Easy Typography for your Copic Projects

Today I'm going to let you in on a little secret - my lettering isn't always what I'd like it to be, so I CHEAT.  So in an effort to help all those other typographically challenged people out there, I'm going to share my secret formula for creating beautiful lettering on your cards, journals or scrapbook pages.

Two reliable ways to create beautiful typography:

1. Use Word (or similar program) to create desired lettering, choose a outline only font, print this in very light grey using a laser printer.  You can trace straight over this printed word with Copics and if you are neat, no one will ever know you didn't write this yourself!
   NB: test your printer ink to make sure it is Copic safe before trying this, all laser printers are Copic Safe, only some ink jet printers have Copic safe ink.  For information on how to test your ink read this post.
2. You learned this second method in Elementary/Primary School.  Print the word onto paper, flip the paper over and scribble on the back very heavily in soft lead pencil (eg: 2B), turn the paper back over place it over your project and then trace over the word - this transfers the carbon/graphite from the pencil creating a copy onto your card or page.
   NB: Only one thing you need to know here, tracing over pencil with Copic makes the pencil permanent - you can't rub it out later!  So this works best if outlining with black or dark coloured Copics that will hide the pencil lines.

I used the pencil trace method for the lettering on this project, as I knew I would be using black, which would hide the pencil lines.

For today's project, I will be printing directly onto my X-Press It Blending card and tracing over the printed text.

What I Used:

• Copic Multi Liners: 0.3 Black, Turquoise, Pink, BS Cool Gray (Brush Tip)
• Copic Marker: RV09, BG32 & BG49
• AtYou Spica: Turquoise & Pink
• XPress It Blending Card
• Font - Victorian LET

Begin by tracing over your printed outline with a black Copic Multi Liner - I used 0.3

Using your favourite coloured Copic Multi Liners add a little doodling, I started with Turquoise.

Then add a little pink, leaving quite a bit of white space.

Swap to some of those yummy sparkly Spica pens and add a little more doodling.

Finish by adding simple dots to fill the remaining white space - don't make all of your marks doodles, keep some marks simple so your design doesn't look too busy.

To make your design pop off the page,  edge your letters using a cool grey - I used the Copic Brush Tip Multi Liner for this as it has a wondeful precision tip.

To complete my card I needed some ribbon, sadly I didn't have a colour to match the Turquoise, so Copics to the rescue!  I coloured some white ric-rac with my Copic Marker BG32.

I had the same problem with the glitter on my tree, so once again I used my Copic Markers in RV09 & BG49 to recolour the glitter elements on my embellishment.

When you put it all together the finished Christmas card looks like this.

I hope this post has given you a few ideas about how you could incorporate Copics into your Christmas cards and create beautiful lettering on your Copic projects!

Back with more next year and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Kate

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Support Breast Cancer Awareness in October with Copic Oz

Did you know that one in eight women in Australia will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime?  I'm sure you know that early detection saves lives and that the earlier a cancer is discovered, the greater the chances of successful treatment.  To help raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Copic Marker Australia have decided to donate to the McGrath Foundation to help raise awareness and money, to support the fight against breast cancer.  YOU will all help to decide how much is donated by participating in the #COPIC4ACAUSE project.

While I may not be eligible to win a prize, I have decided to create a project in my Copic Art Journal aka Copic Blending Journal for #COPIC4ACAUSE. 

I have created a special pink doodled heart, using as many pink Copic markers as I could.  The outline for the project was done in Black Copic Multi Liners:  0.5, 0.3 and 1.0

The doodled image was coloured with RV02 and RV04

RV00, RV04 and RV09

RV55, RV66 and RV69

RV23 and RV25

Now because this is a piece of doodle art - it's not supposed to be fussy, or planned or time consuming, so the only blending I've done is on the very large swirls.  To colour these I've added RV09 to the ends.

Then RV69 to the base

I've added a little RV66 between the RV09 and RV69 - making sure to flick where the colours meet.

I've continued to use the flick blending method with these 3 colours until I had an image that was nice and smooth.

Add some RV09 and RV000

 Fill in any white areas in the design with RV10

Accent with N1, N3 and N5 for a little shading.

and you are finished.

Do you think it's pink enough?

I can't wait to see what projects you all create to support this amazing cause, don't forget to upload your creations to Instagram with the hashtag #COPIC4ACAUSE and tag @COPICMARKERAU.  I really hope you all get behind this amazing initiative, because every dollar counts in the fight against breast cancer.

Back with more soon,

Kate

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Stendoodling with Copics

Today I'm back with another project using my much loved Copic products and some simple doodles.  Now this is a wonderful place to begin for anyone who is new to doodling or colouring with Copics, all you need are a few stencils, your favourite colours and a little time.  The reason that this is so great for beginners, is that this project uses a technique called Stendoodling.  What is Stendoodling?  Well to create a Stendoodle you use a stencil or mask to create a shape (eg: a feather), you then use another stencil to create sections within that shape (eg: sun rays) and finally, use smaller stencils (and a fine marker) to create patterns (doodles) within each section.

For this card you will need:

• Copic Markers: RV11, RV17, RV25, V16, YG23, R17, YR15, YR16, Y11, Y15, B04, B16, BG13, BV08, E13, V05, N1 & N3
• Copic Multi Liners: 0.05, 0.3 & 0.5
• X-Press It: Blending Card and Double Sided Foam Tape
• Hazel & Ruby - Fat Roll Washi Tape - Colorblock Quotes
• Assorted stencils

Gather your favourite supplies, I've tried to choose colours from the same ring of the Copic color wheel - this way I know they will work well together.

