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- RT @SomeOddGirls: New @copicmarker speed coloring video: http://t.co/qtb2PNrZ "Windy Day" #copic #illustration •7 hours ago
Guest Tutorial: Bridal Illustration by Brooke Hagel
This week, New York City-based fashion illustrator Brooke Hagel shares her bridal illustration process. Enjoy!
Hello, I’m Brooke Hagel, a freelance fashion illustrator with two successful Etsy shops, Brooklit and BrooklitBride, that I run from my home based in New York City. The vast majority of my custom commissions are bridal illustrations that friends and family give as wedding and/or anniversary gifts to brides.
For the past few years my marker of choice has been Copic and I was thrilled when Copic contacted me contribute to their blog. I also author my own blog about fashion illustration called Fabulous Doodles. Here’s a breakdown of how my illustration process and how I use my Copic brush tip markers.
All my artwork starts off with a detailed pencil sketch. Here I decide what the bride will look like, determine the pose that best flatters her gown silhouette and add all of the appropriate details and accessories. The pencil sketch is the ground work that I build upon with my markers. Once the sketch is perfected I take a kneaded eraser and basically erase the whole thing to color. I leave just faint lines so I can see where to apply color. I keep the whole under-sketch light because any dark lines that are there will just be intensified once the marker ink is on top of it.
The next step is my favorite, this is where I take my Copic markers and apply the color and shading. I pretty much solely use the brush tip end of the marker. With this tip you can create a heavy saturated look by pressing hard, pulling the color up and releasing it for a painterly effect. You can also create shadows by adding second coats of the marker. The layers of marker ink work as though it’s a second coat of paint and the color becomes significantly more saturated. Besides multiple coats of the same color, I also use varying shades of a color to create more depth. You can see examples of this in how I rendered the hair and wedding gown. For the hair I used two different browns (E59 and E49), and with the dress I used two different gray values (C1 and C2) to create the folds and shadows.
Once all the color and shadows have been rendered with my Copics, I finish off the illustration with a white charcoal pencil to add some highlights and a cool gray 90% colored pencil to outline.
Now the illustration is finished and ready to ship out to clients, be added to my bridal print shop or framed! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. Have a happy wedding season, and hopefully you can try out some on my illustration techniques on the brides in your life.
For this bridal illustration I used the following Copic markers:
C1 Cool Gray No.1 (dress)
C2 Cool Gray No.2 (dress)
100 Black (sash)
E53 Raw Silk (skin tone)
E59 Walnut (hair)
E49 Dark Bark (hair shadows)
BG93 Green Gray (leaves)
RV000 Pale Purple (flowers)
Find Brooke on the web:
Blog: Fabulous Doodles
Etsy Shops: Brooklit & Brooklit Bride
Facebook: Fan Page
Twitter: Brooklit
Share your fashion illustrations with us on Facebook and Twitter!
Guest Tutorial: Coloring and Shading Flowers by Sharon Harnist
Papercrafting designer Sharon Harnist, one of our Design and Education/Instruction team members, is back this month to share her tips for coloring and shading roses with Copic markers.
Flowers and botanical images are my favorite things to color and one of the most requested tutorials, so today I’ll show you a few tips for achieving realistic coloring, shading and shadows for flowers and leaves.
Roses:
1. Stamp image with Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Copic X-Press It Blending Card.
2. Choose a 3-color blending group (here I used R20, R22, R27) and quickly base coat the roses with the lightest color. You don’t need to be concerned with taking your time and coloring in small circular motion; you’ll be doing enough blending later! You can even leave the a few areas white, like the very tip ends of the petals. Here, I’m using R20:
3. The illustrator will usually give you an idea of where the shading, or deeper/darker colors should be; those areas will usually be cross-hatched or indicated with lines or stippling. Color those areas with your mid-tone color (R22):
4. Go back with your first, lightest marker (R20) and blend the colors together:
5. Also, keep in mind that areas/petals that are closer to you will appear lighter and petals that are towards the back or bottom of the flower will naturally appear darker; color those areas with either your mid-tone or your darkest color (I used R22 and R27):
The rose on the left has the darkest R27 color added, while the rose on the right does not — you can really tell the depth this adds, can’t you?
6. Go back and add some depth to your mid-tones and deepest recesses of the flowers with your darkest color (R27). Also, where some petals cast a shadow on other petals, use your darkest color to indicate shadows. Blend with your mid-tone color, if necessary.
