Mandity, an altered artist and instructor from Indiana. Bianca is joining the Copic Instructor team to help with training Fine Art stores and Art Schools, so give her a big welcome, and look for more Altered Art and Fine-art events popping up on the Copic Calendar.

Sherrie Siemens

Marianne Walker- That's Me!

Be sure to check each blog, leave a comment, and come back on Monday to see if you've won a prize. Leave a comment on my Blog, and I'll be choosing a winner early Monday morning. I can't wait to show you what else is new!

Intermediate Class? What's it about?

2011-01-05T15:00:00.000-08:00

There has been a bit of confusion about the Intermediate Certification classes. I'm hoping to clear that up with this post. If you still have questions, please ask, and either myself or one of our regional instructors will be happy to answer your questions.

Have you ever spent hours working on a card project, just to step back, look at it, and hate it? You don't know why it doesn't work, you just know that it is missing something. This is what the Intermediate Certification is all about: Taking your hard work to the next level so that you can have fewer failures and recognize better what your project needs to make it POP!

• Who can attend Intermediate Certifications?
Anyone who has taken a standard certification. Not just store owners or people who would usually get first priority in a Standard Certification, but ANYONE is eligible as long as they have already completed Certification before they apply.

• Is the application hard?
Not really. The one tricky place is where we need to see an example of feather blending, but if you follow the directions in this post you should do just fine. Don't be afraid to apply simply because you need to work on feather blending! If all your other examples are great, then I may look over imperfect feather blends.

• How often will these classes be held?
There will probably only be one Intermediate class per quarter, so if a class comes up in your area SIGN UP! We won't have a second class in the same area if we don't get enough applications for the first class.

• What is discussed at the Intermediate Class?
The day starts with a discussion on light and shadows. Then we work into the color of shadows, color theory, and on to types of lighting. From there we move on to composition and layout- making your whole project look better together- and on to coloring hair, faces, etc. We finish the day with a coloring project that ties all the concepts into each other, and tie in self-critiques along the way.

• But I'm not an Artist, I don't think I'm good enough.
You don't have to be an artist to enjoy these classes. These concepts are taught specifically to papercrafters, not artists. If you love reading the tutorials on light and shadow here on my blog, you want more, but are still confused, then these classes give you the hands-on opportunity to learn and have someone explain it one on one. We want to help EVERYONE feel more artistic and creative, no matter what their background.

• Is the class worth it?
Yes! You get a full day of instruction that continues into the evening from one of our top-notch instructors. A 48 page manual that has a blank copy of every image colored throughout the book that you can go home and practice with, as well as lighting guides and a mini-portfolio. You get a lapel pin and a badge for your blog once you have completed the class. Best of all, you are learning concepts that will help you time and again, not just in papercrafting, but in any creative field.

So what are you waiting for? Download an application today and apply! You'll learn a lot more than you think, and the content is totally different than what is covered in a standard certification. If you still have questions, or think you're not good enough to attend then send me a note and we'll see what we can do to help you.

There are currently still spaces open for the L.A. class. Classes are limited in size so attendees get more time directly working with the instructor. Register early to make sure you can get in. Sherrie and Debbie are ready for an exciting L.A. class. We are expecting the Phoenix class in April with Colleen and Debbie to fill quickly once applications are sent out, so register early!

Click here for applications. Meanwhile, we've got an exciting blog hop coming up this weekend, with new releases for 2011, so stay tuned!

Certification Updates

2010-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

Standard Certification Classes 2011, North America
There are a few Papercrafting Certification classes in the next two months, but you won't see March or April classes on the calendar for another couple weeks. If you have questions about the program you can e-mail Nancy, nancy@copicmarker.com for more info.

Jan. 16 Phoenix AZ taught by Jennie Black Open to Public
Jan. 28 Los Angeles, CA (CHA) taught by Jennie Black Open to Public

Intermediate Certification Classes 2011
We still have plenty of space in the Intermediate class, so don't be afraid of applying, as that is bound to be a great class before CHA. These classes are for people who want to take their coloring to the next level. We discuss shading, composition, and coloring more realistically. However, it is important to have mastered basic marker techniques, like blending and feathering.

