Friday, June 6, 2008

Natural Blending Families

Sorry about the awkward formatting of the blog. I'm a designer and I'm used to more flexibility in layouts, so in the future I'll keep my layouts simple.

No, I'm not purposely avoiding answering the question "What stamp ink with what paper?", I am going to answer it next week as a form of survey with blog candy, so stay tuned :) (meanwhile I suggest you go over to Splitcoaststampers and search the forums for ideas). Other people besides cardmakers / stampers are following this site as well, and I have so much stuff to cover! By waiting, I also know that more people will find this new blog by then so we'll get more feedback. Just content yourself to know that I am part of a conspiracy theory that will never directly answer your deepest, most important questions, rather, I will string you along forever...or not *wink*.

Natural Blending Families- I created this fancy term for a simple Copic concept that many people have already discovered, but can never be explained enough. You have a color of marker and you want to find a shadow and highlight for that pen. What color should you use? This is where the code on the cap answers that question.

Here's the scoop: I have paper that perfectly matches my B24 marker. I have a picture I want to color, but I want to make it look dimensional with shadows and lighter areas. My two questions are-

1. What colors will make my B24 look shadowed/highlighted?
2. What other colors will go nicely with those blues and not look strange?
These are both easily answered. First, the color number B24 tells me a few things right away:

B- This is a blue marker
2- This is a bright, but not super bright blue (those would have a 0 ir 1 in this spot), and it's not very gray (or else this would be a 7, 8, or 9)
4- This is a middle blue (pale colors are going to end in 0, 1, or 2; Middle colors are 4-6; and dark colors are 7-9)
To answer the first question, shadows & highlights:

Keep the letter and first digit the same. We know instantly that our shadow and
highlight will be in the B20's. There are two colors lighter than B24, which are B23 or B21, but which one should we get? This takes us to the second rule:

Keep a 2 to 3 digit difference between numbers. So our lightest spot will be B21, our main color will be B24 and our shadows will be B26. Not bad, now we know that any part of our picture that we want Blue will be B21 + B24 + B26. This is what I call a Natural Blending Group. These are 3 shades that naturally go together based on color number alone.

As to the second question, what goes with the blue:
Keep the numbers the same, just change the letter (color family). Ok, so we need a green (G), Red (R), yellow (Y), and pink (RV) to go with our blue. We're in luck- there's an exact match for the first two color families. G24, and R24 will look great with B24. Yellow doesn't have a Y24, but Y23 is close enough. Same with RV, we'll go with RV23.

So we end up with B24, G24, R24, Y23, and RV23 for our color range. Where your colors quickly multiply is when you get into shadows and highlights for each of these-
B: B21, B24, B26
G: G21, G24, G28
R: R22, R24, R27
Y: Y21, Y23, Y26
RV: RV21, RV23, RV25



Aaack! what started as a simple picture with one color now has 15 colors I need!

OK, so this formula is just a starting point, you might really only need 2 shades in each color family. You can also shift colors from here- what if you want the pinks to be lighter? Use just the RV21 and the Rv23. What if you want the reds to be darker? Use R24 as the highlight, R27 as the middle red, and R29 as the shadow. You may totally hate these colors together- it's up to you. Personally, I think I'd ditch the pink in this sequence. If I had a purple to match the pink then maybe it would work better.
This is the final image I colored. Since the picture is so small, I mostly used 2 shades in each family, and I chose not to use the pink, instead I used the R21.
Image Credits: Stamp- Flower Shop by AMuse. Ink- Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black, Paper- Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80# Cardstock Marker colors: B21 + B24, R21 + R24, G21+G24, Y21 + Y23 + Y26

Monday, I will showcase my first color. I'll show it's Natural Blending Group, matching colors from across the color spectrum, aaannnd I have a cool color chart that I programmed into my software that lets me generate other color combos you can try based on other color rules, so I'll show combos that the computer says go well together. Have a great weekend!

89 comments:

Susie said...

Wow! What great information! I love my Copics and I'm sure that love will be growing with your help. Thank you for having this blog.

Michele Kovack said...

See? I did NOT know this about the letters and numbers!! Didn't really know what they meant...until now! Thanks!

Lisa H. said...

great info and you explained it so well. Now I see why I NEED soooo many markers, lol! TFS!

Anonymous said...

I am in heaven!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for jumping in with your blog. Your reputation precedes you Marianne, and it is all good. I'm just so envious of the others who live in the large cities where you are holding seminars - I unfortunately don't live so close any of those large cities. But, I'm happy now! I'll be visiting you daily. By the way, I {heart} my Copics.

