NEW Easter Challenge

It's time to release the COPICOZ challenge for this month!!!

Can you guess what it might be???


What's the Challenge?: Create a project (card, layout, off the page) using your Copic Markers to create something (you guessed it!!!!) to do with EASTER!!

Is there a Prize?: YES!! Get EXCITED - it's a BRAND NEW SWATCH BOOK!!!! This book is HOT off the press, as it includes all the NEW colours in it!!!!


Who can play?: Everyone is welcome to play along with us!!

How do you enter?: Use the inlinkz below to connect to your blog or online gallery and upload it prior to 5pm Monday 25th April, Australian EST (3am USA EST)!!!

Happy Colouring ... Mandi
xxx

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Magical Challenge Winner!

Hello Everyone!!  What a GORGEOUS collection of Magical cards we had this month!!!  Fairies, leprechauns, dragons and unicorns, the mystical world was truly embraced and thank you to everyone who joined us this month!!!

The very lucky winner of the 12 Pack of the BRAND NEW SKETCH COLOURS is........DEBBIE PAMMENT!!!

Who could resist this amazing creation by Debbie.....

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!
Please email Sascha@xpressgraphx.com.au  with your details so we can send your prize to you!!!

Don't forget to pop back tomorrow for another fun challenge hosted by Mandi!!!

Happy Colouring
Kathy  :)Pin It

Blog Hop Winner

We are excited to announce that the Copic Oz winner of the Blog Hop is Karen! Congratulations Karen, please email your details to support@copicmarker.com.au

We are also pleased to announce that we have added more Copic Certification dates to the 2011 Calendar.

MELBOURNE

Sunday, May 1 -Beginner Copic Certification

Saturday June 4- Copic Project Class       

Sunday June 5- Intermediate Copic Certification

SYDNEY

Saturday July 23- Copic Project Class

Sunday July 24- Intermediate Copic Certificate

BRISBANE

Saturday April 16- Beginner Copic Certification

Sunday April 17- Copic Project Class

Tuesday June 14- Intermediate Copic Certification

To register your interest for these classes go to the Copic Australia Website.

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A BLOG HOP FOR THE NEW SHADOWS & SHADING BOOK!

Today the Copic Instructors in the US and Australia are doing a Blog Hop!!!

We are excited to announce that Marianne Walker's new book called Shadows and Shading is now available.

This Shadows and Shading Book is designed for people who want to understand the basic rules of light when colouring, whether they draw their own art or not!

This beginner's guide covers many kinds of light, the differences between shading and cast shadows, how to colour a variety of objects, and shadow colour theory.

Designed for beginners, either papercrafters or artists - this is a wire-bound book that comes with 4 clear printed guides to help you add shadows properly on your own work.

A Blog Hop wouldn't be as much fun without BLOG CANDY!!!

Today each and every blog will be giving away a copy to a lucky commenter!! That's right, leave a comment and you'll be in with a chance to win this fabulous book!! If you are an Aussie or Kiwi - you can win on either the Mandi's Blog, Kathy's blog or right here on COPIC OZ!!


You have until Sunday 6pm AEST to comment on this blog. The winner will be announced on Monday morning Australian time. If you are in North America, comment on the Copicmarker site or one of the following instructor's blogs!

Here's the list of blogs you can comment on for your chance to win.....

CopicOz (Australia)
Kathy Jones (Australia)
Mandi-Lee Klinger (Australia)

Copicmarker
Marianne Walker
Lori Craig
Sharon Harnist
Jenn Balcer
Jennie Black
Colleen Shaan
Biance Ndm
Debbie Olsen
Sherrie Siemens

**Here is a sample of how my colouring has changed with the help of Intermediate certification and the Shadows and Shading Book.

So Happy Hopping and Happy Colouring... Mandi

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A Little Sneak Peak!!!

We have something very exciting planned for you all ....
but it's still a little bit secret!!!!

sssshhhhh!!

So for now all I can show you is a little sneak peak ...or clue!!!


What do you think we are up to????

Check back here this coming FRIDAY (Australian Time) for all the excitement!!!

Happy Colouring....Mandi

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La-La Land Crafts

Hello everyone!  Irina is here today :-)  I was super excited when Jacquie and Mandi invited me to be a Guest Designer for a day on Copic Oz blog!!  I think this is a great chance for us to tell you all first hand how excited we are at La-La Land Crafts to be represented in your country by X-Press Graph-X!!

Irina Blount (me) and Eric Berry are the owners of La-La Land Crafts AND the artists of Marci and Luka line of stamps.  This line of stamps was introduced in August of 2010 and received an amazing response from the crafters from all over the world.  Our images are adorable and sweet.  Our stamps are designed to be colored!!  There are a lot of open areas in all of our images to showcase your Copic coloring skills.  From the novice to the Copic coloring expert, everyone can enjoy coloring these images!!   Our stamps are made of red rubber and are deeply etched, they come to you mounted on a cling and ready to be used with acrylic blocks.

Today I would like to share my card with our Marci with Rose.  This stamp along with other Marci and Luka images is available through X-Press Graph-X.

I colored Marci in Black & White with a hint of pink, kind of like a photo tinting effect.  A few tips on coloring images in Black & White:

- I find Warm Greys to be the best choice for coloring images in Black & White.  Other option is Toner Greys.
- Color in small areas to keep the ink wet to avoid overblending.  I always start coloring the face and the rest of the skin on the image first to set the tone for the rest of the image.
- If desired, add some color to your image to tie it in with your project.  If doing so, color those areas with your greys first to give it a grey undertone.

