Thursday, May 31, 2012

New Certification classes

We just opened a couple new classes and I want to make sure everyone knows about them. For a complete list of open classes, please visit this post from last week.

Standard Certification Classes

June 23rd, Montreal, Quebec, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens open to the public
July 26th, Eugene, OR taught by Marianne Walker open to the public
Aug. 3rd, Lyndhurst, NJ taught by Lori Craig open to the public


Then, to accompany those standard classes, we have matching Intermediate classes.
 
June 24th, Montreal, Quebec, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens open to the public
July 27th, Eugene, OR taught by Marianne Walker open to the public
Aug. 4rd, Lyndhurst, NJ taught by Lori Craig open to the public


And, there are still a few spaces left in my classes in the Northeast this next week, so if you were interested in attending, please check our website to apply for either standard or intermediate classes! Those will be really fun classes, so I hope to see you there!

Coloring an Owl

Coloring without blending
I have been working on a mural for a local elementary school, and they want to incorporate in their mural some owls. So, I have had to do a lot of owl sketches recently. While the final mural will be much simpler and stylized, I wanted to share a realistic sketch that I made for practice. I am marking this post as advanced mostly because without blending, your stroke technique is what will define patterns and textures.

As this is just a personal sketch, and not for the client, I wanted to color it simply and more for my own reference. So, as with many of my personal sketches, my goal is to work quickly and with a limited color palette. Blending takes time, so I wanted to color this owl without blending and show you how I use the marker strokes and layers to create the suggestion of blends.

The first layer of color is E31. Notice how I used short, stubby strokes from the side of the brush to give the illusion of feathers on the chest. Then, for the more delicate feathers around the face I switched to the tip of the marker and used very small fine strokes. My goal in this layer is simply to define feathers.

Next I added a layer of W3 for shading. I layered it over the E31. Notice on the chest, how I added the gray in stubby strokes as well, instead of just flatly coloring. I tried to define a light source at this point. The reason I added gray after the brown is because I knew that when the gray layered over the brown it would soften my strokes without the need for blending. I also colored the eyes with Y02. I shadowed the eye with E31.

So my first layer of color was for basic texture definition. The second layer of gray is to show shadows and shape. The next layers of color are to add contrast.

Now I add a layer of E44 to begin defining the unique markings of the owl. The slightly darker brown starts to pull out contrast and shape. Notice that in the chest area, I used the darker brown in strokes opposite the lighter ones. I did this to mimic the pattern of the feathers a little more. The darker brown strokes on the wings really start to define feathers.

Last, I add the dark gray markings from this owl variety. I used an N7, since it was the right darkness, and I didn't mind that it was a little cool for the bird. I probably should have used a W7 or T7, but that would have involved me getting up from my desk to find the right color, and I am rather lazy.

The contrast and markings may seem a little strong at this point, but remember, the surroundings will help tone it down after they are colored. So, for the owl, I used E31, W3, Y02, E44, and N7. No blending, simply layering.

On the final image, I colored the sky with BG70 and B41. The tree in the distance is drawn with W1 and YG61. The branch he is sitting on is colored with the same colors as the main owl, with a hint of YR14 to change the tone to make the image not feel too flat. I colored the branch in scribbles to accent the irregular texture of the bark.

I did add a few hints of B45 onto the owl to cool down the shadows and pull in a bit of the sky color. Still, no blending.

I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial. Have a wonderful week!



Friday, May 25, 2012

Certification Update


North American Papercrafting Certifications
Summer is almost here! Time again to update the list of upcoming certification classes. If you want to get e-mails about upcoming classes or get a copy of the Copic Newsletter e-mailed to you, please sign up for our mailing list here.
My classes in the Northeast are just around the corner, and there are a few spaces open still, so come join us if you can! We are opening some new classes in Eugene, OR this summer, but if you miss those classes, there will be classes in Portland, OR in October.

June 5th, Portsmouth, NH taught by Marianne Walker & Cindy Lawrence Open to public
June 6th, Marlboro, Mass taught by Marianne Walker & Cindy Lawrence Almost Full!! 
June 15th, Las Vegas, NV taught by Colleen Schaan Open to public 
June 27th, Los Angeles, CA taught by Debbie Olson Full

July 15th, CHA Summer, Chicago, Il taught by Debbie Olson Open to public
July 26th, Eugene, OR taught by Marianne Walker applications go out next week



Intermediate Papercrafting Certifications
These classes are filling fast! Register now if you are interested in attending an Intermediate Certification Class. These classes are for anyone who wants to explore more of the art side of coloring. We discuss light, shadows, choosing color combinations beyond the basics, composition, and coloring tricky situations...along with so much more!!

April 20th, Milwaukee, WI taught by Debbie Olson FULL

May, 5th, Toronto, ON taught by Sherrie Siemens FULL
May, 19th, Dallas, TX taught by Colleen Schaan FULL
May, 19 Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson FULL
May 26th, Regina, SK, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to public

June 7th, Marlboro, Mass taught by Marianne Walker Almost Full!! 
June 16th, Las Vegas, NV taught by Colleen Schaan FULL
June 28th, Los Angeles, CA taught by Debbie Olson Almost Full

July 16th, CHA Summer, Chicago, Il taught by Debbie Olson Almost Full!!
July 26th, Eugene, OR taught by Marianne Walker applications go out next week

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Quick Unicorn Card

Herd of Unicorns
I am on my way to Kalamazoo, but I thought I would share a quick card I drew for a birthday recently. This was drawn with a 0.5 multiliner on Neenah Classic Crest card stock.