The purpose of the application is to make sure that we don't have to slow down the class for those who have not mastered basic concepts. However, most people who have been coloring for a couple years and taken the Standard Certification should have no problem passing the test. If this sounds like you and you think this is some great stuff to learn, then go ahead and fill out the application! You probably will make it in.

Jan. 27 Los Angeles, CA (CHA) taught by Debbie Olson & Sherrie Siemens subject to approved application

April, date TBA, Phoenix, AZ taught by Debbie Olson & Colleen Schaan Applications are not available yet

Click here for applications and class details (time/location/fees) for each session. Also, there are lots of classes coming up internationally as well:

International Certifications

UK Certifications
Wendy Kadzidlo, the instructor for UK Certification classes will be teaching a couple classes in the upcoming months.

March 4th – Stevenage, Herts, taught by Wendy Kadzidlo
May 27th – Warrington, Cheshire taught by Wendy Kadzidlo

For information on these classes, please e-mail Wendy: wendy@stampsandmemories.co.uk

Australian Certifications

5 March, Melbourne Beginner Certification - Taught by Mandi
12 March, Sydney Beginner Certification - Taught by Mandi (click here for Australia class info)

Other events
If you are attending Winter CHA in Los Angeles, CA then stop by our booth and check out the new releases. I'll be in the booth the whole week, demoing markers, as will many of our instructors. Next week we'll tell you what some of those releases will be, so stay tuned. Also, each of our instructors teaches classes of their own. Go to their blogs to find out more about their classes in your area and how to register for events. Have a Happy New Year!

Faux Tea-dyed flowers

2010-12-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

Searching in my blog
Before I jump into today's tutorial I just wanted to explain something about this blog. I have tons of things archived over the last few years. You can approach this site by starting at the beginning, back in June of 2008 and reading through, or you can search topic by topic.

People occasionally ask me how to search through my blog. To search by topic, just type a word in the search bar up at the top of this blog. This will limit your search to only things on my blog.

If you are looking for information on a specific product line, then you can search using the glossary in the left sidebar. I hope this helps you find some hidden tutorials that you may have forgotten.

Faux Tea-dyed flowers
I made my own Christmas cards this year, and since I had to make so many, I kept the design VERY simple. It takes too long to color a cute little image on that many cards, so instead I used some hand-dyed paper flowers. You can use this same effect on wide ribbon to make it look tea-dyed as well.

These flowers are very easy to make with Copic markers, and look really cool when you are done. Before you start, be sure to have plenty of clean scratch paper under your work, as this gets messy.

First, take your paper flower and scribble on it with a middle/dark color. For this flower, I used R59. The final color will be both lighter and darker than this color, so test a few colors to find the one that will end up matching your project the best.

Next, you need to add a lot of colorless blender. I like using an empty water-brush that has been filled with colorless blender. If you don't have a water-brush, then you can accomplish the same thing by dipping your colorless blender straight into the big refill bottle, then dripping the blender on. This will make the flower very wet and make the inks flow around similarly to if you were actually dying the flower.

Wherever you drip the blender, the color on the flower will start to bleed away from that area.

If you drip in the middle first then the color will run out to the petals more. If you drip a small drop onto each petal then it will push the color out to the edges of each petal. The second flower was soaked evenly all over, see how the colors muted more and ran together more? If you like this look then go for it.

Once you get the look you want, let the flower dry completely before touching it. If you have a drop of ink on your finger and touch the wet flower, then it will pick up that color. If there is color on the scratch paper under the flower it could pick up that ink as well.

Here are some variations on the effect. The small pink/purple flower has a nice 2 tone feel, with purple added to the edges only, pink in the middle, then blended from the middle out. The little brown flower was the same, just with one color. The larger flower was scribbled more randomly so the white spots are more irregular.

Here is one of my finished, simple Christmas cards. I hope this has given you some ideas. Tomorrow I'll post about upcoming Certification classes. Next week we have some exciting announcements for 2011, so stay tuned!

Shadow Color & Certification

2010-12-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share something that was recently shared with me by Ken O'Connell, the president of Imagination International, Inc. (Copic USA) and one of my former art professors.
He was recently in a bookstore, saw this book, and wanted to share this tidbit on lighting and shadows and snowmen, as we have been spending so much time on this blog discussing light and shadows, and many of you have seen my snowman coloring tutorial at the end of a Certification class. Sometimes it helps to hear a concept a couple different ways, from different people, so, from Ken...

