Where do I start with Copic markers?
 

I think I'm ready to take the plunge and graduate from SU! markers.... I'd like to start buying a few Copics. For instance, I'm thinking I'd like markers to use for coloring/blending flesh-tones (i.e. faces). So how do I know which colors to choose? Any suggestions? There are sooo many Copic threads on here, it's overwhelming! lol! I'm also a little confused as to which style (Sketch, original, etc) I should start with. Then what would you suggest...the colors for hair? Or browns, or reds, or pinks???

You know....as confusing as all the threads seem, I bit the bullet and read Copic Chatter and Copic FAQs.

I then started the Copic Newbies 2011 thread because we didn't begin 2 or 3 years ago and our excitement is NOW.

There is a LOT of information, but try to jump in and read so you can begin to form your own idea of whether you want Sketch or Ciao.

I never invested in the SU or any other markers, so after I read a both FAQ and Chatter, I had decided I wanted to go with Sketch. I'm soooo glad I did. The names/numbers on the end are VERY convenient in finding the marker I'm looking for...and I only have 40 to date.

I hope that helps a little....and welcome to the world of Copic.

I purchased about a dozen of the ciao copics as they're cheaper... I chose colors I like to work with... 50's type pastels like aqua, pink, turquoise, yellow and then some standards like red... I do find their so-called flesh marker is too orange... they have many colors that are so similar and I'm doing fine with the ones I have... bought the blender one but haven't found it that useful... also have found they bleed through many of my cardstocks.

I don't have any copics either. I've been convinced to try Sinhan Touch Twin markers. There is a thread going somewhere on them. I've been told they a really good substitute to copics at a much more affordable price.

Have you found the I Like Markers blog? The owner, Marianne, works for Copic and has had a blog for a few years answering all of your questions. There are quite a few others (e.g. Sharon Harnist and Paper Garden Projects) that do as well. I'm going to post a link to Marianne's blog below, but really, all of the information you're asking is readily available either here, or through links you'll find here. You'll just have to do a little research.

Now, aside from the flesh tones and hair, I personally would recommend starting with light colors (stay away from #s ending in 7-9) b/c you can get deeper colors by layering. I also recommend Sketch over Ciao. No doubt others will stop by who disagree for perfectly good reasons, but that's the advice I wish I had someone given me when I began (260 markers ago).

Here's Marianne's blog: I Like Markers
Her blog doesn't have a search feature (to my knowledge), but if you look on the right side, you'll find her archives tabs. That's where I go to look up specific coloring-subjects on her site (like flesh or hair).

Good luck, and, hey, it's a journey so enjoy it.

Oh yeah, and if you're that into it, there are DVDs available (try Ellen Hutson's store, for one) and some are being released this spring.

One way to start is to check the blogs that list Copic colors. For instance, here's one of my favorites for images of little girls: All the things I love. Bev lists the color numbers for many of her cards, including specific hair and skin tones.

You can also scroll through a blog like Copic Creations to see the colors different designers have chosen.

Those are just a couple of suggestions to get you started. The idea is to find some finished samples that you like, and then see what colors were used to create them.

I purchased 2 Ciao sets on Ebay and I'm filling in with the Sketch markers.

You will love them!!

When coloring skin I use

E00 skin white

I highligh it with E02 fruit pink

I like the Sketch or Ciao markers because of the brush tip. I find the Originals hard to use to get into small spaces - thin stems, etc. Do like the Originals for shadowing tho. Also, find the barrel of the Sketch or Ciao easier for me to hold and not as bulky - have small hands.

Check the various Copic blog artists to find the skintone you are looking for. There are no 'hard fast' rules as to skintone since each one of us has a different skintone. Many of the artists include the number of the markers used to achieve a particular skintone.

I am not an artist but I think I am getting better results with practice.

Good luck -

Thanks for the suggestion on flesh colors... I'll order them for sure.

Marianne Walker's Copic blog has the first or her lessons on skin color here: I Like Markers: Skin Colors - part 1

Also, if you check in the Library section of the Copic website, there is a brochure to download on stamping with Copics that gives the basics: COPICMARKER.COM

When I got my first Copics I started back at the earliest lessons in Marianne Walker's blog (June, 2008, I think) and gradually worked my way forward in the lessons.

Wow. Okay, so all of you are making me feel a little less overwhelmed! Your responses have given me a lot to think about and places to start - thank you so much! I was leaning toward sketch, and after seeing what you've all written, I still think that's the right place to start. And I'll probably begin by purchasing lighter colors and building on that. I'll definitely check out Marianne's blog!

I'll be the person that goes ahead and weighs in that I love my Ciaos. I have refilled them no problems and have all of them up to now (I believe they have released more or are going to) if there is a color I want that is only in Sketch then I get it. Labelled the ends. No problem. Its not an either or for me and I'm happy to have the variety choice of Ciao without the Sketch investment some of the colors I do use very infrequently and they aren't the ones I would have necessarily thought. I know some people need to have all their markers matching in style.

FWIW the name colorless blender is a misnomer - its actually a color take-away-er.

I am now stocking up on refills. Its great to know I don't have to buy another marker I can just refill (I do the touch to the tip method and keep an eye on how much sometimes its a little messy but that's ok).

I started collecting Copic Sketch. I got the groupings to order from the Papertrey ink site and Flourishes site...just copied down all their combos and have been ordering them from OOZARK.COM I am starting to get a pretty good collection. I need a lot more practice..lol
blessings.

Suzanne Dean has an awesome website called "Scrap Bitz".

I was lost when it came time to choose which marker to use. I went to my LSS and sat down with her store markers and I ended up selecting the Sketch (easier to hold, comes in more colors and compatible with the Air Brush System).