Hugs - Becca

huntla1 said...

Thank you so much for this information! I knew there was theory behind the numbering and some things I have discovered on my own,but you are unlocking the mystery. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Terri said...

Marianne, Thank you, thank you, thank you for your efforts in your blog. These markers are wonderful and I want to continue to get better using them.
Please consider coming to Omaha or nearby Kansas City for a class!

Karen (lindse) said...

THANK you for writing about the color matching!! I always struggle with that!! This blog ROCKS, your work is truly appreciated!

Sandy Knecht said...

Great explanation. I was a bit intimidated trying to remember how this should work and you said it perfectly and the visual really helps. Thank you so much for this blog. I'm glad I was directed to it by Cheryl at Inspire me and I have given your blog out to many others. This is great! Thank you.

Conniecrafter said...

I think this is the hardest thing for me figuring out colors but this sounds so easy...Thanks!

Val said...

Thanks for the info on choosing your colours. Wish I had read this before I bought a lot of colours! I need to get more of the lighter colours now...so much to learn!!

Michelle Tech said...

Wow, this is great! I kinda knew (sorta) about the numbering system, but seeing it illustrated really helps! Maybe it'll stick this time! Printing...

Marci Pie said...

I just purchased $196 worth yesterday. Thank you so much for your information. I know that I will be able to use my markers to the otmost and not have buyer's remorse.

shulsart said...

Excellent tutorial, Marianne. You have taken the mystery out of the numbering system. Can't wait for the next installment.

dpkennedy said...

Marianne, this information is fabulous! I added you to my google reader so I can keep up! I love using my copics and although I have read about the way the color system works, to see it and read it the way you have it laid out is wonderful!

Shannan Teubner said...

Fabulous girl! Thanks so much for being such an amazing resource!

Jessrose21 said...

I'm understanding this more! I'm looking for the pale, pastel colors, so if I want a pale pastel blue, I should choose B32 instead of B00? If so, I need to radically change my next marker order! Thanks for the explanation; the pictures help SO much.

Anonymous said...

This is exactly what I have been looking for. I have always wondered how do I make up my markers. Thank you so much for all your entries. I will look forward to them in the coming weeks.

chinamomxtwo said...

thanks so much for doing these tips and for this blog!! :) I invested money in Copics--and having been practivcing....but this makes it so much clearer!
THANKS!

Barb said...

Know what? I like markers, too. I am just getting my Copic collection underway and I love them. I thank you so much for all of the information you've shared thus far and I look forward with great GREAT anticipation to upcoming posts. May I be so bold as to declare myself your #1 fan?!!

Dawn said...

Thank You, Thank You. I am so happy that you started this blog. I have two sets of Copic and I love how they color, I am greatful for your blog to teach me how to use the colors together to make my pictures pop. What a wealth of information, keep up the wonderful job.
Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

wow... this is truly great info.
thank you. I love reading your blog...

Suzanne said...

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU! I am so happy you started a blog. I might actually start using my copics again as I might end up with results that I like. Thanks for sharing this great tutorials - your blog is fantastic!

Sheri said...

I am learning so much from your blog. I knew the letters meant the color but beyond that I knew nothing. This is amazing information. Thanks so much for starting this.

Dawn Easton said...

Oh my gosh! This is fantastic! I don't know of anyone around here that sells Copics, let alone explaining them...lol. Your blog is perfect! TFS! I'll be a loyal reader for sure!

Amy Sheffer said...

Thank you for the wealth of info here on your blog!! I'm learning so much!

Tammi said...

Marianne This is going to be the most read blog with all the information you are providing. I am hoping to study real hard so I can be your number one top student at the Chicago certification....LOL

Mary Dawn said...

i'm so glad you have a blog, but i've been missing posts! i've subscribed to you with bloglines, but i'm not getting updates, are you allowing feeds or must i subscribe by email?

marianne walker said...

I think you need to subscribe via e-mail

Unknown said...

I love your blog! I don't own alcohol markers, but surely will end up buying some now. What I love is your explanations, lectures, and tips. What a great resource. Thank you!

Karen Kelly said...

I just found your blog and it's fabulous! I can't wait to meet you in Chicago!

LindaH said...

I'm sure I speak for all of us that live in small town Southern Ontario who will likely never get a chance to take a class from you... I thank you for this blog!

Tamara said...

Great information! ! ! Thank You. I can't wait to learn more.

Whimsey said...

Mish Mash sent me; that chick never leads me astray. Love all the insight Marianne; thank you!!!

Ellie said...

