Hi Copic fans - today I thought I'd try something fun and funky - colouring feathers with my Copic Markers! As it turns out the most difficult thing about this was finding the white feathers - as for the colouring the feathers, it was so much easier than I thought it would be and rather a lot of fun.
Ink Pads: Archival Royal Purple, Aquamarine and Delicata - Golden Glitz
Begin by cutting some of the X-Press It Double Sided Tape to size and trim the ends to fit the feathers, stick a piece of tape onto the back of each feather. This provides a little extra strength and stops the feather splitting as you work on it.
Using a variety of Copic Marker Colours, carefully colour each feather - I varied my feather colours but used the same process on each.
Begin by adding BG13 - use the Copic Marker to create a chevron pattern. Try to work in the direction of the feather - it's much easier!
Add some V09.
Use BG57 to begin smoothing out the colours by adding this colour between and over some of the previous colouring.
Finish colouring with BG75 - you can leave some white space if you like.
Once the feathers are coloured to your satisfaction, it's time to add some metallic glitz with the fabulous Kirarina Wink pens and Molotow paint markers - I added dots, stripes and even coloured some of the tips on my feathers.
To create a background for the feathers, stamp some text on the bottom of your white cardstock - I used purple and aqua inks with a little Delicata Golden Glitz over the top.
Add a few splashes or drips of Starburst sprays and dry with a heat gun/embossing tool.
Remove the backing from double sided adhesive tape on your feathers and press carefully and firmly onto your card front. Your finished card should look a little something like this.
I can think of all sorts of uses for these Copic coloured feathers now that I've finished this - I think I might make myself a pair of earrings next!
Today I'm going to use my Copic products to create a monotone journal page. Working with a limited colour palette was a new thing for me and monotones even more so! I used my Copics to add custom colour to my embellishments and create a custom background for my page. It took me a while to decide on an idea, but once I had, I have to confess the Copics pretty much made this so simple I was practically cheating!
You Will Need:
Copic Products Various Inks: Colorless Blender '0', E25, E59 & Black 100 Copic Markers: Black 100, E18, E25, E47 & E59
X-Press It Products Mixed Media Journal, Double Sided Tape, Adhesive Sheets, Clear Gel Glue
FabScraps Products 12x12 Paper - Australia, Journal Inserts - Love and Travel, Chipboard Die Cut - Lamps, Stencil - Stars & Vintage Mist
Chromacryl: Gesso Primer & Texture Paste
Collage items eg: ribbon, lace, leaves, material, metal findings, photos or papers
Custom Background
Step 1: Cut 12x12 paper down to a size that will fit into X-Press It Mixed Media Journal (do not glue in until finished). Glue on Love and Travel Journal Insert pieces to add texture. Apply a thin layer of gesso - you should still be able to see patterns from the paper underneath.
Step 2: Apply texture paste through stencil to add more interest, wait for the paste to dry completely.
Step 3: Copic Various Inks to Tint Gesso - Mix Various Ink (E25) into some gesso to create a tint and brush over page. Wait until gesso is dry.
Step 4: Copic Various Inks as a Glaze - Mix Various Ink (E59) into glazing fluid and brush over page, allow to sit for one minute then wipe off with a baby wipe. This will allow the glaze to settle into the texture and create a grungy look.
Once dry, see how the glaze really highlights the texture!
Step 5: Use Copic Markers ( Black 100, E25, E47 & E59) to outline elements,
edge the page and scribble over texture.
NB: After repeated use in this way (contact with paint and use on rough surfaces) you will need to replace the nib on your marker.
Step 6: Fill mister with Copic Colorless Blender ('0') and spritz over the page - this will make the colours you applied run and bleed. Allow page to dry completely,
Once dry you can add stamping, stencilling, mists, anything you like.
Custom Colour Embellishments
Using the same Copic colours on your embellishments as used on the background, will create a beautifully coordinated page.
Step 1: Gather all of the embellishments you will use to decorate your page, these can be metal, wood, chipboard, plastic etc. Colour the embellishments roughly with your Copic Markers (Black 100, E18, E25, E47 & E59) - leave some uncoloured space.
Step 2: Make a pile and randomly drip on various ink (E59, E25 & 100).
Step 3: Spritz with Colorless Blender and leave to dry.
The Finishing Touch
Put it all together and glue your embellishments onto your background using Clear Gel Glue.
You can see how the same colours of Copic ink look slightly different depending on
the material they were applied to.
I love that no matter the material - fabric, metal or chipboard, everything looks so fantastic and was so easy to colour.
My finished page looks like this... aren't those Copic colours gorgeous!
I hope this has given you some new ideas about how to use your Copic products! Don't forget, use over paints or rough surfaces will deteriorate your nibs - so have some replacements on hand, or a few special Copic markers that you use for 'naughty' things only!
Let me start this post by saying I take no
responsibility for anyone ending up with a flower colouring
addiction. I'm warning you all these are fun, easy and give
fabulous results! So grab any paper flower and try one of these techniques today. Please note each technique builds on the one preceding it, so there is some repetition of instructions.
These are the flowers we will be making
Flower #1 - Using 2 Copic Markers for a Realistic Coloured Flower
This technique creates a fabulous flower that looks quite realistic, I love using roses for this as you can really see the colour blends on the underside of the petals.
