COPICS

I have been hearing about Copic markers for about a year or so. My friend Barbara Hardeman was the first who shared what they were. And as I have added more and more blogs, Copics are just about the "only" marker used by most card makers and they always get rave reviews. I was not even sure where to get them because my local craft stores did not carry them until recently. I have learned that they were considered an "artist medium" and mainly used by animators and sold in "art stores" until they crossed over into crafts. They are pricey for one marker, running $6.50-6.95 each and there are (at this time) 325 colors. Some of those shades are greys (which can have blue undertones, pink undertones, green undertones and so on.) Greys are very important when trying to color an object and create shape on a flat surface. Copic markers are able to do that using the many shades of a color plus the greys for shadows. The image literally jumps off the page because it looks like the real thing, with reflected light.

So being the cautious "informed" shopper that I am (LOL), I took a class called Christmas Copics at my Apple Valley Archivers craft store. They just added the Copics to their shelves. I had a blast as usual and made four cards as usual, with three using the Copics. Copics are alcohol based and so will bleed through on the usual card stock. You need a light "hand" coloring with them and a heavy or different CS. The ink you stamp the image with needs to be of a certain type so that the markers don't run or you can "dry" your inked image using a heat gun, which is what we did. Some gals use Gina K card stock or Cryogen White from Eclectic Papery which doesn't bleed (I am told). Most gals use Momento ink with the Copics.

What I like about them is that they are guaranteed for three years, they have two tips which are replaceable, they can be reinked when needed if you buy the refills, and they color beautifully, and can be blended using the clear blender pen. The alcohol ink stays wet long enough when you put it on the card stock to be able to blend one color with another! One gal at the class said, "They spread like "buttah"!

They are sold in sets of 12, 36, 72 ( and maybe other combinations such as color groups, or seasonal groups, etc.), there are several kinds of Copic styles. I have found them as cheap as $4.89 each when you buy a set or more on line and usually have free shipping then too.

So someday, I hope to add these wonderful art "tools" to my equipment. I am planning how to store them so that they can be used easily. Each marker has a colored end to the cap, showing the shade and a number to identify the color. With so many, that will come in handy. The photos are of the three cards I made in class using the Copics and I hope my Santa makes you laugh! Enjoy