Color in light and dark
The first mistake most people make in shading light and dark areas of an image is to think the light areas are white or whiter and the dark areas are black or blacker. This is rarely the case. Both Light and Shadows have color. Look closely. It is easier to see it in the light as it allows us to see the color better than dark shadows, but if you lighten the shadows you can see it clearly.

Basically Sunlight is yellowish and shadows are bluish. Why? Because the sun lightens ares that it shines on and the blue sky illuminates the shaded areas that block the sun. Sometimes the surface for a shadow has color and that combines with the shadow color to mix another color. Grass in the sun will be yellow green and grass in the shade will be blue green. The deeper the shade the deeper the blue color.

So light sources are often warm and shaded areas often cool but, the opposite is also true. In snow at night the moon light is quite blue and often the shadows are warm, especially if there are street lights to lighten up the shadows.

If you go to a bookstore this season, look a the children's book SNOWMEN AT NIGHT by Caralyn Buehner. It features lots of illustrations of snow people in moonlight with shadows of warm orange. It shows the light source of the moon (bluish) as well as the street lamps (yellowish). These two sources of light play a role in the light and shadow on the color of the snow, which we always think of as just white....

We will try to post more of Ken's discussion on light and shadow on the official Copic website blog sometime in the future.

Upcoming Papercrafting Certifications
2010 is winding to a close, and I want to thank everyone who attended a certification this year. We had a total of 52 classes in North America! Wow! Which means, that we are gearing up for a busy 2011, with more Intermediate classes and we are trying to hold Certifications in cities that have not had classes yet. Keep looking for more classes opening in the next month in your area. Remember, if you want to take the Intermediate class you need to take the standard certification first.

Standard Certification Classes 2011
Jan. 16 Phoenix AZ taught by Jennie Black Open to Stores & Designers
Jan. 28 Los Angeles, CA (CHA) taught by Jennie Black Open to Stores & Designers

Intermediate Certification Classes 2011
Jan. 27 Los Angeles, CA (CHA) taught by Debbie Olson & Sherrie Siemens subject to approved application

Click here for applications and class details (time/location/fees) for each session.

Upcoming Events
I will be teaching workshops this Saturday, Dec. 4th at Art Supply Warehouse in Westminster, CA. For teenagers, I will be offering a How to Draw Manga class, then for anyone who wants to attend I will be teaching a coloring class. Both classes require preregistration through the store, as space is limited. As this class is being held at an art store I will be focusing the discussion on art papers and inking supplies, though papercrafters are welcome to attend. Friday afternoon, Dec. 3rd, I may also be doing in-store demos, if time permits.

I hope to see you there!

Events This week

2010-11-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

Today and Thursday I will be down at the University of Oregon bookstore, downstairs in the art department doing Copic demos and illustrations from about 10am to 5 or 6pm each day. Come and visit me and bring your Copic questions! This annual event at the bookstore has been going on for more than 25 years, and has many artists demonstrating all sorts of techniques, in conjunction with the annual sale. It's really inspiring to see so many talented people at work.

Thursday evening, Nov. 11th I will be teaching a Copic Marker Rendering Basics class at DIVA, at 110 W. Broadway in Eugene. To register for that class call 541-344-3482. This class is geared for artists, illustrators, professionals, and students who want to learn more about how to use Copic Markers. All supplies are provided.

Saturday Nov. 13th, I will be teaching a workshop at a fantasy convention in Portland. www.orycon.org

Meanwhile, here is a picture I drew and colored this week. It was for a client who decided they wanted a different image, so I can share this rendering with you.

She was drawn with a multiliner, then photocopied onto color laser copier paper. Her pants are colored with about 6 different shades of pink, from RV00 to RV21, and tiny hints of V12 and V17, with some C1 thrown in for good measure, then colorless blender was dabbed on to make the texture.

The Rabbit was colored with W1, W3, W7, E31, (these were scribble on to create the fuzzy look) and some hints of C1 and C3, with RV21 for the ears. The shirt was colored with RV00, V12, V17, BV04, RV13, and C3, then blended together with the colorless blender. Her skin is colored with E000, E11, E13, E33, and BV00. Her hair is all shades of Cool grays, with some hints of V17 thrown in to subtly match the hair to her shirt.

