It's Better With Color! Coloring Flowers with Copic Markers

~

YAY!  It's time for another fun and information filled blog hop with the E-Team!!  Are you as excited as I am? 

This is part 2 of our "It"s Better with Color!" series and today we'll be showing you how we color flowers using Copic markers.  Now, this is EXACTLY what I LOVE to do, so I'm super happy that this was the challenge presented to us by Daisy! 

To start with, I want to tell you that your choice of paper and black ink to use when coloring with Copics is completely subjective.  There is no right or wrong.  I've played with many colors and many papers and there are very few that I dislike.  My current choice is to use Memento (tuxedo black) dye ink by Tsukineko on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80# cover 8.5 x 11 cardstock.  The ink dries quickly and the paper is the perfect thickness providing for less bleeding of the Copic ink.  I would advise that you play around with different inks and papers and find what is right, or most comfortable, for you.

Today I've colored a couple of Hero Arts flowers from the Blossom Art stamp set.  I'll take you through this first flower step by step.

To choose which colors to use I start with my Copic color chart, which I downloaded from Sharon Harnist's blog and filled in with the colors as I've acquired them.  Then I play around on some scratch paper to make my final color combination choice.  (Remember, you can click on any photo to see it larger.)

~

   

~

Now to start coloring, I always lay down a base of my lightest color.  Then I add a little of each progressively darker shade, going back and blending with the previous lighter color each time.

~     

   

     
 ~

If you'll notice, I work my colors from the base of each petal out toward the end.  That's the way flower petals are naturally shaded.  They are new and darker at the base, fading in color as they grow out.  Also that's where the shadows would be when you're looking at a flower, simply because of the shape of the petals and the way the light hits them.  I also use dots of color to add extra shadows and texture, and I think it adds interest as well.

~

~

I used the same technique to color the leaves.

~

    

     
  ~

After finishing all the petals of the flower, I colored the center, starting with the lightest shade again.  Then I added a shadow of a darker color all around the edge of the center.

~
  

~

Next I started shading each individual seed, using progressively darker colors and blending with the previous lighter one.

~

     
~

Then I decided to add a little of one of the lighter yellow shades to each of the petals, and I added some to the leaves too!

~

  
~

So now do you want to see the finished card?  No, sorry, not yet.  I still want to tell you how I cut out the flower, and curled each of the flower petals around my finger.

~

~

Then I colored a second flower with one of the medium tones and cut it out as well to use as a bottom layer.  Then for a third layer to add more dimension, I crumpled up a scalloped circle from the Filter Paper Embellishments by Fancy Pants. 

~

~

So, finally, here's the finished card using my Copic colored flower.

~

~

The larger scalloped filter paper background was spritzed with Tattered Angels Party Pink Glimmer Mist.

And here's a close up so you can see the finished dimension.

~

~

Now, how about a second flower, step by step?  No talk this time, just photos.

~

                               

     

       

~Here's the completed card:

~

~

And one more example using a more defined shading this time.  This shows each of 4 steps in the process.

1. The laying down of color

2. The blending

3. The shading

4. Adding the darker, more defined shadows

~

~

Ok, then, are you ready for some blog hop business details?  Here's the scoop:

• Leave comments on each of the blogs!  There will be 2 winners of $25 eclectic Paperie gift certificates chosen randomly from all the comments.  You can leave your comments from today, Thursday, June 16, through Sunday, June 19.
• You can leave a comment on the eP blog for an additional chance to win an assortment of flower stamps and 4 new Copic Color Sketch markers!
• Winners will be posted on the eP blog on Monday, June 20.

Time for you to move on to see the awesome goodness that the other E-Team members have created for you!  Here are the links:

~

E-TEAM

Latrice Murphy

Linda Duke

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever

Starla Nelson

Daisy Sparks (eP blog)

Linda Ledbetter (not playing this time, but stop by and leave her some love anyway!)

~

Thank you SO MUCH for stopping by.  I really hope you enjoyed visiting today.  If you have any questions and don't find the answers here or on one of the other E-Team blog posts, please let us know and we'll do our best to help!

FUSCHIA FLOWER

 

• Stamps: Blossom Art (Hero Arts) 
• Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80# cover 8.5 x 11 cardstock, river rock, rich razzleberry textured, Sweet Threads 6x6 paper pad (Basic Grey)
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black, rich razzleberry, Copic markers 
• Tools used on every card: Fiskars 9" trimmer, Scor-Buddy, Tim Holtz scissors, Ranger non-stick craft sheet, Rock-a-blocks
• Other: Filter Paper Embellishments (Fancy Pants), seam binding, Tattered Angels Party Pink Glimmer Mist, Threading Water border punch (Fiskars), corner rounder punch, lace, button, twine, Scor-Tape, foam mounting tape 

ORANGE FLOWER

 

• Stamps: Blossom Art (Hero Arts) 
• Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80# cover 8.5 x 11 cardstock, gray textured, Sweet Threads 6x6 paper pad (Basic Grey) 
• Ink: Memento - tuxedo black, Ranger Distress Weathered Wood, going gray
• Tools used on every card: Fiskars 9" trimmer, Scor-Buddy, Tim Holtz scissors, Ranger non-stick craft sheet, Rock-a-blocks
• Other: Grand On the Vine border die (Spellbinders), ink blending tool, corner rounder punch, Ranger Glossy Accents, Scor-Tape, foam mounting tape