Certification Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!