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I use Bic Mark-Its and Sharpies (you can get a bunch of colors with fine points), both available at a lot of places including Wal-Mart and Target. I also cannot afford Copics but like to color stuff in occasionally. My coloring skills are non-existent, but I have seen some women do amazing things with the Bics and Sharpies. There are tutorials out there that help, too.
__________________ You can call me Nicole.
Last edited by NwP; 08-28-2010 at 06:51 AM..
Reason: forgot a word in my haste
The bic and sharpies are a good choice, however I would also try colored pencils with the gamsol, which produces wonderful results.
My other choice is to color with distress ink (I buy the reinkers, you don't need much to color with).
There are a ton of tutorials on how to use the colored pencils, and it is actually very easy to do.
__________________ AfterHoursStamper.blogspot.com �It is easier to believe a lie that one has heard a thousand times than to believe a fact that no one has heard before�
SanJose,
How do you color with distress inks? Do you paint the ink on with a brush, or do you use some other technique. I use my distress inks for sponging all the time, but always wonder how the inks are used to color. Any tips you could provide would be appreciated. TIA!
I agree that Bics and Sharpies are great to color with. I will add that the colors are pretty bright and intense, though.
I also choke at the price of Copics, but really needed some lighter shades of the colors to go with the Bics and Sharpies.
If you have a Hobby Lobby nearby you are in luck. You can use one of their 40% coupons to buy some pale Copic pastels one at a time like I did. It took a few weeks to accumulate my collection, but I'm pleased with what I have now.
I got pastel shades of blue, pink, yellow, green and lavender. I also picked up a light tan color, peach and aqua.
Using these pastels along with the Bics and Sharpies gives me the shading I like and I didn't spend a fortune.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Hi
Have you thought about promarkers? Not as expensive as copics and a great range of colours. I use them a lot for colouring stamped images and they give a lovely streak free finish.
Bic or Sharpie markers are a good way to start off if you want to try colouring with alcohol markers and this is what I did. You will find, however, that the colours are quite intense and that there aren't any pale shades in these markers. Adding in Copics as you go along will save you a lot of money as well and fill in the colour gaps. I have since added about 75 copics to my marker collection. Another inexpensive way to get really nice results is with pencil crayons and baby oil using blending stumps (or odourless mineral spirits or goo gone). I started off with and still use crayola pencil crayons. I bought a big 120pc set for about $7 or $8 at Superstore (Canada) but I have seen them at Walmart as well - especially now with all the school supplies out. I don't think you could tell the difference between the crayola and the more expensive pencil crayons (like prisma) if I didn't say which I used. Mind you, I did buy some of the more expensive "tools" after I got the hang of things and they are nice to work with.
Have fun with whatever colouring tools you use. The key is to practice - especially with alcohol markers. They do take a little finesse to get the shading and some experience with the different papers and inks.
Prismacolor premier markers and blick studio markers are very similar. They have nibs similar to the original copics, not the sketch, and of course they don't have as many colors to blend with. I used them before I found a clearence package on copics and they work just fine.
But now i just use colored pencils with baby oil or gamsol (derwent coloursoft pencils) because the bleeding out of the stamped line when I tried to blend with copics just started to frustrate me. Now I don't have to worry about that anymore and can just enjoy the coloring.
I've been noticing that the ladies on Heartfelt Creations use Tombow Markers a lot. They seem to do a really nice job!! Good luck!!!
Tombow Dual Brush Pens are an excellent way to colour your images. There are 96 colours and are water based so your blending agent is a paint brush with water or a blender pen. These will last forever and you can mix your own new colours out of the existing pallatte to match cardstock and designer papers. I have had mine for 1 1/2 years and uses them almost daily and they are still as inky as the day I bought them
I have used Letraset Tria markers for about 15 years and they are wonderful. I actually like them BETTER than the Copics. I have also tried the Triart brand, but didn't care for the colors when they arrived. The Tria markers have lots of colors, and right now they have them for only $1.95 at an internet store--Carpe Diem. Lots of colors. They have revamped the pen recently, and I don't have any of the "new" ones yet, but they changed the refils from bottles of ink to cartridges.
SanJose,
How do you color with distress inks? Do you paint the ink on with a brush, or do you use some other technique. I use my distress inks for sponging all the time, but always wonder how the inks are used to color. Any tips you could provide would be appreciated. TIA!