As for colors, I read all the blogs (I Like Markers, Scrap Bitz, Flourishes and Sharon Harnist) and what I did was to print off their color suggestions and I played with the colors themselves. I based my purchases on the stamps and images I like to color.

Check out your LSS to see if there are any Copic classes offered. Suzanne Dean offers one online and I am taking that class (awesome!!!).

Good luck,
Cathy

FYI - the airbrush system can be adapted to any marker - it is made to hold the sketch but it can and does hold the Ciao. Loads of threads on how to adapt it.

Oh, DUH! I never even thought...I can just go into Archivers and I'm sure they'd be happy to help/show/teach me! Geez.... And I know there aren't any local classes, so the info about Suzanne's online class is awesome - will definitely look into that!!

You can also try any art supply store the sells them - sometimes they have the different barrel types too.

BTW I love Archiver's but just saying there are plenty of options.

I am a Copic Newbie and have been struggling with the numbering system. After purchasing a couple of the higher-second-number Copics and discovering that they were much darker than I could work with, I pretty much concluded that I needed to stick to lighter colors that could be layered to achieve darker tones. Reading your comment has given me a bit of confidence that I was on the right track with that thought process. Thanks for sharing that bit of advice, I appreciate it! :)

JAT, but if you've bought colors you don't like b/c they're too dark, have you experimented with them and the colorless blender? I haven't really been able to make that work, honestly, but maybe you can.

So glad that was helpful to you, Boss. I'm no expert (don't even have a certification or blog, LOL); I just share what I've learned from experience.

Another thing you can do with a really dark marker is to pair it with a light color and use the palette method. There's a YouTube video by Jenn Muraoka that explains it well: YouTube - Copic Tutorial 101 . She gets gorgeous results this way, as shown on her blog.

I just purchaed my first 3 copic Sketch markers and boy is there a difference in coloring. I would never have guessed it. Thanks for all of your attachments - that helps in figuring out what necessary colors I need.

Wow, this was really an enlightening video! Thank you SO much for linking to it. :D I was getting an ready to order more sketch's tomorrow and this info couldn't have arrived at a better time. Back to the order form to make sure I have light & dark of each of the colors.

Jenn's technique really clicked in my brain. She used the copics exactly like I use my watercolor pencils. For the first time ever, I can actually picture myself coloring with copics and enjoying the experience! :cool: I am so excited I could squeel! :p

Thank you again for great link!

Boss, it's good to hear you're enthused about it. :)

Since you're going to try the palette technique, I'll mention a few things to keep in mind. I've noticed a tendency for the color to bleed outside the lines, more so than with some of the other methods (such as feathering). For that reason, it's important to use a cardstock that resists bleeding as much as possible. It's also more time consuming than some of the other methods, since it requires you to rework areas multiple times to blend the colors. And, like anything else involving Copics, it takes practice.

You can achieve a lot of depth this way, though, and it adds a nice accent when combined with the more common coloring techniques.

There are many many wonderful sites out there that feature Copic markers. It can be a bit confusing, overwhelming, intimidating but just start at the begining check out some information on them and buy a few at a time.
If there is one bit of advice I could give it to buy in color groups, ie; more than one color in a family, but first know what the numbers mean. I would have to look back at this thread but I think someone gave a place to find that out.

Thanks for fleshing out the extra effort required with the palette technique. I noticed from the video that it required a lot more time/effort to acheive, I was not aware that there was more of a tendency to bleed outside the lines...thanks for pointing that out! :shock:

I decided to go with 3 graduated shades of those colors that I will likely use a lot. I concluded that the palette technique (a light and a dark shade), would be good for seldom used colors -- 2 markers instead of 3 or more. Am I off-base with this analysis? :-?

I have been studying the color numbering system, comparing "real colors" (those I have on hand and can check for accuracy) to the ones shown on the copic color wheel, and weighing recommendations of combos from about 10 different sources. Needless to say I'm overloaded with color analysis and my eyeballs are about ready to fall out of my head and bounce around on the keyboard. :rolleyes: I think it's time for a cup of tea and a strawberry truffle. :cool:

I also started with three graduated shades in my color groups, but some of my initial order was too dark. My second order was mostly lighter colors, such as the double-zeros.

As far as using the palette method for a few colors and combining it with another technique, I'm guessing that takes practice. I can tell the difference between areas I've done with feathering or circular blending of multiple shades compared to areas done with the palette and only two colors. Now, that just might be because I'm still a Copic newbie and haven't mastered everything yet. Maybe someone with more experience can chime in here. Since I only have a partial set of colors, I'm mostly using the palette method to fill in when I don't have exactly the right shade of marker.

I'm sooo excited! I received 3 copic markers as a gift! She gave me the 3 she reaches for most often, so they aren't in the same color family, but I can build on it! Wah-hoo!

What a neat gift to receive! I can understand why you are excited. :D Now for the part you forgot to mention -- what colors are they? And their numbers? :cool:

Um...I'll have to look. lol They are flesh-tone, a yellow and a green, but I can't remember what numbers...

Went to a scrapbooking convention this past weekend...and finally bought 6 for myself! I didn't buy any to blend with, just a red, purple, brown, pink, yellow and...shoot...one other color (can't remember). So with the 3 I received as a gift, I can now build on what I have! Since it's been a couple months since I had this thread going, now I have to run back through and look over all the great resources you all provided! ;)

I took my 40% off coupon to Hobby Lobby today. In the scrapbooking section they have 2 sets of 6 copic markers primary and pastels for 38$ each. I used my coupon and got them for 22$ for six markers. Since I did this just today I have not fallen for them yet but will play with them this weekend! Good luck!!

You know...I saw those sets in the scrapbooking section and wondered if they would allow you to use the coupon for them! I'll have to head over there this weekend...thanks for the info!!