I also colored this pretty silk ivory ribbon with Copic R85 to match the paper.

This card measures 6" x 6".

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Marci with Rose by La-La Land Crafts

Papers: Cardstock - Bazzill,  Designer Paper - Teresa Collins

Tools: EK Success Border punches, Spellbinders Circle Nestabilites, Cricut Eiffel Tower (from Paris in Summer Cartridge)

Embellishments: Crystal Stickles, Button from Buttons Galore, May Arts ribbon (colored to match with Copic in R85)

Copics Used:

W00, W2, W4

R83, R85

YG03, YG63

I hope you enjoyed my post :-) 

Hugs!!

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All Bound for La La Land!

 We are so excited X- Press Graph-X (your Australian and NZ Copic distributor) is also now the exclusive distributor for this gorgeous new range of La La Land Crafts stamps. These incredibly cute unmounted rubber stamps are just perfect for colouring with your Copic markers! Stamps should be available at your local papercraft store in March!!!  These stamps are cling mounted (for use with your clear blocks) and made of deeply etched natural red rubber and stamp beautifully every time!  Today I'm showcasing Birthday Marci - isn't she super sweet!!??  :)

To celebrate the arrival of La La Land Crafts to Australia, we are offering a lucky commenter the chance to WIN 3 STAMPS!!!  Leave a comment on this post telling us what you love about the new stamps and you can have the chance to WIN!!!

The competition is open to all Australian and New Zealand residents and will close on Friday April 1st at midday AEDT.  The winner will be announced on Monday 4th April!

I've had a few questions about colouring skin from beginners who know which colours to use, but not sure how to get the look they are going for.  When I began my Copic journey, I wasn't sure about skin and hair either since I did a lot of flowers, so today I'm also doing a Back to Basics tutorial on colouring skin.

Step 1 - Stamp your image in Memento ink onto X-press It Blending Card.

Step 2 - Decide where your light source is coming from by overlaying a piece of acetate that you've drawn some 'sun rays' on.  For more on Light Source, see THIS POST.

Step 3 - Lay down your base colour (in this case E50) by colouring in circles.  It doesn't have to be perfect at this stage as we'll be blending some more.

Step 4 - Add your darker skin tone (in this case E51) where the shadows would be.  You will find shadows under the fringe and on the opposite side of the face to where your 'sun rays' would be.

Step 5 - Blend your colours together with your lighter skin tone (E50 here).  Now for blush, you can either tip-to-tip or use the palette blending technique.  I chose to scribble some R20 onto the bottom of my acetate since it was already on my desk and then picked up the colour with my E51 Marker.  I chose the darker one because I wanted rosy cheeks - but I will often do it with the lighter skin tone (E50) - depends on the image you are using.

Step 6 - Feather in your R20/E51 colour from the sides of the cheeks.

Step 7 - Blend your colours with the lightest skin tone - in this case E50 until you are happy with the result.  I've added R20 to her lips for a little colour.

Step 8 - Finish colouring your image as desired, remembering where your light source is coming from!

So, do you want some La La Land Crafts stamps now???  Leave a comment below telling us what you like about La La Land Crafts stamps and you can WIN THREE of your own!!  :)

If you want to win a set of the 12 BRAND NEW SKETCH COLOURS, join us in this month's CopicOz Challenge to create a little magic!

Happy Colouring!!
KathyPin It

Copic Project Day...A HUGE Success!!!!!

What a HUGE Copic Weekend it has been! We ran a very successful Standard Certification on Saturday. Thank you to all the lovely ladies AND gentlemen that joined us for a brilliant day!

Sunday saw the introduction of the Copic Project Class!!! WOW .... it was busy, fun, exciting, fun, jam packed with great projects, fun, colour - full day .... oh and did I mention it was LOTS and LOTS of FUN!!!!!!!


Here are some pics of the ladies hard at work!


Thanks Ladies for a great day!

I am looking forward to the next project class in SYDNEY this weekend!!! Look at the SIDEBAR for upcoming Project Class Information ... and come join us for a great day full of COLOUR, FUN and INSPIRATION!

Happy Colouring....Mandi

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12 New Sketch Colors

There has been quite a buzz in the Copic world with the recent release of 12 new colors of Sketch markers. The colors in this release are: V20, V25, RV55, RV63, RV66, YR30, YG61, BG53, BG70, E23, E81 and E87. Because Copic has never retired a single color from it's line, this brings the color range of the Sketch collection to 346 beautiful colors.



Here's a color comparison project that I put together. I've used most of the 12 new Sketch colors to blend. I've noted the colors used on each sample. The new colors used are noted with a • next to the reference numbers. Couple of editorial comments: 1) YR30 - drool...for anyone who enjoys adding a faint glow behind their images, usually with YR31 and blender - sometimes mixed in an empty pen, you'll *need* this color. 2) BG70 - perfect compliment to a favored combo BG72/BG75. 3) Surprisingly, one of the colors I was least excited about became a favorite when I colored these balls of yarn, RV55...a beautiful shade of bright pink. {love}.


And here's a fun card using the Roses in Teacup image from Lockhart Stamp Company and new Sketch colors. (BG70, BG72, RV63, RV66, YG61, YG63 and W1)

Don't forget that we have a Magical Challenge going right now. One lucky person has the opportunity to win all 12 of the new Sketch colors from X-Press Graph-X Supplies!

Thanks for stopping by ~
LoriPin It