The Copic Coloring Guide, Level 2 teaches you how to color things in nature, from rocks and plants to water and sky. Each tutorial image is included on a CD that comes with the book, so you can print the image and practice along. This book is a perfect companion for the bestselling first book, and will look great in your growing Copic library.

Pick up a copy or ask your local store when they will be getting it in stock.

Happy coloring!

G43 Pistachio, G46 Mistletoe, BG57 Jasper, BG90 Gray Sky, E84 Khaki, E89 Pecan,
BV34 Bluebell, V22 Ash Lavender, V28 Eggplant, RV52 Cotton Candy, R56 Currant, YR27 Tuscan Orange

In February 2012 these carefully chosen colors will be available in the Sketch Marker style, as well as Various Ink, bringing us to 358 total Copic colors. 

Let us know which color you’re most excited about on Facebook and Twitter!

Julie Fei-Fen Balzer is a mixed media artist based in New York City. Julie is currently the co-host of Scrapbook Soup TV (PBS) and has been featured in numerous magazines and TV segments. Read on to learn more about this talented artist:

Do you have formal art training or are you self-taught?
I am self-taught.

What is your earliest memory of drawing or creating art?
My Mom used to give me a bag of mini marshmallows and a box of toothpicks and I would spend hours making sculptures, using the marshmallows to connect the toothpicks to each other.

How long have you been working with mixed media?
Mixed media is basically instinctual. When you think about it, most people have mixed their media in way or another. Usually they stop mixing when they’re told the “right” way to do it. I’m lucky. No one every said, “You’re doing it wrong.” So when I didn’t have sheer fabric on hand, I started stitching transparent gel into my quilt. Or when I didn’t like the color of a piece of patterned paper, I painted it. I think necessity is the mother of mixed media. If you don’t have what you need, you reach for what’s there and you make it work! I was definitely doing mixed media before I even knew what it was!

Describe a typical day in your art studio:
A few months ago I wrote a blog post called “Forty-Eight Hours.” For forty-eight hours I kept track of everything I did. And it is a pretty accurate picture of what daily life is like. I’m a workaholic. I wake up and walk into the studio and I spend most of the day in there. I walk out and it’s time for bed. The activities vary wildly from day to day and I’m a little bit sad to say that there’s more computer work (editing videos, editing vectors in Illustrator, photoshopping project photos, answering e-mails, writing articles, etc.) than I’d like. But some days are just about making art and those are the best days on earth!

Your website states that you “believe that mistakes are creative opportunities.” We love this. Could you elaborate a bit on your thought behind this, for the readers out there who may see mistakes as failures?
If you never fail, you never succeed. Every amazing piece of art I’ve ever made has been built on the ashes of a failure. We are truly creative when faced with a mistake, and instead of aborting the project, we embrace the mistake and take the road less traveled. And knowing that you can come back from a mistake — that you can make an even better project after a mistake — well, that’s the most artistically empowering thing that can happen. Because then you no longer have fear. And fear is the most crippling thing that can happen to an artist. So, go ahead! Jump off that metaphorical cliff.

How long have you been using Copic markers? Why did you decide to start using them in your work?
I’ve been using Copics for about a year — maybe a bit more than that. I started using them because I wanted to airbrush. But I live in NYC, and something that requires a lot of space/ventilation just wasn’t an option. Copic’s airbrush system seemed like the perfect fit for apartment living!

How do you use Copics in your mixed media work?
They’re just another awesome tool to have at my fingertips.  I like that they (a) go onto slick surfaces of all kinds (b) are transparent (great for layering) (c) have virtually no drying time! And I particularly like how they mimic the look of spray paint, though in an transparent way, when used with stencils!

Any tips for Copic beginners?
I think Copics can be intimidating because you hear so much about the right way to use them and the wrong way, but I say jump right in! I encourage everyone to try the airbrush system. It’s intuitive and just totally addictive! So go ahead and buy the big box of markers and a compressor, because you’re going to love it!

What are your biggest sources of inspiration?
I love a lot of the usual sources: museums, window shopping, internet surfing…but the number one thing that gets me going is the question, “What if…(fill in the blank)?”  I love a challenge! And my most favorite moments have all come from one crazy thought colliding with a wildly impractical idea!

Who are some of your favorite artists?
Famous artists? Can’t get enough of Matisse. His economy of line, use of color, all just extraordinary. Robert Rauschenberg blows me away every time. The way he combines disparate elements and seemingly messy things into heavenly compositions is mind boggling. I stand in front of Klimt’s work for hours on end just sketching and absorbing
every tiny, shiny, lovely detail. I am lucky enough to live a few blocks from MoMA and I like to go and visit as often as possible because it is just so amazing!

What do you love about living in New York City? Do you feel that the
city influences your work?
New York is the greatest city in the world! And anyone who says otherwise doesn’t live in New York! LOL!  In all seriousness, I love New York. The rhythm of the city, the buildings lit up at night, the way energy pulses through every street, the food is amazing, the entertainment options are endless — there’s so much to love! And I think it influences my work in that I work very small.  Space is my constant enemy and my dreams of working large will have to be put off for now. I think I also over-detail things (I have a more-is-more art philosophy) because I’m so close up to it. And this is one of those chicken-egg things, but I find I’m not very inspired by the ocean or nature the way a lot of other artists are. Give me a building or some grungy graffiti and I’m much more at home. So am I not inspired by nature because I live in New York, or do I live in New York because I’m not inspired by nature?

