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I just tried to use my first order of Gina K heavy base weight 120lb card stock with my Copics and YUCK! Its wayyyy to slick for me and doesnt seem to soak in any of my ink. It also dries way too auick which makes it horribly difficult to blend. And one other thing, the ink bleeds out of the lines. So...I looked online at the Copic Express It paper and it says its a smooth surface too. Not thinking I would like it either if its like the Gina K paper. Can I get some more feedback from those that are experienced in the paper side of copic coloring? Im going back to my Staples 120lb cardstock in the meantime.
Send me a private message with your snail mail address and I'll send you a sheet of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White. That way you can give it a try before you buy. I like it, but I've heard others complain that it bleeds, too.
I don't do swaps but I think a Copic paper swap would be a good idea for those of us who use Copics but don't have the money to experiment. I might have to think on this one and see if there's a way I could easily and fairly pull off a swap like that.
I have read this thread with interest. Last year I got an award at work and I purchased a pre set 5 + 1 skin tones and 12 basic colour set of Copic Ciao.
I was scared of using them and when I did I found the colours too strong and limiting, now I realise I need to get some shades so I can blend/shade them!
If I list the colours I have can anyone help with which colours should be on my list!
I am very new with this Kayz so I am only able to give limited advice based on what I have done. When I originally started this thread, my intentions were to buy as many pre-built sets as I could get for the $1000. Now, I'm glad I didn't. I sat down with the copic color wheel and the copic color chart (square block format in order by color groups) and made a list. I decided based on what I would be coloring and I can tell you that I am TOTALLY pleased with my purchase.
Based on what you have, if I were to pick what I would use for what I would color starting with your base colors, this is what I might do. My disclaimer here though...is that you really need to look at an actual chart so you can get an idea of what colors you would actually use. The ilovemarkers blog spot is a great resource too.
Skin tones: (Were those in a set?) I have the following and they were bought off of ebay in a "skin tones" set. E00, E11, E13, E15, E18 & R20.
If you note on my colors, other than the E00 and the R20, the middle tones skip one color number. (I don't know if there is one in between those but I have read that you should skip at least one color value. For example, I wouldn't buy an E12 (if there is one) because I can accomplish what I need with a more obvious change in colors with the E11 & E13.
G17: I have G12 & G14 that work wonderfully with my G17.
BG09: One or two below that one would be good. I have BG10, BG13 and BG18. Keep in mind that the 1 is the next series up from the 0. I have BG000, BG02, BG05 & BG07 too. That number if I understand the Copic system correctly, they go 0-9 with 0 being the brightest in the series and 9 being the dullest or more muted of the series.
YG06: Y00 and Y08 might be nice. The Y00 will be good for the lighter side of the tonal family and the Y08 would be good for your darker tone of those three.
B29. I think B21, B23 & B26 (depending on how similar to your B29 is...if it's pretty close, you could skip the B26) might be good.
BV08: Love the 0 series of blues. They are great for skies I think and for your B08, you could probably go with B05 or B04 and then B02 and B01. I read on the ilovemarkers blog that starting with the lightest is the best because you can always add color but it's really hard to take it away. Layering even one color with copics allows you to darken.
V09: Maybe V01 & V04 or V06
RV04: Maybe RV000 or RV0000 and RV02.
Y06: Maybe Y00 or Y04 and Y08.
YR07: This one is tricky to me because the color ranges are strange to me. I had trouble picking in this family but I chose YR000, YR01, YR04 (this one is weird because it seems to go from light pinks to orange), YR20, YR23, YR24, YR65 & YR68.
R29: This one is also tricky to me. I learned this weekend that the R29 is VERY bright and bold which is perfect for images you want that on. The two colors down from that (R22 & R20) are pink...so I haven't quite figured out the blending so it's not pink. Down from the R29 I have R24 which doesn't seem to be much different from the R29 to me. I have R81, R83 & R85 which are a nice rose colored series.
100: this is your basic black. In the greys, I got about 5 of each series starting with their lightest and skipping a number in between. It gave me a great range of cool, warm and tonal grays to work with and the black can work with all of them. (periodstyle.com actually gave me a free 100 black and a .35 black multiliner with my order which I am so thankful for. I've not used the black sketch marker yet but I have used the multiliner to fill in where my printer skips sometimes)
E29: I bought 14 colors in the earth tones because there is such a variance in colors that can be used for skins, wood, ground, sand and all kinds of things.
You can print the color chart at Copic.com too and I highly recommend it. You really need to see to get an idea of what you are going to get. Periodstyle lets you make your own custom set too so you don't get stuck with markers you won't use.
So, this is my VERY limited knowledge feedback. Good luck with whatever you decide. This coloring is very therapeutic to me! I'm having a blast and didn't even want to go to work today so I could just stay home and color instead.
I have read this thread with interest. Last year I got an award at work and I purchased a pre set 5 + 1 skin tones and 12 basic colour set of Copic Ciao.
I was scared of using them and when I did I found the colours too strong and limiting, now I realise I need to get some shades so I can blend/shade them!
If I list the colours I have can anyone help with which colours should be on my list!
(I used high white ultra smooth cardstock which works really well and is �1 for 20 sheets!)
I just want to start colouring!!