The final image is about 6 1/2 inches high, and took just over an hour to color. I hope you have a great day and get a chance to come see me this week, as you can see this final colored image in my example book.

Certification Updates

2010-11-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

The intermediate class in Chicago was a great success! I am so excited about the subjects we covered in that class, and I know you'll love the suggestions for making your work look more lifelike. The manual for that class is overflowing with great suggestions for adding shadows and depth to your work, so if you love coloring and get a chance to attend an Intermediate class I strongly suggest it. In a few months we will post a list of upcoming 2011 classes, as well as a list of locations for Intermediate classes, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, the year is winding down, and we have a few standard Certifications coming up in North America.

Nov. 6th San Antonio, TX taught by Jenn Balcer Open to the Public
Nov. 8th Richmond, VA taught by Colleen Schaan Open to the Public
Nov. 14th Halifax, Nova Scotia taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to the Public
Nov. 16th Detroit, MI taught by Debbie Olson Open to the Public
Nov. 20th El Paso, TX taught by Jenn Balcer Open to the Public
Nov. 20th Denver, CO taught by Marianne Walker Open to the Public
Nov. 21st Tampa, FL taught by Colleen Schaan Open to the Public

If you need an application for a Standard Certification, you can download one here.

Future Intermediate Classes (applications have NOT gone out yet, this is for planning only). More will be added to this list in the next couple months, so stay tuned:
January, 27 (Before CHA) LA, CA taught by Sherrie Siemens and Debbie Olson
April, Date TBA, Phoenix, AZ taught by Marianne Walker

Have a great week!

Coloring around tiny details

2010-10-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry I couldn't get this post up earlier, but I was having blog problems. It's all fixed now, so here's the tutorial for the Just Rite Blog hop. If you look at the ornament I colored a few days ago, you'll notice that I was very careful about coloring the main ornament green and the tiny details yellow. I did not use the blender to clean up the areas, rather, I was very careful in my coloring.

Coloring Around Tiny Details
First, you want to start with the main color that you are working around the details. In this case, it was the light green. I stamped my image with Memento and made sure it had dried really well before coloring, since tiny details would show bleeding more than usual.

Carefully color with the base color, G12. I used the very tip of the brush and had no problem working around even the smallest of shapes. At this point, if I had made mistakes I could still clean out the white areas with my colorless blender, but I don't really need to on this image. When cleaning up you need to have a lot of patience. dab a tiny amount of blender on, let it dry, dab another tiny amount and so on. You can't scrub in the blender like usual to clean up areas.

Next, I lightly scribbled in the dark green, G17. I scribbled because I had to be careful to not oversoak the areas I want to blend, as it could easily bleed into the surrounding details.

Now I can ever so carefully go back with the G12 and lightly blend the darker green out. I want the areas where the darker green fades into the lighter green to be as smooth as possible to keep the dimensional illusion to the ornament. It's OK if I lose the darkest areas of the darker green.

Once the blending is dry I went back with the dark green and touched in my deepest contrast again. The base colors need to be dry in order to keep the edges crisp. Now you can really see the dimension on the ornament. I like the high contrast between the G12 and the G17- this is what makes the ornament look so round.

Finally, I colored the yellow details- lighter on the light side, and Y17 in the shadows. I was not as worried about precision, since the yellow would not show up if I accidentally colored over the green areas.

The paper I was coordinating with was very orange-red, so I used YR09 and RV29 for my base red tones on the bow. Then I darkened it with R59. This helped pull the reds together. Again, I was careful to keep all my highlights and shadows consistent with the main ornament so the whole image looked better. Then I colored a middle gray around the outside of the ornament, since I knew I would be cutting it out and I wanted some contrast between the ornament and the background paper, but I didn't want to cut two pieces of paper.

One detail that you might not notice right away on the final bookmark is that on the base papers, I wanted to coordinate the colors a little better, so where the light gray paper met the red I blended in a very light layer of C1 and C2. Then, under the area where the ornament is sitting I added some of the reds, again, feathering them out until it created a darker halo around my ornament that smoothly blended out to the reds of the paper. I also did this along the bottom edge of the red paper. Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend, and I'll see some of you in a few days in Chicago!!