Copics, Copics and more Copics! New chart, video's and tutorials

Hi there everyone, hope your summer is going well.  Things are pretty quiet here in my neck of the woods, just doing some gardening and relaxing, and yes, some stamping of course.  Speaking of gardening, thank you to everyone who sent me an email about the bird in the tree from last week, after looking at some pictures of woodpeckers I think you are all correct, the bird is a woodpecker.


Funny thing is that I have never noticed any woodpeckers before in San Jose, have no clue why, but just have never noticed one before.  Now I am looking at every bird that flies by to see what other things have escaped my sight in San Jose. I do know that we have Falcons, blue jays, crows, ducks, geese, pigeons, and sparrows.  And I am sure we have more, will just have to start taking more bird pictures.


Don't forget to stop by the "Follow your Heart" blog for this weeks challenge, and to read about this weeks news (some cool happenings over at the blog.)  Here is a preview of the card I posted over there:

From 2010-07-11

Enough of that, onto the stamping stuff for this week, which will focus on Copics.  I tend to go from one type of coloring to another for my images, and now I am back on a Copic kick, though I still LOVE the distress ink coloring, just am in a "Copic state of mind" right now.  One thing I have learned about Copics:  the more you practice the better your coloring.  You will become much better at coloring with Copics if you take the time to stamp and color for "practice," so set aside some time to play with your Copics each week, and make sure that you save what you practice on, noting the colors/paper used and the technique you used (ie, darker color first, feathering, and so on). 

Over the weekend I printed out a GREAT color combination/starter chart ( click here for the link to the chart, ) and then I realized that I had Copics that were not on these lists, so I made my own chart, which I have uploaded for you as well, here is the PDF for you to print out (below).  I wanted to make the boxes large enough so I could put in a large number of colors at one time, and still have room to write the colors below the color.  

Copic Marker Combo Chart by After Hours Stamper
The chart is broken down by color, with a number of boxes for you to put your own combinations.  If you run out of room you could cut the section out and simply print more boxes and tape or glue the sections together. At the bottom of the chart is an area for you to put combinations that are for "things," ie, hair color combinations, a combination for "gold," and things like that.  I hope you like the chart!  If you think I could do something to improve the chart, please let me know.

By keeping a chart you will also be able to keep track of the colors you have and don't have, the chart also makes it easier for you to see where you need to fill in colors (ie, you are missing one color for a grouping).  I keep my charts in page protectors and keep them close to my craft area so I can grab them quickly to match with designer paper.  Here are some pictures of my chart, and the one I linked to:

From 2010-07-11

This is the chart I created, which works for me because I like to use the larger areas to both write the color and put the color on the paper.  There are charts out there to put one color in a box, however that system just didn't seem to work for me, this does:

From 2010-07-11

For both charts make sure you print out on the paper you use to stamp and color with, this is a MUST!  You will not get the right effect by printing out on regular paper (don't ask me how I know this.)

And WOW, using a chart with combinations makes a HUGE difference!  One of the other things I am going to do is keep a sketch book with various images that I have colored, writing down the markers I used because I can NEVER remember what Copic colors I use!  Here is an example of an image I stamped yesterday and played with (I save images that don't turn out well to use to practice on):

From 2010-07-11

So, while I have a fairly large number of Copics I do want to add to my collection and have identified about 50 markers I would like to purchase.  Yes, the list is going to get paired down, and then broken into sections so I can get a few at a time.  It is so much easier to color things when you have the proper colors/shades/tints for what you want to do!

There will be a Copic Certification class near me in September and I am thinking of signing up for the class, would love to learn more and also would LOVE to be able to host some Copic coloring workshops here in Northern CA.  Hopefully I can get into the class, if I do you will be the first to know : )

Now, lets get on with some other links for Copic markers, some you may already have, some may be new to you, however I wanted to put a list together that works for both beginners and people who have experience using Copic markers.

The links are broken down into a few sections: Sets to get you started/add to your collection, best prices for markers, type of paper to use and where to purchase, ink to stamp with/where to purchase, tutorials/resources and storage. And I am going to break these links into two groups this week will be sets to get you started/add to your collection, best prices for markers and type of paper to use is this week, next week will be tutorials/resources and storage.

Sets/combination of markers:

Many companies help you to get started by grouping markers together in sets, however I would NOT recommend buying a set of markers that is a generic set of 36, 72 and so on.  Why?  Because you will not have the groupings of colors that you will want/need to color your images.