I use the ink with paint brushes, like water colors, if you have the ink pads you can smoosh the pads onto something smooth and non porous, like a craft mat, cd cover, and so on. Then I just pick up the color with my brush. There are a number of very good tutorials on using distress inks. If you visit my blog, afterhoursstamper.com, and then do a search on my blog for "distress ink tutorial" or "distress ink" you will find a number of great tutorials I have linked to (not tutorials I have done but rather ones I have found online).
__________________ AfterHoursStamper.blogspot.com �It is easier to believe a lie that one has heard a thousand times than to believe a fact that no one has heard before�
Last edited by SanJoseLady; 09-01-2010 at 05:42 AM..
Reason: added a thought
I ended up breaking down and buying the copics. It seemed like I just couldn't get the results (dark deep colors) I wanted with Prisma Pencils or watercoloring. After reading someone figured that even with the cost of the marker and refills, they end up costing about $2.25 per marker. That's not that bad then. I LOVE mine. I got most of them from OOZAK.com for $4.15 each with free FAST shipping with a $50 order. I tried the bic and a few other brands but after buying 1 copic with a 40% off coupon at HL I was hooked. They are that much nicer.
If you are happy with the results you get from other ways to color then by all means don't spend the money. I just wanted the look I got from Copics. But if your like me you buy all the other cheaper stuff then decide you should have just done the Copics to begin with.
I love my copics. I got the original set AB&C off ebay. I do a lot of people colouring and was terribly frustrated not being able to do "white" skin tones. I had lots of colours that would do ethnic tones, but no pale pale markers. I do have the frustration STILL that the caps do not match 100% but I just assume the ink is going to be slightly darker or I use a scratch sheet to mark on first I was using the SU markers to colour with before and the tips get really smucky. The copic tips stay nice and compact and not frayed and fluffy like the SU ones do.
Bic or Sharpie markers are a good way to start off if you want to try colouring with alcohol markers and this is what I did. You will find, however, that the colours are quite intense and that there aren't any pale shades in these markers. Adding in Copics as you go along will save you a lot of money as well and fill in the colour gaps. I have since added about 75 copics to my marker collection. Another inexpensive way to get really nice results is with pencil crayons and baby oil using blending stumps (or odourless mineral spirits or goo gone). I started off with and still use crayola pencil crayons. I bought a big 120pc set for about $7 or $8 at Superstore (Canada) but I have seen them at Walmart as well - especially now with all the school supplies out. I don't think you could tell the difference between the crayola and the more expensive pencil crayons (like prisma) if I didn't say which I used. Mind you, I did buy some of the more expensive "tools" after I got the hang of things and they are nice to work with.
Have fun with whatever colouring tools you use. The key is to practice - especially with alcohol markers. They do take a little finesse to get the shading and some experience with the different papers and inks.
What do you mean by "Crayola pencil crayons"? Is it the regular colored pencils or watercolor? I'd be interested in less expensive alternatives. Thanks
I am an artist by design and I wen to an art school, We used professional markers to blend. They might be cheaper than $5.00 a marker. That's how much our Copics are.
Here is a website link so you can see different names and companies and then you can find then near you. You may want to try Michaels stores or Crafts 2000, in America, or any art supply store. Also try an University book store. They do have art supplies for the students.
I want to start to buy copics, but I'm confused which ones to start with. Original, sketch, Ciao??? I'm not sure which would be the best for someone who will have to purchase them very slowly. Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks!
Coleen
What do you mean by "Crayola pencil crayons"? Is it the regular colored pencils or watercolor? I'd be interested in less expensive alternatives. Thanks
In Canada, we call them "pencil crayons". In the states, they are called "colored pencils". Same thing, different terminology. I believe Catwoman was talking about the regular colored pencils by Crayola.
I have used the Bic Mark-it pens and blended with Ranger's Alcohol Blending Solution in a waterbrush with success, and the colours have been muted by the blending. Lately I have been using a Ranger Alcohol Ink blender pen.
You can see a sample in my gallery here: 3 Chairs For You by tweedcurtain at Splitcoaststampers
The next best thing is Crayola! They are smooth and they do blend. You can either use one color, or several, to blend with no problems. Plus they are MUCH cheaper than the Prismacolor or Berol ones.
As for the Roseart brand....do not use them!!!! They are hard to glide, on your paper, and are just cheap all around.
I want to start to buy copics, but I'm confused which ones to start with. Original, sketch, Ciao??? I'm not sure which would be the best for someone who will have to purchase them very slowly. Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks!
Coleen
As far as I know (from what I've read) the difference between the Ciao and Sketch (besides Ciao being cheaper) is the Ciao is round and doesn't hold as much ink as the Sketch which is an oval shape so it won't roll off. I've heard conflicting things about how much more ink from 1/2 as much to 1/4 so can't tell you there.