Favorite holiday tradition?
The annual fight over whether or not to have a Christmas tree. It’s an epic battle every single year.

Learn more about mixed media in Julie’s self-paced online class, “30 Days in Your Journal.”

Also look for Julie’s column “Adventures in Arting” in the January/February 2012 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine!

Find Julie on the web:
http://www.balzerdesigns.typepad.com/
http://twitter.com/BalzerDesigns

We’re very excited to be a part of Autodesk University in Las Vegas, November 29th – December 1st. Join members of the Copic team in the Creative Studio, which is completely free and open to the public!

Jackson Root, artist and Copic expert, will be on-hand each day to demo SketchBook’s Copic marker features and share his tips & tricks for traditional art with Copic markers.

On Thursday, December 1, at 11am, there will be some Copic Q&A on the stage as well.

Hope to see you there!

Hours of operation:
- Tuesday – 9:30am-7pm
- Wed & Thurs – 9:30am-6pm

Without further ado, the winner is… Sydney Neff! Congratulations, Sydney! Check out her Copic Color gallery to see more beautiful horse illustrations.

Dreamcatcher by Sydney Neff

Sydney will receive her choice of a custom 24 marker set based on her Copic Color wish list, or $100 cash, and will be featured in our 2012 catalog alongside Copic-loving professionals.

Thanks again to everyone who entered or voted in this contest. Be on the lookout for more chances to win. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know!

Visit Copic Marker at Comikaze Expo in Los Angeles, November 5th & 6th! We’ll be at booth #1202, near the entrance.

To stay current on everything Copic during Comikaze, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

See you there!

Recycle frappuccino bottles and carton into fun Halloween treat containers:

Instructions:

1. Cover recycled frappuccino carton with patterned papers: Lay each side of carton on patterned paper and trace with a pencil. Cut and adhere to carton using X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape .

TIP: To achieve seamless seams, color the corners of the carton with coordinating Copic marker color. This way, if seams don’t match up perfectly, they will be unnoticeable:

2. Stamp witch image and sentiment onto X-Press It Blending Card with Tuxedo Black Ink; color with Copic Sketch Markers (colors listed in supplies below).

3. Die cut witch image and while cardstock is still in the die, airbrush T2 background.

4. Stamp and color additional hat, hand trim and pop up on foam tape for added dimension.

TIP : Color edges of cut out images with coordinating Copic color, to finish them nicely and give a more realistic look.

5. Die cut green cardstock frame, run through Xyron machine and cover with green glitter; adhere glittered frame over witch image. Attach framed witch to carton with foam tape.

6. Stamp “Happy Halloween” sentiment onto X-Press It Blending Card and die cut with Classic Circle Nestabilities die; while cardstock is still in die, airbrush with YR16. Layer sentiment onto another circle die cut from black cardstock; attach to frappuccino carton with foam tape.

7. Repeat step 6 with smaller “Trick or Treat” sentiment and attach to lid of frappuccino bottle.

8. Wrap X-Press It Double-Sided High Tack Tape around edge of frappuccino lid and cover with green glitter.

9. Fill bottles with candies, for a special Halloween treat container!

Supplies:
Copic Sketch Markers: V15, V17, YG13, YG25-(dress); T1, T3, T5, T7-(hat & boots); E33, E57, Y21-(hair); E000, E11-(skin); B45-(eyes); T2-(airbrushed background)
Copic Products: X-Press It Blending Card, ABS-1 & Double-Sided High Tack Tape
Stamps: Gina K Designs-Feel The Magic by Alicia Krupksy
Paper: Gina K Designs Heavy Base Weight Cardstock-Creme de Menthe & Black Onyx;  Authentique 6×6 patterned paper pad-Glowing
Ink: Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black
Dies: Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Ovals & Classic Circle Nestabilities, Twisted Metal Tags & Accents; Grand Calibur die cutting machine
Accessories: Recycled frappuccino bottles & carton/holder, Xyron, Glitter Ritz Opaque Micro Fine Glitter-Chartreuse, foam tape

Share your Halloween projects with us on Facebook and Twitter!

Last year, for the first time, we featured professional artists in our product catalog. This year, you’re invited, too! One lucky winner will receive a custom 24 marker set based on their Copic Color wish list, or $100 cash, as well as being featured in our 2012 catalog alongside Copic-loving professionals.

Send us your original, unpublished in print, Copic-created artwork to win!

Rules:
- Original, unpublished artwork only.
- Preexisting work will be accepted.
- No licensed characters.
- You may enter more than once.
- Winner must be a member of Copic Color.
- Work will be displayed in our 2012 product catalog, as well as on our web properties.*
- Everyone may participate, but only residents of the United States and Canada are eligible to win.*

Think you have what it takes? Add your original Copic artwork to your Copic Color gallery, and fill out the entry form HERE by October 31st.

We’ll choose our 10 favorite entries, and post them for the public to vote on in early November.

Good luck!

*Web properties include Copic Marker, Copic Color, the Copic Marker Facebook page, the Copic Marker Twitter page, and the Copic Marker Tumblr page.

*This contest is run by Imagination International, Inc., the distributor of Copic Markers in the United States and Canada. We are legally prohibited from sending product to other countries.