Friday, February 18, 2011

What colors do you love? Giveaway

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!!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Coloring clouds

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!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

New Website & Spring Certifications


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.