Welcome to the Colorful Copic and Inchie Arts Blog Hop!
We are very excited to collaborate and share the amazing work of both the Inchie Arts and Copic Teaching and Design teams as they share with you some amazing ideas pairing Art Squares with Copic marker and ink products.
For those of you who are new to Art Squares, did you know:
Art Squares are the perfect canvas for creating small-format art!
They come in 6 sizes : 1", 1.5", 2", 3", 4" and ATC size and 7 colors: white, ivory, dark cream, wheat, light gray, dark gray and black
They are perfect for use with all wet or dry mediums and you can mix, match and layer without the warping you get with paper products because they are a 4 ply,solid core, artist grade material
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Copic markers and inks look amazingly vibrant and deliciously rich on Art Squares and Copic Multiliners glide smoothly across the surface for detailed pen work
Be sure and work on the “top” or toothy side for the best results.
For our contribution to the hop we have created a 7 panel Valentine accordion, using 2" white Art Squares and a few of our favorite Copic coloring techniques. The Art Squares are the perfect surface for use with Copic markers and Multiliner pens and while our coloring style tends to be more straightforward, you must visit the rest of the stops (the links are at the bottom of this post) to see some pretty amazing and elaborate coloring applications.
A super easy way to create a fun background is to make your own 'plaid' by drawing overlapping stripes. We have found it works best with colors of similar value like these (R83 and V04) and finish with dots from an opaque white pen.
(stamp from Rubbermoon)
In January of 2011 we posted a 'continuous one line' doodling technique that is still a favorite, (to see it, click on doodles in the category list) using a Copic Multiliner 0.3 pen. Once you put your pen to the Art Square don't stop until you reconnect with your starting point. One color at a time, fill in all the spaces. We used R29, R32, RV17, RV21, RV25 and V05.
This single heart stamp from Rubbermoon is actually an outline and after stamping repeatedly is perfect for filling with patterns drawn with a Multiliner pen (0.3). As you can tell, we have now gotten out all kinds of pinks, reds and violets for random coloring!
We call this our 'halo' technique. Because the Art Squares are an absorbent solid core material they can 'hold' a lot of moisture making them perfect for easy blending by applying layers of color. This effect is achieved by first stamping the heart (Rubbermoon) and then applying several overlapping colors to create the background. The first color should be the lightest, coloring all over the square from the edge of the heart to the edge of the square. Now color with the second darker color completely overlapping the first but not going all the way up to the edge of the heart. When applying each subsequent color start coloring and overlapping from the outside edge of the square but then stop further and further away from the stamped heart each time. You will be left with a natural 'halo' effect as the color will be the darkest near the edge of the square and lightest around the stamped heart. Finish by coloring the heart using the same principle. Background lightest to darkest: RV10, RV21, R81, R83, RV34. Heart lightest to darkest: V000, And R29 for the red edge of the heart.
No coloring tips here...just fun stamping and coloring this sweet little Rubbermoon bird! But remember, when using Copic Markers on a stamped image be sure and use a dye based ink - our favorite for this type of stamping and coloring is Memento Tuxedo black.
There are soooooo many ways you could color (or doodle!) this Gem Heart from Impress. We purposefully paired colors that were similar but of slightly different light/dark values and then did not blend them when both were colored in each tiny triangle. On the other hand, the mottled effect of the background was created by first coloring the background and then dabbing with a Q-tip saturated with colorless blender. Color pairings for the heart: RV21/R32, R81/R83, V04/V15, Rv02/R83. And the background: RV10 and RV17.
And we have discovered a great and easy way to attach the Art Square panels to one another to create an accordion...washi tape!! (we used a medium pattern gray)
SO MUCH is actually the perfect ending sentiment (also from Rubbermoon) because it perfectly describes how much fun we have had collaborating with all these great designers and the Copic products.
We hope you enjoy your creative journey as you hop along with these talented designers as they show you some more interesting and exciting ways to pair up two great products!
You can find more information about both Copic products and Inchie Art Squares at the links below.
Awesome tips! I love knowing that I can use my Copic markers on Inchies!
Posted by: Denise Bryant | February 13, 2015 at 08:21 PM
Awesome creations..
Posted by: Rebekka K | February 13, 2015 at 09:57 AM
Ohhhh, this is adorable! What a cool idea to put them together to make a little book! I don't know which is my favorite... probably the plaid... or the birds... no, the doodle... gah! They are all super cute!
Posted by: colleen | February 13, 2015 at 08:17 AM