Draw outline with Copic Multi Liner 0.5, add sections using stencil and Multi Liner 0.3 and finally add the fine detail inside each section using Multi Liner 0.05

Pick a section and colour using Copic markers in RV11 and V16, this wasn't dark enough so I went over the pale RV11 with RV17.

Pick another section and colour with YG23 and RV25 - these colours make eachother 'pop'.

Next add YR16 and B16

Next add a little mint with BG13 and E13

Time for some 'hot' colours with R17 and YR15

Next add BV08 and Y15.

Now a few more bright colours, BG13 and YG23 (you may notice I've used both of these before in other colour combinations).

Add in a little V05 and Y11 - colour carefully as too many slips will make the pattern muddy.

Add in YG23 and RV25.

Next add B04 and Y15 to your final section.

To lift the image from the card a little I have used N1 and N3 to outline one side of the image, this adds a little depth to the image, if you need a little help with this have a look at the Cast Shadow post.

Cover base card using strips cut from the Fat Roll Washi Tape - Colorblock Quotes, this gives a wonderful colourful background to coordinate with the brightly coloured feather.  I also mounted one of the quotes on scrap card and raised it off the background using foam tape.

Put it all together and the finished card looks like this, bright, happy and colourful.

So if you're looking for a simple project to brighten up your day why not give this a go!

Back with more soon,
KatePin It

Doodling Over Printed Images with Copics

I thought that for today's post I'd give all of the nervous doodlers out there a hand and show you a straightforward project that looks stunning!  You can complete this page with just a few materials and with only a little experience and imagination.  Now this is quite a step-by-step project so grab your Copics and let's get started, because we are going to be creating this masked lady!

You Will Need:

• Copic Multi Liners in 1.0, 0.5 and 0.3 
• Copic Markers: 0 (Colorless Blender), C1, C3, BV0000, BV000, Y26, E47, E49, E00, E11, E21 and E23
• Copic Airbrush (optional)
• X-Press It Blending Journal or Blending Card
• Magazine Image - Photocopied or Laser printed in black and white
  (ink jet printed images will not be suitable unless the ink in your printer is Copic safe)
• Tracing paper
• Soft lead pencil
• Favourite Stencils or masks

Instructions:

Copy or print a black and white portrait onto Blending Card.  For mine I have scanned an image from a magazine advertisement and using a black and white laser printer, I have printed this directly onto a page in my Blending Journal.  You could also print onto a piece of Blending card and glue this into your journal later.  If you are a little more adventurous you could draw your own image or even use a face stencil as the basis for this technique.

Using your Multi Liner 1.0 outline the major facial features - you are aiming for a comic book style outline for this step.  Colour in and dark areas (nostrils and inside mouth) for a dramatic look.

Lay tracing paper over the face and plan a simple mask - the tracing paper allows you to draw and re-draw the mask until you are happy with it.  Once satisfied with your mask design, trace the image onto your face in pencil.  Go over the pencil with Copic Multi Liner and erase all signs of pencil marks once the ink is dry.  If not sure what to draw, Google filigree masks for interesting ideas.

Grab some of your favourite stencils and add stencilled designs to your image, you may like to use these on the hair, the mask or even the face!  You may like to draw outlines only or use the images to add design elements eg: a birdcage ear-ring!

Add as much or as little doodling as you like.  If you have a look at mine below you will notice I've used lots of repeating patterns and have varied the width of my lines for some added drama and to really draw the attention to the eyes.

You can leave it like this or you can be brave and add a little colour - if you are nervous about ruining your art then either take a photo or scan your image, you can always print the black and white image onto card and start again!  If you have an airbrush this is a very quick way to colour the base layer of skin on large images (which is what I've done using E00, E11 & E21) you can also do this by hand if you don't have an airbrush.  Either way add as little ink as possible - you only want the skin to have a hint of colour.

Use E00 to add a base layer of colour to the skin - I added an even layer all over the face and neck.  You might be able to see that I had cut a mask to go around the face and protect the background and hair - this made sure my airbrush work stayed clean and crisp.

Be guided by the shadows on the image and add E21 to these shadowed areas.

Finish colouring the skin by adding E11 into the shadows for a little extra depth, I've also added a little extra around the jaw and hairline.  If you are using a mask - you can remove it at this point.

Using BV0000, BV000, Y26, E49 and E47 - carefully colour the eyes - these are the focal point of the whole page so pay attention and colour carefully.

Add some grey to the mask to distinguish it from the face - just a little and keep it light.

I used C1 and C3 - blend with a little E00 if it begins to look a little too grey.

 As a final touch add E23 and E21 to the pattern on the neck and as shading around the eyes - really amp up the colour near the eyes.

You can immediately see that by colouring the eye area more heavily than the rest of the image, it really focusses your attention.  I've intentionally left the hair and background uncoloured to enhance the look of the face.  By keeping the colours to a minimum and using what is essentially a monochrome palette, I think it produces a softer look that is still appealing.

So while at first glance this project may look difficult and complicated, by taking things step-by-step I think this is something anyone can try!

Back with more soon,

Kate

PS- Make sure you pop back tomorrow morning to see if you were one of our lucky blog hop winners!!Pin It