Last lesson for Copic Jumpstart

     For our last lesson we were given kid's drawings (Thank you Penny-they are so cute!) to color along with a few other things to do.  I really want to get my Nieces and Nephews to send drawings to me now.  They would make excellent cards to send to them.  All I did was add the grass to "ground" the images.

Copic Jumpstart Hair and Skin

Saturated Canary Wendy

     Today we worked with hair and skin tones.  I did work with a different skin tone than I normally do but I did the hair similar to how I normally do.  I'm not sure why the image doesn't seem clear but I took the photo at night and I continuously get terrible images that way.

Copic Jumpstart Color Combos

   

Traced Balloons from Avery Elle Balloons Dies

     Our homework for the day was to stamp multiple images and use different types of colors (warm versus cool) to make some images recede and some jump forward.  We also saw examples of  monochromatic, analagous, complementary, and triadic coloring.  I didn't have any stamps that would work for the homework so I used a set of balloon dies to create a possible card front.  First I traced the balloons, making sure to tuck some behind each other, then I colored them with analagous colors.  That is the look I am most drawn to.  

     I wish these were stamps because I don't have that thick outline to help keep my balloons perfectly even on the edges.  Some of my coloring goes outside the drawn pencil lines.  I couldn't have used my multi-liner to trace though because even with pencil, my dies wiggled and I messed up my tracing from time to time.  A copic multi-liner would have made a disaster if that happened.  Even though I don't have the nice black outline and my edges aren't perfectly smooth, I think I might be able to make this into a cheerful card for one of my young nieces or nephews.

Copic Jumpstart lesson 7

Ellen Hutson Mondo Hydrangea by Julie

     The lesson of the day was flowers.  I use to color each petal as individual shaded circles or ovals.  With the hydrangea however I looked at hydrangeas at the store and preferred the ones with yellow centers.  Initially I colored the two bottom ones and really liked them, but for class I experimented and colored another set identically, except I added the complementary color around the edges to shade, then went over them with the initial color.  Just a tiny bit of complementary color shows here and there around the edges and it also darkens the color.  I think I prefer it even though I really like the inital way I did them.  I guess I just need to continue to do them multiple ways since every way seems to be good.  (Sorry that the images on the left are blurry.  I'm not sure how that happened.  A light box is on my wish list but will probably take a year or two until I can afford one.)

Copic Jumpstart Lesson 6

Doodle Pantry Finny Fish

     Today in class we learned to draw long and short fur and add scales.  I do not like the look of drawn on fur.  Unless it is done by an artist (which I am NOT) it tends to look contrived.  Therefore, I searched for a digital image to apply scales to.  I had alligators and dragons, but they already had circles drawn on them where the scales should go, so I decided to use this fish instead.

     I made several of these in different colors.  As I was coloring them I saw how they looked in three different stages:  Plainly colored with no shading (boring, but how I use to color), Shaded but no scales (how I have been doing things for a few years now) but next to the ones with scales, it was still ho-hum, and then this shaded with scales.  It is definitely an improvement.

Copic Jumpstart- Time to Mask and Stamp

 

Masked Balloons and Strings

 Today we masked whatever stamps we had that were roundish, then colored and shaded them.  I didn't have the best selection of stamps and this was the only configuration I could come up with but I guess it wasn't so bad.

     I was able to mask the balloons so they look like they are behind each other and then I masked the strings so it looks like they are tied onto one string and then attached to the mug handle.  I did need to use my Copic Multiliner pen to finish the curlicue on the top of the mug handle.

     I used Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the images and the two stamp sets I used were Fiskars Birthday Bash and Hero Arts Father's Day.  I drew in the tabletop.  I didn't have anything that seemed masculine to add as embellishments so I am keeping it plain.  Sometimes simple is better.  I think I have enough action going to keep the eye moving on the card front.
     I attached the card front (Georgia Pacific card stock) to PaperTrey Ink True Black card stock that I top folded into a card base.  I lined the inside with more Georgia Pacific card stock.

