CHA classes open this week!

Stay tuned, as we have a lot of exciting NEW classes opening this week for Winter CHA in January. There will be classes in the days before the show opens and even a class during the show, so if you are working on your education schedule, keep these times open. Registration and full class details will be posted later this week on the Copic Website. The 2014 Color & Ink Workshop Series is a little different than 2013 classes, and you can register for each section independently, no prerequisites!

All classes are held in Anaheim, CA at the Red Lion Inn, just a block away from the convention center and are NOT hosted by CHA or listed in the CHA program.

Jan. 8th 
Standard Certification, 8am - 4pm,  $120 No Prerequisites!
Artistic Mixed Media Apron class with Michelle Houghton, 5-9pm  $60 No Prerequisites!

Jan. 9th 
Intermediate Certification, 8am - 6:30pm  $199

Jan. 10th
Whimsical Faces & Hair Color Along,   8am - 1pm  $99 No Prerequisites!
Airbrushing,  2 - 6pm  $99 No Prerequisites!

Jan. 12th Alcohol Ink Painting 2pm to 5 pm $35 No Prerequisites!

Again, Registration will open later this week on the Copic site, and I will post information as soon as it opens. See you in January at CHA!

Spooktacular Giveaway!

Head on over to the Copic Blog to be entered in our Spooktacular Giveaway. Each day, one winner will be chosen to win 3 anniversary markers. At the end of the month, one lucky winner will win a set of 36 markers!  You can enter each day for more chances to win.

To enter, and to find out complete rules and information, you need to visit the Copic blog.

Good luck! Contest runs through the end of October.

Certification Classes 2013

The final Papercrafting Certification classes for 2013 are all open and accepting applications. If you've wanted to take these classes, now is your chance! Our popular locations are filling fast, so if you don't want to wait until next year, register NOW! You can find applications on our website.

Standard Certification
We welcome all skill levels! Our instructors are here to help you work out whatever coloring questions you have tricky concepts. We step you through a solid foundation of using Copic products.  You can sign up today, or e-mail with questions.

Oct. 4,  Philadelphia, PA taught by Debbie Olson 
Oct. 11, Hartford, CT taught by Cindy Lawrence
Oct. 11, Austin, TX taught by Lori Craig

Nov. 1  Ft. Lauderdale, FL taught by Cindy Lawrence
Nov. 15  Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson

Intermediate  Certification Class
If you are going to a standard certification class, go ahead and register for an Intermediate Certification at the same time. All sessions are scheduled back-to-back, making travel easier. Learn how to color so that your images stand out more...more contrast, more believable colors, and more dynamic shading. We also teach you a bit about composition, helping you put your beautiful images together with paper and embellishments in a pleasing way. You know you want to attend so, register on our website now.
 
Oct. 5,  Philadelphia, PA taught by Debbie Olson 
Oct. 12, Hartford, CT taught by Cindy Lawrence
Oct. 12, Austin, TX taught by Lori Craig

Nov. 2  Ft. Lauderdale, FL taught by Cindy Lawrence
Nov. 16  Sacramento, CA taught by Debbie Olson

Color & Ink Workshops
 If you've already taken our Standard Certification class, go ahead and register for our Color & Ink Workshops. Only two locations left this year! Next year, we will be mixing up the content a bit, so register now for the cool projects in this year's class.

October 25-26th, Portland, OR taught by Sherrie Siemens & Debbie Olson

November 8-9th, Dallas, TX taught by Colleen Schaan & Cindy Lawrence
 

Rose petals

A quick comparison image today, of this simple rose I drew.

Sometimes when you are coloring flowers with deep petals, like a rose, it comes out too flat. To make the tips of the petals need to look like they are standing out, the key is contrast and a wider range of colors. Today I'll be coloring this quick rose drawing I made for the tutorial. The lighting is kinda generic, being from the front & above, so neither side will have stronger shadows.

Here is the first example. I colored the leaves with YG11, then added YG17 to darken the shading, then went back with the YG11 to blend. The white petals I shaded with B41, as I wanted a very cool-feeling white rose (many white roses have a hint of pale yellow or pink). To make the blue shadows feel even more blue, I put the compliment of blue in the background- orange. Not a strong orange, but YR21, blended with Y11.

