Control Freak Tips: How to Color with Loose Artistic Style (Copic Marker, Colored Pencil)
Do you micro-manage your markers?
You’re not alone. There’s something about Copic Marker and especially colored pencil that seems to attract persnickety people. We like control and we want to regulate our colors, so we choose the most controlled version of all art mediums.
Because really, who trusts a drippy paintbrush and all those weird little tubes? That stuff gets messy! Markers and pencils are safe.
And yet we dream of painting. Painting with wild abandon.
Today, let’s look at tips for coloring with passion and freedom.
Artistic Coloring: Add Life to Cast Shadows with Beautiful Color (Copic Marker)
People sign up for Copic Marker classes and read tons of tutorials, desperately wanting to blend better. Smoother blends, easier blends, prettier blends.
They think blending will make their coloring look more realistic. Then when it doesn’t work, they sign up for shading classes. The merry-go-round starts all over again.
Let me ask, how lifelike are my butterflies here? Do they look like they’re fluttering on the page?
Now let me tell you a secret…
Student Success Story: Lori's Independent Coloring- On the Rocks (Copic Markers)
More Than Pretty Projects
You take a lot of classes. You color a lot of Copic Marker projects. You begin adding details and artistry with colored pencils. But are you really learning anything useful?
Coloring classes teach you how to color a specific project. Art classes teach you how to apply new skills to OTHER projects.
Our goal at Vanilla Arts Company is to develop skills rather than a pile of pretty projects. This week we look at how Lori is applying what she’s learned in classes to this amazing independent project!
Tools On My Desk: Fineliners & Technical Pens, Which are Safe for Copic Markers?
Big Marker, Small Details?
Have you ever tried to color butterfly antennae with a Copic Marker? Ouch!
Whether you are adding twigs to a tree, dotting a delicate ladybug, or picking out long flowing stray locks of hair, there are many times when a big fat Copic marker is too big and too fat for the job.
Never fear! Grab a fineliner pen.
But it can’t be just any pen, it must be a Copic safe pen! That’s right, not all technical pens work with Copics…