Hi Kayz! I have just about all of the colors above. I attached a chart so you can see some of the colors you have listed and how some colors look with them. I would suggest filling in your colors with any of the following E000 E21 E25 E47 R02 R05 YG00 YG03 B21 B24 G12 G14 BG01 BG05 BV02 BV04 V93 V95 or V99 V01 V04 Y02 Y08 YR02 YR04 R24 R27
That was great! Thanks for posting that in here. Thats a great idea for someone trying to figure out if they want to make the jump to Copics! Ive colored a lot since I got my Copics last week but im also still looking for the perfect paper to settle with. So far, it seems fhat Staples brand 120lb card stock is doing the best for me while the Gina K 120lb heavy base weight seems to smear and her layering weight seems to work for me nicely when coloring small images. I need to make a darn card though considering ive colored plenty enough to have stuff to make one. Lol! Thanks again for posting your blog post. I enjoyed reading it.
I had to share with ya'll my first card created since I got my Copics and bought a few digital stamps. Within 15 minutes of posting this on my facebook, TWO people asked me about making them sets of cards with them. I have NO idea how to price stuff so I may have to look around and see what others charge for them. They are quite time consuming so I'd have to really think about it. Thanks again for all of the Copic advice. I LOVE my purchase and I am already seeing what colors I need to add too! :o)
Can anyone tell me, you talk about Hammermill color copy cover. Is that the same as Hammermill Color Copy Digital Cover? I see that staples has that, but it is #60 lb. If it is the same, would #60 work?
I almost exclusively use the Hammermill Color Copy Digital Cover, and for the most part I use the 60 lb. It also comes in 80 lb if that is too light for you as well as 100 lb. I hardly ever do one layer cards, so I use the lighter and then layer. I love the lighter one because it takes almost no ink to blend. However, if you are used to really saturating the paper it may take some getting used to.
I compared it to several other papers, and made sure I used the 80 to get a fair comparison. It is here on my blog:
I tend to use Hammerhill 60lb for my alcohol marker coloring. I think it's as close too Copic paper you can buy at Hobby Lobby for example. I like Hammerhill because you get a big ream of it for the same price as the Copic paper. Copic paper I think comes in a tablet of about two dozen sheets. I have some of the paper right now but it's not near me. It's in my art studio.
If your going to color professionally in Copic markers look at paper that Manga artists use. It is a lot more expensive. That is for the serious colorist or those who are looking to publish Copic artwork.
Kris- I love your card. She is so cute. Reminds me of a Bratz girl.
Yes, I was able to register did. I may have to try again from home. Maybe its the protection we have have on our systems at work. I really need to practice skin & hair so this would be super helpful to me.
Alaine, thanks for the reference to your paper test. I have tried all but the Copic Illustration paper. And my findings were the same as yours. The XPress-It is my absolute favorite, with the Hammermill coming in a close 2nd (especially considering the price - I purchased a ream of the 80# from Amazon for $10.00).
Kris, your card is darling, and your coloring is fabulous. And you've really done your research because your response to Kayz was great.
Kayz, it looks like your basic set is basically bright colors. So I would go lighter, lighter and lighter - LOL.
I think Melissa's idea of a Copic paper swap is a good one because what works for some won't work for others. A kind SCSer sent me some Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and some Hammermill. I didn't care for the Neenah, but loved the Hammermill.
Kris, I will be glad to send you some of the XPress-It and some of the Hammermill if you want to PM me your address. I haven't tried the Gina K 120#, but I think you will find the XPress-It very different. It is very smooth, but a lighter weight than the 120#. Coloring and blending is like butter.
Just let me know, and good luck selling your cards!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
You are all enticing me to buy Copics. I really like Michelle's color cards. I really want to stick with my SU colors. Has anyone done a similar color card for colors to blend that go with SU paper
You are all enticing me to buy Copics. I really like Michelle's color cards. I really want to stick with my SU colors. Has anyone done a similar color card for colors to blend that go with SU paper
I don't know how accurate these are as I don't use Stampin Up paper, but here are some links to get you started:
The last one was put together by SCS member, atsamom, who signs her posts as "Kim in Colorado".
BTW ... Copics are a VERY costly investment, but for me they've been well worth it. I cannot paint or draw or color with any other medium. Copics are like a dream come true for a no-talent crafter like me. Put them in the hands of someone with artistic ability and WOW, what great creations they come up with!
I did a lot of research before buying any Copics. I looked at color combinations on the Papertrey Ink and Flourishes Rubber Stamps sites. I searched the blogs of some of my favorite stampers and made notes of the colors they used on the images I liked. I read and re-read Marianne Walker's blog "I Like Markers". I took into account the kind of images I like to color. And I decided not to buy the sets of markers. It was worth the little extra to me to pick out the colors I wanted, not ones predetermined in sets.
I learned something with the first batch I bought: I should have gotten shades lighter than what I thought I needed. So I rectified that with my next order. And then filled in some missing colors with my next order. After using the markers for a while, then I ordered the ink refills for the colors I use most.
So unless you need to spend all the money at once (in case hubby changes his mind!), I would take the time to do the research, make a basic list of colors and then expand on that.
I am interested in making an initial copic sketch marker purchase and have also been looking at various blogs and tutorials to help make my selection decision. One tutorial used the colorless blender by applying a little color to the tip of the blender creating a lighter version of that color. My question is: Why purchase the lighter colors when you can use this technique instead?
I am interested in making an initial copic sketch marker purchase and have also been looking at various blogs and tutorials to help make my selection decision. One tutorial used the colorless blender by applying a little color to the tip of the blender creating a lighter version of that color. My question is: Why purchase the lighter colors when you can use this technique instead?
Even in small areas like gale mentioned, I personally have a terribly difficult time using this technique in a way that doesn't leave me with splotches of slightly uneven coloring.
You also wouldn't be able to use this technique as a substitute for certain things you'd want lighter markers for, like airbrushing a background or outlining an image.
And I'm not sure that this technique is very helpful for blending (like when you color flowers and lay down a light color, a medium, a dark, and blend all with the lightest color.)