This isn't bad, but it is very limited in depth. Sure, I went petal by petal, and added shadows that are appropriate, but it still lacks punch.

So, I started over and spent more time being careful. First, I worked on the leaves. Instead of two colors in the same natural blending group, I threw in extra colors.

 I used a base of YG11 again, but I added some Y11 over the tips to warm it up even more. Then, in the shadows, I added YG17 in streaks following the veins on the leaves. I tried to not go back and blend, as I wanted to keep the veins visible.

Next, I added G28 and G99 in the shadows, as both of those greens are grayer and cooler than the YG families. For good measure, I also really cooled the shadows down by adding hints of B37. You can't see it, but it's there. Now the leaves look a lot more dynamic.

For the petals, again, I started with the B41 that I used above, only, this time, I bended it out a little with the colorless blender. I also added extra deep shadows with BV02 and B45. I was careful to leave plenty of white. Note how my shadows are dense at the base of each petal, be it the topside or the underside of each petal. The tips are left as white as I could.

To make the tips look warmer, yet curled, I pulled in hints of Y00 on either side of where I wanted the highlights to be brightest.  Remember, warm colors feel closer, and cooler colors are good for shadows. Last, I threw in a simple background of YR21 and Y00. On my paper it almost looks neon, but scanned in it loses a lot of vibrancy.

What I want you to take away from this tutorial is that you shouldn't color an image just once. Try it multiple times, and push yourself to add more contrast or add unusual colors into the highlights or shadows. Try coloring the rose with yellow tones and having the sky in blues. Or, if it was a red rose, make the background the compliment (pale green).

Have a great week coloring!!

Art Demos this Fall

Whew! Fall has started around here, and with it comes a few local events that I am participating in.

Sept. 13 Springfield, OR:  2nd Friday Art Walk & Vendor Fair
Tomorrow, join me at the Springfield, OR, 2nd Friday Art Walk from 3 to about 7:30pm. I'll be mostly painting, but I'll have some markers there as well. I'll have original paintings and prints of my favorite Copic illustrations for sale.

Nov. 6-7 Eugene, OR: U of O Tools of the Trade  Art Supply show
I will be at the annual Tools of the Trade Show, downstairs next to the marker display, demoing Copic markers and coloring whatever fun things come to mind. Stop by and ask me questions, learn techniques, and get a great price on all your favorite art supplies during their awesome sale.

I hope to see you in person at one of these events!


Color & Ink Workshops
Have you taken one of our fun and messy Color & Ink workshops yet? We still have space in the last three sessions for 2013! Classes and projects will get switched up for 2014, so register now for this year's awesome projects!

Sept. 20-21st, Glen Allen, VA taught by Colleen Schaan & Cindy Lawrence

October 25-26th, Portland, OR taught by Sherrie Siemens & Debbie Olson

November 8-9th, Dallas, TX taught by Colleen Schaan & Cindy Lawrence

Back to School
Are you a professor at an art school? Do you use Copics in your classes? Did you know you can request official demos? We have a sponsorship request form on our website. Check it out to see if your class can qualify! 

NY Fashion Week 2013

I was doing some research this week on colors, and realized NY Fashion Week is going on now! They released a nice chart and write-up on the 2014 Spring Fashion colors, and I love color charts.

I went through the effort of matching the Spring 2014 Pantone® colors to the closest Copic colors and whipped up this fun graphic and illustration. Enjoy!

If you also want the full color report for Spring 2014 and to know how they choose colors, you can download it here.

Hero Arts and Copic Blog Giveaway

This week, if you wander over to the Hero Arts blog you will find a simple and fun airbrushing video I made for Halloween using the new Hero Arts Fall 2013 stamps and stencils.

Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed book, markers and refill inks, and a $50 gift certificate from Hero Arts!

Then, once you've commented on the Hero Arts site, go and leave a comment on the Copic Blog for ANOTHER chance to win!! 2 sites, two prize packs...twice the giveaway fun!!

Good Luck!!