Leaves:
7. Again, choose a 3-color blending group (I used G21, G24, G28). Quickly base coat the leaves and stems with the lightest color in your blending group (G21), leaving a few white spaces as highlights if you wish:
8. Use your mid-tone color to add depth to the areas indicated by the illustrator (usually on the lower half of the leaf) and on leaves that are further away from you or towards the back of the plant (G24):
9. Go back and use the lightest G20 to blend the two colors together, if needed.
10. (Above) – Use the darkest color in your blending group (G28) to add depth to the leaves and where any leaves might be turned away from you, showing the bottoms of the leaves (where they would naturally have less sunlight cast on them). Do the same on the stems and other leaves, where some leaves might cast a shadow on the stems and leaves below them.
Note: White seam binding ribbon was custom colored with Copic R22 and R24 Various Ink Refills. Roses were cut out and popped up on Copic High-Tack Foam Tape.
Find more Copic papercrafting inspiration from Sharon:
Blog: www.PaperFections.com
Copic Color Gallery: http://www.copiccolor.com/Shar
Supplies:
Copic Sketch Markers: R20, R22, R24, G21, G24, G28
Copic Various Ink Refills: R22, R24
Stamps: JustRite Papercraft-With Sympathy clear stamp set
Paper: Copic X-Press It Blending Card; Lily Bee Design-Head Over Heels 6×6 Tiny Tablet;
Gina K Lipstick Red Heavy Base Weight cardstock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copic Double-Sided Foam Tape; Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles die; white paper doily; white seam binding; sewing machine + thread
Guest Post: Blue Hair by Brandi York
This week, artist Brandi York gives us details on coloring the blue hair of her goblin character. Enjoy!
Last time, we covered unusual, fantasy skin tones with our little goblin. This time, we’re going to look at her blue hair with ringlet pigtails.
As always, I’m using the Bleed-resistant Copic Sketchbook and Copic Sketch markers.
Unusual hair color, like unusual skin tones from our last tutorial, take a bit of experimenting to find the right combinations. Take some time to layer various colors together to find the right combination of lights and darks before starting on your actual piece.
I start with B45, laying in the basic pattern of her hair, my strokes following the direction of the hair. Remember, draw every direction, not every hair. With the brush tip of the Sketch markers, this is much more easily achieved. Go back over it once or twice to help create a bit a definition in the chunks of hair and value as the hair rounds around the head and the ringlets. Start big and work down to smaller chunks. You’ll notice it’s pretty rough, but that’s okay. Our next colors and layers will help refine it down.
Switching to BV23, I lay in some simple shadows, again following the direction of the chunks of hair. Use that brush tip to your advantage. You can get thick and thin lines in one stroke, breaking up the areas nicely.
Next comes the BV25, emphasizing the darker spots of the hair, around the curls and in the deeper chunks of hair. I also go back to the B45 to soften the edges and tie it all in together.
I use a bit of BV17 to add a bit more depth and color into the shadows of the hair, stroking in the direction of the hair. Sometimes adding other colors in the shadows can help create a sense of depth, as well as tie other colors from the piece in, making everything work together.
With a bit of practice, patience and of course, the right paper, the layering will all come together and you’ll have a lovely rendering of whatever your subject, whatever the strange and fantastical skin and hair color may be!
See more of Brandi’s fantastic illustrations on Copic Color, and add your own work while you’re there!
Guest Post: Goblin Illustration by Brandi York
This week, artist Brandi York walks us through a fantasy illustration with Copics. Enjoy!
For today’s demonstration, I thought I’d let my geek flag fly a bit and do a rendering of my World of Warcraft goblin, pushing myself to try a realistic approach to a truly fantasy subject.
As usual, I’m using Copic Sketch markers with the bleed-resistant Copic Sketchbook paper.
I start by picking out my colors and trying them out on a scratch piece of paper. This may take a bit of time, going through and trying out all these different greens, yellows, purples and reds together, but you don’t want to jump in and just start throwing color down without making sure everything will be harmonious, especially where the opposing colors are concerned (yellow and purple, green and red).