OH I am in Copic Heaven!! This is so exciting to me thank you so much for putting up a blog.. I love my Copics and I see I will be loving them even more if that is possible! lol :)

-Ellie

Cris A said...

I'm truly glad I found your blog!!

Anonymous said...

I never knew that each number had its own purpose, though I figured they must and I just didn't know EXACTLY what it was. This was helpful. Thanks.

Connie Fossenier said...

Love this explanation with the letters and numbers..I have four of the basic sets coming..Now I will be able to make informed choices on my next copics.
connie paxman

Sylvia from Minnesota said...

Thanks for this explanation, it helps more than you know. sylvia

Crazy Bird said...

Thank you SO much for explaining this!

Deebi27 said...

I think I have finally found the sight that truly helps me figure out how to buy colors than look natural together! Wow! THANKS!

charley said...

Dynamite! I love this. Thank you so much. This is so helpful for a new user like me. I love my Copic markers but am a bit overwhelmed by them. Thank you for this blog!

Suzz said...

I see the light... I now can say I understand what the letters and numbers mean. Thank you so much for writing this wonderful informative blog. I can now justify my Copic Marker buying addiction. Do you know if they sell a complete set of the Copic Marker that comes with everything, such as the blender pen, Copic Airbrush System. The shebang?

Annalize said...

Discovered your blog through Theresa Momber's blog and am so greatful! For the firs time I will be able to buy and use copics with some know how! Thanks for sharing!!!!

hasnain raza said...

All News updates about Forex Business, Latest Currency news updates, latest forex trading business updates, trading updates, forex trading latest news, forex brokers directory, forex brokers list, Dollars news affairs, Stock Markets, stock market news, stock market analysis, technology news, international forex markets, international forex business news and all updates about Forex Trading
ForexAffairs.Com

Anonymous said...

Hello, just wanted to say, I loved this article. It was practical.
Keep on posting!
Visit: games 2 girls | kids games | juegosjuegos | juegos de matar | jogos friv

Kaspar said...

You have a color of marker and you want to find a shadow and highlight for ... ccopicmarkers.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing the information. It is very useful for my future. keep sharing
Signature:
facebook entrar iniciar sesion gratis - Sitio Oficial iniciado sesión en Facebook lengua española. facebook entrar rÔpido, facebook iniciar sesion en tu cuenta de entrar facebook

Unknown said...

great post. i like it. feeling great when reading your post .
Signature:
Versión en facebook en español descargar a los países hablan Español: facebook entrar direto agora , facebook en español para and facebook entrar direto

Unknown said...

Its really good information, i like your blog post. Thanks for sharing
Signature:
The place to play all unblocked games online. Here you can find every blocked games such as: unblockedgames , unblocked games happy , unblocked games 77 ,

Unknown said...

I was working and suddenly I visits your site frequently and recommended it to me to read also. The writing style is superior and the content is relevant. Thanks for the insight you provide the readers!
agar.io , facebook descargar , download whatsapp messenger , descargar mobogenie gratis , descargar whatsapp gratis , cities skylines mods , five nights at freddy's download

Unknown said...

I found a lot of information here to create this actually best for all newbie here. Thank you for this information.
agar io , facebook descargar , facebook baixar , whatsapp baixar , baixar whatsapp , baixar mobogenie , facebook movel baixar

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your info. I really appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write
happy wheels games , play happy wheels , zombie tsunami game , retrica camera , retrica

El Taufan said...

Thanks for Sharing That... Sucses for You

findaunionprinter

findaunionprinter

getoifile

getdriversforpc

offlineinstallerfilehippo

theprinterdriver

esoftpedia

filehorse

thesoftpedia

caranddriver

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing, nice blog. This is a great article. It gave me a lot of useful information. plese visit me
IDM 6.5 Build 5 kegan
Trend Micro Antivirus
Windows 7 Product Key
Adobe Illustrator CC 2016 Crack

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing, nice blog. This is a great article. It gave me a lot of useful information. plese visit me
IDM 6.5 Build 5 kegan
Trend Micro Antivirus
Windows 7 Product Key
Adobe Illustrator CC 2016 Crack

Unknown said...

Hello my friend! I want to say that this post is awesome, great written and include almost all
important infos.I really love this post I will visit again to read your post in a very short time and I hope you will make more posts like this.

T H A N K S
F O R
S H A R I N G

WinAVI Video Converter 11.5 Keygen
Trend Micro Antivirus
Movie Converter 7 Keygen
Neuratron Audio Score Ultimate Keygen

Unknown said...

I was about to say something on this topic. But now i can see that everything on this topic is very amazing and mind blowing, so i have nothing to say here. I am just going through all the topics and being appreciated.