I quickly colored the bodies of the unicorns with BV31 and BV23. The manes are colored with B41 and BG72. The horns are colored with W1 and E42. No blending, merely a layer of light color, then a layer of the darker color over the top. Any blending is done simply by lifting up at the end of each marker stroke. I added a hint of W1 to the underside of the top unicorn to help his body stand out from the other unicorns.

The yellow airbrushed glow was made with Y02. I chose yellow for the background glow because it is the compliment to purple and I knew it would make the unicorns seem to pop off the page more.
 
There are two layers of unicorns, popped out with X-Press it Foam tape. The rhinestones are from Kaiser and Recollections.

Here is the sentiment that I made for the inside of the card. I thought you might enjoy this magical thought for the day, which you are welcome to share.

(By the way, On the card it said year, I have adapted it to say Day instead, in case you want to borrow this for Pintrest or Facebook).

Happy Mother's day, and have a great week. I'll see you in Kalamazoo!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Certification Updates

North American Papercrafting Certifications
Time again to update the list of upcoming certification classes. If you want to get e-mails about upcoming classes or get a copy of the Copic Newsletter e-mailed to you, please sign up for our mailing list here.

For those of you headed to my Kalamazoo class this week, I am excited to see all of you!

May 11th, Kalamazoo, MI taught by Marianne Walker FULL
May 18th, Dallas, TX taught by Lori Craig FULL
May 18th, Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson One opening available!
May 21st, Hanover, MD taught by Lori Craig FULL
May 25th, Regina, SK, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to public

June 5th, Portsmouth, NH taught by Marianne Walker & Cindy Lawrence Open to public
June 6th, Marlboro, Mass taught by Marianne Walker & Cindy Lawrence Almost Full!!June 15th, Las Vegas, NV taught by Colleen Schaan Open to publicJune 15th, Casper, WY taught by Lori Craig CancelledJune 27th, Los Angeles, CA taught by Debbie Olson Almost Full

Upcoming: CHA Summer, Chicago, Il applications go out next week

Intermediate Papercrafting Certifications
These classes are filling fast! Register now if you are interested in attending an Intermediate Certification Class. These classes are for anyone who wants to explore more of the art side of coloring. We discuss light, shadows, choosing color combinations beyond the basics, composition, and coloring tricky situations...along with so much more!!

April 20th, Milwaukee, WI taught by Debbie Olson FULL

May, 5th, Toronto, ON taught by Sherrie Siemens FULL
May, 19th, Dallas, TX taught by Colleen Schaan FULL
May, 19 Minneapolis, MN taught by Debbie Olson FULL
May 26th, Regina, SK, Canada taught by Sherrie Siemens Open to public

June 7th, Marlboro, Mass taught by Marianne Walker Almost Full!!June 16th, Las Vegas, NV taught by Colleen Schaan Open to public
June 28th, Los Angeles, CA taught by Debbie Olson Almost Full

Upcoming: CHA Summer, Chicago, Il applications go out next week

Monday, May 7, 2012

Copics and Acrylic Paint

Marker and Paint
I had a few questions come up this week, and I figured a quick blog post should answer those questions.

With the growing popularity of mixed media, people love using their markers on many different surfaces and with many different mediums. Invariably, people ask me about using their Copic Markers with Acrylic paint. I really don't recommend it, and let me show you why.

Here is the test sheet that I made. I am working on Canson Canvas Paper. I used Golden Paints, Gesso and Titanium White. I made marker swatches both under the paint and over dried paint.


First, I put R59 on the paper and let it dry for a while, to make sure it was not wet at all. I then applied a nice thick coat of Gesso and White paint. I brushed back and forth a couple times.

You can see that the red bled and was picked up and pulled around.

Then I let the paint dry all morning. I took the same marker and colored over the dry paint. The single layer of marker over the paint was fine. It did not mess up my tip, but the color also streaked on the surface of the paint.

Next, I took the red and colored over a spot of paint. I colored many layers in one spot, coloring back and forth. This re-activated the paint, and it got thick and gummy. The paint then clogged my marker nib.

Acrylic paint gets into the pores and now my nib will not allow the color to flow very well. This nib will need to be replaced before I use it on projects again, or else it will streak and possibly leave a bit of acrylic residue that will affect any other markers I use with it.

Now, Reds are the most intense dye, and I wanted to make sure that I was not just getting a result of the dye. So, I took a streak of black, let it dry, then put a single thick smudge of white paint over it. I did not brush back and forth at all. When I first applied the paint, it was pure white and pristine. After sitting for a few minutes, this is what soaked through.

The acrylic paint re-activated the dye and pulled it through the thick layers of paint.

So, if you are wanting to use Copics with Acrylic, be extra careful! Know that the dye will bleed through, and if you color directly onto dry paint you might clog your nibs. Be careful with multiliners over paint as well, as those nibs also run the risk of being clogged from the paint.

Good luck with your work!