After I’m reasonably satisfied with the colors I’ve chosen, I start by laying in a base of YG21 over my lightened pencil lines. I go back over it a few times in spots, defining out some of the shadows for later. I also use R30 to lay in a little pink on the nose, lips, and the tips of the ears:
Next I break out the YG23. Despite being the same family of colors, it’s quite a bit darker. I use the YG21 to help smooth the transition, but I’m not happy with how warm the shadows are at this point. I take some time to lay all the base shadows in before breaking out the trusty BV23:
With the BV23, I start to knock back the deeper shadows, again using YG21 to soften the transition. It’s pretty drastic when you first bring that BV in. The first response might be, “Oh no, too dark!!” Give it time and finish it out. Once you get all the shadows laid in with the BV23, you’ll see how much the piece begins to pop. Using your two skin tones (in this case, YG21 and YG23) helps to soften and tie in the BV23. Use them in conjunction, softening the hard transition between the tones:
I drop in the eyes, a little E42 for the not-so-white whites of her eyes with BV17 and BV11 for the irises with a bit of 0 Colorless Blender to soften the transition (these colors will also be mirrored in her hair and gown, to help tie the colors together.) I also dropped some of the E42 onto her lips along with a little more R30 and YG93 to darken them up a bit:
Time to darken the shadows further! Now that the colors are all starting to come together, the earlier panic of the BV23 being too dark is a long-gone memory. Now in some places, the shadows aren’t dark enough or well defined enough. Out comes the BV25 to deepen the darkest spots – under the chin, in the ear and nostrils and the edge and corners of the lips. At this point, I’m also going back and checking other areas – the stomach, the arms, places that might not be melding as well with the rest of the piece, shifting the lights and darks a bit, trying to help make the piece more cohesive:
As always, achieving realistic renderings, even with a fantasy subject like a Warcraft goblin, takes a lot of back and forth and patience. If you’re afraid to try something right on the piece, try it on a scratch paper first.
View Part 2 of this tutorial, Coloring Blue Hair. See more of Brandi’s fantastic illustrations on Copic Color, and add your own work while you’re there!
Guest Tutorial: Architectural and Technical Sketching by Jackson Root
This week’s guest tutorial is by Jackson Root, a talented illustrator in Southern California. Enjoy!
Architectural and Technical Sketching with Copic
One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning is to go out exploring in the neighborhood, to find something interesting to sketch, to challenge my hand and my mind and find the tried and true rules that govern technical drawing! The truth is, whether you notice it or not, your eyes pick up on a number of mechanics that happen naturally with forms in space, shortcuts our eyes make in order to understand the visual information before it is sent to our brains. It’s these mechanics that allow us to understand our environments, and it’s when these mechanics don’t exist that we suffer from symptoms of vertigo and motion-sickness.
Understanding these mechanics and knowing when and how to employ them in our drawings gives them the illusion that they depict real objects occupying real space. Failure to use these mechanics can often result in drawings of objects that seem to be floating in air, or just out-right wacky! If you take a moment to Google “German expressionism” and take a look at what those artists were doing in the 1920s, you can get a feel for how you can manipulate perspective to add drama and anxiety to your artwork simply by tweaking these mechanics.
In the sections that follow, I will briefly touch on some mechanics that are important to keep in mind while sketching anything from a house to a tape dispenser, those mechanics being Verticals and Vanishing Lines. For more information on perspective and conveying forms in space, I recommend Walter Foster’s book, Perspective, and also Creative Perspective for Artists and Illustrators, by Ernest T. Watson.
Verticals
The first aspect of these mechanics that is important to discuss is understanding verticals. Typically, the walls of all buildings should stand vertical, and by definition, these verticals should always be parallel to one another.
Before I begin a sketch, I look for the verticals as a way of plotting out my drawing. Using these lines, I can establish a standard of measurement for the drawing which I can use for the placement of other elements in the drawing.
If you’ve had a chance to read my Sketching From Life Blog entry from a few months back, I talk about how I begin a sketch by using a very light color, such as an E11, or R02, to rough in the shapes and the placement of the objects in the drawing paying careful attention to how they relate to one another.
For example, near the center of the drawing is a small balcony with a banister that forms a small rectangle with two verticals on either side. Now I can look at this small rectangle and make a mental note of how large it is in relation to the rest of the elements in the drawing. Using this standard of measurement, I can say to myself, “…now the right-most edge of this garage-building on the left is just about one-and-a-half ‘balconyfences’ to the left of that building, etc”. I then draw a short vertical line that once I really begin to add tone later on, will nearly vanish away in contrast (If you look to the right of the telephone pole on the left, you’ll see a faint version of it, which was the original sketch prior to revising it with a darker tone later on).