Copic Jumpstart Lesson 4

Lighting and Shading

     I learned a little more about lighting and shading than I did in the Online Card Classes Copics for Card Makers class.  Unfortunately I didn't remember to apply all that I learned to this image.  It was my first attempt and I was fairly happy with him though.  I plan on coloring many more so that I can perfect the technique.

Copic Jumpstart Lesson Three

My Favorite Shading Blend

     I have been experimenting and experimenting and experimenting with shading blends and have found my favorites.  This yellow one is slightly different than those mentioned in class, but Sandy said to experiment on our own to find what we prefer.  This one uses a lighter violet as the deepest shade, yet I still can see the deeper color and it avoids having the shaded parts look orange.

Copic Jumpstart Lesson 2. Blending

Day 2 - Blending

     Day 2 of Copic Jumpstart class was all about blending.  Blending with just one color, or two colors or preferably 3 colors.  It was also about blending colors that don't necessarily go together.  I discovered a new color combination for turtles.  I really like the colors Sandy chose for it.  I also discovered my own blend of marker colors for the dog that I love and saved as one of my favorite combinations.

Sandy Allnock's Copic Jumpstart Class Lesson 1

Lesson One-The Color Wheel

     I am so excited to take this class.  Sandy Allnock, to me, is the most gifted Copic colorist.  She is a trained artist and excellent teacher plus she is pleasant, bright, funny and a good person.  I love the art she creates from scratch with her Copic markers and she will use stamped images with hand created forests or etc for the backgrounds.

     I previously took the online card classes Copics for Card Makers class and learned a lot.  Since then I seem to have improved also.  Sandy said that even experienced Copic users will likely learn something in this class so I was sold.  I am not at an "experienced" level yet but that comment made me believe I would definitely learn from her.

     In this first lesson we learned (actually I did learn it) about the color wheel.  I knew about the color wheel before but have never tried to use it for anything so it was more of a concept for me.  It was nothing I would ever use.  I now have ideas of how to use it when selecting colors, plus I am sure we will be using it in class.

     The coolest thing about this lesson was learning how to make multiple colors using just 3 markers.  In the bottom of the image above is two circles with pie shapes in them.  The one on the right was made using only three markers.  I  made all those different shades with just different amounts of blending between the three colors.  Very cool.

30 Day Coloring Challenge at The Daily Marker Day 19

     Today I pulled out the download I received  from Sandy Allnock with inspirational quotes.  I followed along with some of her suggestions for new techniques to try.

Distress inks for top two cards and Copics for bottom three cards.

Online Card Classes Copic Markers for Cardmakers

     I signed up for an Online Card Classes Copics for Card Makers class and need a place to post my homework so I can share it with fellow students.
     The recommended card stock for the class is too thick to feed through my printer.  (Neenah Solar White #110-which I already had, or I could have used a lower weight of Neenah Solar White which I won't buy because I also own Gina K designs and Georgia Pacific and the three serve all my needs.)  I will have to re-do all the homework assignments with stamped images on the recommended card stock in order to see how the markers react to that base.  I am having a lot of bleeding outside the lines because the Georgia Pacific card stock isn't as absorbent as the Neenah Solar White.  I did try my Gina K designs card stock which went through my printer but doesn't seem to blend as well as the Georgia Pacific.  Hopefully when I use stamped images on Neenah Solar White card stock, it will be less likely to bleed out of the lines.

     Before Taking the Class

     I actually had homework before class and learned a few things.

1. When printing digital images at home for my copics I need to set it up for matte card stock and don't use the "best" setting for the ink since it makes the images too wet.  I just need to use the default.
2. I also need to wait two days after printing before coloring or else the ink is still a little wet and will smear.  Who knew?  I knew that I couldn't use it right away or it would smear, and I knew that if I let it set at least a week I could use it.  I had to experiment to find out exactly how many days it takes to dry using the Georgia Pacific cardstock and my printer.  Really?  How come I knew it didn't smear after several days but couldn't figure out it was because the ink was still wet?    

Balloon and Gift images courtesy of Sandy Allnock