Spotlight On....COPIC MARKERS!

Hey everyone!

I have been waiting to showcase one of my absolute FAVORITE things in the stamping world for some time now, and to help celebrate what will most likely be our last HUGE Copic sale of the season, the time is now....so let's chat about Copics. Grab a chair!

By now, most of you are familiar with Copic markers and even if you haven't used them personally, I would say you've most likely seen them around cyber space, for sure! So what IS so special about these markers and why do I need them, you ask?

Well, although I must say that there probably isn't enough time in a day for me to talk about ALL the pros/cons on one little blog post, I'm here to spotlight some of the more important details.

Copic markers are:
*Alcohol-based
*Come in over 300 colors and are REFILLABLE-a huge plus!
*Can be blended together, shaded, and faded with the right techniques
*Allow beautifully colored images to really come to life on a card, project, or layout
*Are ON SALE at DieCuts R Us RIGHT NOW!

Now, getting into these highlights one by one:

Alcohol based markers, in my opinion, do take a bit of an advantage over dye or water based markers because 1.) they allow blending of colors/shades and 2.) they do not "pill" the paper or tear it because of over-saturation in an area of coloring. Has that ever happened to you? You color and try to get it JUST right and then your paper falls apart? Well, that is a HUGE advantage of coloring with Copics as this won't happen to you. You can keep going over and over the same spot and because the alcohol evaporates, you won't get that paper pilling or tearing. LOVE that!

Copics come in 4 different varieties, but I will tell you about the two that are carried at DCRU.
COPIC CIAO markers-come in 144 colors, are the most affordable of the bunch and are a GREAT marker to start with and/or build up a collection. They are the smallest of the Copic marker family and do hold the least amount of ink, but will still last you a good while and are also REFILLABLE which is fantastic and easily done, as well. They are round in shape and the color name and number is listed on the side of the marker. They come with a brush tip and chisel tip.
COPIC SKETCH markers come in upwards of over 300 colors and are essentially the same as the Ciaos except they do hold a bit more ink, are OVAL in shape (I'm told that the advantage to this is that they don't "roll" off your table although I haven't experienced this with my Ciaos either because of the way that I store and use them). They also come with a brush tip and chisel tip. The only "real" advantage I would express my opinion on over the Ciaos is that the color name and number is written on the cap, which is nice although not completely necessary, and that they do come in more colors.Now that you have a little basic info, how many of YOU have tried them out? If you don't have Copic markers, what type of coloring medium do you use, and what do you like/dislike about it?

Before I leave you today, I thought I'd share with you two cards I made using a very similar stamp so that you can see the difference in my technique and shading/blending from back when I first got my Copics last year until last month when the 2nd card was made. We'll just call it January 2009 vs. September 2009 ;)

January 2009

September 2009

Although I've seen a few super helpful tutorials and thought about taking the certification class, most of my technique has been learned through practice and I think that's the best method anyone can use. I think this is most evident in the hair and face techniques shown above.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my spotlight today! We'd LOVE to hear your thoughts, and have a WONDERFUL challenge tomorrow along with a SURPRISE, so stick with us and let us know what you THINK!

LEAVE A COMMENT today right here and become a FOLLOWER of our blog if you haven't already and ONE LUCKY WINNER will be chosen via Random.org to win a stamp from The Greeting Farm!

See you back here tomorrow, when we'll announce the winner and challenge YOU to get colorful...but for now....go shop that SALE!