“Vanishing Lines” or “Parallel Lines”
The next mechanic that is critically important to keep in mind when sketching is understanding how vanishing lines, or what are in reality, parallel lines relate to one another in an image.
In any one object, or in this case, building, there exists any number of lines that if they are parallel in construction, i.e. window panes, rooflines, door hinges, etc. If the sides of two buildings are parallel to one another, these lines will relate to one another in the sense that they will all converge at one point in the distance, the Vanishing Point. If you were to trace the lines in red, they should all converge at one point, the same with the lines in purple, which relate to a different building which in this drawing has its own set of vanishing points and rules that govern it.
When I began this drawing, I took a moment to consider these lines and decide which lines would relate to one another, and I began this drawing by using a very light tone to rough them in before adding darker tones to really ‘cement’ them as part of the drawing!
I encourage you to employ these tactics, or at least keep them in the back of your mind when drawing anything you see- literally everything you see with your eyes obeys these rules! The next time you’re feeling adventurous, grab a couple of markers- you’ll need a very light one, like an E11, BG02, or R02; a middle tone such as E33, BG13 or R20; and a dark tone, E77, BG18 or R29; your favorite sketchbook, a pair of sunglasses and an inquisitive mind, and find these rules, they hardly ever lie! Better yet, get your hands on the Copic Sepia Ink Pro Kit; it has everything you need to make wonderful tonal drawings!
Find Jackson on the web:
Web Site: http://www.jacksonroot.com
Copic Color: http://www.copiccolor.com/Jackson
Guest Post: Spring Tulips Card by Debbie Olson
Papercrafting designer Debbie Olson is one of our Design and Education/Instruction team members, and this week she’s sharing a card project that utilizes several of the 12 new Copic colors. Enjoy!
Welcome! Today I wanted to share a tulips card in hope that spring will soon come. I used several of the newest Copic Sketch colors that were introduced last month.
The stamp image that I started with was rectangular in format; however I wanted a square card. I used a square die to cut and emboss a square, leaving the die in place to act as a mask when I stamped the tulips image in Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
I began by rendering the tulip greenery using G40, G43, G46, V22, and BV35, all of which are NEW colors except for the G40. I used the G40 as my base tone, deepening the value with both G43 and G46. While the values were dark enough using only those three G40’s, the shadows were still as intense as the mid-tones and highlights. Some violets and blue-violets cooled and muted my shadow and cast shadow areas.
Next I worked on four of the blooms. The new Copic RV52 was my mid-tone here, while I used RV00 and touches of 0 in highlight areas, and RV55 for my deeper tones. Again, the V22 and BV34 helped with cooling and muting shadow areas.
For the last three tulips, I warmed up the temperature and lightened the value of the pink tones to add variety. My base pink tone was an RV10, deepened with RV11, V22, and even some BV34 in the deepest shadows.
Using a YR30, softened on the edges with Colorless Blender, I added some warmth around the outer edges, especially on the side of my light source (upper right). I used a hint of YR31 closest to the tulips. On the shadow side I used some of the new BG90—still warm, but cooler and less intense than the sunny buttercream yellows on the light side.
Have you started any spring projects? Share them in the comments below!
Supply List
Copic Markers: G40, G43, G46, V22, BV34, RV00, RV52, RV55, V22, BV34, RV10,
RV11, YR30, YR31, BG90, 0.
Stamps: Friendship Jar Spring Fillers, Tiny Tags II (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo black (Tsukineko); Chamomile Distress Cube (Papertrey Ink)
Cardstock: X-Press It Blending Card; Autumn Rose (Papertrey Ink)
Other Tools: Standard Square Small (Spellbinders Paper Arts)
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Debbie’s Paper Crafting Blog: Thinking Inking
Debbie’s Art Journal Blog: Sketches in Time
Tips and Techniques for Using Colored Multiliners
Copic-loving comics artist Jayleen Weaver (Guruubii of GuruKitty Studios) shares some great, practical information on ways to use colored inking pens. Multiliners come in a range of colors for a variety of applications. See how she uses them, below:
Materials:
- Copic Multiliners – Sky blue, Orange, Cool Gray, and Sepia
- Copic Sketch markers: B91, B93, B95, E30, E31, G00, B000, R20, Bv31, Y21, YR23, YR24, Y32, (and many more I grabbed as I just kept colouring)
- X-Press It Blending Card and Aquabee Marker Paper
Copic Multiliners are inking pens that are designed to work with Copic Markers. The pens come in a multitude of sizes and colours. Once dry, the ink is alcohol-proof so it won’t smear on the right paper when you colour over it with your Copics.
