Today Debbie has taken the time to write an in depth "how to" on Coloring with Copic markers. Please enjoy!
1. I chose a pencil jar stamp and then some patterned paper that I wanted to use with it (Cosmo Cricket Cogsmo Twist and Shout).
This gave me a color scheme; I used a scrap of cardstock to test my Copic color choices and find the ones that worked with the paper. The ones pictured are the ones that I came up with. Later I added a few more: a W-1 (for shadows), 0 (for blending lights or lifting color), and a special mixture of B000 and clear blender fluid--an empty marker filled with about 2/3 clear blender fluid and 1/3 B000 Copic ink for a very pale blue.
2. I stamped my image (Pencil Jar by Lockhart Stamp Company) in Memento Rich Cocoa ink (Tsukineko) on Stamper's Select White cardstock (PaperTrey Ink). I then colored a shadow with a W-1 marker and softened its edges with the 0 (clear blender) marker. Next I colored the glass jar with my pale B000 marker ). I added a little extra blue around the jar edges and rim where the glass would be darker or thicker.
3. Having established a shadow side already, I stayed consistent with it for the rest of the piece. For the green pencils I colored the whole pencil in with YG11, then ran a strip of YG23 down the shadow side.
4. Next, I used the YG11 (paler green) to blend the hard line between the two greens.
If I had used the clear blender pen to try to blend these two, I would have ended up with a lighter line down the middle of the pencil. (I
will use the clear blender--just not yet!)
5. For the blue pencils I used the same process--laying in a coat of BG72 and then a strip of BG75 on the shadow side.
6. Again, I used the lighter color, BG72, to blend the two blues. At this stage I used my clear blender to pull a tiny bit of color out of the highlight side of the green pencils. The clear blender acts almost as a bleaching tool--lightening up other colors. It's great for adding highlights.
7. With the red I followed the same process--R14 first, with a strip of R08 next, blended together with the R14.
8. For the yellow pencil, I used YR21 (not pictured)--one coat on the light side and three coats on the shadow side. I used an E33 to color the exposed wood part of the pencils, then used my 0 clear blender to pull a highlight out of each pencil. I used a W5 for the graphite pencil tips. Finally, I used my special pale blue to coat the contents of the jar once more and to lighten the pencils behind the jar rim where the glass would be thicker.
9. My finished card--I
love my Copic markers!
FAQ: What do the letters and numbers on each marker mean? The letters tell you the
hue: R=red, YR=Yellow-Red, Y=Yellow, YG=Yellow-Green, etc. The first number after the color letter on each marker refers to the
relative clarity or grayness of a color. A "0 "or "1" are very clear, pure colors. An "8" or "9" would be muted, grayed colors. The second number (or second and third in the case of a "00") tells the
value of the color. A "00" is the lightest value, and a "9" is the darkest value of a color.
Knowing this information will enable you to choose hues and shades that work well together.