I bought the Sketch and have had them almost 2 years without having to refill. I have a couple I use the most that might be getting close to needing it.
I worked at a Scrapbook store that sold the Copics and though I have a few I haven't used them too much yet. BUT...some information for ya...Copics are the one marker you should never have to replace. If you can find used ones real cheap...ebay and such...you can refill them for about $1.50. And if the nips need replaced, there are replacements for those as well that are fairly inexpensive. Just thought I'd pass that on, in case someone didn't know. If you do a lot of "coloring"...you only have to buy them once. I wait for the 40% off sales myself. =)
I use Letraset Promarkers and Tria markers interchangeably with the few Copics I've bought - they all seem equal in quality to me. So I don't understand why the Copics are so much more expensive.
__________________ Susan
My SCS gallery is here should you care to look! Or please visit my blog, Cardmaker's Garret.
I have used Tombow art markers for years. My husband is a professional Caricaturist and he has hundreds of markers and colors galore! When I started doing cards 3 years ago, I started to hijack his markers. Recently, I have started to use Copics. I only have one set of 36. It is the A set. I figured I would add B, C & D as I go. I got the ciao because I couldn't see spending that much for the sketch. Now I need to find the right paper because the white card stock that I use does not work the best. By the way, I got the very best deal for the Copics as well as Tombow online at:
I ended up breaking down and buying the copics. It seemed like I just couldn't get the results (dark deep colors) I wanted with Prisma Pencils or watercoloring. After reading someone figured that even with the cost of the marker and refills, they end up costing about $2.25 per marker. That's not that bad then. I LOVE mine. I got most of them from OOZAK.com for $4.15 each with free FAST shipping with a $50 order. I tried the bic and a few other brands but after buying 1 copic with a 40% off coupon at HL I was hooked. They are that much nicer.
If you are happy with the results you get from other ways to color then by all means don't spend the money. I just wanted the look I got from Copics. But if your like me you buy all the other cheaper stuff then decide you should have just done the Copics to begin with.
I was shopping around online for copics today. I went to oozaks and much to my dismay they had copics listed on their sidebar but when I did a search, zero copics were found. I tried the customer service number and it was no longer in service. Also, it is now an e-bay store, and I don't think it was when I shopped there before. Any place with a good price, and reasonable shipping costs?:confused::rolleyes:
__________________ SuzyQue in Texas Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons
for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
(borrowed from the quirkey card sayings thread).
I was shopping around online for copics today. I went to oozaks and much to my dismay they had copics listed on their sidebar but when I did a search, zero copics were found. I tried the customer service number and it was no longer in service. Also, it is now an e-bay store, and I don't think it was when I shopped there before. Any place with a good price, and reasonable shipping costs?:confused::rolleyes:
I was just looking at this website earlier today as well and I found copic markers. Here is the link:
Just checked out Oozak and found that Carpe Diem is still the best price! Fast and free delivery...No, I do not work for them! Just like to help out my SCS friends. :-D
Thanks, LaLatte. I used your link and went to a completely different looking site than the one I found earlier.
Thanks, Gobarb! I also found that Carpe Diem works best for me. Oozaks didn't seem to have any individual markers. I probably won't have a large enough order to get free shipping, but who knows, I just might win the lottery. lol
__________________ SuzyQue in Texas Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons
for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.
(borrowed from the quirkey card sayings thread).
I bought the Bic markers too since I could not afford the Copics. I finally broke down and bought the Copics. There's no comparison between the two. I got my Copics on Ebay and built my collection over time. You won't be sorry if you decide to get the Copics.
__________________ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
Just checked out Oozak and found that Carpe Diem is still the best price! Fast and free delivery...No, I do not work for them! Just like to help out my SCS friends. :-D
I just looked and if you create an account at Oozak (they never send you any emails) they are $4.15 for the sketch, free same day shipping with a $50 order. Carp Diem were $4.25, free shipping with $100 order but you pay a $1.75 signature fee.
A 36 marker set is $94.99 at Oozak and $104.50 at Carp Diem.
I DON"T work for them, just like to find the best deals and they have great customer service.
Yup, you should totally get a few basic colors, and buy them on sale. if you get just a few every now and then you won't cchoke on the prive, they are well worth it. A blender pen and a spectrum of basics will take you a long way, plus you can touch the markers tip to tip to make different shades, yellow-green, reddish orange, etc. You won't regret it!
copic markers or ???
Oh, no!