I use Copic’s coloured Multiliners in a variety of ways; sometimes to help create a sense of depth in an image, sometimes to just soften the look of the image or add some nice accents. It all depends on the look you’re going for. I use them in a few different ways, so I’ll show you a little bit about each technique.
In my illustrations I very often ink my characters in colour to distinguish them from the background, and if I want a less graphic/comic book style to my illustrations.
For this image I used a variety of colours to make her look softer. Sepia for skin, cool gray for hair (mainly because I didn’t have a purple, lol) and blues and orange for her clothes.
I was careful while inking to be conscious of areas of overlapping features. See this example where her eyebrow is on the edge of her profile, so I stopped the skin colour at the eyebrow.
Its important to note that these pens are somewhat transparent, so when you overlap the pen stokes you actually darken the colour a little so be careful of creating little dots where lines overlap by picking up your pen at the end of a stoke instead of holding it on the paper.
You can also use the coloured multiliners to add accents to a black inked image. See this example where I’ve used the colours to embellish her outfit. It adds a nice bit of detail without being too bold.
Now, the best excuse I can come up with to use coloured Multiliners is to create effects. I use them. In my comics all the time for inking the mountains in the distance.
See how the cool gray makes the mountain less bold? Using black lines in the foreground and light gray lines in the background, gives a sense of depth. If the mountains were inked in black, I think it would be too harsh of a line and would cause distraction.
In this panel here I’ve used the cool gray to ink the entire panel because it’s being viewed through a car window. A hazy gray line can be exactly what’s needed in certain situations.
So there you have it! Colour Multiliners are one of the most versatile tools in my Copic arsenal! There are also many different types of nibs you can get. Think about brush tips if you like the way they look, too!
For the very latest from Jayleen Weaver and GuruKitty Studios, visit these sites:
http://copiccolor.com/markerguru
http://gurukitty.com
http://markerguru.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/gurukittystudios
Guest Tutorial: Coloring Curly Hair by Brandi York
This week, illustrator Brandi York shares how to color curly hair with Copics. Enjoy!
Curly hair. We all have tried it at one time or other. At some point, we all become tempted to just draw a bunch of squiggly lines and call it done. So how does one tackle curly hair realistically in a transparent medium like Copics?
In my last tutorial on hair, I mentioned the key to this. It applies to all hair types: Don’t draw every hair, draw every direction. In the case of curly hair, you’ll want to add to that – draw every shape. The big thing to keep in mind here is to focus on the negative shapes – the areas that are darker, created by the curls.
Once again, I’m working on Copic’s Bleed Resistant Sketchbook and Copic Sketch markers.
I start with a bit of linework in place, more so than I normally leave for hair. This helps to set me up as to which way to go. Since she’s a blonde, I will want to make sure that my lines are almost non-existent when I lay down might lightest colors, since pencil becomes a permanent fixture once Copics are laid over.
I start with the Colorless Blender, laying down a quick layer before going over quickly with Y21. This helps me to lay a reasonably even mass of color, even if I will be breaking it up soon enough. I don’t want streaks going in the wrong direction, distracting from the curls in the end. I go over it quickly with a little more Colorless Blender, just to help even the tone.
TIP: If you have a photo editing program or digital painting program (such as Photoshop) where you can pick out individual colors, this is incredibly handy when figuring out color transitions, especially in something like curly hair.
Next I move to creating some of the illusion of curls and step down into the shadows a bit, starting with E97. I follow the direction of the hair, coming back in with my Y21 to blend the edges a bit where it gets too hard. I also use my Y21 to help add a bit of subtle depth by going back over the areas, shaping without drastic changes in color.
I finish out the darker side with a base coating of E97, following the direction of the curls.
I want to start adding some more value, so I switch to my BV23 and start hitting the darker spots, adding depth and cooling the shadows greatly. I go back over some of the BV23 with the E97, increasing the depth of color and shadow. This is another area to just play and layer, layer, layer!
TIP: Utilize that brush tip! You can create thick to thin lines in one stroke, or very thin, airy lines, helping with the illusion of the curls moving and changing thickness!