For this flower you will need:
Mulberry Paper Flower
2 Copic Markers from a natural blending family
Colorless Blender Various Ink Refill
Heat Gun /Embossing Gun
Instructions:
Begin with a white or pale coloured paper flower and choose 2 colours of copic marker (I like to use
colours that appear in my copic coloured image, from a natural blending family). For this flower I have used RV63 & RV66.
Colour 1/2 of each petal with your lightest colour working from the outer edge in towards the flower centre - make sure not to colour the whole petal.
Using the darker colour, apply a thin strip of colour to the outer edge of each petal - I just run the side of my marker along the edge of the petals.
Your flower should look like this once finished applying colour from your Copic markers. You will notice I've made no attempt to blend colours or be particularly neat here - this technique is very forgiving.
The next step is to apply a few drops of Colorless Blender to each petal - add the liquid to the outer edge of each petal - the fluid will wick towards the flower centre and drag a little colour along with it.
Dry the flower with a heat gun / embossing gun - this will take up to 45 seconds depending on how wet the flower is.
Drying with the heat gun will not only dry the liquid but it also results in discoloured edges to the petals (they darken considerably) giving a beautiful result.
You can watch this flower being created here:
Flower #2 - Using 3 Copic Markers to Create a Fantasy Flower
This flower uses 3 colours from
different families and adds in a little bling to create a stunning fantasy flower. This technique really works well on flatter flowers like the gardenia I used here,
and though I have used a mulberry paper flower you can use this same
technique on fabric flowers also - it looks amazing on satin, though your colours will turn out much lighter!
For this flower you will need:
Mulberry Paper Flower - I like using gardenias for this
3 Copic Markers from across colour families (I used: V09, RV09 & YR09)
Colorless Blender Various Ink Refill
Stickles Glitter Glue - I used the colour Diamond
Heat Gun /Embossing Gun
Instructions:
Begin with a white or light coloured paper flower (I like
gardenias because they are easy to colour).
Choose 3 colours of copic marker (this works to best effect if you choose 3 colours each from a different colour family - though can use a natural blending family as well if you like).
Colour the centre of the flower (avoiding the stamens) - I used V09, you can pick any of the colours to be your centre colour.
Then colour the remaining layers of petals, with the same colour - only add this colour to the to the inner part of each petal. Your flower should look like this.
Add your second colour next to the first, overlapping a little - making sure to leave white space on each petal for your third and final colour. Add this second colour to all petals, your flower should now look like this.
Add the third and final colour to remaining white areas of flower, overlapping the third colour over the second colour - you are not trying to blend here.
You should now have something like this and you are ready to add Colorless Blender fluid all over the flower - make sure you have thoroughly wet all petals so that the colours mix and blend. For this flower you do not need to drip blender onto edges, just wet the flower all over so that the colours blend together.
Dry flower with heat gun / embossing gun as this produces best results.
Add a little stickles to the edges of each petal and leave to dry.
When dry your flower will look similar to this
You can watch this flower being created here:
Flower #3 - Bling-It-Up Copic Flowers
These flowers build on the basic techniques from Flower #1 and Flower #2 and add a little (or a lot) of bling to ramp up the wow factor! Depending on your flower choice (flat or dimensional) will decide how many colours you can use to create the copic colour of your flower. For smaller flowers fewer colours are best, on larger flowers you can use 3 or more colours.
For these flowers you will need:
Mulberry Paper Flower
2 or 3 Copic Markers
Colorless Blender Various Ink Refill
X-Press It Clear Gel Glue
Heat Gun /Embossing Gun
Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Spray (I used Creme Brulee Cream) or Glitz Spritz (I used Royal Amethyst Fire) you could also use the Perfect Pearls Mist from Ranger
Gala Glitz in White
Instructions:
Begin with flower of your choice, flat (like a gardenia) or dimensional (like a rose).
Choose colours of Copic Markers to add to your flower - for a realistic effect perhaps choose colours from a natural blending family or colours that may exist in nature, or go for a wild combination of fantasy colours - the choice is yours.
Apply colour to flower in one of the methods described above.
Add Colorless Blending solution to blend and soften colours, then dry with a heat gun.
It's at this point you add the bling - building on our previously learned techniques. For each of the following flowers you need to have completed steps 1 to 4. Example: Shimmer Flower
Copic colours used on this flower BV11 &BV17
After completing steps 1 to 4 spray entire flower with a pale or colourless shimmer spray (I used Starburst Sprays), and dry with heat gun / embossing gun, for a result that looks like this:
Example: Bling Flower
Copic Colours used on this flower YR15 & R39
After completing steps 1 to 4 add Clear Gel Glue to tips of lower petals and sprinkle Gala Glitz over top. Carefully turn flower upside down and tap to remove excess product and then allow glue to dry completely before use. DO NOT dry with a heat gun as this can cause your glue to bubble or embellishments to melt. This gives a result that looks like this:
Example: Shimmer & Bling Flower
Copic colours used on this flower BG13 & BV13
After completing steps 1 to 4 spray entire flower with a pale or colourless shimmer spray (you could even use more than one colour of spray), then add Clear Gel Glue to tips of lower petals and sprinkle Gala Glitz over
top. Carefully turn flower upside down and tap to remove excess product
and then allow glue to dry completely before use. You can also apply these 'bling' techniques to the flatter gardenias and similar flowers. This gives a result
that looks like this:
You can watch these flowers being created here:
I hope this has inspired you to pull out some of those unused paper flowers in your stash and colour them up using your Copic markers. Why not show us what you have created on the Copic Oz Facebook page.
