Redwoods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!