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Moving to the E47, I hit all the darks again, deepening the shadows greatly. Again, it’s a lot of back and forth with the colors, softening some edges and deepening others. I also used the E47 to create some curls on the edge, breaking up the solid edge of hair, and then used the Colorless Blender to soften them, to look like wisps of hair.
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To add a bit more depth into the lightest portion of the hair, I picked up E31, E43 and BV20 for a subtle touch of shadow.
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As I finish out the piece, I make final touches to the hair with BV29 in the deepest darks and the background, using BV23 and the Colorless Blender to soften the edges of the hair, particularly on the dark side.
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Colors used for the tutorial – Y21, BV20, BV23, BV29, E31, E43, E47, E97
Colors used for the whole piece — Y21, YR02, R000, BV11, BV20, BV23, BV25, BV29, BV31, E01, E04, E31, E43, E47, E55, E95, E97
Have a curly hair coloring of your own? Share it with us on Facebook and Twitter!
Guest Tutorial: Taking your Comic Art to the Next Level Using Copic Multiliners
In this guest post, Copic-loving artist Alex Heizer explains how to use a range of Multiliners in various nib sizes to create patterns, texture and tone in your comics. Check it out!
Recently, reading a collection of popular Japanese ghost stories called Kwaidan inspired me to create a comic based on the work. Since these stories were collected and translated over a century ago, I wanted to use traditional illustration techniques and media to honor its rich history.
With the help of Copic Multiliners, the lettering, background textures and shading tones have all been hand rendered using pointillism and hatching. By mixing simple techniques and rendering them using multiple pen sizes in the same element, I’ve added greater levels of depth and subtlety to these pages while keeping the style personal and unique.
COPICS Used: Multiliners of the following sizes: 0.05, 0.3, 0.5, 0.8, 1.0 and Brush-M
To begin my project, I create a storyboard on standard copy paper folded into a half-size booklet (4.25″ x 11″). This allows me to read it like a finished comic. I can see how things flow and make changes before spending too much time working on the details.
From there, I sketch rough pencils on Bristol board at 1.5x the finished printed size. I work them until they’re ready to be inked. For this step, I prefer hot press (sometimes called “plate finish”) Bristol board due to its smooth surface, heavy weight and durability when erasing and inking.
I use non-photo blue guidelines to mark the comic’s live area and trim guides. Turquoise colored Multiliners are perfect for creating guidelines when preparing your own custom boards. These blue lines will disappear when scanned, leaving only the black ink ready to be printed.
Figure: For basic line-work, I use the 0.05 Multiliner SP due to its precise nib that gives me really fine detail which stays razor-sharp at the reduced, final comic size. Before adding shading or texture, I complete all of the figures on the page. Once the outlines are finished, I move on to the shading and texturing of the figures.
Background Basics: At this stage, I only add basic texture and shading to the backgrounds. Leaving the backgrounds until after all of the figures have been finished lets you shade and texture them appropriately so they don’t overpower the characters.
Fabric: By combining pointillism and hatching, I create a smooth base shading with only 0.05 on areas like this kimono, followed by pointillism layers using 0.3 and 0.5 to create shadows and folds in the fabric. This is a great low-tech way to do your own shading screens (screen tones) directly on your artwork. By varying your lines and point density, you can simulate different materials, indicate the draping of fabric and create the illusion of volume through light and shadow.
Backgrounds, leaves: Once the figures are shaded, move to the backgrounds. I did the leaves using the Brush-M because its flexible tapered brush nib allows me to create that classic leaf shape with just a gentle press on the board. For each leaf, I held the pen at an angle and dabbed at the paper lightly, compressing the brush tip only hard enough to leave as large a mark as needed. To get a more realistic look to the leaves, I rotated the direction of the pen so the leaves weren’t all pointing in the same direction and varied the brush angle and pressure to vary the size or shape. The shallower the angle, the longer the leaves. I also created perspective by making the leaves smaller on trees that were farther in the background.
Grass: I rendered the grass with three sizes of pens, beginning with 0.05. By pressing the pen to the paper vertically and quickly flicking the pen upwards by rotating my hand backwards, I created random tapered lines. By flicking the pen, it caused the tip of the pen to lift in an arc from the paper, naturally tapering the tip of the line. For a more natural, grass-like look, I added in 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0, especially when creating the shadowy area and repeated the process a few (thousand) times! To get a smooth texture on this stone wall background, I used 0.05 for crosshatching.