While I started out by purchasing a set of 36 markers, my set was a "general" set, had lots of greys, but did not have enough colors that I could blend together.  If I were starting out today I would buy the markers individually, using some of the recommendations from expert Copic instructors.

So, instead of large sets, if you are starting out try to find smaller groupings of colors for specific items you want to color.  Susana has a very good supply of small sets specifically put together for specific items, like hair.

And check out these recommendations for combinations (remember that there is also the chart listed above in addition to these links below):

• Paper Fections:  List is about half way down the page, and there is a TON of other great copic information at this link as well.  I have linked to this blog before, so you might have seen this information already. 

• Thinking Inking:  Click on the picture shown in the post to get a larger view of the Copics she uses.  And again, another GREAT site for all things Copic related, check out this post about using two different colors to create a perfect match to a designer paper. 

• Flourishes Blog:  Great grouping of Copics, and you can also order the sets in their store.

Best Prices for Copics:

So, you want to purchase some Copics and have a heart attack when you see how expensive they are.  First of all, these markers are refillable, they last forever without being refilled, and are well worth their cost.  When purchasing Copics you can buy different types, the specific ones that most stampers use are either the "Cio" or the "Sketch."  Cio Copics are round, have fewer colors and hold less ink, they are also priced cheaper then the Sketch markers which hold more ink and are oval so they do not roll off of your table.  Sketch markers also have the color imprinted on the caps, Cio markers do not.

My preference is for the Sketch markers, though I have a set of Tonal Greys in the "Original" style (I purchased the set from an art store online for the grand total of $4.49 for a set of 12).  The Cio's and Sketch markers have a brush tip and a broad tip.

As for pricing, there are three places I have ordered from online, and they usually have the best prices.  You can get even better pricing, however, when some stores run a sale.  Typically I pay from 3.15 to 4.12 per Sketch marker.  Also, consider ordering refill ink for your most used markers, I will need to order some E00 soon as that is the marker I use the most right now.

Again, remember that this list is for online stores that have good, everyday prices, watch for sales (at these stores as well) for some good pricing:

• Oozak:  GREAT price on markers, you will need to register with them for the best pricing, but typically the Sketch markers are about  $4.15 and the Cio's are $2.85.  I also like that they list how many of the markers they have in stock, as well as list their next expected shipment from Copic. You also get free shipping on orders over $50.
• Carpediem:  Another good place to buy markers, they are a bit more expensive then Oozak, however if you must have a certain marker and Oozak is out of that color you can try here.  You can get free shipping here if you spend $100.00 or more.  Carpediem has some great sales sometimes, so make sure to visit their site often to catch one of their sales. 
• iCopic:  Fairly good prices here, but a bit higher then the two above.  iCopic does have sales once in a while, and their sales bring the prices down to the same cost as the two above.
• Ebay:  You can find some great deals on Ebay, just make sure that you are getting what you pay for, and also make sure that the shipping is reasonable. 
• Dick Blicks:  Same price as iCopic, but again, watch for sales to bring the price down. 

Paper:

Yes, you really do need the proper paper to color with Copics.  And even some recommended paper will "bleed" if you oversaturate the paper, and each person has a preference to the type of paper they like.  I have a number of various papers, here is a list of my favorites:

• Cryogen White:  GREAT paper to use with Copics, and it has a slight shimmer which adds to your coloring.  The paper is also 30 percent off right now, so make sure to order some to try out or to replenish your supply.  Suzanne Dean loves this paper, with good reason.  The paper takes color well, it does not easily bleed and has a slight shimmer that adds a wow factor. I am ordering some today as my supply is almost out. 

• Heavenly White:  If you do not want the shimmer in your paper then try this card stock, it is excellent, low bleed factor, smooth and blending with Copics has never been easier!  

• Gina K Pure Luxury:  I have a bunch of this paper and love it as well, very smooth and a great paper to use with Copics. 

• Neenah Solar White: You can buy a ream of this paper and it will last you forever (ok, not quite forever, but pretty close).  I like this paper, but if you use too much ink the paper has a tendency to bleed, however many people never have that problem and swear by this paper.

Do not use CTMH, Stampin Up or other regular white card stock, coloring is near to impossible, the paper bleeds and you will not be happy with the results (another don't ask me how I know this.)

Ok, this was a very long post!  Stay tuned for more Copic chatter next week, until then thank you so very much for visiting the blog and have a GREAT week!