Norton 360 Antivirus 2016 Crack
SlySoft Any DVD HD 7.6.9.0 Key
QuickBooks 2016 Crack
NetLimiter 4 Crack

Unknown said...

I was about to say something on this topic. But now i can see that everything on this topic is very amazing and mind blowing, so i have nothing to say here. I am just going through all the topics and being appreciated.

Norton 360 Antivirus 2016 Crack
SlySoft Any DVD HD 7.6.9.0 Key
QuickBooks 2016 Crack
NetLimiter 4 Crack

Kun hoĆ ng said...

Very nice. Posts shared useful information and meaningful life, I'm glad to be reading this article and hope to soon learn the next article. thank you
minecraft
g9g games
a10 games
hopy games
yepi games
kizi games
friv games
4223 games
huz games
kizi new games

Unknown said...

level ŲŖŲ³Ł„ŁŠŁƒ مجارى ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
افضل ؓركة ŲŖŁ†ŲøŁŠŁ ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ŲŖŁ†ŲøŁŠŁ ؓقق ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ŲŖŁ†ŲøŁŠŁ منازل ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ؓركة ŲŗŲ³ŁŠŁ„ خزنات ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
افضل ؓركة Ł…ŁƒŲ§ŁŲ­Ų© Ų­Ų“Ų±Ų§ŲŖ ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
Ų±Ų“ Ł…ŲØŁŠŲÆŲ§ŲŖ ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ؓركة ŲŖŲ®Ų²ŁŠŁ† عفؓ ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ŲŖŁ†ŲøŁŠŁ مجالس ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ŲŖŁ†ŲøŁŠŁ فلل ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶
ؓركة ŲŖŁ†ŲøŁŠŁ ŲØŲ§Ł„Ų±ŁŠŲ§Ų¶

al3ab banat01 said...

Very nice. Posts shared useful information and meaningful life, I'm glad to be reading this article and hope to soon learn the next article. thank you
العاب بنات
al3ab banat
العاب Ų·ŲØŲ®

Unknown said...

This is good ilike it thank you

العاب ŲŖŁ„ŲØŁŠŲ³
al3ab banat

Unknown said...

this is one of the cult game now, a lot of people enjoy playing them . Also you can refer to the game :
age of war | earn to die 5 | Tank trouble | happy wheels | earn to die 6
The game controls are shown just under . Movement mechanisms primarily include acceleration and tilting controls.
tank trouble unblocked | wings io | strike force heroes

Unknown said...

Ł…Ų±Ų­ŲØŲ§ ŲØŁƒŁ… ŁŠŁˆŁ…ŁŠŲ§ في Ł…ŁˆŁ‚Ų¹ العاب ŲŖŁ„ŲØŁŠŲ³ بنات جيددة Ų±Ų§Ų¦Ų¹Ų© ŁˆŁ…Ł…ŲŖŲ¹Ų© كثيرا هذا Ų§Ł„Ł…ŁˆŁ‚Ų¹ ŁŠŁ‚ŲÆŁ… دائما العاب بنات Ų³ŲŖŲ§ŁŠŁ„ Ų±Ų§Ų¦Ų¹Ų© ŁˆŁ…Ł…ŁŠŲ²Ų© كثيرا ŲŖŲŖŁ…ŁŠŲ² بجودة الملابس ŁˆŲ§Ł„Ų§Ų²ŁŠŲ§Ų” Ų§Ł„ŲŖŁŠ ŁŁŠŁ‡Ų§ وايضا Ų§Ł„Ł…ŁƒŁŠŲ§Ų¬ او Ų§Ł„Ł…ŁŠŁƒ Ų§ŲØ ŁƒŁ…Ų§ ŁŠŲ³Ł…ŁŠŁ‡ البعض من Ų§Ł„ŁŲŖŁŠŲ§ŲŖ ŁˆŁƒŲ°Ł„Łƒ Ł„Ų§ŲŖŁ†Ų³ŁˆŲ§ Ų§Ų“ŁƒŲ§Ł„ قصات الؓعر المتختلفة ŁˆŲ§Ł„Ł…ŲŖŁ†ŁˆŲ¹Ų© Ų§Ł„ŲŖŁŠ تناسب ŁƒŁ„ من ŁŠŲ±ŲŖŲÆŁŠŁ‡Ų§ ŁƒŁ…Ų§ Ų§Ł†ŁƒŁ… سوف ŲŖŲ¬ŲÆŁˆŁ† العاب باربي و العاب ŲŖŁ„ŲØŁŠŲ³ باربي ŁˆŲ§Ł„ŲŖŁŠ ŁŠŲ­ŲØŁ‡Ų§ Ų§Ł„ŁŲŖŁŠŲ§ŲŖ كثيرا لانها Ų¬ŲÆ Ł…Ł…ŲŖŲ¹Ų©

Mark Smith said...