Crosshatching: This is one technique that Multiliners excel at because of their consistent line thickness and ink density which is why I recommend them for anyone wanting to achieve this style of shading. By filling an area with an even layer of parallel hatches, the shading looks smooth. To create different shades or a gradient, I hatched in one direction and then again at a ninety degree angle. I repeated this in a third direction, or as many as I needed to achieve the darkness level I was looking for. For the textured surface of earth and rocks at the base of the wall, I used 0.05, 0.3 and 0.8 to create multiple layers of pointillism with a random placement of points. By intentionally building up 0.3 and 0.8 points in certain areas, I was able to simulate peaks and valleys which either caught the moonlight or were in shadow.
Lettering: Even though this page has no standard lettering on it, I wanted to show an example of lettering using Multiliners from a different page. Drawn at 1.5 times the finished comic size, I laid down parallel nonphoto blue lines 3mm apart for the lettering and 2mm apart for the leading (the vertical space between each line of lettering). Since I was going for a clean, mono-weight lettering style, I simply drew out the letters using a 0.3 for standard text and a 0.5 for bold. In this case, the Multiliners beat a traditional nibstyle pen and ink’s varied lines.
As you can see below in the finished page, basic illustration techniques can be taken to the next level simply by using a variety of Copic Multiliners. By switching between pens, you can add as much depth as you need to set the mood for your piece.
What Multiliner techniques do you use? Let us know in the comments, below.
For more from Alex, visit him online. Enjoyed this post? Feel free to let him know.
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Guest Post: Art Paper Testing with Copic Markers by Colleen Schaan
This week, Colleen Schaan shares her technique for testing paper to determine what works best with her artistic style. Enjoy!
Traditional marker rendering ranges from using large areas of color with streaking to show motion, to smooth gradient blends and minute detailing. The paper you choose for your rendering is important, as each type gives different results and has different capabilities.
I personally like a paper with easy blending and visible special effects, so that is what I test my papers for and how I rate a “good” paper. Each artist has a different style, purpose, and technique for using their Copics and therefore should test a number of papers themselves.
I’ve gathered a variety of art papers from some popular brands. Here are my results separated into paper types:
SKETCH/DRAWING PAPERS – Typically sketch papers aren’t recommended for markers, but I wanted to include them in my testing as I know a number of artists who like to use them for marker work.
Canson Sketch 50lb
• Easy color lay down, smooth surface
• Feathers only with a lot of ink
• Darkens only slightly with layering
• Soaks through the back
• Very easy blending
• Colorless Blender gives soft but bright effects on wet surface
• Colorless Blender gives crisp and subtle effects on dry surface
• Overall Thoughts – I like this paper. The soft surface gives very easy blending and I get very little feathering. Blender effects aren’t spectacular, but they are okay when wet.
Canson Sketch
Strathmore Sketch 60lb
• Easy color lay down, smooth surface
• Saturates quickly to give smooth coverage
• Feathers with more than one layer
• Darkens slightly with layering
• Soaks through the back quickly
• Very easy blending – but beware of feathering
• Excellent colorless blender effects both wet and dry.
• Overall Thoughts – I wouldn’t pick this paper unless I want to use limited layers. I do love the crisps and bright colorless blender effects though.
Strathmore Sketch
Borden & Riley Sketch/Drawing 90lb
• Has a lot of tooth – snags at marker during inking
• Saturates quickly for smooth coverage
• Feathers with more than one layer
• Darkens slightly with layering
• Soaks through the back very quickly
• Soft and easy blending with not a lot of ink (can be controlled)
• Excellent colorless blender effects both wet and dry
• Overall Thoughts – another paper I wouldn’t use… unless I really wanted great colorless
blender special effects. I do like the blending, and with patience, could learn to use this
paper with a very little ink.
Borden & Riley Sketch/Drawing 90lb
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BRISTOL
Canson Bristol Vellum
• Smooth color lay down
• Saturates very quickly
• Feathers slightly with multiple layers
• Darkens with layering
• Very little soak through to the back
• Super easy blending – beware of the feathering though
• Soft and subtle colorless blender effects
• Overall Thoughts – this paper is pretty good. I like that it blends beautifully and gives some colorless blender effects. The only drawback is the slight feathering.
Canson Bristol Vellum
Strathmore Bristol Smooth
• Slight yellow tone
• Very smooth and easy color lay down
• Saturates quickly without a lot of ink
• Feathers slightly with lots of ink
• Darkens nicely with layering
• Some soak through to the back
• Blends beautifully
• Great colorless blender effects – nice and bright and crisp
• Overall Thoughts – A great paper for someone wanting to use a Bristol. Super easy
blending and vibrant colorless blender effects. The slight yellow tone isn’t an issue for
me.
Strathmore Bristol
Borden & Riley Bristol Vellum
• Slight tooth and really grabs at the marker during inking
• Saturates very quickly
• Feathers even with just one layer
• Darkens with layering
• Lots of soak through to the back
• Blends very well
• Neat colorless blender effects – but feathering
• Overall Thoughts – this reminded me a lot of a watercolor paper. Way too soft for my
taste as it feathers excessively. I do like the colorless blender effect and this paper might
be neat for a mixed media inking project.
Borden & Riley Bristol Vellum
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MARKER PAPER
Canson Marker Pro Layout
• Super smooth surface – easy color lay down
• Color sits on top of paper
• Saturating creates mottled look
• Very light even with layering
• No feathering even with multiple layers
• No bleeding through the back
• Streaky with more than one shade
• Traditional blending methods tend to lift color when wet
• Colorless blender effects subtle on both wet and dry
• Overall Thoughts – The paper is good for more traditional marker rendering techniques
where brush strokes are used to create movement and texture. Colorless blender effects
are too soft and subtle for my taste.
Canson Marker Pro
Strathmore Marker Pad
• Super smooth color lay down
• Color sits on top of paper for quite a while
• Can easily saturate for a smooth look
• No feathering even with multiple layers
• Very light – even with layering
• No bleeding through the back
• Streaky if not evenly saturated
• Traditional blending is difficult
• Excellent colorless blender effects on both wet and dry
• Overall Thoughts – The lighter colors pull off the darker colors since they sit on the top
of the paper so the blending is rather difficult. I do like the crisp colorless blender effects
that I can get.
Strathmore Marker Pad
Borden & Riley Marker Layout
• Super smooth color lay down
• Darkens only slightly with layers
• Need to fully saturate for a smooth look
• No feathering even with multiple layers
• No bleed through to the back
• Streaky if not fully saturated
• Traditional blending is good if fully saturated
• Excellent colorless blender effects
• Overall Thoughts – I love this paper! The best of both worlds for me… like a soft card
weight paper for blending (as long as it’s saturated) and vivid colorless blender effects.
Borden & Riley Marker Layout
Copic Marker Pad
• Noticeably two sided
• Smooth color lay down
• Darkens only slightly with multiple layers
• No feathering
• Slight show through to the back but no bleeding
• Ink sits on top for a moment and then saturates
• Traditional blending techniques are difficult as the ink sits on the top
• Streaky blending unless very careful
• Very subtle colorless blender effects
• Overall Thoughts – For my coloring style, it’s not my preferred marker paper. The blending is more like a vellum technique and the colorless blender effects are extremely subtle.
Copic Marker Pad
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OTHER PAPERS
Borden & Riley Bleed Proof Paper for Pens
• Super smooth surface and color lay down
• Soft like Bristol but not as absorbent
• Darkens slightly with layering
• Very slight feathering only after 3+ layers of ink
• Bleeds through the back slightly
• Blends well if saturated
• Amazing colorless blender effects
• Overall Thoughts – Another great paper! This reminds me of a thinner card weight paper
with the ease of soft paper blending and outstanding colorless blender effects.
Borden & Riley Bleed Proof Paper for Pens
Copic Manga Illustration Paper
• Very light color
• Darkens only slightly with multiple layers
• Ink sits on top and then soaks in
• No feathering or bleed through
• Traditional blending techniques are difficult
• Can be streaky if overworked
• No colorless blender effects on wet and only slight effects on dry
• Overall Thoughts – Tough to get smooth blends on, but a good paper for more traditional marker rendering where streaks and brush strokes are wanted for texture and movement.
Copic Manga Illustration
As you can see, each type of paper gives a different result, even between brands, so make sure to put marker to paper and test a number of them to find your favorites.
Interested in Colleen’s posts on testing card stock? View Part 1 and Part 2 on her blog.