Rolex Watches Authentic Mens & Ladies Rolex Datejust, President Watches for Sale at JavyEstrella.com.

Unknown said...


The blog or and best that is extremely useful to keep I can share the ideas
of the future as this is really what I was looking for, I am very comfortable and pleased to come here. Thank you very much.
gold miner|stick war 3| pokemongo
| stick man|animal jam login

Unknown said...

I got good ideas from this amazing blog.
watergirl and fireboy
Geometry Dash

Amlon Terence said...

residential dumpster va Galaxy Transfer is based in Northern Virginia and is a division of EnviroSolutions, Inc. GT was purchased by EnviroSolutions, Inc. in June 2013.

younes nairy said...


great games in blog game 10 the best free games online in my blog for play in al3ab-al3ab 10 al3ab al3ab 10 العاب
AND
العاب Ų·ŲØŲ® بنات

tomglad said...

Thanks For Your article that very useful to me

Top Speed
Vehiclesautos
vehiclenotify

nikkisa889 said...

Would you be serious about exchanging hyperlinks? casino play

AAKASH DUBEY said...

Thank you for sharing about :-)

Dermacol Original
Dermacol Make-Up Care Original
Dermacol Skin Care Products Original
Dermacol Catalogs Original
Dermacol Accessories Original

Pradeep Appslure said...

Mobile app development company in mumbai

Jaswal Gupta said...

When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the same comment. Is there a way you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!
kbc winner

KBC Lottery Winner said...

You need to take part in a contest for one of the finest websites on the net. I will highly recommend this KBC Lottery Winner Game 2020 website!

christine cappio said...

hi, what is the best paper you recommend using with Copic markers? thx

grey tony said...

Thank you so much for this excellent Post and all the best for your future. I hope you and we will be sharing more thoughts and keep writing more like this one.

office.com/setup
mcafee.com/activate

Tekniko Global said...

mobile app development company in delhi

Tekniko Global said...

Tekniko Global is an award-winning mobile app development company in Delhi and other city or countries. We develop high-quality.

Rohan Singh said...

The tips and tricks you have listed in the blog are satisfying; you can get in touch to know more and add relevance to your blog post will be bringing you an excellent level of satisfaction. AppSquadz is the leading mobile app development company contact us for more. Also visit: web app development company

Last Journey said...

freezer box


Dead Body Transportation by air in Mumbai



Dead Body Transportation by air




Cremation Services



Freezer Box on hire in Mumbai



Cremation Services in Kolkata




Anonymous said...

Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing blog with us. Please keep sharing such a great piece of the article so we can get more knowledge about this type of topic. Learn more about magento development.

Evermolpro said...

Thanks for sharing information with all of us . Who visit your website . good work and great stuff .
Website Development Company in Noida Ghaziabad

Kim Jolly said...

Hi, I'm kimjolly. It's my initiative for learning in the field of Mandarin in UAE. if you are keen interested in learning Feel free to visit my website also contact our 24*7 assistance for all query related to online chinese course
.

Gambozhu said...

Aw, this was a very nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done. Quality Hand Made Damascus Knives for Hunting, Kitchen & Fishing available at HM Knives

Unknown said...

Excellent web page right! Equally any site significant amounts " up " very fast! The things web host lots of people are choosing? Does one ensure you get your web connection to any host or hostess? Document prefer great site full " up " like quickly like your site lol ąø”ูąø­ąø™ิเดะ

نقل Ų§Ų«Ų§Ų« دبي said...

We Provide Professional & Insured Moving, Packing, Relocation,
Removals, International Freights, movers in abu dhabi
& Storage Services in abu dhabi.

Franticpro said...

Hi, I am John Smith I am Web Developer, It is an amazing blog thanks for the sharing the blog. Frantic infotech provide the custom software development company such as an information about software development for costumer service. Frantic infotech also provide the tablet app development company. The development of advanced web applications is Orient Software’s specialty and we will successfully fulfill all your web application development requirements, from small-sized to wider-ranged projects.

ąø”ูąø«ąø™ังออนไคน์ฟรี said...

ąø”ูąø«ąø™ังออนไคน์Thank you for the good writeup. It in reality was a enjoyment account it.
Glance complex to far introduced agreeable from you! By the way, how can we keep up a correspondence?